Mahayoddha Kalki : Sword of Shiva (Kalki Trilogy #3) by Kevin Missal – action-packed and fast paced finale

Mahayoddha Kalki is an action-packed and fast paced finale that wraps up the trilogy with drama, some surprises, and brutal war.

Previous Books in Series

Dharmayoddha Kalki (Book 1)

Satyayoddha Kalki (Book 2)

Synopsis

This is the beginning of the end.

Kalki Hari arrives at Indragarh to find out that his brother has been taken prisoner, his beloved is about to be butchered, and the city is embroiled in a ghastly war with the Naga queen and Dakshini king.

Armed with a mighty sword forged by a god, he fights to take the city back from his nemesis, the evil Kali.

But the Avatar of Vishnu is at a crossroads. It is his destiny to fight the last battle with Adharm and obliterate evil from this world. However, he has stumbled upon a terrible truth over the course of his journey . . . a truth that may change everything.

Will Kalki be able to win against Adharm and fulfil his destiny? Or will the world lose its greatest hero and head towards destruction?

Find out in the explosive last book of the Kalki trilogy.

Review

Mahayoddha Kalki picks up right after Satyayoddha Kalki and leads readers on yet another twisty journey. I expected his return to Indragarh by the midpoint, but nope—he and Padma don’t reappear until the final 30%.

Kalki’s journey to Mahedragiri Mountain to meet Bhargav Ram feels like it should be pivotal, but turns out to be more deception than development. The promised training doesn’t come from Ram but from an unexpected source. Like previous books he learned from Avatars so I couldn’t get the point of journeying so much but then his mentor made things interesting. As always, Kalki needs someone to tell him what to do—which is getting a bit old, honestly.

His quest doesn’t end there, of course. Next up is the hunt for the Sword of Shiva—the only weapon capable of killing ancients, danavs, and all things adharma. This leads him further up the mountain, where he meets the mysterious figure teased at the end of Book 2.

Padma, instead of returning to Indragarh, stays to help the Vanars, who face even bigger issues than their war with Taar. This subplot reveals a surprising layer to Lord Bajrang, which shifts Padma’s perspective entirely. The Vanar fight is bloody, tragic, and pivotal—and Padma’s later conversation with Bajrang even helps Kalki in the final war.

As for Arjan—he’s king now, and wow, unlike previous books he’s all brawn. His time as Urvashi’s adviser showed his political capability but now that he’s in charge, all that went out of window. His decisions are questionable, especially when Manasa is just outside Indragarh readying for war. Instead of diplomacy or strategy, Arjan prefers to kill those who oppose.

Arjan’s actions brought Kali back to where he was before. At first I thought he is acting with goodwill for his brother. But nope. He’s still the power-hungry maniac we know. He provides his Danavs to Arjan to win war against Manasa. There are definitely interesting turns at Nalkuvera’s fort with Kali, Durukti, Kali’s to-be wife and Arjan all living in same quarter.

Manasa has her own chaos. She’s trying to control a disorganized army and grow into her role as queen. With Vibhisana’s guidance, she makes some decent calls—until her surprise attack on Indragarh. It was too brutal. Sure, it’s war, but maybe, just maybe, she could’ve used a spy instead killing innocents. That said, she starts showing depth. She wants peace among tribes and Manavs, she is not soulless but then she doesn’t regret what she did. So, that shift between good and evil doesn’t make sense with her character. Her POVs had the most twists, and weirdly, I ended up liking her more than expected.

Durukti remains the most consistent character throughout. Sharp, resilient, and quietly heroic. What happens to her in the climax? Gut-wrenching. Kali’s choices regarding her are cruel, but thankfully, the author doesn’t completely break my hearts making me not to take away those remaining stars.

The writing style stays the same as previous books with good potential but poor execution. I still didn’t feel much for most characters—except Durukti. Kalki’s development continues to drag, while Adharm seems to speed-run his villain arc. He barely realizes he is Adharma and then suddenly—bam—he’s chatting with his avatar and mastering everything in two or three chapters. Meanwhile, Kalki’s had an entire trilogy to get his act together!

Well, I enjoyed reading about Sword of Shivas, oracles of Indian mythology and many new characters and their stories. The book is loaded with battles and deaths—it really feels like the Mahayuddha everyone keeps referencing. There’s a strong underlying theme: good and evil coexist in everyone. Even Kalki. Even the supposed villains. Nobody comes out clean. What matters is striving for balance and learning from your mistakes.

End was rushed and that final battle with Adharm felt anticlimactic. At least I would have liked to see what changed his mind from killing Kalki to doing right. I did feel that Adharm deserved more. He seemed less evil than his brother and maybe deserved a shot at redemption.

Overall, Mahayoddha Kalki is an action-packed and fast paced finale that wraps up the trilogy with drama, some surprises, and brutal war.

Book Links

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Have you read this book or wish to read?
Your favorite final book in series?

Just in case you missed,,,

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• The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King (Crowns of Nyaxia #2) by Carissa Broadbent – addictive and steamy romantasy

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