Author: Shatrujeet Nath
Publisher: Jaico Books
Do you think that not a lot has been told of the Ramayana from Bharat’s
Point of view?
Warlord of Ayodhya (Rebellion)
by Shatrujeet Nath explores the story of Bharat, whose carefree life in Kekeya
is turned upside down by the death of his father Raja Dashratha and the exile
of his brother and crown prince Rama. Untrained in statecraft and unsure of
himself, Bharat begins his rule over Kosala by tackling an audacious rakshasa
attack on Ayodhya. But that is not all. There’s more trouble brewing. As the
magic that sustains the kingdom starts weakening and a drought looms over
Kosala, Ayodhya’s citizens begin to disappear mysteriously. Ambitious
aristocrats manipulate the inexperienced king to their ends, while fickle allies
seize the opportunity to assert their independence. And unknown to Bharat, the
Lord of Lanka has put a cunning plan into action that will break the back of
Ayodhya’s resistance.
The book explores an interesting perspective of Bharat into the events of
the Ramayana after Rama has been sent into exile. The book starts off on an
interesting note and as the story progresses, we get to see how he takes the
hurdles in his life and faces each day to keep the kingdom up and running. The idea
to use the Ramayana as a base and weave a story of magic and lore that is quite
enthralling. Another interesting aspect of the story is that in this book
Shatrujeet creates and plots a world that promises to deliver a wonderful
series that is something different from the usual mythological fiction stories
that can be seen these days. The plot moves at a great pace, and the blend of
mythological magic with technology is something that I loved, specially the way
it fits in with the overall storyline of the book. The point at which this book
ends is another good thing about the book that sets the tone for the next one
perfectly.
Coming to the characters in the book, I liked how the basic characters
are drawn from the Ramayana, but Shatrujeet gives them his own shades and hues
to create the world where this book becomes alive. The characters are crafted in
detail and the best thing about the characters that they have been created with
inherent human characters that make them relatable as well. The way that the
characters’ arcs are transforming, I am hooked for the next part because there
are a few characters that I have my eye on, and I would love to see how they
turn out.
Overall, this is a wonderful start to a series and I would look forward
to further books as we explore the world of Shatrujeet’s creation. The book
scores a 4.81/5 for me.
I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review
by the publisher.
Get a copy of the book on Amazon India or your nearest bookstore!
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