Journey to the Throne-Vani Mahesh

Book: Journey to the Throne
Author: Vani Mahesh
Publisher: HarperCollins India

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Have you heard the story of how Chandragupta became the King of Magadha after Samudragupta?

Journey to the Throne by Vani Mahesh is set in the early fourth century, this is the story of two princes of the powerful ancient Indian kingdom of the Guptas. Princes Rama and Chandra are the sons of Emperor Samudragupta. Often called the Napoleon of India, Samudragupta was both an invincible warrior and a faultless ruler - chivalrous, disciplined and moralistic. While Prince Chandra is the ideal prince, hardworking and able, Prince Rama is the proverbial prodigal son who leans towards a life of luxury. Chandra is trapped in a web of deceit by his jealous elder brother and has to fight several life-and-death battles to the throne. It is a journey fraught with deceit, intrigue and untold drama. A universal story of sibling rivalry and a ringside view of the underside of royal life - the risks, the uncertainty and the adversity.

The book is an interesting account of how inheritance plays out when one of two warring sides need to be chosen. I loved how Vani builds up the differences between the brothers right from the very first page and that sets the tone for the literal journey to the throne. There are multiple examples that make you relate with both the primary characters on different levels and while you feel inclined towards one, the emotions come out for the both of them. Another interesting aspect of the story I liked was that the fact that Vani highlights the story of the other characters as well and we see a bit of all the other characters who lend a fair voice to the whole story. The plot moves at a good pace and is fast enough to keep you engaged and hooked to the fight between the brothers. The last part of the book is quite good and the climax would definitely surprise you.

The characters of the book are sourced from History and Vani has made a nice attempt in blending history with fiction in this book. Chandra’s and Rama’s story is deeply intertwined and talking about these characters independently is not possible as each of their actions influences the other in the story, and one certainly would not have existed without the other. Another interesting character I liked was that of Dhruva and how she is an integral part of the entire story.

Overall, this is a wonderful story about the Gupta empire and how the story of two warring brothers culminates into one taking the throne. The book scores a 4.65/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book on Amazon India or your nearest bookstore.