Ashok K. Banker- Upon a Burning Throne

Arunita

Blurb:

From international sensation Ashok K. Banker, pioneer of the fantasy genre in India, comes the first book in a ground-breaking, epic fantasy series inspired by the ancient Indian classic, The Mahabharata

In a world where demigods and demons walk among mortals, the Emperor of the vast Burnt Empire has died, leaving a turbulent realm without an emperor. Two young princes, Adri and Shvate, are in line to rule, but birthright does not guarantee inheritance: For any successor must sit upon the legendary Burning Throne and pass The Test of Fire. Imbued with dark sorceries, the throne is a crucible—one that incinerates the unworthy.

Adri and Shvate pass The Test and are declared heirs to the empire… but there is another with a claim to power, another who also survives: a girl from an outlying kingdom. When this girl, whose father is the powerful demonlord Jarsun, is denied her claim by the interim leaders, Jarsun declares war, vowing to tear the Burnt Empire apart—leaving the young princes Adri and Shvate to rule a shattered realm embroiled in rebellion and chaos....  


Book Review:

I will start with a confession. I started reading this book because I am one of those who loved the Ramayana series of Ashok Banker despiteit being a very different and twisted version of the Ramayana. I really felt that he brought the characters of Ram and Sita very relatable and human. However, maybe because I am a bitmore sensitive about the Mahabharat, maybe I have reached my threshold of twisted versions of our epics, this series has not started on well note with me. This is seriously a mixture of Game of Thrones and the Mahabharat in very literal sense. Although I think Ashok Banker has his way with words and had it not copied thewhole crux of Mahabharat, I would have liked the characters like Jeelna(Satyavati) and Mayla(Queen Madri). Why change the names anyway if you take the whole book and combine with a few pages of GoT? Honestly, in my opinion , AKB could have done better. This is quite a bit sloppy work from a renowned author like him. Language and description are vivid and lucid. But tortures on the epics have reached a point where it has become evident that poor Ved Vyas should get some rest in peace finally. Pandavas are yet to become a adult and take this:the mighty Bhima is a girl. Point of this precious modification is yet to be discovered. Hopefully the four brothers and one sister will not marry the Draupadi equivalent of this series together. I don’t even want to find out.

I will suggest this book for a good laugh. Personally I was thorougly amused.

Overall I would give this book 3/5 only for the language and storytelling skill. The story itself deserves negative rating for lack oforiginality. Not everyone can become J.R.R. Tolkien or rather nobody can.

divey

I was planning to read this book, thankfully got warned in advance. I am literally fed up with so much changes and versions of Mahabharata

Arunita

go ahead if you want a good laugh. It is all about entertainment after all.

divey

Arunita 8-5-2019 06:48 PM
go ahead if you want a good laugh. It is all about entertainment after all.

No i have already spent my quota of laughter on many such poor renditions of the great epic. Now I just feel stupid for taking up such stuff

Surbhi70

Thanks. Will Read this one.

Arunita

Sure..go ahead

BookReviews

What happened to his MBA series (Forest of Enchantments and Seeds of War)? Did he abandon that midway and start a new one on Mahabharata?