Book Review: The Exiled Prince
It’s the age of retelling in the Indian book publishing industry. So many new re-tellings of Ramayana and Mahabharata in the Bookstore, that you are confused on which to choose. They all tell the same story but with different insights and angles which make it impossible to not like it. But what about mythological fiction? This genre is still in it nascent stage in the Indian market and the author Ravi has grabbed this opportunity to tell us a rather intriguing version of the epic on valor and love – The Ramayana. But he adds a twist to it by blending in fictional angles to it which leaves you unable to distinguish between the two versions.
The Crystal of Creation which is made-up of part of the souls of Lord Shiva and Narayana and has the power to construct the universe, annihilate it, and recreate it again, has been stolen. Prince Rama, the hero of the ages, must embark upon a perilous journey to find the Crystal of Creation before someone else; before someone with an insatiable lust for power discovers it and the reigns of the entire cosmos fall into the wrong hands. And thus begins an epic adventure which will take Rama, the legendary superhero, beyond the kingdom of Ayodhya into lands where he will have to battle the fiercest of demons in all of history in order to do what he must.
The author has done a splendid job in the narration with carefully chosen words for an insightful read for the audience. He not only gives you a very lucid view of the Ramayana but also slyly and subtly weaves in his plot line to create a story which almost seems possible in reality. One interesting angle is how he portrays Kaikeyi, one of the most hated woman in the epic, as a noble and a headstrong combat expert. The author gives careful attention to the protagonist’s character development by providing a run through into Lord Rama’s emotions and thoughts. Given this book is a trilogy, I suspect this was done to lay a strong foundation to the protagonist’s personality. He has also given a detailed account of the battle scenes, making the lesser explained sections in most books, a lot more interesting. The only put-off, as I see is the infrequent but lengthy description of certain events that tend to make the book more verbose.
The author has successfully laid a strong base in his reader’s mind, a sure shot sign for a successful trilogy. I strongly recommend this book for all epic fantasy geeks.
Title: The Exiled Prince ( Book 1 of The Crystal Guardian Series)
Author:
Publisher/ Imprint: Finger Print Publications
Pages: 262
Genre/ Sub-Genre: Fiction/ Mythology
Rating: 3.75 of 5
Reviewed for: Publisher
Browse through the full list of book reviews in the depths of the Pensieve.
