The second book of the Hastinapur duology, The Rise of Hastinapur, concentrates on the second and the third generation of the Kuru clan, mainly the Queens. This book revolves around Amba who was wronged by Bhishma’s actions and whose daughter eventually led to Bhishma’s death; Gandhari, the queen of Gandhar, who was later married to Dritarashtra, the grandson of King
Read moreAs a lover of books based on Indian mythology, I opened Jagmohan Bhanver’s The Curse of Brahma with a bit of apprehension. And, there was a certain reason behind that. Lately, a number of retelling of Indian mythologies had disappointed me. But, to my own surprise, this book captured my attention in the Prologue and then I could not stop
Read moreThere is perhaps a law of diminishing returns with an author. Look at John Grisham – the same guy who gave the world classics such as The Rainmaker or The Testament – also wrote absolute putrid shit such as The Summons, The King of Torts or his latest Theodore Boone book series. It is perhaps a disservice to Pattanaik that this is the first
Read moreAfter last year’s success with Kamadeva – The god of Desire, Anuja Chandramouli returns with this striking work on Shakti – The divine feminine. We all know about Shakti – She is the Mother Goddess, Mahamaya the enchantress, the supreme consciousness, the pure source from which all creation emerges and to whom all must eventually return. As Ushas, the enchanting goddess
Read moreHindu mythology has always attracted my attention and of them, the retellings of Mahabharata and its characters are my favorite. So when I was given an opportunity to read and review a book based on Bhishma, I knew I couldn’t miss it. The Winds of Hastinapur is a story told by Ganga, the first wife of Shantanu, one of the
Read moreIndian authors in the fantasy genre is rare. And finding a competent Indian author in this genre is even rarer. And finding a fantasy story that stays with you forever is of the rarest. Charu Singh is one of the rarer. Almost first of its kind, a Tibetan-Buddhist fantasy novel, the novel is a thorough page turner, though the pace
Read moreIn Skyserpents, Jash Sen has proved once again that a background of Hindu mythology and ancient lore, gods, demi-gods and asuras can form an arresting and deadly cast of characters when thrown together with her creative ingenuity. The second book in the trilogy, Skyserpents starts out with one of the most well known and pivotal moments in Hindu mythology –
Read morePart of Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013 Tell us who is your favourite character from The Mahabharata and why? Answer in the form below. The best answer makes you the Reader-Winner of September 2013 and gets fun-express The Average Indian Male by Cyrus Broacha home delivered at your place. Sandipan Deb’s debut novel, The Last War surely is a page-turner. Having a corporate and
Read moreThis interview is a dream come true for me. No really! I have said this before, The Pregnant King was a turning point in my realization as a reader and this man made it possible. He opened up a whole new genre for me and honestly there has been no looking back. His articles and books are my one-point reference
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2013 Books have strange relationships with the readers. I like to call it something akin to eating. We try out a lot of dishes before we know, yes, this is what I like. On the same principles readers read (try out) different genres and books before they can put a finger on some genre/s and say,
Read moreShe is all of 12, loves books, opines with her author father on his book covers and is India’s youngest published author. Anusha Subramanian not just loves reading those books but is also the proud creator of the Catriona series – a four book teenage fantasy packed with action and adventure. As she gets ready for the official launch of
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: Krishna Coriolis 1: Slayer of Kamsa Author: Ashok K. Banker Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers ISBN: 978-93-5029-000-2 Genre: Fiction Pages: 325 Rating: 4 of 5 ‘VISHNU, I AM COMING FOR YOU.’ – your uncle, ‘Child Slayer’ Kamsa What do you do when the last page of a book screams those six words in caps? Can’t
Read moreEntry no. #3 – Debut Indian Writers Month: October 2012 Part of Debut Indian Writers Challenge and South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: Thundergod Author: Rajiv G Menon Publisher: Westland Ltd. ISBN: – Uncorrected Proof Pages: 384 Genre: Fiction Rating: 2.5 of 5 Reviewed for: Blogadda.com
Read moreTwo huge blue colored doors, possibly wooden, vedic flower designs splattered over them in a matrix pattern, bells hanging from each of those flowers, golden pegs, an ornate lead lock that brings them together with a single beam of light between them hinting at the other side and golden words underneath the huge lock proclaiming The Krishna Key. The cover
Read moreThis post is honored to be ‘The Spicy Pick of the Week’ at Blogadda.com My recent backpacking trip to Kerala turned out to be a religious, temple-visiting endeavor, mostly. The roving mind, story-seeking freak in yours truly noticed a very peculiar commonness in all the temples visited. Be it the temple of Krishna, Shiva, Ganesha, Kartikeya or Devi, two five
Read moreEach day of my childhood had begun listening to my father read out of his Ramayana, Mahabharata or Bhagvatam. Each day had begun with pulling the pillows over the ears to block out the words, that debuted sounding as gibberish but eventually with passing years started making sense, atleast to the story lover in me. Amidst the magic, myths and magnanimity,
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