Title: Ashwatthama's Redemption: The Rise of
Dandak
Author: Gunjan Porwal
Publisher: Om Books International
Genre: Mythological Fiction
Date: 2018
Price: INR 257/93.45 (kindle)
Pages: 264
Reading time: 5 hours
SNAPSHOT: Fantasy based Historical/Mythological
Fiction is generally very predictable, as it generally uses a common or much
used basic template, usually from some iconic author or book. It may still be
fun to read, fast paced etc – many examples exist; but uniqueness is not the
forte in quite a number of cases. Therefore, it is with genuine surprise that I
note the presence of uniqueness in the current book under review – Ashwatthama’s
Redemption : The Rise Of Dandak, authored by Pune based Gunjan Porwal.
INTRODUCING
THE BACKGROUND
For those
among us who may not be aware, or readers from outside India, Ashwatthama is a
famed warrior from our past, from the Mahabharata era. This war, fought among
all the kings of Ancient India, divided in 2 camps – Kauravas & Pandavas,
resulted in a loss for The Kauravas, who were cunning and arrogant, bordering
on Evil. Ashwatthama was the Son of the Guru {Teacher} of both sides &
an accomplished warrior himself with Divine origins of birth, and in a fit of
rage, after hostilities had ceased and the Pandav side won, killed all the
major Pandav warriors – and attacked the unborn Son of the only surviving heir
to the Pandav Line. For this act of Evil, he was cursed with eternal life of
misery.
REDEMPTION
This above
is established in innumerable scriptures and documents, {referred to in our
ancient literature as itihaas meaning
history, whether or not the West accepts it}. The author has chosen this Divine
personality for a fictional story. {Ashwatthama is among the 7 chiranjeevi - which
means blessed with eternal life; he cannot die, even as per ancient documents}.
The concept chosen here is that life gives Ashwatthama another chance to redeem
himself, when Evil rises once again on the planet.
THE
ANALYSIS
First of
all, the premise is unique – take a household name from Indian History, and
write a completely fictional story around him. That takes imagination,
knowledge, guts and research. And Ashwatthama is precisely that – a household
name in India. The new character has to be in keeping with what everyone knows
of Ashwatthama – and that is a serious challenge to take, given every kid in
India will likely have heard of this epochal tragic character from the Great
War of Ancient India, The Mahabharata. Furthermore, we are talking of a
legendary Warrior with unparalleled combat skills. Representing that is hard,
period. Well, the author has carried it off with style!
Next, the
story. {I ain't saying a word. Read it for yourself – no spoilers from me!}.
Suffice it to state that it is a riveting story. The author has managed to draw
in the reader, and keep him glued till the last page. The pace is rapid, with
not even one false step anywhere; at no point does it slacken, keeping pace
throughout. There are no detours, and no sensationalist stuff and expected
things like the lady –the heroine getting kidnapped – usually a standard ploy
of all authors. Just a simple no-nonsense focus on the main story – and that is
the upcoming war. That’s it. The characterization is
excellent, and all the characters stay with you long after you have
completed the book.
THE
CONCLUSION
RC Rating: 5/5.
All in
all, this is one of the finest in the historical-fantasy genre. This rating is
for its uniqueness, its story, its complete lack of vulgarity and rough
language, its splendid characterisation, its fantastic pace, and its treatment
of the central character. This is a fast read, and is a riveting book, one you
really shouldn’t be missing if fantasy and / or historical fiction is your
thing. As you put it down after the last page, you feel a distinct regret that
the next part is not available… I will go so far as to say I will mark this
book to the king of Indian Historical Fiction – Vineet Bajpai, as recommend he
read it!
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR:
Gunjan Porwal, engineer by day and writer by night, is
fascinated by Indian mythology, especially the Mahabharata and Ramayana.
After graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology,
Kanpur in 2002, Gunjan worked in MNCs as an engineer while contemplating
writing anything other than code.
Gunjan lives in Pune with his wife, children and parents. Ashwatthama’s Redemption: The Rise of Dandak is his debut novel.
Gunjan lives in Pune with his wife, children and parents. Ashwatthama’s Redemption: The Rise of Dandak is his debut novel.
Grab a copy here: https://www.amazon.in/Ashwatthamas-Redemption-Dandak-Gunjan-Porwal/dp/9352766350/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536057228&sr=8-1&keywords=ashwatthama+redemption
Book
Reviewed by : Vishal Kale
