Saturday 20 February 2016

Book Review: The Prince of Patliputra (Asoka Trilogy #1)

Book: The Prince of Patliputra ( Asoka Trilogy #1)
Author: Shreyas Bhave
Publisher: Leadstart Publishing
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 382
Price: 350 INR

Blurb: 272 BC, Bharathvarsha, Land of the Aryas....
Samrat Bindusar, son of Chandragupta and the second Samrat Chakravartin of all the Aryas rules over the massive subcontinent from his holy seat in Patliputra. Almost five decades ago, his father had laid the foundations of this vast Samrajya guided by the famed Guru Arya Chanakya. But now, the wealth and glory of the past has subsided...
As the Samrat’s health continues to decline due to an unknown illness, problems are arising all over his realm. There is infighting and rebellion. No clear successor to him is present. Ninety nine of his sons stand in line waiting for his throne...
Bharathvarsha needs a Chandragupta once again. And it needs a Chanakya too. Can the young Prince Asoka, who is the least favorite son of the Samrat, fill in the boots of his grandfather? Can Radhagupta, a mere Councilor of the Court be what Chanakya was to all the Aryas? 
Begin a new adventure with the first book of the Asoka trilogy as you read to find the answer to one great question- 'That who shall be the next Samrat of this holy land of the Aryas?


My Rating: 4/5

My Review:

When I learnt that the book is authored by a 21 year old guy, I was quite skeptical if he could handle this historical fiction with deftness. The author managed to totally eradicate my doubts by the time I was in the middle of the book. 

"The Prince of Patliputra" is a historical fiction that deals with the life of Asoka, one of the towering figures in the history of India. In the first few pages, it was a bit difficult to comprehend the direction where the story was heading, but once you read a couple of chapters, you will surely be hooked to the book.

Garnished with conspiracies, clever strategies, subtle romance and bitter betrayals, the book is a fast paced read. What appealed to me the most in this book is the way Chandragupta's journey (grandfather of Asoka and the first Samrat Chakravartin of all the Aryas) is shown in parallel to Asoka's journey. We can see Chanakya, the legendary personality reminiscing about how Chandragupta came into power. 

Chandragupta came into power due to Chanakya's strategies. The same way we can see Radhagupta, the Prime Minister of Patliputra devising some clever strategies to put Asoka on the throne of his father. Asoka is the least favorite son of his father, Samrat Bindusar whereas Maharaja Sushem, the elder son of Samrat Bindusar is loved immensely by his father. So, it is natural that he has high chances of sitting on the throne, but Radhagupta and Chanakya think otherwise.

There is one very funny instance in the book, where Radhagupta fools Sushem's wife and uses her to intensify the animosity between Maharaja Sushem and Asoka.The subtle romance between Asoka and Devi is also narrated well. Those few instances provide a soothing relief from the conspiracies and the betrayals. 

The author has given importance to each and every character, out of which Chanakya and Asoka will win the heart of most readers. In the flashback scenes, the character of Alexander is also well sketched,

A few editing errors could have been avoided and some scenes could have been a little more crisp.
However, with good story telling skills, powerful characters and enough twists, Shreyas Bhave makes a great debut with his historical fiction. The book ends at a very interesting juncture which will compel the readers to wait for the part 2 of the trilogy, "The Scourge from Taxila".

This book will appeal a lot to people who are fascinated by history and love reading historical fiction. Though I don't belong to this category, but I still enjoyed reading the book.

Buy the book here:




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25 comments:

  1. Historical fictions are my favourite and your review has piqued my interest. Adding it to my TBR list... :-) Nice review as always, Purba...

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    1. My thoughts exactly :)And Asoka and Chanakya are my most favorite characters from Indian history. Period.

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    2. If Asoka and Chanakya are your favourite characters, then you should definitely try this book. Or better, you can read a post on the characters from this book at https://authorshreyas.wordpress.com/2016/02/11/the-characters/ and then decide :)

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  2. Editing errors in a book are put offs...

    However shall keep it for a rainy day :) encouraged by your review

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    1. I definitely agree that editing errors in any book are a put off for many...So I am working to remove the few errors that are left in this book in its second print run. So try it after a few days maybe :)

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    2. Glad to know that you are encouraged by my review :)

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  3. ok cool.. I added it to my list :-) which I have no clue when I will complete sweetie :'(

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  4. Seems a potential read for me. But the excessive use of the word 'Arya' in the blurb is giving me an alert notice of some prejudiced state of mind.

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    1. I think I know what kind of Prejudice you are sensing. Let me assure you that you shall not find any standard ( Aryas/ Non Aryas/ The Aryan Invasion) kind of prejudices in the story. You can take my word for it or better yet, you can view the book trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzaKHNwFpWI or read the sample chapters at https://authorshreyas.wordpress.com/2016/01/21/the-prince-of-patliputra-sample/

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  5. History and fast paced sounds interesting. Am sure it will be a great read :) I love authors put in their imagination to popular characters I can thus draw parallel to my thinking of those :) nice review Purba :)

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    1. Thank you :) You can also view the book trailer at https://authorshreyas.wordpress.com/

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  6. Thank you for the great review. Hope you enjoyed the book. It was great to discover your great blog here and now I'll definitely read WALKING IN THE STREETS OF LOVE AND DESTINY and THE HIDDEN LETTERS.

    www.authorshreyas.wordpress.com

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    1. Thank you, Shreyas. I had a good time reading your book. Great job :)

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  7. I have lot of interest in King Asoka particularly the way he embraced Buddhism. I am glad these days lot is being said, picturized and written about him. Your review makes it a book worth a read.

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    1. Same here, Roohi. I am waiting for the next part of the book.
      Thank you :)

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  8. I had been looking for some good books on Ashoka recently....what a coincidence....will definitely read this one...Thanks Purba....

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  9. Passing on this link to my sister sweetie. Thanks for the detailed review. I am sure she's love it. :)

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  10. My son would love to read this.

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  11. This will help

    http://ajitvadakayil.blogspot.in/2014/08/chanakya-taxila-university-professor.html

    Aditya

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