Ram: Scion of Ikshvaku Book Review

Name: RAM CHANDRA SERIES BOOK 1 RAM, SCION OF IKSHVAKU

Author: Amish

Publisher: Westland

Amish, the famed author of the Shiva Trilogy, widely regarded as India’s Tolkien is back again to weave some magic with his exceptional writing abilities, this time retelling another Indian Epic, with a unique, yet interesting interpretation of the story of the Prince of Ayodhya, Ram, Scion of Ikshvaku.  

The story acts as a form of prequel to the Shiva Trilogy, as it takes you straightaway to the Indian Subcontinent of 3400 BCE, a land that represents a civilisation in decline, a nation, under the emperorship of the Sapt Sindhuan kingdom of Kosala, that is weakening every passing day not only because of it’s internal politics, but also due to the rise of the enemy of the entire Indian landmass, increasing power and authority of the small trading country, beyond the nation’s Southern borders, the island of Lanka.

The story begins by giving the readers a glimpse of the Sapt Sindhuan political condition, before the birth of the Ayodhayan Prince, by taking the readers to the battlefield of Karachapa, in Western India, where the armies of the Emperor of India face for the first time, those of the Demonic Island of Lanka.

For those who are well versed with the Indian Mythological world, reintroduced by Amish, you are sure to find the story interesting as it helps you discover the story behind the establishment of the empire of Meluha,  the tale of the fabled drink of the Gods, the Somras and takes you a bit more closer to the working of the mysterious tribes of the Malyaputra and the institution of the Vishnu.

The Ram Chandra Series is written using a storytelling technique, called hyperlink, in which the story of the main characters is told separately in the form of a number of  tributaries that eventually merge into a common bigger story, that takes with it, the tales of the individual characters forward.

Thus, Ram-Scion of Ikshvaku, the first instalment in the  Ram Chandra Series tells the story of Ram, the Prince of Ayodhya, detailing the readers with various incidents and narratives right from the prince’s childhood to his marriage with the Prime Minister Princess of the kingdom of Mithila, Sita and concludes with her kidnapping  , by the demon king of Lanka, called Raaavan.

Doing what Amish is known for, the entire plot of the story is about connecting various loose ends, to combine into a gripping suspense thriller, with a blend of typical  Indian philosophical twist explaining the masculine and the feminine way of life, in a manner  that is sure to leave you thoughtful, bewildered and super desperate to pick up the next book of the series.

Ram-Scion of Ikshvaku  is recommended to everyone who is a fan of fiction, mythological fiction, suspense, thriller or who wants to revisit the tale of Ramayana with a slightly different understanding.  In simpler words, if one likes The Lord of the Rings  and the The Hobbit, it can be safely assumed that he or she is going to love the Ram Chandra Series as Business Standard rightly called Amish India’s Tolkien.