by Krishna Udayasankar
I am not really sure how wise my decision was to skip first two part of the trilogy and read this one, but once I am done with the third book in the series, I know that reading this book actually pleased the literature lover inside me. The book is a brilliant piece of fiction but one has to be really, really engrossed and attached with the theme to enjoy this piece of art!
Also, a different perspective to the well established Indian legends is one genre of books that interests me the most.
The narration of the book is pretty good. Krishna Udayasankar has proved herself to be a perfect storyteller. Though I found the book a really slow read, the narration is however gripping and expects the reader to keep pace how things unfold.
The narration is good enough for even a person unfamiliar with Mahabharata to grasp the plot quickly.
The book is pretty visual. And that is the best part of the narration.
As the name suggests, the is set during the 18 days of the war of Kurukshetra. The scenes are depicted with great excruciating detail.
Since it is a fiction and no re-telling of the Mahabharata, the twists and turns are pretty unexpected. The characters are beautifully portrayed and are not just the divine characters but an epitome of the emotions that were associated with them. The fact that no one needs a war that was totally uncalled for has been clearly embraced by the author.
I like the fact that how Duryodhana is often addressed as Suyodhan because he has never been an evil character to me. Also, each and every character in this book has shared an equal space which again is a plus point. This book also covers the life of Abhimanyu’s wife and their life together which has been unsung.
Price: INR 350
Pages: 436
My Ratings: 3/5