ASURA: Tale of the Vanquished | Part of 100 Books by Indian Authors to read in a Lifetime| Mythological Fiction Bestseller Novel by Anand Neelakantan | Historical Fiction about Ravana | Indian Author Book Based on Ramayana | Author of Ajaya book series

This is the book i had been waiting for the last 20 years. I have grown watching, reading and listening to ramayana. It always made me think that for a lanka which was made of gold, there has to be an able and competent mind behind it. If ravana was a rakshasa, it would not had been in his hands to control hordes of rebellions and assassination attempts. I have a great respect for this trodden upon soul and anand neelkantan has done superb justice to his character.Ramayana is flawed as there are more than 250 ancient versions of it floating the world. Though the book has received negative reviews by brahmins, it correctly portrays the evils and vices of brahminism and caste system. similarly, we have been taught since childhood that asuras had magical weapons, and vehicles, and that godly powers and miracles existed. however, this book attempts to justify the same using scientific principles which are easier to digest rather than laughable like hanuman flying off all the way from lanka to himalayas to get sanjeevani etc. you will get a lot many answers to questions which defy science in this book.the story has been beautifully rendered through the characters of ravana and bhadra. and the thoughts have been beautifully captured. all in all, a great book and this one is a keeper for me.

Before I read the book, it always itching me. Is Ravana that stupid for his actions? He was half Brahmin, well-educated. I always felt something was missing, something was hidden. When I read this book everything is justified and makes lot of sense.When started this book, I was amused & stunned. I know Ramayana has (lot of) different versions. There are movies out there, there are TV serials about it. This book eradicates all the misconception about Asuras & Devas which are wrongly criticized in movies & TV serials. This book never exaggerates any of the events with magic & gimmicks. Every action I earlier consumed were retold with simple, likely, and earthly events. Some of the incidents are really surprised me and I am unable to think other way around. It really makes sense that, the Devas & Asuras are mortals and lived on this very earth than as imagined as burning underworld or foggy heaven. Its convincing that Asura & Deva are different race (like European and African) than with their magic spell or the demon with horns and fangs. This book explains very well on how the barbarians becomes more civilized when the settle in India – the rich wealth of India. This book is not intended to eulogize Ravana, it never fails to express the greedy, wicked, and grudge side of him, but also it express his intelligence, pride, philosophy and emotional side. When you start reading the book you will witness the disgusting creator (I just started hate him to extreme) and when you finally finish the book for sure you will have soft corner for him. The narration is just limited from the view of two Asuras alone, so nothing get exaggerated. Finally, every history has different version, I read it somewhere "The history turn real human beings into heroes, villains, and crude stereotypes. The truth is more complicated", at least, now I have a different vision of the same folklore & text.It also reminds that Ramayana is not just ended when Ravana’s corpse beheaded, it extends until Sri Ramachandra’s and his beloved’s collapse for sake of "Dharma".Most impressed statement from this book (there are plenty, the following one really irony)."The irony was that he [Sri Ramachandra] was successful in getting Sita back from the most powerful king in the world [Ravana], and yet was powerless to save his wife from the clutch of orthodoxy."ATTENTION: If you are strong believer of Varna caste system, it will hurt you to the core.

A fascinating read for a person like myself who knew the Ramayana story only through Amar Chitra Katha and, more recently, Ashok Banker's work. This is the loser's version of the great Indian epic, told with remarkable insight into the nature of humankind. The author does not, as would appear to be implied at first glance, portray Ravan as hero and Ram as villain. Blending imagination and research with empathy and a gripping narrative style, the author surprises the reader by showing both as human but very disparately so. It is not a simple dharma versus adharma story. The philosophical take stuns with its sheer audacity - not so much in its novelty as in its presentation in the context of an epic that has virtually been hijacked by conservatives for their own reasons and abused to manipulate gullible over millenia. The story repeats itself over the eons... it's unfolding even as I write this review. I do hope that people READ this book and realise that IN A WAR, THERE ARE NO REAL VICTORS, NO TRUE RIGHT, WHAT IS DHARMA TO SOME IS INJUSTICE TO OTHERS.... Anand Neelakantan, this is a masterpiece. Kudos. I'm reading Ajaya now. :)

I used to read books in a manner where I read multiple chapters in one go, left it for a while and then came back. This approach has taken even about a year for me to finish a book in the past.I had this book with me since 14th April 2019 and I was reading it with the same above mentioned approach, and I was losing interest (Perhaps because I was reading Amish's Ravana at the same time and finding it more interesting).So I left reading this completely, read some other books and eventually started reading this one again around 2 months back with a new approach in mind, that I'll read one Chapter every day, doesn't matter what.With this new approach, I slowly started finding the book interesting.Ravana declaring himself Dashamukha had got my attention early, but the chapter where Vedavati arrives is the one I liked the most. It amazed me in a way like no other chapter did.It's a different thing that despite such a grand entry, I didn't find Vedavati and Ravana's story as good in the next chapters.Also liked the chapter where the Pushpak Viman flew for the first time.And liked the ending of the entire story as well.It was an excellent move to keep two narrators. One: The Asura King Ravana himself and Two: Bhadra, a commoner. This allowed us to look at the events from both, the royalty's and the commoner's perspective.The story's reimagining is also excellent. All the events are the same which we have known since our births, but to look at them from a different point of view, simply brilliant! The story is now modern and relatable.There are few philosophies and a lot to learn from the story.I just didn't like the editing at parts, but in the end, I'm happy.People like me with interest in mythology should go for this.

This decade has seen Amish Tripathi rise to fame with his mythological trilogy that was despised by the noble students of literature. I belong to the haters club only because of the way he wrote the book.Anand Neelakantan solves that problem effortlessly. His narration of the story in two voices is filled with deep thoughts and self-lamentation. He has provided immense honesty to his characters as they proceed the story with detailed descriptions.There are some plot changes that are purely brainless, but help the story advance. The traits of characters are to the mark, everybody does what they are expected to. And you hate Ravana with the hate he deserves, but you also like him, not because the story is about him, but because he is a human being, like us, who has made mistakes. Just in his case he doesn't realize.I found myself feeling sad for him as I knew what the end to his life was. But even though I thought I knew everything, the author made me believe that there are gaps in my knowledge. I will research my doubts properly before establishing anything on my own.The writing style is beautiful. It worked its way around me and hooked me by the first chapter. I am grateful that I read this book and that the author was descriptive. There are things that I had missed that he spelled out for me.Please read this to ruin your childhood and start hating humanity for polluting you with a one-sided explanation of history.

This book had long been on my "to read" list but i always shied away from reading it thinking it would be too preachy and too pro ravana and too anti ram. However, one day, i decided to order a sample from amazon on my kindle. I read the first chapter and I was amazed and hooked. I could not believe something related to mythology can be written so personally and with such dark shades. Apart from the story line, which we all know pretty well, what kept me hooked was the first person narrative. The author has excelled in his writing style bringing forth a person's views and his contrasting actions. Ravana is in no way made the "hero" of the story. He is portrayed as he is, an ambition man with an urge to win, who was lucky most of the times. It is Bhadra, a fictional character, who is the eyes and voice of Asura, who steals the show. He is the string, the forgotten voice, that ties the whole story together. You see the contrast between these two characters and how they see the same situations differently and you release, there is no truth or fact in stories, its just perception. Bhadra flows thru the book and is an excellent device used by the author to tell the story of the nameless without introducing too many unnecessary characters. this way you feel for the character, generation and race all at the same time!Kudos, to the author, who managed to portray the story of ravana's life, without being partial. Ram, is shown as a prince of a small state and the author asks the questions that most of us do. Just because someone is deemed god, can all his actions be justified. The author manages to stay away from Ram's journey and this, nevertheless, makes the story fast paced and still interesting.However, The book gets a little long and winding and repetitive in the end and I feel like the editor could have done a better job. There are a few spelling mistakes like thrust instead of trust and a few repetitive phrases like "wily" and "impotent rage" etc but they dont take anything away from the reading experience. The author also makes good points regarding brahamism and caste system but they are so few and repeated throughout the book, that they loose their effect. It is my personal opinion that the relationship or storyline between Ravana and sita could have been developed more. Its kind of a blank in that area. The last quarter of the book is slow and winding, and could have done with better editing.The book deserves praise as it manages to be impartial towards Ram and Ravana, something that the pop-ed up versions of Ramayana cannot boast of.

This book reveals so many things about our history which we don’t even knoW.The writer narrated the story profoundly and gave every detail in about his subject.This book provides a keen perspective of a king and as a poor on what had happened.This is a masterpiece and a must read for every individual to know about the history which is hidden.and to know about mighty king (Ravana) who never killed anyone hiding somewhere in the woods or bushes and was brave enough even at his last breath but killed only because some people betrayed him for his throne and that’s the only factor added advantage for someone’s (so called brave people who kill like coward) victory.They attacked ravan’s island during the nights of War, take away her queen and leave her Stripped completely naked, kills Meghanada from behind while he is worshipping lord shiva in his room, kills a 8 year old Shambuka for the sake of his birth as a Sudra and having the knowledge of vedas. The person who did all this and still speaks of raja dharma.We have been fooled since our childhood by hiding some truths and manipulating the history just to make Rama a god.

The quality of the books is very good.In terms of the books review I did not like the book.Pro’s:The perspective that the male author brought in the initial stages of the book was hopeful. The start of building the plot and of the characters are good.Con’s:As the story progresses, I did not like characterisation of the protagonist as it falls flat and the story line even flatter.Typical “Male” authors who write about women in only two ways because they see women in only two ways. Sensual and Ugly. The story line is jarring, unnecessarily stretched. The male author tried to depict Ravana as a mere lowly man who is not above his whims and cannot control his mind. Even for a fictional read, the male author could have done a much better job. His research about the topic he has so elaborately written is clearly a mere nuance of his male privileges. He should have done a background check and researched more about Ravana.In chapter 27, the male author had the audacity to vouch that a women after being ogled and manhandled by 5 men would blush at another man, while seconds ago she was at the brink of being raped by them.It’s absolutely disgusting to read the book.

First, let me say I love and respect "The Ramayana". That stated, I also loved this re-telling, from the point of view of the infamous villain, Ravana. It's not about whether you agree or disagree with the other side's perspective, but imagining a more dimensional rendering. The book is written in first person, from Ravana and an Asura commoner whose experiences interweave with his emperor. The author gives us a highly entertaining and interesting tale of someone who is all too human. I had trouble putting it down; reading it at stop lights and long drive-thru lines. I would encourage anyone who has read or knows The Ramayana to read it. If you aren't acquainted with the history/legend of Rama, then this book will make you want to know more!

Great read

L'auteur s'inspirant librement de la mythologie "Ramayana" de Valmiki, nous délivre une histoire extrêmement bien ficelée !Au travers de son récit, nous partons à la rencontre du vrai roi démon de l'ancien royaume (supposé ?) du Sri-Lanka (Ceylan).Et nous découvrons avec délice "Ravana" et ses conflits internes, ses relations tumultueuses, son passé qu'il tente d'oublier, etc.De base, "Ramayana" est acquise pour la cause du prince "Rama", son frère, "Lakshmana" et "Hanuman", ensemble, tentant de délivrer, la belle "Sita" de la griffe du démon Ravana.Mais dans "Asura Tale of the Vanquished ...", nous voyons l'histoire de la perspective de Ravana et son peuple, pris en sandwich entre leur roi et une force d'invasion mettant en péril leur existence.Pour ceux ou celles qui seraient intéressés à poursuivre la mythologie de Ravana et ses multiples pouvoirs connus, je vous conseille un autre livre, écrit par un spécialiste du milieu, Dr Mirando Obeysekere intitulé "Ravana, King Of Lanka", publié par "Vijatha Yapa Publications" au Sri-Lanka.Mais le plus incroyable, c'est le "NASA" qui a confirmé l'existence bien réelle de ce fameux "pont" créé par le roi singe, "Hanuman" à la demande du prince "Rama", "The Adam's Bridge", reliant Sri-Lanka à l'Inde, tout récemment.Ce qui nous amène à poser une question toute simple : Que savons-nous réellement de nos civilisations longtemps disparues et faisant parties uniquement des ... "mythologies" de nos jours ?Je recommande ce livre a tous.

Forget about the rights and wrongs - there is so much to learn from this book. A story that we all have heard a million times now told from the vanquished's view - but who really is the vanquished?

Looks like the author dislikes/hates Brahmins and all the principles of Ram Rajya....Agreed, Ravana was powerful, intelligent and knowledgeable but you need not make other characters weak and pathetic to prove this point.Money wasted on the book..