“Tumultuous, fast paced, a 21st
“Tumultuous, fast paced, a 21st century retelling” The Hindu “A rollicking read…may the Force be with Banker” Hindustan Times “Magnificent…tremendous…a milestone” India Today “Delicious…amrit to a new generation!” India Today on Siege of Mithila “The biggest tale of all this year…a mesmerising yarn” Economic Times “Vivid, unforgettable images” The Telegraph “How well Banker tells his [...]
“Banker makes the whole story
“Banker makes the whole story come brilliantly alive. With liberal use of Sanskrit and Hindi words and phrases, he sets the mood for an authentic and enticing Indian fantasy-drama. This style of writing is sure to fascinate new and younger readers worldwide who are yet unfamiliar with this epic. At the same time, Banker offers [...]
Mythology has long offered a
Mythology has long offered a rich vein of ideas for fantasy authors to tap. Banker’s series takes the Indian Ramayana and there’s no doubting the atmosphere here. Banker goes to great lengths to build on the story, using the novel format to flesh out the world and storyline to the depth that you’d expect–and does [...]
“Banker fulfils the promise of
“Banker fulfils the promise of the first book. The narrative is compelling but equally important was the insight into a cultural tradition and belief system totally alien to the secular and capitalist west of the modern world. There is much to be learnt from the Ramayana. Wait with bated breath for the third novel.” Historical [...]
“I have to say I
“I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this second book. The first book was slow. There were long descriptive passages that just felt as though you were wading through a steam pudding, really good to eat to start off with but gets a bit heavy towards the end, if you know what I [...]
“The Ramayana could be argued
“The Ramayana could be argued to be the basis for not only Indian culture, religion and art but similar themes crop up in later myths and stories such as those of Greek, Roman and Norse origin to name a few. You only have to look at the modern retelling of the Beowulf, numerous written versions [...]
“The epic is now 3000
“The epic is now 3000 years old and has inspired different versions at different times in its long life. In Ashok K. Banker’s rendering, the novelty is that the ancient tale gets a modernized version by someone who has passionately studied, researched and lived with the material for the past 20 years. Banker’s Prince Of [...]
“Adam and Ulysses are people
“Adam and Ulysses are people that many of us grew up with as are the fairies and elves from British folklore thanks to Western writers and film-makers dabbling in Greek and Roman mythology, Biblical stories and myths and folklore to capture the imagination of modern readers and audiences. And in India too, vernacular writers have [...]
“Banker molds both literature traditions,
“Banker molds both literature traditions, the Indian myth and Epic Fantasy into, for the most part, a freshly imagined opening novel. He avoids all the tiresome internal dialogue and banter that often plague similar novels, and the novel moves along without the often inherent speed bumps. Banker’s sense of structure also sets the novel apart. [...]
“Banker, a well-respected author in
“Banker, a well-respected author in his own country, intends in this opening novel to a forthcoming trilogy to recreate and retell the Ramayana of Valmiki which, along with Mahabharata, are the two greatest works of epic Vedic mythic literature, on par with the Homeric epics, Plato and the Christian gospels, and predating all three. Nor [...]
“A good novelization of the
“A good novelization of the ancient Indian treaty, the Ramayana. It is a story about Prince Rama and his eventual conflict with Ravana, the Lord of Lanka. Very good introduction to Indian literature, before you move into the hard core ones. Recommended.” Bernard Cornwell.com
“Like many Indians, I have
“Like many Indians, I have listened to and read with great pleasure, several versions of the Ramayana over the years. Ashok K. Banker’s thrilling retelling of this classic epic did not disappoint – it had me enthralled and left me eagerly awaiting the next volumes. With this new version, written in the style of epic [...]
“In a word, ‘Wow.’ It
“In a word, ‘Wow.’ It may well be these stories to which our classic texts are indebted. So much of Western popular fiction is foreshadowed in these stories. Joseph Campbell whose synthesis of mythology, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, was so influential on George Lucas, has written extensively on Hindu myth and legend. By [...]
“Banker�s 21st century retelling of
“Banker�s 21st century retelling of The Ramayana is generously sprinkled with words and phrases from Sanskrit and other ethnic Indian languages (don�t worry, there�s a 13-page glossary). The references, however, don�t impede the flow of the story and actually succeed in giving the story the ambiance of some primeval, sacrosanct tome. Banker�s Prince of Ayodhya [...]
“Ashok Banker, with his sequel,
“Ashok Banker, with his sequel, once again demonstrates his ability to turn situations around and deftly switch them into the realm of science fantasy. As Banker takes on the epic journey of the Ramayana rewritten for modern times, the reader finds glimpses of familiar figures as they play their role in this epic drama. In [...]
“I’m deeply impressed � I
“I’m deeply impressed � I can’t recall another fantasy writer who has tried anything as spectacular in scope or vision…Refreshing in both style and source material…If the rest of the trilogy is as impressive as this first book, the fantasy community should be well pleased.” Enigma
“A timeless story translated for
“A timeless story translated for today. In his retelling of the Ramayana, Ashok K. Banker is following in a long tradition, since this story has been retold in a multitude of versions for over 2,000 years throughout the Indian subcontinent, in other Asian countries, and in Western translations and reinterpretations. Here, this classic tale is [...]
“Prince of Ayodhya is the
“Prince of Ayodhya is the first novel in the author’s ambitious project of retelling the great myths of India in the idiom of prose epic fantasy. Judging by this first offering, Banker’s oeuvre-in-the-making is likely to become an essential cornerstone of fantasy. The language is heavily peppered with words from Indian languages, and the result [...]
“From J.R.R. Tolkien to Robert
“From J.R.R. Tolkien to Robert Jordan, the fantasy genre has typically drawn on western legends and Celtic, Norse and Greco-Roman myths. But Indian author Ashok K. Banker instead turned to his own Hindu culture to adapt The Ramayana as an epic fantasy. The term epic is bandied about a great deal in fantasy lit, but [...]
“Inspired! Banker�s ingenuity lies in
“Inspired! Banker�s ingenuity lies in threading his epic fantasy story through his already-known-to-many characters. For readers clued in to the Ramayana, the fun is to get the tilted connections, savour the added layers given to small passing details. This is palimpsestic fiction at its most enthralling. Banker squeezes in various strands of culture – East-West, [...]
“Banker�s ambitious undertaking is one
“Banker�s ambitious undertaking is one I salute — for the modern Hindu, it will reaffirm his rightful pride in his culture. For the modern reader with little or no exposure to Hindu culture, it is a compelling glimpse into its exotic richness, in the easily digestible form of an intriguing heroic adventure. Both books are [...]
“The fantasy event of the
“The fantasy event of the year is the debut of Ashok Banker’s epic retelling of the classical Hindu text, The Ramayana. Sumptuously written with captivating and vivid details, peopled with a fascinating array of complex characters, Banker’s The Ramayana is mythic and epic fantasy at its best.” Locus Magazine
SF Revu on Demons of
SF Revu on Demons of Chitrakut: Book 3 of The Ramayana: “Banker allows his characters to rise to the challenge. Instead of having the plot drive them, he gives them the space to grow and to tell the story themselves. He understands that retelling a tale means that the author has a responsibility to add [...]
Europe’s most popular SFF website,
Europe’s most popular SFF website, SF Crowsnest on Demons of Chitrakut: “This book is rich in characters. Even the side characters are given room to develop and move in the plot(s). The ‘evil’ demon society of Lanka shows interesting shades of grey and even light. This really expands the story, and you get to see [...]
