ashokbanker.com

“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 rarely is it as apt as it is here. Prince of Ayodhya can be

read on different levels: as a straightforward archetypal fantasy

adventure; as a crash course in one of the world’s oldest

civilizations; or as both. While the story is not long or

complicated, it is rich with details: the gruesome 10-headed Ravana;

the tang of mangos with salt; and the sensuous Kamasutra. Banker

recreates a lush and beautiful world of exotic scents, powerful

magic and honored traditions. Some of the tongue-tying Hindu and

Sanskrit terms may cause the reader to stumble, but the author

provides an extensive glossary. Some readers may object to recasting

a culture’s history as fantasy, but Banker does it with obvious

reverence to the source material.” Cincinnati Enquirer

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