ashokbanker.com

“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 mean. But…Siege of

Mithila…feels more balanced. Also, the pace is quicker, especially

in the second section of the book. There is a lot to like, most of

the characters are well written. I loved the two gurus, Vishwamitra

and Vashishta, who if you want a comparison they are a bit like

Gandalf in LOTR. Ravana is also wonderfully portrayed and adds a

wonderfully wicked edge and humour to the story. He provides both

fantastic lines but also a number of clever twists that just add to

the overall enjoyment of the book. There are also plenty of

fast-paced scenes which just help to lift the book especially in the

second section. This book like the first provides a very interesting

background to all the different deities. I really enjoyed this book,

despite coming to it with a bit of trepidation, but that was soon

lifted. This story has enormous breadth and scope and, after reading

the first, I was not looking forward to a long series of slow books.

I think though with this book, Ashok has improved not only his

editing but pacing and writing style. The book feels complete.

Often, sequel books feel a bit flat after the initial excitement and

charge of the first but here I feel it’s the other way round. These

books will appeal to fans of fantasy, but I also hope a wider range

of readers. Let’s hope the next will carry on in the same direction

and we’ll end up with an impressive series of books that not only

entertain but help to get an ancient story across to a wider

audience.” SF Crows Nest on Siege of Mithila

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 22nd, 2006 at 8:57 pm. It is filed under Ashok. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.