ashokbanker.com

“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 is an almost musical lyricism. Banker is

especially gifted at describing mythic conflicts; most

spectactularly, the battle between Rama and the forces of the giant

Tataka is an awesome moment, deftly imagined and described. Beyond

the legendary heroics and the suspense of a looming war, Prince of

Ayodhya comes alive because of its rich tapestry of characters and

relationships. The cast is large, but every character, from the most

gaudily monstrous to the most vulnerably fragile, is fascinating.

There’s a deep tenderness that suffuses this novel. A particularly

moving moment is when we realize that a wounded doe that Rama saves

from poachers is in fact an enemy demon in disguise. She had

previously thought all humans callous and cruel, but Rama’s act of

compassion challenges her worldview. Most epic fantasies revisit

again and again the same areas of Celtic and British folklore; it’s

refreshing to have the genre so vigorously reimagined through a

different mythic template.” Montreal Gazette

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