Readerswrite
Aug 30th, 2007 by Ashok
I reply to ALL reader comments, with 3 requests: 1. Use your real name. 2. Keep it clean–no racism, bigotry, communalism, casteism, jingoism. 3. No rants, please. SIGNED COPIES AVAILABLE: Leave your name, city, zipcode, country, and titles of the books you wish to order, and I’ll contact you directly via email with details.
October 11th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Mr Banker!!
You told me Hush is your favorite Batman story. And i hit you with the ol’reliable “Dark Knight Returns” being my favorite, to which you countered that you were talking about stories in continuity. Well, recently I’ve been re-reading a lot of the post-1986 Batman story lines and i read Year One, Long Halloween, Dark Victory and then Hush. Please re-read the stories in this order. Its a BOMB. After Frank Miller, i think Jeph Loeb is the Man. These 4 stories make one hell of a read, especially the 1st three which give a beautiful description of the early years. And you will also find a LOT of delightful connections with the Dark Knight movie.
Ciao for now!!
October 11th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Wow. I’m trying to catch up here! You guys must be US-based, hence the time difference. Thanks for the feedback!
Rajani: Oh, yeah, I had great fun writing it. If I wrote those parts today, I might have used a different ‘hero’ but I think it still works as well. Glad you liked it! Point noted about the ‘arm’, will fix.
Neha: Well, the concept of parallel worlds isn’t original to me of course. But what’s fresh is the Indian parallel worlds. I’ve also tried to avoid info-dumps and overloading readers with the science behind it all, as western SF authors are at pains to do quite often, because from the very outset I wanted the story to be read at a simple personal level. That’s why I took the multiple viewpoint too, and since none of the characters is a scientist, nobody can get heavy with the Science explanations. I love writing these characters too, even today, nearly 10 years since I first began this story. Glad you like them as much!
Shakib: Lol. My sympathies, dude. Suffer ka phal meetha!
Nikhil: Better than caffeine but more addictive!
Sapna: Lagaa hun, Circuit! Tum bas padhtey rehnaa, bhidu.
Ashok
October 11th, 2008 at 8:58 am
- They were actually only sent to the AKB Group by email (not archived on the Yahoo Groups site). If you’re on Facebook you can read them on the Ramayana Series Facebook page (link in top right sidebar) where they’re up indefinitely. -
Thank you. Will definitely look it up
Sapna
October 11th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Dear Ashok,
Just finished reading Excerpt 5. Amazing and loving every minute of the reading! and waiting for more
Now can’t wait for tomorrow morning, to read the next excerpt
Lage Raho!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sapna
October 11th, 2008 at 4:25 am
Great! Just noticed no. 5. As someone alluded earlier, this is better than a caffeine fix!
October 11th, 2008 at 4:19 am
Hello!!
i am not reading vortal. It was a very unpleasant decision on my part but i can’t bear to sacrifice the pleasure of holding the actual book in my hands and reading it.
So my sincere apologies. But i can’t. Damn!
Hope you are well!!
October 11th, 2008 at 1:19 am
Also, I missed your serializations of the Ganesa Palindrome.. is there any way I can read them now?
October 11th, 2008 at 12:31 am
Hi Ashok,
Just read all 5 excerpts of Vortal. It is unlike anything I have read before, because I hardly read any sci-fi novels. I like your concept of a world parallel to ours.. it’s making an interesting read. I almost groaned when I reached the end of part 5, I was dying to know what happens next!
I admire the way you have described each of the characters.. in my mind they have already assumed strong personalities of their own.. Waiting to know how this story is going to shape out..
Thanks and keep posting!
Neha
October 11th, 2008 at 12:03 am
Dear Mr.Banker,
Just finished reading excerpt 5.
The “Rikit Raushan” thing had me in splits! I can imagine your glee in writing it!! Wicked wicked!! The whole “northerners invading the city….bastardising shudh Tapori….” etc. was very tongue-in-cheek…Loved it!
BTW, while describing the lone rider with the white truce flag, you write, “the armless rider, clutching his severed arm to try and staunch the blood gushing from it”. Well, the impression I got (I maybe wrong) was that he was clutching the cut-off part of his arm, which was supposed to be lying on the ground. Would “clutching the stump of his arm” or something sound better? What do you think?
Regards,
Rajani
October 10th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Nikhil, yesterday I was having trouble with the site and so I decided to upload the next episode, just in case I couldn’t log in in the morning. Sorry to disappoint you but tomorrow’s episode will be up before 9 am IST.
PS: And…it’s up already. Decided to beat the clock and start posting at night instead of first thing in the morning. Enjoy!
October 10th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Yesterday, I checked the site at a time when Excerpts 3 & 4 were up - I was surprised, since I expected only No. 3. Today, there’s no No. 5.
I guess my double-read yesterday caught up with me. Jo hua achcha nahin hua!
October 10th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Sabs,
Today seems to be the day for my readers to get senti, here, on FB, everywhere! Well, I’m really thrilled to have evoked such a response. I write from the heart, and it’s great to have readers who read with the hearts–or whatever’s the equivalent!
Make that a very LARGE cup of perpetually self-replenishing coffee. Sudama ka coffee, anyone? You’re going to be kept busy then, my friend. If you count the backlist books I’m bringing back into my print as well as the new ones, then I’m going to have at least 12 books out in 2009–and that’s not counting the new ones I’ll write during the year and serialize online! Finally, the years of waiting are at an end, and it’s reading-reading all the way now.
October 10th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Hey Ashok!
Am I glad I picked up that copy of Price of Ayodhya and decided to mail you that I loved it, or what!
It has been a great journey over the years, interacting with you and reading your books and all your ideas and dreams.
I have my cup of coffee (not much of a chai person) ready and I’m here to stay and read on!
~ Sabs
October 10th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Abhishek,
You’re going to make me get senti now. What do I say? Except…thank you. As long as you are reading, I’ll keep writing. Here’s to many more years of both, together.
Ashok
October 10th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Hi Ashok,
!
Love the story so far, esp. when you write about Vhy (I just love movies myself and can totally relate to him!)
And bringing in Santosh would be fantastic, great, fabulous
You know, I have been reading since I was 13 years old. And I first picked your book up in I think Sep 2004. I was 22. In the 9 years that passed, I had never felt the urge to contact any author at all, let alone Google him. And to my surprise of surprise, you not only had your website (epicindia.com then), you also responded to your readers queries. Imagine then my surprise and elation to contact one person who you admire so much!!! And when you replied, I felt I was high on ecstasy! I talked so much about your Ramayana that day.
Today, after 4 years, I have read so many other authors. I have never googled anyone else since.
Thank you very much for the excerpts and I am loving them!
Regards,
Abhishek