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A review by ravenousbibliophile
Ashoka: Lion of Maurya by Ashok K. Banker
3.0
3.5/5
The 0.5 would seem unnecessary, but in that 0.5 lies my hope for the next installment of the Ashoka Series. I must confess, I did not enjoy the beginning of the book. My lack of enjoyment did not stem from any lack in Banker's writing, far from it, Banker's eloquence was (as it always is) a pleasure to witness. I was, however, slightly miffed at the things he was writing about.
A sizable portion of the beginning of the book reads like a culmination of the Kamasutra and Chanakya-neti. Politics and Sexual liaisons have always gone hand-in-hand, but in Banker's case it was more akin to feeling like your parent suddenly trying to become your closest friend. While it's well-intentioned it's quite awkward. In my opinion, Banker could have handled the sexual imagery in a much more subtle manner as he did with most things in the Ramayana series. Thankfully, the sex is greatly muted in the later half of the book where things are being set-up for the second book.
With regards to the characters themselves, I shall attribute the bulk of the credit to the historical personae of Chanakya and Ashoka. We know very little about them and they are our answer to the stories of King Arthur and Merlin. So at this point any and all adventures are attributable. Banker in many ways is playing the role of Ganesha taking dictation from Vyas. The story of these legendary and intriguing men was always there, he just happened to be sitting in front of a pen and paper when the story wanted to present itself.
I look forward to the next book in the series with great anticipation, and I hope that it shall retain the pace of this book, along with the subtlety and eloquence from Banker's previous works.
The 0.5 would seem unnecessary, but in that 0.5 lies my hope for the next installment of the Ashoka Series. I must confess, I did not enjoy the beginning of the book. My lack of enjoyment did not stem from any lack in Banker's writing, far from it, Banker's eloquence was (as it always is) a pleasure to witness. I was, however, slightly miffed at the things he was writing about.
A sizable portion of the beginning of the book reads like a culmination of the Kamasutra and Chanakya-neti. Politics and Sexual liaisons have always gone hand-in-hand, but in Banker's case it was more akin to feeling like your parent suddenly trying to become your closest friend. While it's well-intentioned it's quite awkward. In my opinion, Banker could have handled the sexual imagery in a much more subtle manner as he did with most things in the Ramayana series. Thankfully, the sex is greatly muted in the later half of the book where things are being set-up for the second book.
With regards to the characters themselves, I shall attribute the bulk of the credit to the historical personae of Chanakya and Ashoka. We know very little about them and they are our answer to the stories of King Arthur and Merlin. So at this point any and all adventures are attributable. Banker in many ways is playing the role of Ganesha taking dictation from Vyas. The story of these legendary and intriguing men was always there, he just happened to be sitting in front of a pen and paper when the story wanted to present itself.
I look forward to the next book in the series with great anticipation, and I hope that it shall retain the pace of this book, along with the subtlety and eloquence from Banker's previous works.