INTERVIEW: Maithree Wijesekara
Shortly before the release of her debut novel, The Prince Without Sorrow, we got the chance to speak with Maithree Wijesekara. Her novel is being described as “the debut fantasy sensation of 2025” and with multiple special editions, including a well-known book box subscription, The Prince Without Sorrow looks set to be a hit. I was more than a little excited when an early ARC landed on my doorstep and feel very lucky to have been able to have enjoyed it already and can’t wait to talk about it with more readers.
Thank you so much to Maithree Wijesekara for taking the time to talk to us about all things to do with The Prince Without Sorrow, her inspirations, Studio Ghibli, and what we can look forward to from her next.
[GdM]
Firstly, how would you pitch The Prince Without Sorrow to someone who knows nothing about your novel?
[MW] The Prince Without Sorrow is a fantasy novel that is loosely inspired by Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan Dynasty of Ancient India. It follows Prince Ashoka of the same name. He is considered an outcast by his father, the tyrannical Emperor Adil for opposing his brutal onslaught against the mayakari (witches). It also follows Shakti, a mayakari raised to follow principles of nonviolence, who witnesses the murder of her aunt and village at the hands of the emperor. In an act of revenge, she casts a curse that changes the course of her and Ashoka’s lives. Both must learn to grapple with the consequences of power: to take it for themselves or risk losing it completely.
[GdM] You’ve said that The Prince Without Sorrow was inspired by the Emperor Ashoka and the Mauryan Empire, what made you pick this figure and era?
[MW] Emperor Ashoka is a notable figure in Buddhist history, mostly known for his deviation from cruelty to nonviolence. This change is actually noted through a change in epithets: he goes from Ashoka the Cruel to Ashoka the Great. The era itself, I was less inspired by – the reason being that there isn’t much information available about the Mauryan Empire.
Arguably, as a historical figure, there’s not a lot of information about Emperor Ashoka either. In fact, much of his life is mixed with myth and legend. There are pillars still standing today that bear his edicts, as do stories that tell of him having killed 99 brothers to take the throne.
I was always fascinated by Emperor Ashoka’s adoption of nonviolence after committing a brutal military campaign in Kalinga (modern day Odisha). What led him to change course completely? Was it a difficult transition? Did the guilt of bearing the loss of thousands of lives weigh on him? Was he ever forgiven? Would it be harder to adopt principles of nonviolence or go down a path of violence? That last question was, in part, how Prince Ashoka of the book came wandering into my head. This fictional Ashoka took the emperor’s arc and reversed it. While his story isn’t necessarily the same as his real-life inspiration (the novel isn’t historical in the slightest), there are nods here and there to Emperor Ashoka that I hope those who know of him would appreciate.
[GdM] Straight from the powerful prologue in The Prince Without Sorrow I wanted to learn more about the mayakari – the witches who can speak to nature spirits, commune with the dead, and curse the living. What was your inspiration for them?
[MW] Who doesn’t love witches. A group of powerful women with dangerous abilities is always exciting to read about. However, because I’m cruel, I wanted to limit them, and have that limitation exist of their own volition. Imagine being able to curse the living and raise the dead, only to purposefully reject using such power because of the hurt it could cause others. This was where the code of nonviolence came in.
Much of the mayakari code and way of thinking is inspired by Buddhist philosophy. When the mayakari claim that casting curses or raising the dead result in negative karma, it’s loosely based on Buddhist belief that the actions you take in your current life will affect the next one, be it negative or positive. For example, your accrued karma could be so bad that you might be born as a slug in your next life, and probably won’t live very long, either. For the mayakari, cursing the living and raising the dead are some of the worst forms of suffering you could inflict on others.
It’s significant then for Shakti, who already questions the pacifist code she’s bound to, to enact a curse. She rejects the teachings Jaya has taught her. At this point, she doesn’t really care for a code that’s been agreed upon for centuries. All that fuels her is a need for vengeance. To be honest, if I was in Shakti’s shoes, I’d probably do the same.
[GdM] I was fascinated by the sibling dynamic between Arush, Aarya, and Ashoka. Is it nature? Is it nurture? How have they all become the way they are?
[MW] The Maurya siblings are an interesting spectrum of personalities, aren’t they? Both nature and nurture influence a personality, but I do like to blame Emperor Adil, which means that I’d be placing most of the responsibility on nurture.
Arush is what happens when you are the favored oldest child. He is the firstborn, and therefore first-in-line to the throne. He expects the world, and it’s enough to give him a big head. Aarya is what happens when you are an only daughter whose ego is fed by an equally arrogant father but is criticized by her mother. She’s a daddy’s girl in the worst way possible, and a near-perfect replica of Adil. Ashoka is the result of having an abusive and emotionally distant father and a considerate mother. He makes a conscious effort to mimic the parent he loves the most, which isn’t Adil. Though the emperor becomes a metaphorical ghost for all three siblings, it’s Ashoka who finds himself the most haunted by their father.
[GdM] Both Shakti and Ashoka are trying to change the world for the better, through different means. Do you think either of them has the right idea?
[MW] I think this depends on context. Yes, both Ashoka and Shakti want the same thing – peace for the mayakari – but have markedly different ways of how to get there. Their responses might just be a direct result of how they were raised.
Ashoka only knows violence from his father, and he sees what damage it can cause innocent women. For him, nonviolence is the obvious answer. On the other end of the spectrum, Shakti has been taught to abide by the mayakari’s pacifist code, but the murder of her aunt (who espouses these ideals) shows that nonviolence won’t stop them from being persecuted. For her, violence must be combated with violence.
I’m cynical, so I find early Ashoka to be very idealistic (and he acknowledges this, too). While wanting to achieve peace without spilling blood is the ideal, I think that people are people. Violence is innate. Ashoka’s ideals of nonviolence can thrive in a perfect society, but the problem is that he doesn’t live in one. Realistically, there will never be a perfect society. In the Ran Empire, pacifism won’t help him or the mayakari. In this world, there cannot be change without violence. History will tell you the same.
Author Maithree Wijesekara, Photo by Chau Tran
[GdM] I am an absolute sucker for mythical beasties, love the giant leopards and the winged serpents in this world. What more can you tell me about them?
[MW] Leopards and snakes are a standard feature in the subcontinent, and I wanted to incorporate them into my world, albeit with a fantastical twist. Granted, the ‘fantastical twist’ for the giant leopards is that they’re simply very large, furry cats that could snap you in half with their jaws and who you can also ride into battle. Horses are cool and all, but imagine a huge melanistic leopard charging you at full speed? Absolutely terrifying.
The winged serpents came about in a random way. There was a YouTube video I saw of a Paradise Flying Snake gliding from a forest canopy and was subsequently disturbed by. It didn’t so much as fly but rather glided for a few seconds before gravity brought its body back down. Still, the video stayed in my head. Snakes are already scary, and the thought of one flying towards me was frightening. For some inexplicable reason, I took this irrational fear and turned them into an even more frightening beast in the world of the Obsidian Throne trilogy. Winged serpents have all the features of a snake in our world (venomous and all), except that they grow to enormous heights and can fly.
[GdM] In your author’s note, which was included in my ARC of The Prince Without Sorrow, you talk about your love of Studio Ghibli and their tales of humanity’s impact on nature. How did they influence your world here?
[MW] The Studio Ghibli films have influenced me quite a bit, and I think any fan of the films can spot where said inspiration is presented. For The Prince Without Sorrow, it was Princess Mononoke in particular that influenced me. The film explores the destruction humans lay upon the earth, and nature is personified in the form of wild gods. It’s a beautiful, bloody, and mesmerizing film.
While I don’t use the concept of gods in the trilogy, the nature spirits act as personifications of the natural world, too. When nature thrives, so does its spirit. When nature withers, the spirit becomes ill or angry. In the worst-case scenario, they can die. However, they can be appeased with the help of the mayakari, who are the only ones able to understand and communicate with the spirits because they’re connected by magic and their attachment to the natural world. Unfortunately, the continued persecution of the mayakari makes this difficult to achieve, as Ashoka finds during his tenure as governor of Taksila.
[GdM] I’m always curious about how an author approaches the process of writing their books. Could you please describe yours? Do you plan in detail, or do you wing it as you go? Do you have a rigid writing routine, or is it more fluid?
[MW] I think I’m halfway between a plotter and a pantser. Once I have an idea, I like to let it sit and marinate in my head for a while, for however long it takes. Sometimes, I will write random lines that pop up in my head on paper or in my Notes app that I come back to later. Other times, I write down lyrics from songs that I feel fit the atmosphere of the story, or create a mood board.
When I’m ready to sit down and write, I like to create a rough outline of the major plot points and character arcs – a ‘skeleton’ of sorts. Planning chapter-by-chapter feels restrictive, so I avoid that. Once the rough outline is in place, it leaves me to work around the skeleton and let my imagination run wild.
Because I work part-time, my writing routine needs to be fluid. I don’t like to write on the days I work as a dentist. It’s difficult to come home after a particularly stressful day and muster up enough creative energy to write (for those that can – I applaud you). Instead, I write on my days off. On those days, the Pomodoro Timer is my best friend. Too many hours staring at a screen leaves me antsy, so I’ve learned to give myself small breaks, and makes me more productive.
[GdM] You say you have a never ending TBR pile – same for me – have you read anything awesome lately? What’s your current read like?
[MW] I recently finished reading Those Opulent Days by Jacquie Pham. The novel is an historical murder mystery set in 1920s French-colonial Vietnam. It’s a great portrayal of class tensions, the abuse of power, and the complicated relationships between family and friends.
[GdM] Are you able to share what is up next for you writing wise?
[MW] I’m currently editing book two of the Obsidian Throne trilogy, as well as finishing up the first draft of the third. Because I love to give myself more work, I’m also tinkering with an old side-project. It’s an urban fantasy (I must stay in the genre somehow) that’s very loosely inspired by a rather infamous Sri Lankan queen. The common thread so far is that I seem to like taking inspiration from lesser-known historical figures.
[GdM] Maithree, thank you so much for taking the time to chat to Grimdark Magazine about The Prince Without Sorrow. We really appreciate it!
Thank you!
Read The Prince Without Sorrow by Maithree Wijesekara
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