Sons of Sita

Ramayana #8

by Ashok K. Banker

Ten years have passed since Rama did the unthinkable and banished Sita. Now, she spends her days in the remote forest ashram of Maharishi Valmiki training her sons at the arts of war, turning them into peerless warriors of exceptional acumen and prowess. To the sorrow of many, they seem unlikely to ever cross paths with their estranged father. Yet destiny works in unexpected ways Rama decides to launch the Ashwamedha yajna. The mightiest Ayodhyan army ever assembled follows the sacred stallion in a campaign of conquest. Defying the military might of Ayodhya and the emperorship of Rama himself, two young striplings capture the Ashwamedha horse and challenge the great army. To Rama's chagrin the challengers turn out to be none other than his own estranged offspring: the Sons of Sita!

Genres: Mythology, Fiction, Indian Literature, Fantasy, India, Retellings, Classics

388 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

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Reviews

[Arun Divakar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The epic scale story telling based on the Ramayana reaches the climax in this tale. Unlike Mahabharatha, this epic has a lot of false endings. You can end your story with a happily ever after note when Rama and Sita come back to Ayodhya or you can end it as a tragedy with Rama banishing Sita or you can make it even more tragic with Rama giving up his life after all the trials and hardship he has gone through. Ashok Banker has taken the first option in King of Ayodhya, option 2 in Revenge of Ravana and the third option in Sons of Sita. The reason why I relish this series is owing to Banker's excellence in telling a story that all Indians know but with a cinematic flourish and non stop speed.

The core of this tale is one which has been used and abused by Indian cinema to a great extent. An all powerful father who is brought to his senses by his estranged son(s)/daughter(s). While the first six Ramayana books in the series focussed on building the story, my personal observation is that the last two books have been more of ways to elongate and stretch the story line to make it reach a logical conclusion. There isn't much of a story to speak about but to balance it out, there is a lot of out and out action sequences. Banker as a story teller gets the best kick out of sketching his action sequences. I can still remember the face-off between Rama and Parashurama in Demons of Chitrakut and that was truly an outstanding sequence. He repeats this magic in this work too and action sequences arrive at a dime a dozen. This is at the expense of some of the major characters in the tale. For instance, there is importance for Hanuman towards the end of the epic in its real interpretation. However, in Banker's version the Vanar warrior appears as a cameo in two scenes and nothing beyond it.

I'll pick Sita though as the best character in the tale for she blazes forth like a supernova casting even Rama into shadow. Banker has emphasized throughout his series that the Arya dynasty is a matriarchal one and this rings true in the end when the moment of absolution arrives. The author has always treated Rama as a warrior, mighty king and exceptionally just and wise a ruler but speaking from pragmatic terms he has treated Rama as a human being like you or me. A man with a lot of weaknesses as much as he has strengths. In Sita's words he is a broken god and that to me is the most fitting crown he ever wore !

So here I am having completed the Ramayana series and reliving the epic through the eyes of Ashok Banker. Very enjoyable a series and highly recommended !

[Meera Srikant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had assumed this one to be a part of the Ramayana series, even though the title says Sons of Sita. I was expecting to see more of Rama, of understanding what he went through after exiling Sita. But Banker does not write emotional dramas. It maybe part of the overall story, but now that I think of it, war scenes have dominated all his earlier books in the series. Only, since most of the wars were familiar to me at least in intent if not content, it caused no occasion to remark on it. But the Uttarakhanda is always shown as a period of crying and pining. Not so Sons of Sita. This one is also all about war.

Rama does not come out in good light. To some, it may not be surprising. But I am referring to the context here. Ram Rajya has always been the model that Indians want emulated, but in Sons of Sita, it borders on to despotism - Adharma even. I cannot relate to this Rama who, in fact, does not make a direct appearance till page 88, and that too, in a bizarre scene where Bharata and Shatrughna are brought before him as prisoners, where Lakshmana and Hanuman seem distant figures with no influence on the man they fought shoulder-to-shoulder with.

After having been a hero for six books or so, he is but a shadowy figure here, completely under the influence of two tyrannical ministers of whose rising influence, there is no explanation. No, Rama's character does not sit well because it is not in keeping with the character we have read so far in Banker's Ramayana series. Also, the characters around Rama still talk of him well even when acknowledging that Ayodhya had become unlivable!

Then there is the conspiracy that is not cleared fully. What is the role of the King's Guards? Why did they go on a killing spree without provocation? You can only guess at the purpose, but it seems contrived.

Also, characters who were in the periphery suddenly become central figures but hardly contribute to getting a clearer picture of the story.

What redeems the book are the depiction of the war scenes, the gripping story telling, the intrigue that holds promise and the end (though an unexplained element of fantasy is weaved into this tale. And, maybe, the hope that we would understand a little more of this hardened Rama. But that hope is dashed in the end.

[Anuj Mehra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book. Well written and what's most important, tells one a part of the Ramayan that's not too well known. Sita emerges as a far stronger personality than Rama. And, like the final words of Sita, Rama is a "....... broken god forever"

[Rohit Agarwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just couldn't put it down once I got started at it. Ashok Banker is an amazing story teller. Would've loved it more had he dropped the marketing bit at the end of the book.

[Manu · Rating 2 out of 5]

The final book in Ashok Banker's Ramayana series. It is also the concluding part of the Uttara Kaanda, and is set a decade after Rama banished Sita. Luv and Kush, her sons, grow up in the hermitage of Valmiki, and from the first page, set out, unwittingly, on a collision course with their father.
The author departs from the various versions I have read and puts a new spin on the events leading to the family reunion. I can't be sure, but it would seem as though Banker's version of Ayodhya is modeled after a superpower, complete with a political group called Republicans! Its acts of aggression, citing necessities that would seem selfish to an objective viewer, are easily comparable to what the US has been doing. Rama is portrayed as a king who takes on the mantle of an emperor on advice from a set of people motivated by their own vested interests. His relationship with his brothers has moved away from one of affection to more between that of a monarch and his vassals.
While all of this sets up the book very well, I found the narrative pace very inconsistent. At some points, Banker would describe the entire forest ecosystem from grass to humans, quite obviously in love with his own prose, and in other sections, he would set an excellent pace. The explanation for the change in Rama's character also seemed very sketchy to me. I can't be sure but I think Banker has also gone a bit overboard in making the language used by Luv-Kush a little too familiar and close to modern day parlance. Not the great Amish levels, but an influence - quite likely!
Having read the entire series, I'd say that I found the first few a great effort. The author then seemed to get into a churn-out-a-zillion books mission, which took a lot away from the narrative flow as well as being true to what is largely considered the original version. This book itself is some sort of connection to four more that have been mentioned in the Afterword. While all that is the author's prerogative, the hopes I had - for a set of books that would do justice to the mythology I'm familiar with - didn't really work out, and that's a bit sad.

[Pradeep Mohandas · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Vengeance of Ravana, I was quite anxious to begin reading Sons of Sita. I had both books in my hand and it seems that I read both with the same intensity.

One of the first changes was in the size of the book. The edition of the book that I got was published not by Penguin but by Wisdom Tree. The bigger size made it odd for me to hold. The print was also slightly hazy compared to the crisp print in the earlier books.

The text itself was more spellbinding than the Vengeance of Ravana. The story moved at a crisp rate. It shakes of some of the monotony that sets in the previous book in the series and moves forward as if freed of a load. After some interesting divergences, the book ends exactly where Valmiki's Ramayana ends. He then urges us to read the Sword of Dharma series.

Luv and Kush bring in the same youthful intensity that Prince of Ayodhya bought. Every end is a beginning, as Mr. Banker likes to say.

Pradeep

Hmm. I think the book is getting to me!

[Divyaroop Bhatnagar · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a long term fan of Ashok Banker's earlier books, I must confess that the last two have been a considerable let down. Sons of Sita is better than Vengeance of Ravana but even so it now seems to have fallen into a routine. There are also subtle changes of style that may have been influenced by the Amish Tripathi which I do not like. There was a lyricism in Banker's prose that is present only in flashes now.

The first part of the book was fairly good and I was beginning to enjoy it. Thereafter it just tailed off. The last bit was almost as if the writer was rushing through the motions. Frankly the whole change in Rama's character is so incredible that one just tends to switch off. His final rejection of Sita is far too rushed.

I wish the author luck with his gargantuan ambitions to write about just about every mythological story in India. I just hope that his writing does not flag and he maintains the very high standards that he had set in his earlier books on the Ramayana.

[Yuvaraj · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good end to the Ramayana Series. As usual Mr. Banker was phenomenal with his elaborate prose and imagination was put exceedingly well.

I however found that there were certain ends which were not covered and certain questions were not answered as he had promised in the earlier book.

All in all it leaves you amazed at his work, Truly learnt a lot from the whole series.

[Aditya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most enriching and enhancing . the Author has researched almost all available versions of the Ramayana and truthfully submitted his own Version . There is a complete series of Books but in this particular Book the Author reveals the True Character of Mata " Sitey " and all that happened in Ayodhya after the Televised version of Ramayana that we all have known from years .

[Saloni]

A fitting end to the series that brought back fantasy, in a big way, to Indian writing. I like how the author deals with that very difficult question of 'dharma' and very cleverly weaves in the introduction to his 'itihasas'. Nicely done, Mr. Banker!

[Gopal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poignant, fitting end to the series!!!!!!!!

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book, very well written. this consists of one part of ramayana, but has such detail and has the ability to capture reader inspite of that.
One of the best mythological books !

[Shantanu · Rating 1 out of 5]

Finished the last book in the series. I think I've spent all of Kaliyug reading this series.

[Richard Friedericks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the part when Sita turns into the Mother Goddess!

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanted more Ram- Luv Kush interaction!!!!!

[Jayakrishna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rate this least in Ashok Bankers writings. Pick only if you are absolutely free and lock down extends

[Swati · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the pace of the book and Banker's gripping writing style makes it for a nice ready. I didnt want to keep the book down as it had the absolute right level of suspense, intrigue or thrill. However, it left with more questions than answers. I also can't fathom the Ram projected in the book. I understand what the author tried to do there but it wasnt immaculate. That and the unexplained prominence of Jabali and Bhadra - two of Ram's sidekicks - spoiled it for me. I would still recommend reading it if you have read the other books in the series but you wont miss anything if you skip this one.

[Kashish Rana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my diwali read and honestly, I think I’d have loved this book a lot more if it were written by a woman

Despite being titled Sons of Sita, we barely get to know the sons. What I mean to say is that the books is more plot driven rather than character driven. It focuses heavily on war and action scenes, sometimes at the cost of emotional depth.

Moreover, certain moments, like the actions of the king’s guards, weren’t clearly explained, leaving gaps in the narrative.

That said, I loved the political commentary on war and violence but that’s not why I picked up this book. I wanted to understand the sons of Sita, and that part never really happened.

[Sangita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-reading this book after a gap of nearly 9 years, methinks!
Last time, I read the entire series. This time, I have just read this book only - the last one in the series. I had this irresistible urge to explore the world of Luv & Kush once again, when they were staying with their MOther, in Rishi Valmiki's ashram.
There are many telling of Ramayana. This version gives us an intimate pick into the warrior side of Sita.
My ratings - 3.5/5

[Shreya Umrao · Rating 3 out of 5]

A repetition of an age old story. So beautifully crafted and adorned so as to give it a totally new outlook. Simply magnifico.

[Charit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another fun interpretation of the Ramayana. Banker at his usual colourful best. Interesting to see a version of the post Ayodhya return part and Ram being an imperfect god.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mission 2026: Binge reviewing all previous Reads, I was too slothful to review back when I read them

Banker’s ‘Sons of Sita’ is where his Ramayana turns decisively toward legacy, rupture, and the uneasy afterlife of ideals, and revisiting it in memory, what struck me most is how quietly devastating it is beneath its surface of continuation. This is not a book driven by conquest or spectacle; it is haunted by inheritance. Luv and Kush are born not into triumph but into absence, raised in the shadow of a father who is both king and myth, and a mother who embodies moral clarity at a cost the world refuses to acknowledge. Banker treats their upbringing not as pastoral innocence but as moral incubation, shaped by exile, storytelling, and unanswered questions. What interested me most is how the novel frames identity as something assembled from fragments: hearsay, epic narration, maternal pain, and a father known only through legend. The prose remains expansive, but there is a noticeable restraint here, a softening of tone that allows grief and confusion to breathe. Ram’s presence is spectral rather than authoritative, while Sita’s dignity becomes the emotional axis of the narrative, her withdrawal from power reading less like defeat and more like refusal. Reading this now, the book feels like a meditation on what epics leave behind: not harmony, but children tasked with living inside the contradictions of ideals they did not choose. Banker resists the temptation to rehabilitate the past through easy reconciliation. Instead, ‘Sons of Sita’ lingers on the cost of moral absolutism, on how societies that worship ideals often fail the individuals who embody them most faithfully. The novel’s strength lies in this shift of perspective, from heroic action to generational consequence. It suggests that the true test of dharma is not how it conquers enemies, but how it treats the innocent who must grow up in its name. As a closing meditation within Banker’s expanded Ramayana universe, ‘Sons of Sita’ feels less like an ending than a reckoning, one that asks whether justice that wounds its own future can ever truly call itself righteous.

Enjoyable and recommended.

[Nishant Bhagat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up with a lot of expectations and anticipation. The only other book I had ever read on Luv and Kush was the good old amar chitra katha. It has great chuldhood memories associated with it. But what I encountered instead was a narrative which was quite dark in its tone. Once again, a great start and a completely different take on this story by Mr bankar. kudos for trying something different here.

Unfortunately, my own expectations let me down. I was looking forward to the confrontations between the twins and the key protagonists but somehow that entire part has been ignored and instead more time is spent in building up the climax, which again like book 7 ends in a whimper.

I am no writer sir, but I am surely an avid reader of your books. Somehow it felt that the last 2 books of the Ramayana series were written in a hurry. I am not disappointed just dissatisfied

[Achala · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the narrative is gripping, it still doesn't escape the fact that precious little happens in this book. The only reason I read it is because it is the last of the series, and I was hoping Banker would put his trademark spin on this, the part of the epic that has always seemed incomprehensible to me. But it's just as disappointing, maybe even more, than other versions I've heard/read.
At the very end, he advertises his next series which he purports as the natural continuation to this one. It makes me wonder if this book is just a marketing ploy to make sure people keep reading his books.

However, I really appreciate his way with words, the descriptions helping rather than marring the flow. There are
times when it almost reads like a screenplay and then I think this series would be brilliant in an animated version.

[Sangita · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very different perspective of how Ayodhya has evolved after Sita's exile from the kingdom by Rama.
A delightful insight into the lives of Luv and Kush, sons of Sita and Ram, though trained by Sita herself to evolve into better human beings.

The book also throws light on the transformation in Ram's character, often viewed as a poisonous direct effect of the guilt he carried due to banishing his pregnant wife.

Also provides a heart-breaking insight into Sita's life - born a princess, the wife of the Emperor and King everybody revers, but forced into a life of misery, solitude. Yet, she remains a brave-heart - never losing hope, but always forgiving Ram for the blasphemy.

Readers interested in mythology must definitely read it.

[Apricity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luv and Kush were amazing. Their sibling's banter, mischief, love, desire to protect their loved ones and the way they acted together it was very lovely.
Sita was portrayed brilliantly. Otherwise, in most of the novels she is like a damsel in distress but here she was a real warrior princess.
Ram, on the other hand, I disliked him just as I have disliked him in every other novel about Ramayana.
Sita's last words were so powerful and she was right. Ram will always be a broken god.

[Arpita Sinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly beautiful tale of the Sons of Sita unfolds the deepest mysteries about Ramayana. The sheer use of just the right words is marvellous.
Ashok K. Banker is one of the best Indian Mythological authors. Amazed!

[Phillyshah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Starts out well but loses steam. I'm pretty sure soldiers didn't use the phrase "ain't no way" back then!

[Sangeetha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointed with Banker.. Or perhaps i expected too much..

[Sunaina Chaturvedi]

Fantastic reading. The first part of the book is Sita's version of events leading to where she is; brilliant!