King of Lanka

The Return of Ravana #4

by David Hair

For four teenagers, the Ramayana is not just a tale. It is their fate! In every life they have ever lived, Vikram, Amanjit, Rasita and Deepika have been persecuted and killed by Ravindra, who aspires to the throne of Ravana the Demon-King. Now Rasita is a captive of Ravindra, and demonic beings thought to be mythical are rallying to him. His triumph seems inevitable. Vikram and Amanjit must rescue her. This time, failure is not an option. This time, if Ravindra wins, it will be forever. But slowly, pieces are falling into place. Why are they reliving the Ramayana? Who was Ravana? Where is the real Lanka? Age-old mysteries are uncovered and forgotten powers regained, as the quest to end the tyranny of Ravindra moves towards a finale that is as startling as it is electrifying.

Genres: Fantasy

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

David Hair is the author of The Bone Tiki, winner of Best First Novel (Young Adult Fiction section) at the 2010 NZ Post Children's Book Awards. The Bone Tiki and its sequel The Taniwha's Tear are fantasy novels set in New Zealand. David is a New Zealander, who has worked primarily in financial services. He has a degree in History and Classical Studies. He has lived from 2007 to 2010 in New Delhi, India, but usually resides in Wellington, New Zealand. Apart from writing, he is interested in folklore, history, and has a passion for football.

Reviews

[Abhishek · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disappointing end to a nice series. There was nothing wrong with the narration, which was brilliant, but the plot of the novel couldn't just click for me. The story just seemed to wander aimlessly. In the previous books of the series the reader kept eagerly waiting to see what would have been the result of Ravindra's ultimate victory over Aram Dhoop's reincarnate, but when it was finally explained, the prize didn't seem worth the toil. Rasita's emotions in Lanka correctly summarized the feeling in me : The contest between Ravindra and Vikram seemed absurd, a petty rivalry. In the previous books their actions and rivalry helped change the course of history. In this book, this aspect is missing. There is no grand scheme in place. Only a single para is mentioned about Ravindra's (Ravana's) ulterior motives: to control India. This is very disappointing. Otherwise the characters of the story act only to follow the sequences of the Ramayana.
Deepika's character and part were also poorly etched in this book. Also I couldn't understand how the archaeologists could decipher the name of the group carrying out the attacks on the army, even when the language used by the asuras had been lost for centuries.

On the positive side, the author showed his brilliance while developing the concept of Aspects and the control over the natural elements. Even the ritual to save Sinthai was brilliantly described. The logic used by Vikram to escape from the fake Lanka was also mind blowing. But these saving graces couldn't make up for an otherwise average read.
It would have been better if the author had broken this book into two parts and had described in detail the repercussions of Ravindra's ultimate victory.

[Siva Kumar S A · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect end to an exciting series