The Blood Seed

by Andrew Ward

In nineteenth-century India Balbeer Rao searches through the country to solve the mystery of his father's identity

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

576 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Blood Seed, a look at the British Raj through the eyes of orphaned servant Balbeer, starts slow and has all indications that it will be a quiet, contemplative book about one man growing up on the outskirts of British-controlled India, but about a third of the way in the story kicks into high gear as Balbeer's life takes one unexpected turn after another. This serves as a convenient way to take the reader on a journey through several facets of Indian life at the time, but towards the last third comes back around to being a story about Balbeer rather than India. A fun and informative read!

[Katlego · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointing. The first few pages are thrilling because the reader is learning about Indian customs, then you realise the whole book is focused on customs. The main character is forced into uncharacteristic situations to force explanation Indian customs (through English eyes). No Character building, no depth and the characters use english idioms and tone. At the end of 560 pages I still have no clue who these characters are and have taken nothing from this book save a little insight on how an Englishman percieved Indian custom.

In short :
An example of a detached observation, sometimes hinting at disapproval/distaste of the customs the author decided to document in the form of a novel.

[Dayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very intense book if you enjoyed Shantaram you would very possible injoy this book

[Trudy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The novel is a tale of stories and adventures set in nineteenth century India, during the British Raj. It strives to portray the lives of Indians from all walks of life, weaving multiple stories which all intersect in the life and experiences of the hero, a young Indian orphan from a high caste who falls on very hard times. A mix of Dickens and the Arabian Nights' tales. Very entertaining.