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Frontiers of Karma -The Counterstroke
Frontiers of Karma - Historical Novel 1st book of a trilogy
The story is of a war till death and beyond... Seventeen century Hindustan. The Sunni Mughals rule the north even as the Deccan lies under the rule of the Shia kingdoms. At a time when jagirdar Shivaji, a Maratha landholder from the western Deccan, is busy eliminating the self-serving, native landlords, Aurangzeb, third in the line to the Mughal throne, declares war on the Shia kingdoms. Shivaji does what no one has done before: he plunders Mughal terrain while Aurangzeb bathes the Deccan in blood. Aurangzeb hates the audacity of the kafir. It can set a dangerous precedent but first, he must forge a bloody path to the Mughal throne. Frontiers of Karma is the story of Raja Shivaji’s passion to create a swaraj for his people and Emperor Aurangzeb’s pathological obsession to eliminate Shivaji and his ideology. The Counterstroke is the first part of the trilogy delineating Shivaji’s astounding confrontation with Aurangzeb’s brilliant politics.
The story is of a war till death and beyond... Seventeen century Hindustan. The Sunni Mughals rule the north even as the Deccan lies under the rule of the Shia kingdoms. At a time when jagirdar Shivaji, a Maratha landholder from the western Deccan, is busy eliminating the self-serving, native landlords, Aurangzeb, third in the line to the Mughal throne, declares war on the Shia kingdoms. Shivaji does what no one has done before: he plunders Mughal terrain while Aurangzeb bathes the Deccan in blood. Aurangzeb hates the audacity of the kafir. It can set a dangerous precedent but first, he must forge a bloody path to the Mughal throne. Frontiers of Karma is the story of Raja Shivaji’s passion to create a swaraj for his people and Emperor Aurangzeb’s pathological obsession to eliminate Shivaji and his ideology. The Counterstroke is the first part of the trilogy delineating Shivaji’s astounding confrontation with Aurangzeb’s brilliant politics.
- GenresHistory
400 pages, Paperback
First published August 7, 2014
About the author
Medha Deshmukh Bhaskaran
9 books45 followersMedha Deshmukh Bhaskaran is a microbiologist and has worked for pharmaceutical and food industry in Germany, India and United Arab Emirates. Subjects that interest her are history and pharmaceuticals - or the world of medicines.
Her biography of Chhatrapati Shivaji has been Crossword Bookstores bestseller in 2016-17. The book is nominated in two categories (non-fiction and biography) for Raymond Crossword Book Awards 2017.
Her biography of Chhatrapati Shivaji has been Crossword Bookstores bestseller in 2016-17. The book is nominated in two categories (non-fiction and biography) for Raymond Crossword Book Awards 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 18, 2017
The story revolves around two main protagonists named Shivaji and Aurangzeb. The prologue of the book was written so well that it will definitely fill the reader with the excitement to locate more in the book and discover it. The description of the places is done in a commendable way and it looks realistic; the details in the book are fascinating to read. The book offers different facets about Shivaji’s character and promises to provide a sail through the incidents of his life. The blurb of the book does not unravel so much about the book but it is enough to set the readers on reading track in no time.
Read Full Here:http://wordcurdwriteups.blogspot.in/2...
Read Full Here:http://wordcurdwriteups.blogspot.in/2...
December 19, 2014
I really, really wanted this book to be amazing.
It did start with some promise, I will admit. Deeper into the story editorial fatigue seems to have set in. Without doubt this is a tough history to fictionalise, but this is not the first time it has been attempted (perhaps the first time in English). And any historical fiction brings in a bit of the author and her imagination no doubt. That is what a reader signs-up for, when he picks any historical fiction. Yet, when I consider the possibilities for this story, it fell short.
The book is more of a festival of adjectives, than anything else. Too much of looking at the skies and too many types of clouds. The focus of fictionalising is on embellishments rather than the story.
Most of the rating of this book was shaved off because of the typos. In a book of 400 pages, a couple of typos, though unacceptable, is understandable. But after you lose count, especially of typos that can be corrected with a simple spellcheck, it simply makes you sad. Spelling mistakes break the flow of reading; distract attention, and displace you from the engrossed state that a reader should be in. I felt that the author, editor, and publisher have not taken enough care for a book that could have had a huge impact in the historical fiction genre.
I hope the following two books (it's a trilogy) make for better reading than this one, especially with the spellings.
It did start with some promise, I will admit. Deeper into the story editorial fatigue seems to have set in. Without doubt this is a tough history to fictionalise, but this is not the first time it has been attempted (perhaps the first time in English). And any historical fiction brings in a bit of the author and her imagination no doubt. That is what a reader signs-up for, when he picks any historical fiction. Yet, when I consider the possibilities for this story, it fell short.
The book is more of a festival of adjectives, than anything else. Too much of looking at the skies and too many types of clouds. The focus of fictionalising is on embellishments rather than the story.
Most of the rating of this book was shaved off because of the typos. In a book of 400 pages, a couple of typos, though unacceptable, is understandable. But after you lose count, especially of typos that can be corrected with a simple spellcheck, it simply makes you sad. Spelling mistakes break the flow of reading; distract attention, and displace you from the engrossed state that a reader should be in. I felt that the author, editor, and publisher have not taken enough care for a book that could have had a huge impact in the historical fiction genre.
I hope the following two books (it's a trilogy) make for better reading than this one, especially with the spellings.
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November 29, 2014The 6th review on flipkart from a reader - 'Frontiers of Karma'!!!!! (one is from a known and five from unknown readers)
http://www.flipkart.com/frontiers-kar...…
Frontiers of Karma the Counterstroke - a must read for those interested in Maratha-history
Medha's book "Frontiers of Karma - The Counterstroke" was a different experience reading history, from what I have had in the past. The story telling is what made the difference. That faculty of hers is superb. To visualise, conceptualise a narration and pen it lucidly is a creative art and she has showed it in abundance, throughout the book - whether it is the encounter with Mushekhan at the begining of the book or the interaction with Sayee at her death bed before proceeding for the battle. Shivaji's character shines out in the famous encounter to capture the fort of Kalyan & the consequent exemplary treatment meted out to the Subedar & his family - specifically to his young daughter in law. In portraying the military acumen, various battle & the planning that went into them has been described well but the best has been kept to the last - the selection of the 'ranangan' and the luring of the prey to it, climaxed by the enactment of the game plan to eliminate Afzal Khan.
The Mogul battles at Bidar, Hydrabad and Golconda by Aurangzeb, the endless scheming & planning at the Delhi courts of Sha Jahan (to install Dara Shekhon as the next emperor) and the consequent heart burn to Aurangzeb have all been depicted lucidly indeed. The anticipation & determination of Aurangzeb to defeat the Emperor's desires and the execution of his plans have been well conceptualised in the book. Picturising the goings-on becomes easy from the narration. Likewise, the scheming & macabre character of Afzal Khan comes out alive each and every time he appears on the pages of this book, notably in the unseating (from the post of the General) & killing of Khan Mohammand from the Adil Shahi courts, as also the cold-blooded act of killing off the seventy seven hapless concubines out of jealousy.
Adding some illustrations/charts/pictures & maps of that area & era would make the experience even more vivid. Increase in font size or making it bolder will help the elderly read through this marvellous story, reminiscing and comparing with such other great stories they must have read in the past. I thank the author & strongly recommend the book to all.
http://www.flipkart.com/frontiers-kar...…
Frontiers of Karma the Counterstroke - a must read for those interested in Maratha-history
Medha's book "Frontiers of Karma - The Counterstroke" was a different experience reading history, from what I have had in the past. The story telling is what made the difference. That faculty of hers is superb. To visualise, conceptualise a narration and pen it lucidly is a creative art and she has showed it in abundance, throughout the book - whether it is the encounter with Mushekhan at the begining of the book or the interaction with Sayee at her death bed before proceeding for the battle. Shivaji's character shines out in the famous encounter to capture the fort of Kalyan & the consequent exemplary treatment meted out to the Subedar & his family - specifically to his young daughter in law. In portraying the military acumen, various battle & the planning that went into them has been described well but the best has been kept to the last - the selection of the 'ranangan' and the luring of the prey to it, climaxed by the enactment of the game plan to eliminate Afzal Khan.
The Mogul battles at Bidar, Hydrabad and Golconda by Aurangzeb, the endless scheming & planning at the Delhi courts of Sha Jahan (to install Dara Shekhon as the next emperor) and the consequent heart burn to Aurangzeb have all been depicted lucidly indeed. The anticipation & determination of Aurangzeb to defeat the Emperor's desires and the execution of his plans have been well conceptualised in the book. Picturising the goings-on becomes easy from the narration. Likewise, the scheming & macabre character of Afzal Khan comes out alive each and every time he appears on the pages of this book, notably in the unseating (from the post of the General) & killing of Khan Mohammand from the Adil Shahi courts, as also the cold-blooded act of killing off the seventy seven hapless concubines out of jealousy.
Adding some illustrations/charts/pictures & maps of that area & era would make the experience even more vivid. Increase in font size or making it bolder will help the elderly read through this marvellous story, reminiscing and comparing with such other great stories they must have read in the past. I thank the author & strongly recommend the book to all.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews