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Ram Chandra #3
Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta
WITHOUT THE DARKNESS, LIGHT HAS NO PURPOSE.
WITHOUT THE VILLAIN, WHAT WOULD THE GODS DO?
INDIA, 3400 BCE.
A land in tumult, poverty and chaos. Most people suffer quietly. A few rebel. Some fight for a better world. Some for themselves. Some don’t give a damn. Raavan. Fathered by one of the most illustrious sages of the time. Blessed by the Gods with talents beyond all. Cursed by fate to be tested to the extremes.
A formidable teenage pirate, he is filled with equal parts courage, cruelty and fearsome resolve. A resolve to be a giant among men, to conquer, plunder, and seize the greatness that he thinks is his right.
A man of contrasts, of brutal violence and scholarly knowledge. A man who will love without reward and kill without remorse.
This exhilarating third book of the Ram Chandra series sheds light on Ravaan, the king of Lanka. And the light shines on darkness of the darkest kind. Is he the greatest villain in history or just a man in a dark place, all the time?
Read the epic tale of one of the most complex, violent, passionate and accomplished men of all time.
WITHOUT THE VILLAIN, WHAT WOULD THE GODS DO?
INDIA, 3400 BCE.
A land in tumult, poverty and chaos. Most people suffer quietly. A few rebel. Some fight for a better world. Some for themselves. Some don’t give a damn. Raavan. Fathered by one of the most illustrious sages of the time. Blessed by the Gods with talents beyond all. Cursed by fate to be tested to the extremes.
A formidable teenage pirate, he is filled with equal parts courage, cruelty and fearsome resolve. A resolve to be a giant among men, to conquer, plunder, and seize the greatness that he thinks is his right.
A man of contrasts, of brutal violence and scholarly knowledge. A man who will love without reward and kill without remorse.
This exhilarating third book of the Ram Chandra series sheds light on Ravaan, the king of Lanka. And the light shines on darkness of the darkest kind. Is he the greatest villain in history or just a man in a dark place, all the time?
Read the epic tale of one of the most complex, violent, passionate and accomplished men of all time.
374 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2019
1836 people are currently reading
10100 people want to read
About the author
Amish Tripathi
68 books7,695 followersAmish is an IIM (Kolkata) educated, banker turned award-winning author. The success of his debut book, The Immortals of Meluha (Book 1 of the Shiva Trilogy), encouraged him to give up a fourteen-year-old career in financial services to focus on writing. He is passionate about history, mythology and philosophy, finding beauty and meaning in all world religions.
His 7 books have sold over 5 million copies and been translated into 19 Indian & international languages. His Shiva Trilogy is the fastest-selling book series in Indian publishing history while his Ram Chandra Series is the second fastest-selling book series in Indian publishing history.
In 2019, Amish was appointed to a diplomatic role as Director , The Nehru Centre in London, India's premier cultural centre abroad.
His 7 books have sold over 5 million copies and been translated into 19 Indian & international languages. His Shiva Trilogy is the fastest-selling book series in Indian publishing history while his Ram Chandra Series is the second fastest-selling book series in Indian publishing history.
In 2019, Amish was appointed to a diplomatic role as Director , The Nehru Centre in London, India's premier cultural centre abroad.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,577 reviews
July 5, 2019
I had completely forgotten this book was releasing last week until someone mentioned on a group chat, and I knew I had to read it immediately. I actually didn’t have a lot of expectations, just wanted it to be an engaging read, but this one turned out to be surprisingly very good.
It wasn’t until the second book of this series Sita did I realize it was going to be a multilinear narrative with the first three books following three different characters but merging at the same point towards the end. This made the experience of reading Sita a bit boring because the last third of the book felt very repetitive. I guess I went into this book feeling similarly, but Amish definitely did a great job of dispelling all my misconceptions. The writing is very engaging right from the get go, fast paced and entertaining while also not shying away from the philosophical and dharmic discussions that I’ve come to associate with Amish’s books. The entire reinterpretation of Raavan’s backstory, which we generally don’t know much about is done masterfully and I loved how much of emotion the author was able to evoke in us. I also really loved the whole theme of every hero needing a strong villain in their life to have a large scale impact on the minds of the people. I guess my only gripe was that because the book was covering a very long timeline, there were huge time jumps and we are only told about major events rather than showing them happen.
Raavan’s character is really a study in contrasts. He is knowledgeable, accomplished, intelligent and ruthless but on the other hand loves his brother Kumbhakarna to no end. He has his moments of humanity and just when you think he is capable of change, something happens that completely changes the trajectory of his life. The depiction of unrequited love and absolute grief is so utterly raw and gritty in this book that it really shook me. Kumbhakarna is a character whom we don’t much about at all in the original epic but he completely fascinated me here and I really liked him a lot. At his core, he is a kind and compassionate person who wants to be more dharmic, but his devotion to his brother is also complete which leads him onto paths he doesn’t necessarily want to embark on. I adored the interactions between the brothers - how they were able to show their vulnerabilities to each other made me very emotional and connected to their relationship, but also seeing it change gradually pained me. It’s definitely this relationship that carries the emotional weight of the story and is what made it such a wonderful read.
To finish, I just wanna say that if you are fan of Amish’s earlier works, you should definitely read this one because I thought it had a great balance of mythology, political machinations, mystery and emotion. It also ends on a very epic note and I’m already very excited to see how Amish is gonna interpret the rest of the epic. However, if you haven’t read any of the author’s books before, I would highly recommend to start with the Immortals of Meluha. While this Ram Chandra series is not exactly a spin-off of the Meluha trilogy, there are many interconnecting elements between the two that I feel can be enjoyed better if you have start at the beginning.
It wasn’t until the second book of this series Sita did I realize it was going to be a multilinear narrative with the first three books following three different characters but merging at the same point towards the end. This made the experience of reading Sita a bit boring because the last third of the book felt very repetitive. I guess I went into this book feeling similarly, but Amish definitely did a great job of dispelling all my misconceptions. The writing is very engaging right from the get go, fast paced and entertaining while also not shying away from the philosophical and dharmic discussions that I’ve come to associate with Amish’s books. The entire reinterpretation of Raavan’s backstory, which we generally don’t know much about is done masterfully and I loved how much of emotion the author was able to evoke in us. I also really loved the whole theme of every hero needing a strong villain in their life to have a large scale impact on the minds of the people. I guess my only gripe was that because the book was covering a very long timeline, there were huge time jumps and we are only told about major events rather than showing them happen.
Raavan’s character is really a study in contrasts. He is knowledgeable, accomplished, intelligent and ruthless but on the other hand loves his brother Kumbhakarna to no end. He has his moments of humanity and just when you think he is capable of change, something happens that completely changes the trajectory of his life. The depiction of unrequited love and absolute grief is so utterly raw and gritty in this book that it really shook me. Kumbhakarna is a character whom we don’t much about at all in the original epic but he completely fascinated me here and I really liked him a lot. At his core, he is a kind and compassionate person who wants to be more dharmic, but his devotion to his brother is also complete which leads him onto paths he doesn’t necessarily want to embark on. I adored the interactions between the brothers - how they were able to show their vulnerabilities to each other made me very emotional and connected to their relationship, but also seeing it change gradually pained me. It’s definitely this relationship that carries the emotional weight of the story and is what made it such a wonderful read.
To finish, I just wanna say that if you are fan of Amish’s earlier works, you should definitely read this one because I thought it had a great balance of mythology, political machinations, mystery and emotion. It also ends on a very epic note and I’m already very excited to see how Amish is gonna interpret the rest of the epic. However, if you haven’t read any of the author’s books before, I would highly recommend to start with the Immortals of Meluha. While this Ram Chandra series is not exactly a spin-off of the Meluha trilogy, there are many interconnecting elements between the two that I feel can be enjoyed better if you have start at the beginning.
July 4, 2019
Well, what to say. The wait is finally over and I am so happy that I finally have the copy in my hand. Not getting into the usual characters, plot, climax, writing style, and entertainment quotient, I will quickly give you 7 reasons why I think this book is an absolute must-read for every lover of mythological fantasy fiction out there.
1. It is an action-packed adventure packed 5-star entertainer. Technically, I gave it 4.5 stars but you get the drift.
2. The character of Raavan is something to look forward to. There are many shades to Raavan and the entire character arc is done very well. You will admire him, maybe love him, detest him, pity him and would want to hate him to no end but there is no way you can deny the charisma of the man. Right till the end of the book, you never really get to know him completely. There is certainly a different kind of an enigma in the character.
3. The character of Kumbhkaran - he is yet another character whom you should look forward to, whose usual treatment in other fictions and popular culture has been quite caricaturish. But, Amish surprises you with Kumbhkaran. He is humble, polite, grounded and dharmic. His selfless devotion to his brother is the stuff dreams are made of.
4. The vivid descriptions of the cities and the palaces, the battle scenes and the people, the social fabric and the economic system - there is a lot of description in the narrative that adds to the beauty of the book. In addition to that, there is a good dose of knowledge to be gained from the book.
5. It's a racy read with simple language. The book makes use of a language that will appeal as much to a beginner as it will to a regular reader. Amish does well when he leaves out the irrelevant years of Raavan's life while focusing only on the important events which matter.
6. While we do get the answers to all the questions that were left unanswered in the previous books, Raavan creates some more mysteries on the way that will leave you on a cliffhanger once again. This makes sure that you are as excited about the next book as you were about this one.
7. It is just so different from any other fiction that has been written on and about Ram, Sita, Raavan, and Ramayana.
In the end, the book is totally worth the wait and I am excitedly looking forward to the next in the series.
1. It is an action-packed adventure packed 5-star entertainer. Technically, I gave it 4.5 stars but you get the drift.
2. The character of Raavan is something to look forward to. There are many shades to Raavan and the entire character arc is done very well. You will admire him, maybe love him, detest him, pity him and would want to hate him to no end but there is no way you can deny the charisma of the man. Right till the end of the book, you never really get to know him completely. There is certainly a different kind of an enigma in the character.
3. The character of Kumbhkaran - he is yet another character whom you should look forward to, whose usual treatment in other fictions and popular culture has been quite caricaturish. But, Amish surprises you with Kumbhkaran. He is humble, polite, grounded and dharmic. His selfless devotion to his brother is the stuff dreams are made of.
4. The vivid descriptions of the cities and the palaces, the battle scenes and the people, the social fabric and the economic system - there is a lot of description in the narrative that adds to the beauty of the book. In addition to that, there is a good dose of knowledge to be gained from the book.
5. It's a racy read with simple language. The book makes use of a language that will appeal as much to a beginner as it will to a regular reader. Amish does well when he leaves out the irrelevant years of Raavan's life while focusing only on the important events which matter.
6. While we do get the answers to all the questions that were left unanswered in the previous books, Raavan creates some more mysteries on the way that will leave you on a cliffhanger once again. This makes sure that you are as excited about the next book as you were about this one.
7. It is just so different from any other fiction that has been written on and about Ram, Sita, Raavan, and Ramayana.
In the end, the book is totally worth the wait and I am excitedly looking forward to the next in the series.
January 12, 2020
Amish has followed reverse chronological. I would say 3 stars to part one, 3.5 to sita & 4 to this part. Hope pattern continue..
Detailed review may follow
Detailed review may follow
August 31, 2022
New books in the series are taking their time to come and I am not happy about that, and I suppose most readers feel that way. In comparison to the imaginative start the Shiva series had, this series felt less impressive. Thankfully though, this book is good and I felt was the best of this series.
The book starts with Sita’s kidnapping by Raavan and his troops, with a valiant Jatayu trying to prevent this. This is to avenge the humiliation of Raavan’s sister Surpanakha, whose nose Lakshman had cut. The story then moves back to Raavan’s childhood. Amish uses some of the concepts he had come up with in the Shiva series – Raavan and his brother Kumbhakarna are Nagas. About half the book covers Raavan’s early years, where he and his family have to flee Lanka. There is a cruel streak in Raavan since quite early, but also a steely determination to get ahead of others. He makes his reputation as a smuggler and over time takes over power in Lanka from Kubera. He develops a fascination for Vedavati, who he had seen when they were both younger. This union was not to be, however, and leaves Raavan a bitter man, determined to work towards subjugation of the people of the Sapt Sindhu. His being disallowed to participate in Sita’s swayamvar later further drives him into a rage and he returns to Lanka with more enemies and more agony.
Amish does introduce many new elements in this book, and it is very well written. While I am all for imaginative retellings of epics, I prefer those who maintain the original ethos broadly (if not, why base a completely deviant story on original mythological characters) – and Amish does that. The progressive power which Raavan garners for himself has very good build-up and is engrossing. The tracks involving Raavan & Vedavati are overdone & relatively not well-written (they are also kinder to Raavan than other versions I have read), and so is the plot element involving Vishwamitra. Despite these relatively weak tracks, overall, I liked the book. The concepts of Dharma & Vishnu’s incarnations are weaved in pretty well, though simplistic in parts.
My rating: 4.25 / 5.
The book starts with Sita’s kidnapping by Raavan and his troops, with a valiant Jatayu trying to prevent this. This is to avenge the humiliation of Raavan’s sister Surpanakha, whose nose Lakshman had cut. The story then moves back to Raavan’s childhood. Amish uses some of the concepts he had come up with in the Shiva series – Raavan and his brother Kumbhakarna are Nagas. About half the book covers Raavan’s early years, where he and his family have to flee Lanka. There is a cruel streak in Raavan since quite early, but also a steely determination to get ahead of others. He makes his reputation as a smuggler and over time takes over power in Lanka from Kubera. He develops a fascination for Vedavati, who he had seen when they were both younger. This union was not to be, however, and leaves Raavan a bitter man, determined to work towards subjugation of the people of the Sapt Sindhu. His being disallowed to participate in Sita’s swayamvar later further drives him into a rage and he returns to Lanka with more enemies and more agony.
Amish does introduce many new elements in this book, and it is very well written. While I am all for imaginative retellings of epics, I prefer those who maintain the original ethos broadly (if not, why base a completely deviant story on original mythological characters) – and Amish does that. The progressive power which Raavan garners for himself has very good build-up and is engrossing. The tracks involving Raavan & Vedavati are overdone & relatively not well-written (they are also kinder to Raavan than other versions I have read), and so is the plot element involving Vishwamitra. Despite these relatively weak tracks, overall, I liked the book. The concepts of Dharma & Vishnu’s incarnations are weaved in pretty well, though simplistic in parts.
My rating: 4.25 / 5.
August 11, 2019
I have always enjoyed reading Amish Tripathi’s books. His stories which borrow richly from our rich mythological texts have presented the narrative in a different and sometimes contemporary fashion. His three books of Shiva Trilogy depict Shiva as a noble and yet very relatable character. Nowhere in the series you feel that as an author Amish has transgressed the line of respect and centuries of belief. His first two books of Ram Chandra series transgressed this line but they still could be tolerated for putting forward an alternate view. However, with his latest book in the series Raavan he seems to have deliberately crossed the line. For the first time, I found his novel downright boring because the author seems to have run out of ideas. First, he makes a bold statement that Sita is Vishnu avatar. Then he goes on to project her as a daughter of Vedavati. Ridiculously enough Raavan attends Sita;s swayamvara and there is a contest to hit a revolving fish in the eye by looking at its shadow in bowl of water below, a straight lift from Mahabharata. For lack of a tight plot the menace of plaque afflicting the Lankan citizens is introduced. This plaque overnight reduces Raavan’s powers. Unable to establish a link between Sita’s abduction and the battle with Raavan, Amish introduces a vague reason in the killing of Vedavati. How could an act of killing by just a gang of few people infuriate Raavan to swear to destroy Sapt Sindhu? The book is best avoided as it takes too many liberties with accepted narrative and has weak and downright boring storyline.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2019
Writing mythology is a double-edged sword, and it takes an author of no little skill to choose the right edge to employ at the right time. Done wrong, the book could feel like nothing but a mundane re-telling of an extremely well-known story. Done right, however, and you have a chance to delve into some of the deepest and most complex characters ever put on paper.
Thankfully, Amish is an author who errs on the side of the latter. The Shiva Trilogy was one of the best pieces of work by an Indian author I have come across. This was not because of the language was beautiful or the story went flawlessly. Both these factors left something to be desired, accustomed as we are to the fluency of British and American authors. However, both language and plot being adequate, Amish truly excelled at his characters. Through the Shiva Trilogy, the characters really stood out in their complexity, actions and motives. It is exactly what made the Mahabharat – in my opinion, the greatest epic of them all – stand out and endure across ages and generations. It stands the test of time because each character in the Mahabharat is a shade of human nature, and human nature is eternal. The Shiva Trilogy was great because of these precise reasons. The reader remains engaged in the characters, even when the plot went on a different, sometimes unrequired tangent or dragged for some reason or another.
Amish added humanity and complexity to characters who were, till now, considered Gods. He managed to create a world where all the divinity of our mythology was grounded in science and logic, and this is what helped the man penetrate a generation that hardly reads and craves, above all, logic. He managed to get an entire generation in India started on good books, and for that alone, I cannot grudge him anything.
The Ramayana, however, poses an entirely different set of challenges. Where Shankar was always known to us as a God (and an exceptionally powerful one at that), Ram was always known to us a human being, virtuous and flawed at the same time. There has been no shortage of literature and fiction published in his name, all telling the same famous tale from different perspectives. For Amish to add a new dimension to a character so well explored was never a simple task. I would not say he succeeded at it completely, though the attempt is pretty good. The first book in the series, Scion Of Ikshvaku, was more or less a direct retelling of the Ramayana, though Amish did connect it to the larger universe he is building through elements such the Nagas, Somras, the tribes of Vishnu and Mahadev etc. However, the plot and the characters themselves were nothing new, and I found myself reading yet another version of a story India knows in its very genes.
The second book, for me, fell completely flat. While Sita is a character who often takes a backseat in the original epic, Amish had the chance to really dive into her character and decode her. However, given that he was using a multi-linear style of storytelling, I felt that Ram and Sita ended up meeting too soon, and the story from then on, became a repetition of the first book. Barring a few plot twists scattered here and there, Amish did not really offer anything new. Which is why I was, despite fears that this is a story beyond the skill of the author to add depth to, was excited for Raavan.
Raavan is a character who, for most of the epic, operates independently of Ram and Sita. He is always present on the periphery as a monster, but does not interfere in their affairs till that fateful day where their destinies finally meet. This gave Amish a chance to tell the story from a rare perspective, and give voice to a character who is possibly one of the complex beings in Indian mythology. So complex, in fact, that he would fit perfectly into the Mahabharat, which I always find to be a much more complex and grey tale as compared to the relatively black and white Ramayana. Raavan, the great king and the monster, the devil who desired to be God, the impulsive romantic who was cold and calculating, hoarder of wealth and yet generous, presented Amish with the chance to revive the series and for the first time, add a fresh perspective and substantial depth to it. Amish succeeds in this. And he succeeds beautifully.
Raavan is not a perfect book. Not by miles. There are too many points in the book which feel like a Bollywood movie or an Ekta Kapoor soap, replete with melodrama, a tragic love story and even a semblance of rebirth which would make any director worth his salt proud. These elements feel somewhat out of place in a world which is so grounded in politics, economics and all the manipulations therein. The narrative drags in some parts and the book could definitely have been 50 pages tighter. But all of this does not stop Raavan from being an engrossing and captivating read, and once again, Amish achieves this primarily through characterization.
Right till the end, it is the characters which keep you, the reader, hooked to the plot. The paradoxical Raavan, the conflicted Kumbhakaran and even minor characters with a lot of more depth than you would have suspected them of having if you’ve read the Ramayana are what keep the book going. Having a complex anti-hero like Raavan definitely makes the book more interesting than both the previous ones in the series, and pays off in unexpected ways which lend emotional and philosophical weight to the book. Speaking of philosophy, the book has chapters which delve into discussions around Dharma. The book could have done without these discourses, but Amish has plotted them well and weaved them into the overarching story subtly enough that these exchanges act to drive the plot and even develop the characters. For a book rooted in Indian mythology, this is crucial, since so much of the morality we associate with actions come from our interpretation of what dharma is. And, fortunately or unfortunately, our dharma is much more flexible than a character like Ram would make it out to be.
Raavan – Enemy of Aryavarta is ultimately one of the better books you’ll read coming from Indian authors and one of the best ones around Indian mythology. It takes a well-known epic and builds it into a world where it feels at home and grounded in logic. It takes familiar ground and attempts to pave new roads into it. It takes effort to give complexity and weight to a character who could have easily become a generic villain, but instead acts to give him motive and shades of grey. Amish could definitely improve further with respect to fluency of plot and pacing, but he has already come a long way since his first book. Raavan is definitely worth a read, even as a stand-alone book given the character and the themes it potentially discusses.
Thankfully, Amish is an author who errs on the side of the latter. The Shiva Trilogy was one of the best pieces of work by an Indian author I have come across. This was not because of the language was beautiful or the story went flawlessly. Both these factors left something to be desired, accustomed as we are to the fluency of British and American authors. However, both language and plot being adequate, Amish truly excelled at his characters. Through the Shiva Trilogy, the characters really stood out in their complexity, actions and motives. It is exactly what made the Mahabharat – in my opinion, the greatest epic of them all – stand out and endure across ages and generations. It stands the test of time because each character in the Mahabharat is a shade of human nature, and human nature is eternal. The Shiva Trilogy was great because of these precise reasons. The reader remains engaged in the characters, even when the plot went on a different, sometimes unrequired tangent or dragged for some reason or another.
Amish added humanity and complexity to characters who were, till now, considered Gods. He managed to create a world where all the divinity of our mythology was grounded in science and logic, and this is what helped the man penetrate a generation that hardly reads and craves, above all, logic. He managed to get an entire generation in India started on good books, and for that alone, I cannot grudge him anything.
The Ramayana, however, poses an entirely different set of challenges. Where Shankar was always known to us as a God (and an exceptionally powerful one at that), Ram was always known to us a human being, virtuous and flawed at the same time. There has been no shortage of literature and fiction published in his name, all telling the same famous tale from different perspectives. For Amish to add a new dimension to a character so well explored was never a simple task. I would not say he succeeded at it completely, though the attempt is pretty good. The first book in the series, Scion Of Ikshvaku, was more or less a direct retelling of the Ramayana, though Amish did connect it to the larger universe he is building through elements such the Nagas, Somras, the tribes of Vishnu and Mahadev etc. However, the plot and the characters themselves were nothing new, and I found myself reading yet another version of a story India knows in its very genes.
The second book, for me, fell completely flat. While Sita is a character who often takes a backseat in the original epic, Amish had the chance to really dive into her character and decode her. However, given that he was using a multi-linear style of storytelling, I felt that Ram and Sita ended up meeting too soon, and the story from then on, became a repetition of the first book. Barring a few plot twists scattered here and there, Amish did not really offer anything new. Which is why I was, despite fears that this is a story beyond the skill of the author to add depth to, was excited for Raavan.
Raavan is a character who, for most of the epic, operates independently of Ram and Sita. He is always present on the periphery as a monster, but does not interfere in their affairs till that fateful day where their destinies finally meet. This gave Amish a chance to tell the story from a rare perspective, and give voice to a character who is possibly one of the complex beings in Indian mythology. So complex, in fact, that he would fit perfectly into the Mahabharat, which I always find to be a much more complex and grey tale as compared to the relatively black and white Ramayana. Raavan, the great king and the monster, the devil who desired to be God, the impulsive romantic who was cold and calculating, hoarder of wealth and yet generous, presented Amish with the chance to revive the series and for the first time, add a fresh perspective and substantial depth to it. Amish succeeds in this. And he succeeds beautifully.
Raavan is not a perfect book. Not by miles. There are too many points in the book which feel like a Bollywood movie or an Ekta Kapoor soap, replete with melodrama, a tragic love story and even a semblance of rebirth which would make any director worth his salt proud. These elements feel somewhat out of place in a world which is so grounded in politics, economics and all the manipulations therein. The narrative drags in some parts and the book could definitely have been 50 pages tighter. But all of this does not stop Raavan from being an engrossing and captivating read, and once again, Amish achieves this primarily through characterization.
Right till the end, it is the characters which keep you, the reader, hooked to the plot. The paradoxical Raavan, the conflicted Kumbhakaran and even minor characters with a lot of more depth than you would have suspected them of having if you’ve read the Ramayana are what keep the book going. Having a complex anti-hero like Raavan definitely makes the book more interesting than both the previous ones in the series, and pays off in unexpected ways which lend emotional and philosophical weight to the book. Speaking of philosophy, the book has chapters which delve into discussions around Dharma. The book could have done without these discourses, but Amish has plotted them well and weaved them into the overarching story subtly enough that these exchanges act to drive the plot and even develop the characters. For a book rooted in Indian mythology, this is crucial, since so much of the morality we associate with actions come from our interpretation of what dharma is. And, fortunately or unfortunately, our dharma is much more flexible than a character like Ram would make it out to be.
Raavan – Enemy of Aryavarta is ultimately one of the better books you’ll read coming from Indian authors and one of the best ones around Indian mythology. It takes a well-known epic and builds it into a world where it feels at home and grounded in logic. It takes familiar ground and attempts to pave new roads into it. It takes effort to give complexity and weight to a character who could have easily become a generic villain, but instead acts to give him motive and shades of grey. Amish could definitely improve further with respect to fluency of plot and pacing, but he has already come a long way since his first book. Raavan is definitely worth a read, even as a stand-alone book given the character and the themes it potentially discusses.
June 26, 2021
After reading Sita: Warrior of Mithila and not loving it as much as I had wanted to I was not expecting much from this book. I pre-ordered it and had it sitting on my bookshelf for a very long time before I started reading it. But once I started reading it, I was surprised to like it as much as I did. And of all the books, I didn't think I would like Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta the most from this series.
Raavan starts right off where Sita finished but plot wise, it doesn't go any further because we get a back-story on Raavan. The way Amish Tripathi captured Raavan's life and gave it his own spin was amazing. I loved reading about Raavan's life. But I still felt there was something lacking as Raavan was powerful beyond imagination. Amish doesn't make him out to be all that powerful in this book, yes he was a powerful warrior but not much else to him in this. Amish made him seem like a human more than I could have ever imagined Raavan to be. Amish also made Raavan's image seem romantic when all I ever read about him in the scriptures was being ruthless and having done things for no apparent reason. But it didn't stop me from enjoying this book. I was surprised to like it so much.
I also liked Kumbhakarna's character and his loyalty to Raavan. I loved the writing in this more than the previous two books in the series. I specially liked how Amish tied everything so far and I cannot wait to read the next book and see how everything comes together. I did think that this was going to be a trilogy, making this the last book in the series but obviously not and I am glad. I do wish that we get to see more of Hanuman in the next book than we have so far.
4 stars
Raavan starts right off where Sita finished but plot wise, it doesn't go any further because we get a back-story on Raavan. The way Amish Tripathi captured Raavan's life and gave it his own spin was amazing. I loved reading about Raavan's life. But I still felt there was something lacking as Raavan was powerful beyond imagination. Amish doesn't make him out to be all that powerful in this book, yes he was a powerful warrior but not much else to him in this. Amish made him seem like a human more than I could have ever imagined Raavan to be. Amish also made Raavan's image seem romantic when all I ever read about him in the scriptures was being ruthless and having done things for no apparent reason. But it didn't stop me from enjoying this book. I was surprised to like it so much.
I also liked Kumbhakarna's character and his loyalty to Raavan. I loved the writing in this more than the previous two books in the series. I specially liked how Amish tied everything so far and I cannot wait to read the next book and see how everything comes together. I did think that this was going to be a trilogy, making this the last book in the series but obviously not and I am glad. I do wish that we get to see more of Hanuman in the next book than we have so far.
4 stars
October 3, 2020
Finally, after the drag of Scion of Ishvaku and a moderately paced Sita, Amish gets his groove back with Raavan. I somewhere found a deprived boy with a fighter spirit, who had to choose a wrong path for his beloved ones, and ultimately as his greed and ego took over him, turned into the greatest villain in history.
Its always fun to read Amish books. Love the way he tell his stories. Entertaining, thrilling and dharmic.
Eagerly waiting for 4th and 5th book. Amish jee i am sending you cream biscuits. Please write fast.
Its always fun to read Amish books. Love the way he tell his stories. Entertaining, thrilling and dharmic.
Eagerly waiting for 4th and 5th book. Amish jee i am sending you cream biscuits. Please write fast.
March 31, 2023
Crass author whose writing lacking Grace.
I sometimes wonder for what if reading such authors make me go philistine. Such a boorish writing it was, with no sense of factual delegacies in maintaining the pride of the land go fair. My first doubt was on the so-called ‘brilliant Sanskrit scholar’, who was credited for the research on something, which never happened. In addition, for the fact-checker, what he had done to support this writer is completely questionable as well.
There was no proper usage of language, to which, I opposed always. This is not some BDSM novel where abuse can work well to appease the readers. Raavan’s screaming out loud of “YOU SONS OF BITCHES!!” was firstly grammatically wrong; secondly doesn’t suits the language of the level of Scholar he was. One must be very careful while retelling the real stories from past to maintain the decorum of language and the actual aura of those ancient people from those times. Amish’s main focus was to degrade Lord Ram and Maa Sita to mere mediocre humans who are even below normal living citizens from that time and to make Raavan, the biggest villain.
There is no doubt in knowing already that Raavan was arrogant and aggressive but be full of foul words and actions was unacceptable. To guide his younger brother to bed multiple women was so mean for the kind of person Raavan was, as per any real manuscript available in this world.
Custom official were there at that time, wow. To make tax system work and to show that there were bribe systems to harass people was quite incomprehensible. It was ‘Treta Yug’, and to know why such names had been given, based on the division of these epochs, would be enough to tell author about the bad and good there were. But his main focus was on showing crimes, to lead readers in the direction of wrong information on their ancients. ‘Shortage of wisdom in the ruling class of the Sapt Sindhu' was a big allegation. Saying ‘trading community continued to be persecuted’ was in itself an enough evidence that Amish was completely thinking like a banker rather than the writer who research first then present anything. His complete view was from the perspective of a corporate finance person.
Foreign dealing with Arabia, Malay & Cambodia? Those lands were not even called such then. Great sage ‘Vishwamitra’ was also mentioned as more a merchant than who is actually is. His complete aura of being one of the wisest saint of that time was maligned by making him a profit booking broker/dealer who shown to have thrive on the buyers’ kindness; and for what, Making ‘Daivi Astra’? Sages of that time used to have their own laboratories and money was not in culture directly. In addition, all such Sages’ labs were funded heavily by the land Kings to make it the better for their own Empires.
Kalinga was the empire came into existence and with its own name during ‘Dwapar Yug’ (Third Epoch) not ‘Treta’ (Second Epoch). Either Amish must have make his own language or atleast build his research team better for that case. Even if he was trying to fictionalize “THE RAMAYAN”, he should have read some books from ‘J.R.R. Tolkien’ for reference.
He wrote about ‘Jagannath Temple Shrine’ of Puri, Odisha. He must have learned well that this temple was built in ‘Dwapar Yug’ not ‘Treta’. Moreover, this Mahanadi was called ‘Nilotpal’ as per “Vayu Puran”. In addition, Chilika lake theory must be inspired from ‘Hirakud Dam’ but to fiction only and not in real sense, yet again.
Killing of man from his own daughter brutally was today’s world theory and not from that era. Amish’s quench to settle course with public issues must be done with better non-fiction anthology. There was no need to fictionalize the ancients of our religion, the Gods themselves.
“But who cares about dharma these days? We have forgotten our traditions and culture. We are an embarrassment to our ancestors.”
This aforementioned quote shows how much illiterate knowledge & thoughts Amish is carrying. Firstly, that was Treta Yug in which 3/4th of the world followed Dharma (answering my own rhetorical question raised before). Secondly, what traditions & culture had they forgotten? That was the time in which those ‘Ways of livings’ were become lifetime cultures and pattern to live for epochs to come.
‘Panchatantra’ was written by ‘Vishnu Sharma’ during the reign of Mauryan Empire but here under the enlightenment of Amish, it was way before ‘Ramayan kaal’. And yes, the way Lion & Deer story put, was dumb.
In addition, ‘There is nothing “arya” about them, no real nobility.’ it was epitome of dumbness. Even this word’s evolution got in the world in 18th century. There was no kind of that thing in that era.
‘Lead India back to greatness, make it truly Aryavarta once again.’ Here again one more corpse of illiteracy and ignorance over the pile of it. It was never Aryavarta at that time, also, even if he called it India (which was ‘Bharatkhanda’ actually); it was greatest of all from all the contemporary worlds already.
His quoting of ‘A country that cannot honour its heroes doesn’t deserve to survive.’ yet again went wrong. Well, we always did and still do honor our heroes.
Raavan living in the oblivion of his memories with Vedavati. What a non-sense thought that was. Just because you have to describe some character for making money does not mean you write wrongly about anyone. The whole Ramayana was not about Ram but Raavan... His vengeance to defeat Bharatkhand for some girl he met in childhood? This gives look of more a Kollywood movies than the real work on ground acts from that time.
Even “Kalidas” with his renowned work ‘Meghdoot’ was during or before Ramayan time. LOL.
‘Kaikesi’ was so good to feed her half children but ‘Vishrava’ one of the greatest sage, was bad for following righteous path of dharma shown to be with doubtful integrity and womanizing. This was complete leftist act on giving fame to bad ones and malign the image of real heroes. Hence that was the point where it was said we do not celebrate heroes.
Social Issues of gang rape and brutal killings were put like they were prominent from the on. I believe he never learned anything from facts but some crumbled mindset of people who must have told him things that couldn’t be present in the time when females were worshipped. Wicked ones like ‘Manthra’ were kicked out from kingdom but not literally but (kicked) hypothetically. And, that’s same for all disregard of genders.
Raavan was shown as one-sided lover rather than a man who himself on his decades of worship and focus made him what he achieved over time. Every time on any situation, Kumbhakarna was reminding him of Vedavati. Wine used as if it was made to be in use since then. ‘Somras’ that was in culture was much different to Wine and must have been used by name as is to atleast made a connection.
Ravan calling name to his mother was beyond imagination. He lived away from his father for facts (because both parted ways due to different cultures they adopted considering Kaikesi from “Asur” family and sage ”Vishrav” from the family of Lord Brahma) with his maternal side of relatives along with his mother. He worshipped her and never ever disrespected her, but for Amish he was disobedient son as well. Also, there was none that comes under ‘human code of conduct’ as mentioned in this book for ‘survival of the fittest’.
Amish’s deception of the fact that there was a lineage that ruled for many years and took over the responsibility to protect the people says enough of his bigotry from the truth and keep his family lineage better without naming it. Hiding the term doesn’t always make it better. That is also a ‘Sophistry’ but to very less in knowledge to Amish. For him Kshatriyas were the tormentor of Shudras and Vaishyas, but to make his pea-size brain enlighten I must highlight that ‘Varn System’ came into existence with the Kalyug’s evolution of modern civilizations, say ‘Mohen-jo-daro’ and ‘Harappa’. He very cleverly opt-out the ‘Shabari incident’.
Potato-egg theory was so cheap to be taken from some WhatsApp message. He should have been more creative while giving examples.
Raavan’s picking of Lord Shiva’s bow “PINAKA” was merely some joke or over imaginable thought that Amish's mind processed. Just because you want to present something in retelling of Epic a new, doesn’t mean you go around screaming untruthful tomfoolery. For the facts, Raavan never picked or even touched the ‘PINAKA’. He straight forward went on to did the same but got the vision of Lord Shiva who blessed him while folding his hands in respect before picking it and guided him meanwhile not to do the act for it was not meant to be for him in accordance to the well before written per cycle of time. There was no hero like act on his reaching for the bow in “Swayamvar” (a ceremony from ancient India where women have the rights to choose their husbands as per their choice basis on the act their part-of-family decided to perform to prove their worthiness). No crowd cheering on Raavan’s movements, but to make him the biggest Villain, as if inspired from Bollywood movies, he unnecessarily emphasized on things, which could be added as am amplifying flavor to bad façade of Ramayan’s Antihero. One moment he was calling sage ‘Vishwamitra’ ‘pompous nutcase’ and another moment calling him “Guruji”.
There seemed to be psychological issues with Author who himself couldn’t figure out for what he want to actually present to his readers.
At once Raavan was having biggest naval carriers of the world and at another, there were questions on whether his boats could even carry tortoise shields. Seriously? There was not even a cross-check on minute details of the script. Moreover, there was exaggeration on Maa Sita’s fight with Raavan’s soldiers. Firstly, to be very straight, there were set rules on war or even clashes/fights with someone. Queens/Kings or Princesses/Princes fought with their counterparts only, not mere soldiers. Secondly, as I highlighted, it was all exaggeration and there was no such fight.
Amish’s whole world so very much affected from the maligned Bollywood and that crumbled his brain for its ability of think fairly. For him everything is about a love story and even in explaining that he failed to put it through smoothly even for a lie. First, there was Raavan-Vedavati; then there were clashes he wrote about Vishwamitra-Vashishtha for a girl. For him, those most learned and celebrated sages for their knowledge from the ancient history (whose lineages are also still present) were on each-other’s throat for a girl. It is not just a book but also his mindset that needs refinement and enlightenment, but education, most prior to that. There he mentioned that ‘The worst enemy you can have is someone who can once a dear friend’. Quoting this, he indicated the foul meaning of friendship pacts, from the time, when it was all, for anyone, to offer even his/her life for another.
Fact: The era old fight that remained between both sages was because of the Holy miraculous cow ‘Kaamdhenu’, respected as bovine-goddess, who was in the custodianary guardianship of sage Vashishtha. Sage Vishwamitra was ‘King Kaushik’ at the time Maharishi Vashishtha hold the guardianship of Holy cow. He in his pride asked for her to embrace (metaphorically) to fulfill his wishes of enlarging his empire, but Vashishth denied saying he was just a caretaker and not the owner, owners were deities up in sky. Former taken it as a shame and tried to steal her from latter sage. However, being Maharishi, Vashishth recognized him and even after all the power King enforced, Sage’s penance and Kamdhenu’s miracle soldiers (evolved by her in self-defense) effectively defeated King Kaushik. Resulting to which King decided to gain powers by way of penance and hence became Sage.
Amish must have atleast for once read ‘Vishnu Puran’. He would be very much enlightened to know that we as the most ancient one knew how to develop genetically refined children, say, Vishwamitra and Jamadagni (Lord Parashuram’s father) which is so new to this world’s medical scientists.
Overall, this complete novel retelling of “HOLY RAMAYAN” was time waste and failure for me as I have already read and understand the original texts many times along with “Ramacharitra Manas’. But as I have already purchased this and his other hyped series of books (Shiva trilogy) so earlier when these were published, and I have this itch of finishing my hold of books, I have to go through yet another series of 3 novels which too seemed equally failure to me in prior to picking either of those. But for sure, I will not purchase the last from this series, “War of Lanka (Ram Chandra, #4)”.
For me it deserves nothing, but to mention something here I would say 1.0/5.0
I sometimes wonder for what if reading such authors make me go philistine. Such a boorish writing it was, with no sense of factual delegacies in maintaining the pride of the land go fair. My first doubt was on the so-called ‘brilliant Sanskrit scholar’, who was credited for the research on something, which never happened. In addition, for the fact-checker, what he had done to support this writer is completely questionable as well.
There was no proper usage of language, to which, I opposed always. This is not some BDSM novel where abuse can work well to appease the readers. Raavan’s screaming out loud of “YOU SONS OF BITCHES!!” was firstly grammatically wrong; secondly doesn’t suits the language of the level of Scholar he was. One must be very careful while retelling the real stories from past to maintain the decorum of language and the actual aura of those ancient people from those times. Amish’s main focus was to degrade Lord Ram and Maa Sita to mere mediocre humans who are even below normal living citizens from that time and to make Raavan, the biggest villain.
There is no doubt in knowing already that Raavan was arrogant and aggressive but be full of foul words and actions was unacceptable. To guide his younger brother to bed multiple women was so mean for the kind of person Raavan was, as per any real manuscript available in this world.
Custom official were there at that time, wow. To make tax system work and to show that there were bribe systems to harass people was quite incomprehensible. It was ‘Treta Yug’, and to know why such names had been given, based on the division of these epochs, would be enough to tell author about the bad and good there were. But his main focus was on showing crimes, to lead readers in the direction of wrong information on their ancients. ‘Shortage of wisdom in the ruling class of the Sapt Sindhu' was a big allegation. Saying ‘trading community continued to be persecuted’ was in itself an enough evidence that Amish was completely thinking like a banker rather than the writer who research first then present anything. His complete view was from the perspective of a corporate finance person.
Foreign dealing with Arabia, Malay & Cambodia? Those lands were not even called such then. Great sage ‘Vishwamitra’ was also mentioned as more a merchant than who is actually is. His complete aura of being one of the wisest saint of that time was maligned by making him a profit booking broker/dealer who shown to have thrive on the buyers’ kindness; and for what, Making ‘Daivi Astra’? Sages of that time used to have their own laboratories and money was not in culture directly. In addition, all such Sages’ labs were funded heavily by the land Kings to make it the better for their own Empires.
Kalinga was the empire came into existence and with its own name during ‘Dwapar Yug’ (Third Epoch) not ‘Treta’ (Second Epoch). Either Amish must have make his own language or atleast build his research team better for that case. Even if he was trying to fictionalize “THE RAMAYAN”, he should have read some books from ‘J.R.R. Tolkien’ for reference.
He wrote about ‘Jagannath Temple Shrine’ of Puri, Odisha. He must have learned well that this temple was built in ‘Dwapar Yug’ not ‘Treta’. Moreover, this Mahanadi was called ‘Nilotpal’ as per “Vayu Puran”. In addition, Chilika lake theory must be inspired from ‘Hirakud Dam’ but to fiction only and not in real sense, yet again.
Killing of man from his own daughter brutally was today’s world theory and not from that era. Amish’s quench to settle course with public issues must be done with better non-fiction anthology. There was no need to fictionalize the ancients of our religion, the Gods themselves.
“But who cares about dharma these days? We have forgotten our traditions and culture. We are an embarrassment to our ancestors.”
This aforementioned quote shows how much illiterate knowledge & thoughts Amish is carrying. Firstly, that was Treta Yug in which 3/4th of the world followed Dharma (answering my own rhetorical question raised before). Secondly, what traditions & culture had they forgotten? That was the time in which those ‘Ways of livings’ were become lifetime cultures and pattern to live for epochs to come.
‘Panchatantra’ was written by ‘Vishnu Sharma’ during the reign of Mauryan Empire but here under the enlightenment of Amish, it was way before ‘Ramayan kaal’. And yes, the way Lion & Deer story put, was dumb.
In addition, ‘There is nothing “arya” about them, no real nobility.’ it was epitome of dumbness. Even this word’s evolution got in the world in 18th century. There was no kind of that thing in that era.
‘Lead India back to greatness, make it truly Aryavarta once again.’ Here again one more corpse of illiteracy and ignorance over the pile of it. It was never Aryavarta at that time, also, even if he called it India (which was ‘Bharatkhanda’ actually); it was greatest of all from all the contemporary worlds already.
His quoting of ‘A country that cannot honour its heroes doesn’t deserve to survive.’ yet again went wrong. Well, we always did and still do honor our heroes.
Raavan living in the oblivion of his memories with Vedavati. What a non-sense thought that was. Just because you have to describe some character for making money does not mean you write wrongly about anyone. The whole Ramayana was not about Ram but Raavan... His vengeance to defeat Bharatkhand for some girl he met in childhood? This gives look of more a Kollywood movies than the real work on ground acts from that time.
Even “Kalidas” with his renowned work ‘Meghdoot’ was during or before Ramayan time. LOL.
‘Kaikesi’ was so good to feed her half children but ‘Vishrava’ one of the greatest sage, was bad for following righteous path of dharma shown to be with doubtful integrity and womanizing. This was complete leftist act on giving fame to bad ones and malign the image of real heroes. Hence that was the point where it was said we do not celebrate heroes.
Social Issues of gang rape and brutal killings were put like they were prominent from the on. I believe he never learned anything from facts but some crumbled mindset of people who must have told him things that couldn’t be present in the time when females were worshipped. Wicked ones like ‘Manthra’ were kicked out from kingdom but not literally but (kicked) hypothetically. And, that’s same for all disregard of genders.
Raavan was shown as one-sided lover rather than a man who himself on his decades of worship and focus made him what he achieved over time. Every time on any situation, Kumbhakarna was reminding him of Vedavati. Wine used as if it was made to be in use since then. ‘Somras’ that was in culture was much different to Wine and must have been used by name as is to atleast made a connection.
Ravan calling name to his mother was beyond imagination. He lived away from his father for facts (because both parted ways due to different cultures they adopted considering Kaikesi from “Asur” family and sage ”Vishrav” from the family of Lord Brahma) with his maternal side of relatives along with his mother. He worshipped her and never ever disrespected her, but for Amish he was disobedient son as well. Also, there was none that comes under ‘human code of conduct’ as mentioned in this book for ‘survival of the fittest’.
Amish’s deception of the fact that there was a lineage that ruled for many years and took over the responsibility to protect the people says enough of his bigotry from the truth and keep his family lineage better without naming it. Hiding the term doesn’t always make it better. That is also a ‘Sophistry’ but to very less in knowledge to Amish. For him Kshatriyas were the tormentor of Shudras and Vaishyas, but to make his pea-size brain enlighten I must highlight that ‘Varn System’ came into existence with the Kalyug’s evolution of modern civilizations, say ‘Mohen-jo-daro’ and ‘Harappa’. He very cleverly opt-out the ‘Shabari incident’.
Potato-egg theory was so cheap to be taken from some WhatsApp message. He should have been more creative while giving examples.
Raavan’s picking of Lord Shiva’s bow “PINAKA” was merely some joke or over imaginable thought that Amish's mind processed. Just because you want to present something in retelling of Epic a new, doesn’t mean you go around screaming untruthful tomfoolery. For the facts, Raavan never picked or even touched the ‘PINAKA’. He straight forward went on to did the same but got the vision of Lord Shiva who blessed him while folding his hands in respect before picking it and guided him meanwhile not to do the act for it was not meant to be for him in accordance to the well before written per cycle of time. There was no hero like act on his reaching for the bow in “Swayamvar” (a ceremony from ancient India where women have the rights to choose their husbands as per their choice basis on the act their part-of-family decided to perform to prove their worthiness). No crowd cheering on Raavan’s movements, but to make him the biggest Villain, as if inspired from Bollywood movies, he unnecessarily emphasized on things, which could be added as am amplifying flavor to bad façade of Ramayan’s Antihero. One moment he was calling sage ‘Vishwamitra’ ‘pompous nutcase’ and another moment calling him “Guruji”.
There seemed to be psychological issues with Author who himself couldn’t figure out for what he want to actually present to his readers.
At once Raavan was having biggest naval carriers of the world and at another, there were questions on whether his boats could even carry tortoise shields. Seriously? There was not even a cross-check on minute details of the script. Moreover, there was exaggeration on Maa Sita’s fight with Raavan’s soldiers. Firstly, to be very straight, there were set rules on war or even clashes/fights with someone. Queens/Kings or Princesses/Princes fought with their counterparts only, not mere soldiers. Secondly, as I highlighted, it was all exaggeration and there was no such fight.
Amish’s whole world so very much affected from the maligned Bollywood and that crumbled his brain for its ability of think fairly. For him everything is about a love story and even in explaining that he failed to put it through smoothly even for a lie. First, there was Raavan-Vedavati; then there were clashes he wrote about Vishwamitra-Vashishtha for a girl. For him, those most learned and celebrated sages for their knowledge from the ancient history (whose lineages are also still present) were on each-other’s throat for a girl. It is not just a book but also his mindset that needs refinement and enlightenment, but education, most prior to that. There he mentioned that ‘The worst enemy you can have is someone who can once a dear friend’. Quoting this, he indicated the foul meaning of friendship pacts, from the time, when it was all, for anyone, to offer even his/her life for another.
Fact: The era old fight that remained between both sages was because of the Holy miraculous cow ‘Kaamdhenu’, respected as bovine-goddess, who was in the custodianary guardianship of sage Vashishtha. Sage Vishwamitra was ‘King Kaushik’ at the time Maharishi Vashishtha hold the guardianship of Holy cow. He in his pride asked for her to embrace (metaphorically) to fulfill his wishes of enlarging his empire, but Vashishth denied saying he was just a caretaker and not the owner, owners were deities up in sky. Former taken it as a shame and tried to steal her from latter sage. However, being Maharishi, Vashishth recognized him and even after all the power King enforced, Sage’s penance and Kamdhenu’s miracle soldiers (evolved by her in self-defense) effectively defeated King Kaushik. Resulting to which King decided to gain powers by way of penance and hence became Sage.
Amish must have atleast for once read ‘Vishnu Puran’. He would be very much enlightened to know that we as the most ancient one knew how to develop genetically refined children, say, Vishwamitra and Jamadagni (Lord Parashuram’s father) which is so new to this world’s medical scientists.
Overall, this complete novel retelling of “HOLY RAMAYAN” was time waste and failure for me as I have already read and understand the original texts many times along with “Ramacharitra Manas’. But as I have already purchased this and his other hyped series of books (Shiva trilogy) so earlier when these were published, and I have this itch of finishing my hold of books, I have to go through yet another series of 3 novels which too seemed equally failure to me in prior to picking either of those. But for sure, I will not purchase the last from this series, “War of Lanka (Ram Chandra, #4)”.
For me it deserves nothing, but to mention something here I would say 1.0/5.0
July 14, 2019
Disappointed!!
There is no methodological references except the same names unlike other books and series. Why people like Amish’s books is because he writes methodological fictions where at the base story is based on ancient scripture with added fiction and exaggerated dramatised details.
But in this book nothing is like that, there were strong characters built but then all of sudden vanishes like simachi. The details of Ravan’S childhood, his family etc is purely fiction and the story sounds more like a B grade Bollywood flop movie.
I wonder why Amish did it this way as the original story/believe is way to much better and it did not require this much improvisation.
I waited for this book eagerly and am truly disappointed.
3 starts to the book as it is part of hyperlink story concept series and good plot and link with previous book saved it a little otherwise this is the worst book of Amish till now.
There is no methodological references except the same names unlike other books and series. Why people like Amish’s books is because he writes methodological fictions where at the base story is based on ancient scripture with added fiction and exaggerated dramatised details.
But in this book nothing is like that, there were strong characters built but then all of sudden vanishes like simachi. The details of Ravan’S childhood, his family etc is purely fiction and the story sounds more like a B grade Bollywood flop movie.
I wonder why Amish did it this way as the original story/believe is way to much better and it did not require this much improvisation.
I waited for this book eagerly and am truly disappointed.
3 starts to the book as it is part of hyperlink story concept series and good plot and link with previous book saved it a little otherwise this is the worst book of Amish till now.
July 29, 2019
Raavan – one of the most debated characters in the history of Indian mythology. Growing up we have often heard conflicting sides of his nature. There are instances where he is kind, generous, compassionate and servile. Then, there are situations where he is shown to be vile, arrogant, cruel, sadistic and selfish. Incorporating such nuances into a story is an arduous task. The Demon King of Lanka has been subjected various interpretations over time. The benevolent egoist, the arrogant devotee….he is described by words that are self- conflicting. He is a character whose good deeds are often eclipsed by his selfish and cruel actions. He is intelligent, a great philosopher. His treatise on Ayurveda and philosophy are well known. The 10 heads symbolizes his supreme intelligent in all fields of life. He is a prolific musician, known for his paintings, a great physician, a trader who mints money from thin air, supreme tactician, the lists are endless. Regardless, he has a short fuse. Once he is enraged he forgets the distinction between good and bad. All that remains is the ever consuming rage, like a wild fire that destroys everything in its path. In short he is a persona held in much awe and respect. Sometimes, I think it is these qualities of Raavan which actually propelled Ram to his glory. The greater the difficulty, the greater the reward.
Coming to the book, Amish has done a great job in imbibing the Raavana we are familiar with into his words. He has gone a further mile and ensured some surprises are in store for us. The romantic side of Raavana is explored in this book. However this same repetition of worshipping the feminine is recurrent in his earlier tellings of Ram & Sita, then Shiva and Parvathy.But hey, I am not complaining, he has done it wonderfully. We see Raavan grow from a child to the Demon king that he becomes. Another thing that surprised me was the character of Khumbakharna. From the obese, glutton of a man whose major role is often side lined to his appearance in war, Amish has transformed him into a loving, charismatic brother who will do anything for his Dada. This Khumbha is a character that keeps Raavan in check. The brotherly love between these two characters has been portrayed beautifully. Many minor characters also mention appreciation, but suffice to say that the character building was engaging.
The world building, description of places and the travels of Raavana were also handled with utmost care. It was a pleasure to read and imagine the world through his words. His approach to the philosophy of life also deserves merit. He has broached these subjects in a simple manner. The plot was engaging. There was no repetition from the previous books. Following a parallel line of story telling, the instances in the previous two books were kind of repetitive. In this book there was no repetition, and beautifully tie in with the thread was left open in the previous books. And what is a climax without a twist. There is a surprise waiting at the end, but the surprise is not in the plot, but rather in the way he handled the characters.
The book is not without its negatives. Many people may find the theme of the book repetitive, but I would like to say that he is just building a universe for his books. And then there is Vidur and Buddha. He casually spouted these names in the Ramayan Era. So that is it folks. I highly recommend the book to everyone. This is the best book in the Ram series so far.
Coming to the book, Amish has done a great job in imbibing the Raavana we are familiar with into his words. He has gone a further mile and ensured some surprises are in store for us. The romantic side of Raavana is explored in this book. However this same repetition of worshipping the feminine is recurrent in his earlier tellings of Ram & Sita, then Shiva and Parvathy.But hey, I am not complaining, he has done it wonderfully. We see Raavan grow from a child to the Demon king that he becomes. Another thing that surprised me was the character of Khumbakharna. From the obese, glutton of a man whose major role is often side lined to his appearance in war, Amish has transformed him into a loving, charismatic brother who will do anything for his Dada. This Khumbha is a character that keeps Raavan in check. The brotherly love between these two characters has been portrayed beautifully. Many minor characters also mention appreciation, but suffice to say that the character building was engaging.
The world building, description of places and the travels of Raavana were also handled with utmost care. It was a pleasure to read and imagine the world through his words. His approach to the philosophy of life also deserves merit. He has broached these subjects in a simple manner. The plot was engaging. There was no repetition from the previous books. Following a parallel line of story telling, the instances in the previous two books were kind of repetitive. In this book there was no repetition, and beautifully tie in with the thread was left open in the previous books. And what is a climax without a twist. There is a surprise waiting at the end, but the surprise is not in the plot, but rather in the way he handled the characters.
The book is not without its negatives. Many people may find the theme of the book repetitive, but I would like to say that he is just building a universe for his books. And then there is Vidur and Buddha. He casually spouted these names in the Ramayan Era. So that is it folks. I highly recommend the book to everyone. This is the best book in the Ram series so far.
July 17, 2019
"This country is dead to me."
"Dada.." whispered Kumbhakarna.
"Control your monsters, did she say?"
"Dada, listen to me.."
""I will unleash the monster. I will destroy this land!"
.
Goosebumps.
The point where Raavan accepts his identity and the transformation into evil is complete.. Pure goosebumps.
It's certainly the best book of Ramchandra series till now, and dare I say probably the best of all Amish's books.
I'll give you 2 reasons why. One, everybody knows about the childhood and formative years of Ram and Sita. We all have heard about Raavan, but only after the point he crosses paths with Ram. I was excited to watch out for his backstory. Two, the first three books were bound to feel repetitive because of the multilinear structure of the series. But this one doesn't, at least not as intensely as the second book. I think the credit goes to the fresh story and the convergence of all the clues left scattered in the first two books.
You won't feel like putting it down until you've turned the last page. The twist at the end is mind-numbing.
P.S. - Watch out for the philosophical debates between Raavan and Vedavati.
"Dada.." whispered Kumbhakarna.
"Control your monsters, did she say?"
"Dada, listen to me.."
""I will unleash the monster. I will destroy this land!"
.
Goosebumps.
The point where Raavan accepts his identity and the transformation into evil is complete.. Pure goosebumps.
It's certainly the best book of Ramchandra series till now, and dare I say probably the best of all Amish's books.
I'll give you 2 reasons why. One, everybody knows about the childhood and formative years of Ram and Sita. We all have heard about Raavan, but only after the point he crosses paths with Ram. I was excited to watch out for his backstory. Two, the first three books were bound to feel repetitive because of the multilinear structure of the series. But this one doesn't, at least not as intensely as the second book. I think the credit goes to the fresh story and the convergence of all the clues left scattered in the first two books.
You won't feel like putting it down until you've turned the last page. The twist at the end is mind-numbing.
P.S. - Watch out for the philosophical debates between Raavan and Vedavati.
May 19, 2021
What are heroes without a villain. Rawan is a story where a villain is born to give rise to a hero.
The is the first multilinear narrative I have read. The way all the clues left in previous novels are unfolded in this kept my interest alive. The story unfolds with Rawan being born a Naga to a hateful father. Irrespective of his physical deformities he was a prodigy, he was a man of scholarly knowledge.
He denied to give in to fate he is born with and worked hard to become one of the richest men in the world. Rawan is true example that one can rebel for a better world and not let poverty and chaos be forced on them.
To be honest Rawan had all the potential to be a hero and change the world for good but the destiny had something else stored for him.
Rawan fell in love with Kanyakumari, the one who lit Dharma in his heart. He even accepted the fact that she is married and respected her husband too. Their love touched my heart. But he lost to his cursed fate and Kanyakumari met with a gruesome death. Her death trapped Rawan in darkness. His sole motive then was to destroy Aryavarta who took away his love.
His relationship with his brother Kumbhakarna was a delight to read. Kumbhakarna’s character was new to me, he is loving, caring and a follower of dharma, every scene involving Kumbhakarna was pleasurable. He was the one who prevented Rawan from being lost in the darkness. His selfless devotion to his brother is something that is endangered in present day society.
Also, the end was magnificent, the way author gave hints about the true identity of Sita and revealed it in the end was amazing.
After reading the novel I felt that Rawan was not the greatest villain in the history but just a man trapped in a dark place by rotten luck.
The only negative I found was the scenes like description of the swayamvar was repeated in all three books, I mean who can read a four-page long description thrice.
For me this was the best book of Ramchandra series and would recommend all people to read it.
The is the first multilinear narrative I have read. The way all the clues left in previous novels are unfolded in this kept my interest alive. The story unfolds with Rawan being born a Naga to a hateful father. Irrespective of his physical deformities he was a prodigy, he was a man of scholarly knowledge.
He denied to give in to fate he is born with and worked hard to become one of the richest men in the world. Rawan is true example that one can rebel for a better world and not let poverty and chaos be forced on them.
To be honest Rawan had all the potential to be a hero and change the world for good but the destiny had something else stored for him.
Rawan fell in love with Kanyakumari, the one who lit Dharma in his heart. He even accepted the fact that she is married and respected her husband too. Their love touched my heart. But he lost to his cursed fate and Kanyakumari met with a gruesome death. Her death trapped Rawan in darkness. His sole motive then was to destroy Aryavarta who took away his love.
His relationship with his brother Kumbhakarna was a delight to read. Kumbhakarna’s character was new to me, he is loving, caring and a follower of dharma, every scene involving Kumbhakarna was pleasurable. He was the one who prevented Rawan from being lost in the darkness. His selfless devotion to his brother is something that is endangered in present day society.
Also, the end was magnificent, the way author gave hints about the true identity of Sita and revealed it in the end was amazing.
After reading the novel I felt that Rawan was not the greatest villain in the history but just a man trapped in a dark place by rotten luck.
The only negative I found was the scenes like description of the swayamvar was repeated in all three books, I mean who can read a four-page long description thrice.
For me this was the best book of Ramchandra series and would recommend all people to read it.
August 27, 2024
I liked the author's imagination in bringing out a backstory for Raavan. That said, I cannot stop wondering if it's okay to paint a historic epic in the colors that make it seem more romantic to our age. At least, for all the Ramayan I know of, Raavan was no Snape! It's two entirely different things if a man lusts for a woman and kidnaps her vs if he kidnaps her for any other reason. Though we might desire it with all our heart, villains in real life have no real morals to them, they don't follow logic and they cannot have possibly exhibited or experienced selfless love at any point (that's what makes them villains). I would have agreed more if Raavan was pictured like Voldemort but with much more intellect and strength. Raavan was so powerful, he was believed to have had all the planets under his control to the extent of being able to alter people's destiny!! This narration doesn't justify such a strength. Also, I found it disappointing that powerful characters like Mandodari weren't given any importance in this narrative :( I would love to give 3/5 as the story was intriguing but I can't bring myself to do that. I can't stand the idea of romanticizing evil at least not in an epic that has been an inspiration for me since childhood. So I'm keeping it to 2/5.
PS: And Raavan being concerned about women not being let inside Sabrimala was just.. so lame :/
PS: And Raavan being concerned about women not being let inside Sabrimala was just.. so lame :/
August 2, 2019
This review is directed particularly to the audience who did not enjoy SITA and were skeptical about reading Raavan- my suggestion , go ahead and read it for the sake of one of the author you look up to BUT DO NOT expect the same magic as SHIVA TRILOGY. Raavan is a bit of a drag in the initial chapters - those are the chapters of his character building & how the events from childhood shape up his personality . His personality is complex - ego, love, brotherhood, amusement, warrior, protector all rolled into one and full marks to Amish on such beautiful portrayal of this character. You'll be able to relate the intertwined stories in all 3 novels without being bored of the repetition.
BUT the so-called 'twist' in the end is VERY predictable. If you are the kind of reader who seeks answers at end of each chapter - you would easily be able to guess the secret author has tried to hold on till the last chapters.
All in all, i had lost all hopes after SITA but Raavan is a feeble ray of sunshine directing me to yet another AMISH novel - whenever it releases...
BUT the so-called 'twist' in the end is VERY predictable. If you are the kind of reader who seeks answers at end of each chapter - you would easily be able to guess the secret author has tried to hold on till the last chapters.
All in all, i had lost all hopes after SITA but Raavan is a feeble ray of sunshine directing me to yet another AMISH novel - whenever it releases...
February 6, 2020
This book held two of the tropes I greatly despise: a person turning good/bad due powers of luuuuuurve and strong women attributing their strength to their sexually abusive past. These two are the tools of an inept writer and Amish wields them like the first caveman to discover a club might have wielded it. No finesse, no art, just crude hammering.
I actually started this book series thinking it to be a trilogy. But turns out it is a 5 part book instead. I probably will read the next book when it comes out just to see where this banality will end.
I actually started this book series thinking it to be a trilogy. But turns out it is a 5 part book instead. I probably will read the next book when it comes out just to see where this banality will end.
July 7, 2019
Wow!! What an incredibly fast paced engaging book... not a single dull moment.. each chapter was super high on drama and action packed.. and the twist at the end was mind blowing..
** Everyone knows the general gist of the story of Raavan ..
" a power hungry mad man who is the main villain in the epic Ramayana.. "
But this book provided much more information about his life.. what transpired him into being this evil notorious person? In a way, this book became highly informative for me as I had no idea about raavan's backstory. His story brought within me all the colours of emotions - at times I even felt empathetic and sympathetic to this so called monster ( I am however not sure if what I read was entirely author's imaginative fiction or his interpretation of mythological facts) .
** Also I loved the characterisation of kumbhakarna . his brotherly dynamic with raavan was to die for.. their interactions, conversations and every scene featuring these two were highly entertaining to read.. reading their constant to and fro banter bought a smile to my face..
** the best thing about this book was its fast paced writing style. I was able to finish it in no time. The chapters were short and each ended with a bang prompting me to crave for more..
** I think I liked this one better than the author's previous two books in the Ramachandra series .. those two were incredible but had some dull moments and felt a bit dragged,this one however was crisp and entertaining from start to finish. I simply couldn't put it down.
** the only issue that people may have with this book is that some of the events were simply told to us by taking huge time gaps without enough descriptions and background.. I didn't have a problem with that because I am a plot driven reader and I get easily bored reading pages and pages describing an event or a scene which may not be that significant to the overall plot..
** overall , I loved it and can't wait for the final book.. really excited and looking forward to see how the author brings all these three incredible stories and characters together...
** Everyone knows the general gist of the story of Raavan ..
" a power hungry mad man who is the main villain in the epic Ramayana.. "
But this book provided much more information about his life.. what transpired him into being this evil notorious person? In a way, this book became highly informative for me as I had no idea about raavan's backstory. His story brought within me all the colours of emotions - at times I even felt empathetic and sympathetic to this so called monster ( I am however not sure if what I read was entirely author's imaginative fiction or his interpretation of mythological facts) .
** Also I loved the characterisation of kumbhakarna . his brotherly dynamic with raavan was to die for.. their interactions, conversations and every scene featuring these two were highly entertaining to read.. reading their constant to and fro banter bought a smile to my face..
** the best thing about this book was its fast paced writing style. I was able to finish it in no time. The chapters were short and each ended with a bang prompting me to crave for more..
** I think I liked this one better than the author's previous two books in the Ramachandra series .. those two were incredible but had some dull moments and felt a bit dragged,this one however was crisp and entertaining from start to finish. I simply couldn't put it down.
** the only issue that people may have with this book is that some of the events were simply told to us by taking huge time gaps without enough descriptions and background.. I didn't have a problem with that because I am a plot driven reader and I get easily bored reading pages and pages describing an event or a scene which may not be that significant to the overall plot..
** overall , I loved it and can't wait for the final book.. really excited and looking forward to see how the author brings all these three incredible stories and characters together...
June 11, 2020
19th book of 2020 (143 books read overall)
Quote from the Book I Liked -
Rating - 3 Stars
My Review - This is the 3rd instalment in 'The Ram Chandra series' by Amish Tripathi which took a very long time to come out. I was eagerly waiting for the release of this book. Though, it was not exactly what I thought it to be. Like the last 2 parts - Ram and Sita, this book is the story of Raavan who is older than Ram and Sita and this story too commences on the abduction of Sita. The story of Raavan is one of passion, admiration and get it all. His childhood was hard and his actions are described as reasonable. Though the book differs from the original narration, I liked the way how Raavan and his qualities along with his brother's, Kumbakaran, has been portrayed. Originally titled 'Orphan of Aryavarta' was quite better as from my understanding of this book and his situation rather than the current title which was changed as 'Enemy of Aryavarta'. I admire Amish's work of Shiva's trilogy and is always on my top of Mythological recommendation reads, this book felt a bit off than his usual writing. Maybe the perspective of what Raavan might have portrayed according to the book differed from that of Authors. Felt a bit forceful. But all in all, we can expect a better 4th book in the series when it comes out in 2021 (hopefully).
Conclusion - Not as good as others. A bit overstretched too.
Full Review on Blog.
Link to Blog - The Tales of Fugitive Biker
Quote from the Book I Liked -
Rating - 3 Stars
My Review - This is the 3rd instalment in 'The Ram Chandra series' by Amish Tripathi which took a very long time to come out. I was eagerly waiting for the release of this book. Though, it was not exactly what I thought it to be. Like the last 2 parts - Ram and Sita, this book is the story of Raavan who is older than Ram and Sita and this story too commences on the abduction of Sita. The story of Raavan is one of passion, admiration and get it all. His childhood was hard and his actions are described as reasonable. Though the book differs from the original narration, I liked the way how Raavan and his qualities along with his brother's, Kumbakaran, has been portrayed. Originally titled 'Orphan of Aryavarta' was quite better as from my understanding of this book and his situation rather than the current title which was changed as 'Enemy of Aryavarta'. I admire Amish's work of Shiva's trilogy and is always on my top of Mythological recommendation reads, this book felt a bit off than his usual writing. Maybe the perspective of what Raavan might have portrayed according to the book differed from that of Authors. Felt a bit forceful. But all in all, we can expect a better 4th book in the series when it comes out in 2021 (hopefully).
Conclusion - Not as good as others. A bit overstretched too.
Full Review on Blog.
Link to Blog - The Tales of Fugitive Biker
January 31, 2025
কণক লঙ্কা মজেছিল কার দোষে? মেঘনাদের মতে এর জন্য দায়ী বিভীষণ। তাই? পাঠক আপনিও তাই মনে করেন? এই বইয়ে সেই সুলুকসন্ধান করেনি কেউ। এই বইটা লেখা হয়েছে ভারতবর্ষের ইতিহাসে অন্যতম শ্রেষ্ঠ ফিকশনাল/মিথলজিকাল/রিলিজিয়াস ক্যারেক্টার রাবণের কর্মকাণ্ড আর চরিত্র নিয়ে।
অকল্পনীয় হিংস্রতা, অগাধ জ্ঞান আর খামখেয়ালীতে পূর্ণ এক মানুষ, যার রয়েছে কাউকে নিঃস্বার্থভাবে ভালোবাসতে পারার ক্ষমতা, আবার যে পরিণত হতে পারে অনুশোচনাহীন এক নিষ্ঠুর হন্তারকে; এভাবেই রাবণের পরিচয় দেয়া হয়েছে ফ্ল্যাপে।
দৈব ঘটনাগুলো পাশ কাটিয়ে রাবণকে অমীশ পোট্রে করেছেন একজন রক্ত মাংসের মানুষ হিসেবে। যে কি না ভুল করে, ভাগ্য দ্বারা প্রভাবিত হয়, ভাইয়ের দুঃখে কাঁদে, বোনের জন্য প্রতিশোধ নিতে সমগ্র রাজ্যকে বাজি রাখে সে।
সাহিত্য বরাবরই খলনায়কের প্রতি অবিচার করে৷ তাকে কখনো জ্ঞানী হিসেবে দেখায় না, আপাদমস্তক মূর্খ হিসেবেই তাকে দেখানো হয়। যদিও জ্ঞানী দেখায়, তথাপি তার থেকে সমস্ত মানবীয় গুণ সরিয়ে নেয়া হয়।
রাবণকে অমীশ দেখিয়েছেন জ্ঞানী, হিংস্র কিন্তু মানবিক হিসেবে, পরিবার রক্ষায় দুর্জয় একজন ফ্যামিলিম্যান হিসেবে।
পুরো বইয়ে পাঠক বারবার আবিষ্কার করবেন রাবণ একজন আপাদমস্তক ফ্যামিলিম্যান। সদ্য জন্ম নেয়া ভাইকে বাঁচাতে স্বজাতির বিরুদ্ধে অস্ত্র হাতে দাঁড়িয়ে যায় নয় বছরের রাবণ। ভাইয়ের কষ্টে কাঁদে সে, ভাইয়ের সুস্থতার জন্য দিনরাত খাটে। তার বোনকে যখন লক্ষ্মণ অপমান করে, প্রতিশোধ নিতে রাবণ লাগিয়ে দেয় যুদ্ধ।
নিজের মৃত্যু জেনেও সমগ্র যুদ্ধক্ষেত্রের সবাইকে ধব্বংসের হাত থেকে বাঁচাতে রামচন্দ্রের ছুড়ে দেয়া ব্রহ্মাস্ত্রের বিরুদ্ধে পাল্টা কোনো মহা-অস্ত্র না ছুড়ে প্রাণ দিলেন আমার সবচাইতে প্রিয় মিথলজিকাল ক্যারেক্টার দশানন রাবণ।
রাবণের বুদ্ধিদীপ্ত নেতৃত্বে লঙ্কা হয়ে এক সামরিক ও অর্থনৈতিক শক্তি। অর্থনীতিবিদ এবং সমরনায়ক; উভয় দিক থেকেই রাবণ নিজের প্রজ্ঞা জাহির করে পাঠকের সামনে।
অমীশ ত্রিপাঠীর লেখনী অত্যন্ত স্মুথ। সাথে অনুবাদকদ্বয় মূলসূর ধরে রেখে অত্যন্ত সাবলীল অনুবাদ করেছেন।
রাবণকে মিথলজির বাইরে জানতে চাইলে এই বইটি অনন্য।
রেটিং ৫/৫
জাবির রাফি
অকল্পনীয় হিংস্রতা, অগাধ জ্ঞান আর খামখেয়ালীতে পূর্ণ এক মানুষ, যার রয়েছে কাউকে নিঃস্বার্থভাবে ভালোবাসতে পারার ক্ষমতা, আবার যে পরিণত হতে পারে অনুশোচনাহীন এক নিষ্ঠুর হন্তারকে; এভাবেই রাবণের পরিচয় দেয়া হয়েছে ফ্ল্যাপে।
দৈব ঘটনাগুলো পাশ কাটিয়ে রাবণকে অমীশ পোট্রে করেছেন একজন রক্ত মাংসের মানুষ হিসেবে। যে কি না ভুল করে, ভাগ্য দ্বারা প্রভাবিত হয়, ভাইয়ের দুঃখে কাঁদে, বোনের জন্য প্রতিশোধ নিতে সমগ্র রাজ্যকে বাজি রাখে সে।
সাহিত্য বরাবরই খলনায়কের প্রতি অবিচার করে৷ তাকে কখনো জ্ঞানী হিসেবে দেখায় না, আপাদমস্তক মূর্খ হিসেবেই তাকে দেখানো হয়। যদিও জ্ঞানী দেখায়, তথাপি তার থেকে সমস্ত মানবীয় গুণ সরিয়ে নেয়া হয়।
রাবণকে অমীশ দেখিয়েছেন জ্ঞানী, হিংস্র কিন্তু মানবিক হিসেবে, পরিবার রক্ষায় দুর্জয় একজন ফ্যামিলিম্যান হিসেবে।
পুরো বইয়ে পাঠক বারবার আবিষ্কার করবেন রাবণ একজন আপাদমস্তক ফ্যামিলিম্যান। সদ্য জন্ম নেয়া ভাইকে বাঁচাতে স্বজাতির বিরুদ্ধে অস্ত্র হাতে দাঁড়িয়ে যায় নয় বছরের রাবণ। ভাইয়ের কষ্টে কাঁদে সে, ভাইয়ের সুস্থতার জন্য দিনরাত খাটে। তার বোনকে যখন লক্ষ্মণ অপমান করে, প্রতিশোধ নিতে রাবণ লাগিয়ে দেয় যুদ্ধ।
নিজের মৃত্যু জেনেও সমগ্র যুদ্ধক্ষেত্রের সবাইকে ধব্বংসের হাত থেকে বাঁচাতে রামচন্দ্রের ছুড়ে দেয়া ব্রহ্মাস্ত্রের বিরুদ্ধে পাল্টা কোনো মহা-অস্ত্র না ছুড়ে প্রাণ দিলেন আমার সবচাইতে প্রিয় মিথলজিকাল ক্যারেক্টার দশানন রাবণ।
রাবণের বুদ্ধিদীপ্ত নেতৃত্বে লঙ্কা হয়ে এক সামরিক ও অর্থনৈতিক শক্তি। অর্থনীতিবিদ এবং সমরনায়ক; উভয় দিক থেকেই রাবণ নিজের প্রজ্ঞা জাহির করে পাঠকের সামনে।
অমীশ ত্রিপাঠীর লেখনী অত্যন্ত স্মুথ। সাথে অনুবাদকদ্বয় মূলসূর ধরে রেখে অত্যন্ত সাবলীল অনুবাদ করেছেন।
রাবণকে মিথলজির বাইরে জানতে চাইলে এই বইটি অনন্য।
রেটিং ৫/৫
জাবির রাফি
May 5, 2022
Interesting? May be for many readers.
Entertaining? Might be for a few.
Readable? Might be for a few.
The Raavan in this book is not the Raavan of Ramayana. The Sita in this book is not the Sita of Ramayana. Amish has made his own world of a different Ramayana (or something like that? where he has ascribed the qualities and powers to the characters as per his whims and fancy. You will find this Ravan kind and benevolent, to an extent. As some reader has already suggested, Sita becomes the avatar of Bhagwan Vishnu, not Rama.
How and why does Amish do such things? It should be best answered by the person himself. However, for more than these reasons, the novel is poorly written. The plot loses the chain of thoughts many times and you can apparently feel it as you read the novel. It is not as thorough as the Shiva Trilogy. You cannot go through it without being distracted or bored.
Entertaining? Might be for a few.
Readable? Might be for a few.
The Raavan in this book is not the Raavan of Ramayana. The Sita in this book is not the Sita of Ramayana. Amish has made his own world of a different Ramayana (or something like that? where he has ascribed the qualities and powers to the characters as per his whims and fancy. You will find this Ravan kind and benevolent, to an extent. As some reader has already suggested, Sita becomes the avatar of Bhagwan Vishnu, not Rama.
How and why does Amish do such things? It should be best answered by the person himself. However, for more than these reasons, the novel is poorly written. The plot loses the chain of thoughts many times and you can apparently feel it as you read the novel. It is not as thorough as the Shiva Trilogy. You cannot go through it without being distracted or bored.
November 20, 2020
Better than the last two books in the series but I vow to NOT read another book by Amish Tripathi. The novel structure is weird, the switch between POVs isn’t smooth, in fact, I often noticed the switch from first to third person happening in the middle of paragraphs which made it confusing and annoying at the same time, also not to forget, even though the story starts off well, it slowly transitions into the same melodramatic Bollywoodish drama. Questionable writing from a reputed writer; I’m so disappointed!
Since this installment had a relatively better plot than the first two, I’m rating it a tad more.
2.75/5🌟(rounding up).
Since this installment had a relatively better plot than the first two, I’m rating it a tad more.
2.75/5🌟(rounding up).
Want to read
June 15, 2019OH MY FUCK? WHY AM I HEARING ABOUT THIS NOW?!
May 19, 2021
4.25/5 stars
May 7, 2022
THE PLOT TWIST I NEVER SAW IT I NEVER-
not plot twist but great revelation. and it's so befitting how could I not see.
not plot twist but great revelation. and it's so befitting how could I not see.
July 14, 2019
When you create a Literature universe, there has to have some basic things to keep your audience satisfied and addicted, and when your topic is as controversial as Indian mythology, things become even tougher and expectations shoot through the roof.
But Amish Tripathi has mastered the art of Character building, and along with it, he has mastered the connectivity required to run concurrent stories told from different prospectives.
After investing around 800 pages in establishing the main story through the three principal characters and making his audience feel for all three of them, and to turn them against each other has been the norm of Indian mythology over the years.
Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta is good with the story, and consistency, though at times too dramatic, but believeble otherwise, this book explores the circumstances under which Raavan will go on to become the ultimate villain of India, and establish the amazing universe created by Amish even further by introspecting the roles of rishis and kings in Ancient India, this continues to be the best fiction coming out from India in recent times.
But Amish Tripathi has mastered the art of Character building, and along with it, he has mastered the connectivity required to run concurrent stories told from different prospectives.
After investing around 800 pages in establishing the main story through the three principal characters and making his audience feel for all three of them, and to turn them against each other has been the norm of Indian mythology over the years.
Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta is good with the story, and consistency, though at times too dramatic, but believeble otherwise, this book explores the circumstances under which Raavan will go on to become the ultimate villain of India, and establish the amazing universe created by Amish even further by introspecting the roles of rishis and kings in Ancient India, this continues to be the best fiction coming out from India in recent times.
July 22, 2019
Amish offers fresh and not-so-conflicting views on Raavan. An overall good book to read.
August 2, 2019
Loved and enjoyed the book a lot. It's better than the last two in series throwing a new light and seeing Ravan with a fresh new perspective.
September 4, 2019
4.5 stars.
Amish is back! And with a bang!
I love the Shiva trilogy and then, with the Ram Chandra series, I felt that he was spiraling downwards. I liked Scion of Ikshvaku. Sita, not so much. And then he comes out with Raavan and it's everything that I hadn't ever expected! I thought he was going to go one way but he went in completely another direction while keeping in line with Raavan's character from the myth. Love this book!
Amish is back! And with a bang!
I love the Shiva trilogy and then, with the Ram Chandra series, I felt that he was spiraling downwards. I liked Scion of Ikshvaku. Sita, not so much. And then he comes out with Raavan and it's everything that I hadn't ever expected! I thought he was going to go one way but he went in completely another direction while keeping in line with Raavan's character from the myth. Love this book!
September 12, 2025
I've been a long-time admirer of Amish Tripathi's work, particularly his unique blend of historical fiction and contemporary storytelling. Amish's genius has always been in his ability to humanize historical figures and he continues this trend masterfully with Raavan.
The traditional, one-dimensional demon king is replaced with a nuanced and complex character, a brilliant scholar, a talented musician and a fiercely proud man shaped by the injustices of his youth. The preview doesn't just show us a young Raavan; it immerses us in his formative years, exploring the societal flaws and personal betrayals that sow the seeds of his future villainy. The title "Orphan of Aryavarta" perfectly encapsulates this central theme of a misunderstood outsider fighting for his place in a world that has rejected him.
The writing style is familiar to fans of the Ram Chandra series. It's fast-paced and cinematic, with a focus on action and dramatic tension. Amish skillfully weaves historical and philosophical elements into the narrative, making the ancient world of Aryavarta feel both grand and accessible. While the preview is brief, it establishes a solid foundation for the conflicts to come and leaves several tantalizing questions unanswered.
My only minor critique is that, as a preview, it feels like it ends just as the story is beginning to gain momentum. This is, of course, the nature of a preview but it’s a testament to how effectively Tripathi has hooked the reader. The character of Raavan is so compelling that I wanted to immediately dive deeper into his world and motivations.
It is a must-read for fans of the author and anyone interested in a fresh, human-centric perspective on ancient epics.
The traditional, one-dimensional demon king is replaced with a nuanced and complex character, a brilliant scholar, a talented musician and a fiercely proud man shaped by the injustices of his youth. The preview doesn't just show us a young Raavan; it immerses us in his formative years, exploring the societal flaws and personal betrayals that sow the seeds of his future villainy. The title "Orphan of Aryavarta" perfectly encapsulates this central theme of a misunderstood outsider fighting for his place in a world that has rejected him.
The writing style is familiar to fans of the Ram Chandra series. It's fast-paced and cinematic, with a focus on action and dramatic tension. Amish skillfully weaves historical and philosophical elements into the narrative, making the ancient world of Aryavarta feel both grand and accessible. While the preview is brief, it establishes a solid foundation for the conflicts to come and leaves several tantalizing questions unanswered.
My only minor critique is that, as a preview, it feels like it ends just as the story is beginning to gain momentum. This is, of course, the nature of a preview but it’s a testament to how effectively Tripathi has hooked the reader. The character of Raavan is so compelling that I wanted to immediately dive deeper into his world and motivations.
It is a must-read for fans of the author and anyone interested in a fresh, human-centric perspective on ancient epics.
July 19, 2019
রামচন্দ্র সিরিজের অন্যতম সেরা বই রাবণ। পুরাণ নিয়ে লেখা এমনিতেই এক কষ্টকর কাজ, কারণ একই গল্পের এত রকমফের থাকে। অমীশ সেই কষ্টকর কাজকে অত্যন্ত সাবলীলভাবেই করেছেন। রাবণের মধ্যে আমরা কোথাও না কোথাও হেরে যাওয়া এক বাচ্চা ছেলের ফিরে দাঁড়ানোর গল্প দেখতে পাই। এমন তেজদীপ্ত, বিশাল এক চরিত্রকে অমীশ খুব সুন্দরভাবে ফুটিয়ে তুলেছেন। তবে গল্পে আমার ব্যক্তিগত পছন্দ হল কুম্ভকর্ণকে। কুম্ভকর্ণ ছাড়া রাবণ যেন সম্পূর্ণ হত না।
ভাষা ঝরঝরে, সবার পড়ার মত। এমনকি আমার ছোটো মেয়েও অমীশের ফ্যান হয়ে গেছে। খুব সহজেই অমীশের বই পড়া যায়। আর একবার পড়তে শুরু করলে ছাড়া যায় না। রাবণও তার ব্যতিক্রম নয়।
তবে সবরীমালা নিয়ে অমীশকে একটু বেশিই সোচ্চার হতে দেখলাম। কেন, তার উত্তর জানা নেই।
রাবণ অনবদ্য একটা বই। মিথোলজিক্যাল ফিকশন হিসাবে সেরা।
ভাষা ঝরঝরে, সবার পড়ার মত। এমনকি আমার ছোটো মেয়েও অমীশের ফ্যান হয়ে গেছে। খুব সহজেই অমীশের বই পড়া যায়। আর একবার পড়তে শুরু করলে ছাড়া যায় না। রাবণও তার ব্যতিক্রম নয়।
তবে সবরীমালা নিয়ে অমীশকে একটু বেশিই সোচ্চার হতে দেখলাম। কেন, তার উত্তর জানা নেই।
রাবণ অনবদ্য একটা বই। মিথোলজিক্যাল ফিকশন হিসাবে সেরা।
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