The BOOK REVIEW was originally published on WRITERSMELON first.
Who was Rama really? What was his real purpose? Is he the real immortal?
“The Exiled Prince,” is the first literary venture of Author, Ravi V. He believes that myths are linked to our evolution as a species and this book is the result of his love, labor and passion to identify the legends and myths that surround the figure of Lord Rama.
The blurb introduces us to a significant and supreme stone, Crystal of Creation (a weapon which has souls of Lord Shiva and Narayana) around which the whole theme of the book is built. The Crystal has gone missing and the reigns of entire cosmos are at stake. Who is the savior?
Ramayana and Mahabharata are our two heroic epics that have never ceased to fascinate us. We have grown on these stories. In fact, I have always loved the larger than life characters, complexity of evolution-creation of humans and Godly connections in our Indian mythology.
These days’ authors are going great guns with interpreting and revisiting them in new forms. Ravi has also done a great job in his book. He has handled rich and vast story of Rama intelligently and sophisticatedly.As the story commences post the surprising chapter 148, it picks its pace from the outset. We hear our exiled prince Rama narrating his own story to his sons and in no time he grabs the attention of readers too. I have seen and heard different versions of Ramayana but none where Rama acts as the story teller. The autographical nature of the story is the USP of the book. The Author has played a master stroke by making the God, in his human form sound absolutely down to Earth and raise questions at his own purpose of life.
I loved the way Rama and Lakshman have been introduced as simple boys who had no realization of their real self. Gradually, under the guidance of sages and their trainings, they undergo a transformation. The cosmic forms of energy play their roles in their enlightenment and arming of supernatural and divine powers. Soon the sons of Dasaratha, the King of Ayodhya, unearth their purpose of everything that’s happening in their life. As put in the book, ‘Rama was engineered to be a war machine’
As we tread along the story, the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall in place. The birth of Rama, the attack on demon queen Tataka, Ravana’s grandmother, marriage to Sita, the exile of fourteen years are all part of the scheme planted by Saptrishi council to protect the Earth from the demonic ways of Ravana. The highlights of the book are many. Rama’s love for his brother and his wife, Sita has been captured beautifully. Rama’s stepmother Kaikeyi’s character has been given a new dimension here. I had never known anything much about her except the fact that she sent Rama on his perilous journey, but she was more than just it, a powerful warrior and a strong woman.
The quest for the Crystal of Creation does not come to end with this book. This one is the setting stone of the Crystal Guardian Series. I am sure the Author is working on the sequel. Having read this one, I can’t wait to lay my hands on the next venture to know it all. Did Mother Kaikeyi act a ploy on Rama? Did Rama win the war? Did Ravana really die? Where was the Crystal of Creation found?
On the last note, I would say the book is a refreshing treat to the readers as it gives birth to reasons and questions hidden in our mythology and answers them in the new light.
