Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta

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.

The general opinion of Raavan has always been that of a ruthless villain hated by all, the one who kidnapped Sita, and defeated and killed by Ram. Here, the character Raavan, Enemy of Aryavarta is given a whole new dimension that we might have heard about but never cared to venture further into. I enjoyed a lot of aspects of the book like the portrayal of the protagonist( antagonist in this case too) as a painter where the depth of his love is explored. A brilliant chapter where Raavan makes beloved brother Kumbha read a beautiful poem he wrote is quite a contrast to later in his life when Raavan is tired of communicating with his brother who is trying to lead him in the path of Dharma. An honorable mention about the character portrayal of Kumbhakaran has to be made since it was not just a blatant character known to everyone as a person who sleeps for long durations and just fought the war in the end,no. He is much more that that, an educated , caring, dharmic( only too blinded by his love for his brother) son, friend and brother. The mention about the Sabarimala tradition and Kamakhya temple was a very good addition. It might seem like he is driven by only one emotion but as we all know an emotion is conceived differently by everyone. So here we are given a man who loved to the extent of mindless destruction. So go ahead and read this book to see Raavan in all his glory that created and destroyed him eventually. Kudos to Amish sir for being able to bring such a complex character to life, also deciding to show us the face of this brilliant mastermind/villain on the cover as a portrayal of exploring his character in all its entirety.

The quality of this book is amazing. There were no tears or any kind of defects. Cover is beautifully illustrated and of high quality.As for the story, just beautiful.Overall a very worth purchase. 😁

Good

I love this book, I couldn't stop reading, well to be honest I started with Ram 2 weeks back and now I am already on War of Lanka. But Raavan story arc was the most engaging. To have such an humane portrayal of the villain and to let the reader empathise with him despite his cruelty tells you the impeccable writing of Amish.It doesn't justify his actions but it exemplifies the brutal consequences of domestic abuse and social ostracism which is very important to deeply understand as how it can lead to chaos and destruction, just like the movie Joker.Moreover, the bromance was beautiful. To have such a dharmic perspective of Kumbhkarna and his bravery was endearing to imagine and how much love and respect both brothers have for each other.Last and not the least, Vedavati. The portions that involved with her are life lessons that Amish is philosophically trying to project and that is why he's one of the most original thinkers.These books are not just stories. They are life lessons and you can come back to them again and again