Siege of Mithila (Ramayana series) [Paperback]

Ashok K. Banker (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ramayana series | Publication Date: July 1, 2005

The original Ramayana—a classic tale of war between absolute Good and Evil—was written 3,000 years ago by Valmiki, a reformed thief-turned-sage. Now, with breathtaking imagination, Indian novelist Ashok K. Banker has recreated this epic tale for modern readers everywhere. The invasion has begun, and the bestial demon hordes roar towards Ayodhya. If Ayodhya falls, then all mortals fall. Rama must go to Mithila—a city lying directly in the path of destruction. There, a small band of heroes plan a valiant stand against the advancing armies of darkness. But Lanka's forces are nearly boundless and have swept all before them. For at the head of the demon tide rides Rama's nemesis, a terrible slayer of souls—the demonlord Ravana.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Banker spins a good yarn, full of colour and atmosphere and authentic touches' STARBURST 'A thundering good story ... Banker does a wonderful job of bringing this great classic to modern readers' Dave Duncan 'Banker creates a marvellous landscape of princes, demons, mages, and lovers. I love good fantasy, and this one-of-a-kind epic charmed and delighted me' Kate Elliott, author of THE GATHERING STORM

From the Publisher

The original Ramayana—a classic tale of war between absolute Good and Evil—was written three thousand years ago by Valmiki, a reformed thief-turned-sage. Now, with breathtaking imagination, Indian novelist Ashok K. Banker has recreated this epic tale for modern readers everywhere.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group; paperback / softback edition (July 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841491985
• ISBN-13: 978-1841491981
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,109,228 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The adventure continues, February 27, 2006

By 

Sujeet S (SLC, UT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Siege of Mithila (Ramayana series) (Paperback)

The essential story of the Ramayana could have been completed in one short novel like many others have done, but the author has taken a more difficult route - researched the stories and substories (there are so many of them and so many different versions of each) within the Ramayana and presented them coherently in his own inimitable fashion, making it a fun unputdownable read.

For people like myself, an indian who is more comfortable reading English, I'm very thankful to Mr Banker for having made this effort.

Among the highlights of the current book
- Intrigue and attempted assasination of King Dasharatha in the palace.
- Queen Sumitra does some sleuthing.
- The massive Asura army advancing swiftly to destroy the arya nations and the desparate race to stop the hordes.
- Sage Gautama's wife Ahilya is rescued from her curse.
- Sita makes her entry and does she shatter some of my perception about her.
- Jay makes an entry (with hints that more will be revealed in the future books about how Ravana came to be)
- initial indications of rama's future alliance with the rksa's(bears)
- and the Bramhastra is revealed and used for the first time, and we understand there is a huge cost to using the weapon.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It gets better and better ....., February 2, 2006

By 

Pushpak (Redmond, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Siege of Mithila (Ramayana series) (Paperback)

Seige Of Mithila is the second book in Ashok Banker's Ramayana Series. Many worthy points about the book have already been made by other reviewers, and I would not want to reiterate them. However, I would like to add a few bits-and-pieces that I found absolutely fascinating about this book, and the entire series in general:

While Ashok surely deserves praise for the strength of his main characters, it is the "side actors" like Bejoo and Bheriya (of the Vajra kshatriya clan) which are absolutely original in their approach and development. Ashok's books provide us with more than just entertainment or advice -- they also serve as a portal to "peep into" the complex socio-historical relationships without the heavy baggage of philosophy and verbose meandering. The side-actors carry out this responsibility quite ably. Their stories weave through the main storyline, though never allowing the reader to lose his focus. Ultimately, all characters, all perspectives, all events led to Rama, and Rama alone.

Ashok's Ramayana is quite unique in its development -- turning a well established tale on its tail, and yet engage the reader on every page, at every turn -- is no mean task. The depth and scope of his imagination can barely be perceived in the first two books of the series (for that matter, even after reading all the books, the reader would definitely hunger for more :) ).

Hugely recommended. Mr Banker, you score again !!!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An epic romance..., February 15, 2006

By 

Krishna "Kich" (Hoboken, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Siege of Mithila (Ramayana series) (Paperback)

The Ramaayana of Valmiki is considered the Adikavya or the first poem. Poetry stems from swirling emotions and in that, the Ramayaana is a tale of courage, endurance, righteousness and most of all love... this is beautifully portrayed in Ashok's books especially the Siege of Mithila.

Having set the stage to unfurl the tapestry that is Ramaayana in his first book, the Prince of Ayodhya, Ashok unremittingly follows the pace of the first book to give us fantastic account post the Bayank-vana episodes. Usually in most versions of the epic, this is a much slower paced part which clearly does not let the audience appreciate the workings of fate - but the narrative outdoes the previous book in weaving a compelling tale.

The book also introduces the other most important protagonist of this epic - Seetha. Readers will be surprised and charmed by the Seetha of this book, admiring her and falling in love... just as Rama does. More than anything else, the core of this book is about love, pure and blissful, untouched by anything at all... We not only see the union of Rama and Seetha, the lovers - united to become one, but also the two minds who achieve a higher union.

Surprising, delectable and unpredictable - this series is a shockingly good read and gives you the essence of the eternal epic and transports you to another realm.

When I first read this book a couple of years ago, it was excruciating to have to wait for the next one of the series to come along - however, with 5 of 6 books available - it will be an uninterrupted read for new readers.