From Publishers Weekly
Set in fourth century India, Fast's novel about subterfuge, thwarted romance and royal schemers depicts actual historical figures. Villainous Prince Rama, son of bombastic King Samudra Gupta, rues the fact that his harelip may prevent him from becoming India's sovereign after Samudra's death. To prevent his infant half-brother, Prince Candra, from later ascending to power, Rama instigates an abortive plot to murder the child. The king discovers the plan, and cunningly safeguards Candra by giving him a new identity as the son of a local silk merchant, staging a mock funeral to dupe the public into thinking Candra has died. Years later, Candranow called Dattakafalls in love with Rama's prospective bride. The lovers must part when Rama uncovers their liaison, and Dattaka flees to China disguised as a Buddhist monk, but he will eventually meet Rama in an awesome battlefield clash. Fast is a skilled raconteur, although a profusion of minor characters and of Sanskrit vocabulary slow the narrative.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews   4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: "AN INTERESTING READ", April 19, 2003 By  sanjeev sood (MUMBAI (INDIA)) - See all my reviews An interesting book which transports you to the ancient indian culture and history. Full of intrigue,sex,voilence this book delivers a punch and more..... An epic story which really gives the reader an idea of what India was really like.A book which i got from a vendor, and which i read on pure instinct. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to all book lovers who dont mind knowing a bit of indian history,culture and rich heritage.A page turner no doubt!!!  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   4 of 6 people found the following review helpful: Good summer read about Ancient India, July 7, 1997 By A Customer A glance at the subject headings for this book give an indication of the obscurity of the setting: Gupta Dynasty India. Not your usual time period. We're back in the time of the brahmin kings, before gunpowder, before the Muslim invasion, just after Alexander's invasion, the time of Kalidasa, a time of sword fights and battle elephants. Jonathan Fast has done a careful job of recreating this colorful age; his book is full of rich, sensuous detail and colorful imagery. He is a little too fond of hyperbole, but such exaggerations can be forgiven in such a wealth of pageantry. What can't be overlooked, however, are his synthetic characters and simplistic plotting. Sometimes reading more like a Dungeons and Dragons potboiler than an historical novel, Golden Fire resembles the "historical" films of the 1930s, when Hollywood could make broad historical epics with little or no historical accuracy and cast whomever they pleased without regard for ethnicity. Fast leaves no doubt as to who is villains are, nor whom you're supposed to be rooting for - just like Hollywood. But unlike Hollywood, he's obviously done his homework. Full of sex, violence, intrigue, royal depravity, etc. In short, something for everybody. Enjoyable if not taken too seriously, and an earnest introduction to an overlooked era  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you?