Prince of Ayodhya (The Ramayana) - Softcover

Banker, Ashok K.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0446611999 ISBN 13: 9780446611992

Publisher: Aspect, 2004

Synopsis

An epic fantasy based on the ancient Hindu classic finds young Rama, heir to the throne of Ayodhya, called upon by the legendary mage Vishwamitra when two powerful demons raise an army to defeat the human world. Reprint.

About this title

Review:

A thundering good story. Here are all the heroes and gods, demons and sorcerers you can possibly want. Banker does a wonderful job of bringing this great classic to modern readers (Dave Duncan)

Banker creates a marvelous 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)

A cracking good yarn ... bask in the warm waters of one of the sources of world mythology, made more accessible to the modern, Western reader by Banker's excellent narrative interpretation (THE ALIEN ONLINE)

Refreshing in both style as well as source material... If the rest of the trilogy is as impressive as this first book, the fantasy community should be well pelased" ENIGMA ('Its demonic intrusions are extravagantly and grippingly horrific, while its despictions of the sybaritic and civilised routines of court life are wholly appealing. the book offers a most pleasurable entry into one of the world's great classics')

From the Author:

From the Introduction to Prince of Ayodhya...

At least two thousand years ago, and perhaps as much as five thousand years ago, a reformed-robber-turned-sage name Valmiki composed an epic history of a legendary Indian prince named Rama Chandra. Valmiki composed 24,000 slokas or verses, divided into five parts and named his epic The Ramayana, or literally The Travels of Rama.

Today, every single aspect of Indian life – culture, language, customs, religion, food, dress, morality – is influenced by this ancient tale. Walk down any street in the bustling villages of the world’s largest democracy, ask any one of India’s 1.1 billion citizens, and you will hear parts or even the entire tale retold.

Even the country’s largest festivals and rituals revolve around incidents and characters from the epic. Just as the Western world celebrates Christmas, Indians celebrate the victory of Rama in his final battle with the demon hordes, and his triumphant return home.

Over the Millennia, this great tale of heroism and courage, brotherhood and love, honor and sacrifice, dharma and karma, has been retold in a number of Indian dialects and forms – until it’s been impossible to separate India from The Ramayana. One resides in the other’s heart, eternally.

But the influence of The Ramayana has gone far beyond the shores of its homeland. Writers and film makers from around the world have dipped often into this great repository of stories and characters, pulling out magical episodes and people, renaming and reinventing them to create entire science-fictional franchises, or simply picking a detail or two at random to colour their own imaginative creations.

From the concept of the Wheel of Time (the Hindu Samay-Chakra) that underpins Robert Jordan’s epic series of the same name, to the universe-bearing elephants of Terry Pratchett’s wonderful Discworld, to other hugely popular films and books, the subtle or overt influence of the Ramayana is everywhere.

Within its pages, you will find unforgettable characters, a world filled with pomp, pageantry, and colour. A human drama of passion and tragedy, intrigue and betrayal, love and lust, deception and treachery. An epic conflict between two irreconcilable opposing forces: the realm of mortals to which Rama and his companions belong, and the realm of the demonic Asura races, led by the terrifying Ravana, one of the most memorable villains of all time.

Above all, this modern retelling of The Ramayana is a great adventure story, filled with all the action, thrills and drama you would expect from your favourite epic fantasy series. With one major difference: It’s also a uniquely Indian tale.

From the first page of Prince of Ayodhya you enter a world like no other you have ever experienced. Step through the doors of a bedchamber in the royal palace of Ayodhya, capital city of one of the greatest Arya kingdoms of its time. Enter the mind and space of young Prince Rama Chandra. And experience the world of Prince of Ayodhya for yourself in all its glory.T

he epic adventure of ancient India begins here ...

Ashok K. Banker

About this edition

• Publisher: Aspect
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0446611999
• ISBN 13: 9780446611992
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback