Book Review: Marvels and Mysteries of Mahabharata by Abhijit Basu
Book: Marvels and Mysteries of Mahabharata
Author: Abhijit Basu
No. of Pages: 233
Genre: Mythological Exploration
Publisher: Leadstart
First things first: The book is NOT the Mahabharata story told from a different perspective or angle. Heck, it is NOT even the Mahabharata story.
This book is a well researched treatise ABOUT Mahabharata and its varied characters. The focus of the book is not the story but the characters. The author picks up several prominent and not-so-prominent characters from the epic and tells us things about the character which we have hitherto missed in the many versions of the story that we have read and seen.
The authors tells us about the epic itself and its history – how it was written and re-written, enhanced and condensed and expanded over a period of time and how no one really can put a date when the Mahabharata was first started or finally completed.
Don't pick up this book if you want to read the Mahabharata story.
Read this book only if you have read the Mahabharata or seen the televised version of it and are enamored by the epic. Pick this book if you are interested to know the life and times of individual characters and their struggles (which were lost in the overall story).
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is passionate about Mahabharata and its varied characters and wants to know the individual characters at a deeper and personal level. Go for it.
Ratings on Book Review Parameters:
Cover Design: 2.0 / 5
Writing Style: 3.5 / 5
Characters: 3.0 / 5
Story / Plot: Not Applicable
Climax: Not Applicable
Research 4.0 / 5
Overall: 3.5 / 5
Thanks for the crisp yet cogent review.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the crisp yet cogent review.
ReplyDelete@Abhijit
ReplyDeletethanks Abhijit for the visit and the comment. Its an interesting coincidence that you visit my blog post about a book on Mahabharata .. while i am in the middle of a Mahabharata whirlwind.
I read 2 books of the Hastinapur series by Sharath Komarraju and also read the second book of the Ajaya series by Anand Neelkanthan. Currently reading "51 Lesser Known Tales From the Mahabharata" by Sharath Komarraju
Imagine reading your comment and getting reminded of your book "marvels ..." at such a time :)
And not to mention, a book i am going to pick up in Dec which has Karna involved (not a Mahabharata based book though)