Asura Tale of the Vanquished - Anand Neelakantan

In this book the author he positively expresswd that ravana is good.but we kbow how ravana was and whats his relationship.after reading this I got hate this

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Asura is the tale of Ravana's view to whole Ramayan it is Diary of a young Lad from his beginning to its destruction it follows Ravana and the character named Bhadra. Hindi starting of the book we can see that Ravana is talking about its own funeral as we fall of the book we can see that how Ravana have make himself a king from just a young boy who have zero hope in himself and is ready to die the book follows the journey and it strongly project a new point of view a view of the devil a view of the common man. The book follows the customs of Asura it shows the history of various cults I would say that everyone should read this Masterpiece the best book I have ever read

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After the publication of Asura I came to know about this book this book through my friends. I heard very high about this product and read it immediately.

So here is my review of Asura- The tale of Vanquished:

Readability:

This book is must to read one because we heard many stories and read many stories of Ramayana. But every book that we read and every story that we heard will be in the point of lord Rama but this one is in the point of Ravana. This is the speciality of this book. Anand Neelakantan rocked this story with his writing. very engaging throughout.

Story:

Every individual in this country is very familiar with Ramayana but here the story may alter because it is in the point of Asura Ravana. Sometimes we feel very sorry for the incidents which happen in his life. Though he is villain in this story he is a hero. The story starts with the war with Rama and he dies in that war. Next Ravana narrates the story of his earlier life and how faced his struggles like every human. From there how his life ended in the hands of Rama is remaining story.

Conclusion:

Asura book is full of telling a story in different dimensions. It gives more information regarding Ramayana which everyone doesn't know. So I strongly recommend everyone to read this book.

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Asura: Tale of the Vanquished is written by Anand Neelkantan. The book revolves around a very interesting and talked about topic Ramayan, but with a twist. The book tries to acquaint us with the other side of the story which is still unexplored and no even bothers to that part. The book is written with great precision and very simple English. The book is quite insightful and a very good read.

Asura: Tale of the Vanquished revolves around the story of Ravana and his mates. The book tries to tell us the Ramayan and the happenings of that time from the point of Ravana.  The story talks about both victory and defeat and tries to break the silence of the vanquished the Asuras. It dig deeps into the situation and upbringing of Ravanas and how the whole scenario took place.

The book is a refresher and tries to give a different side of the story which no one has done earlier. It also has situations and circumstances related to Ravana which you will be able to visualize at the time of reading. It is a worth read and you will surely like the other side of the coin.

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My friend referred this book completed in one go and read around 3 times anand had a unique style of writing made me to read in one go narration is awesome

anand neelakantan shows a wider prespective of ravana just not expected until mr. neelakantan explains the humane nature of ravana

most of authors show ravana as cruel person but neelakantan shows how ravana is good as  rama

GO FOR IT YOU WILL NOT REGRET

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Asura is a powerful portrayal of that eternal saga we reverentially call Ramayana but not from Deva's viewpoint but Asura's viewpoint. The hero of this outstanding tale is Ravana. His early days of acute poverty, his fiery ambition to carry Asura civilization to pinnacle of glory, his strengths, weakness and fears, all are beautifully depicted in this book.

The story also carries the times of Rama and Ravana from the viewpoint of a lowly untouchable, common man Bhadra. How he survives and witnesses every event and even contributes to the story line is a highlighting aspect of this book.

According to the book, characters are not as black and white as they are made out to be. All characters have some shades of grey also. We have been listening this tale since birth but from victor's side only. Victors could exaggerate some facts and downplay others to make people deify them and demonize the vanquished thus distorting the reality for posterity. What if vanquished have a different tale to tell!

So book is a refreshing read. though it mentions Lord Rama and Lord Hanuman as'Barbarian' and'Terrorist' but it can be understood from Asura's viewpoint and sounds more amusing than blasphemous. Ravana's argument are forceful and thought- provoking and generate sympathy for him rather than hatred and hence serve the purpose of the book to provide alternate version of this great epic.

Author's writing style is descriptive and narration is in first person and make it a gripping page turner. Although it appeared to me a little voluminous and could be shortened by 40-50 pages easily.

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This book is gripping not because it describes ravan, but because of a character named Bhadra. Read this book if you want to know how a common man feels; how he is hurt; how much he loves his race, his king and his country.

A mind gripping novel, indeed; perfect version from the other side. Started this book with little hesitation, thinking what would the author address differently. All the events coronated as godly ones in our epic and kept up beyond questions, were given a rational, logical explanations in this book

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The Book would be interesting if you are a person who would love to know the version of the people who are considered as bad/evil. It Tells you how Ravana was correct in his terms which is considered as a bad way by others and the way he comes with all the justification of the things that he has done.

To our generation of kids who've grown up reading amar chitra katha ans watcing mythological movies and hearing anectodes of the epics from our grandparents, this turns the narrative on its head and sends you hunting for memories of all that we've read/ seen or heard to compare with story put forth here.

If you are interested in Indian ancient mythology, you should definitely read this book. Excellent piece of work. Hats off to the author

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I got this book from a local vendor near my place.

The new trend of rewriting the myths in manners logical n pragmatic, in my opinion, finds an entirely different junction with Asuras. The author narrates a captivating tale through a contemporary prism, where if I may present the audacity to sub-text, the bird eye view is that, whoever is in power, basks in its glory, while the fate of the "mango man- the Aam Aadmi" has remained the same, either today or through times immemorial.

An overall good read if you are into mythological fiction.

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The new trend of rewriting the myths in manners logical n pragmatic, in my opinion, finds an entirely different junction with Asuras. It's not just a retelling of an old legend, it's the reshaping of all thoughts and general outlook to what is good or bad, right or wrong, divine or humane.

Asuras stand for all that is true today and everything that has been denied thousands of years ago. In the voices of the hapless but still strong Ravana and the trashy and contemptuous Bhadra, the tale of Ramayana becomes "Ravayana".

By the time the story ends, Ravaan's plight becomes your own and you cry in anguish as the Asuras step into eternal damnation.

Highly Recommended Book.

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I found this Novel on Flipkart while searching for some other items. So I read the synopsis and bought it.

The book talks about Ravana(not commonly talked about).

It contradicts with the commonly told story of Ramayana and the character of a great emperor yet you would love it if you can see the struggle and the life of an emperor instead of tying it with mythology and finding logic with every damn thing.

Overall a very nice work done by the other.

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Ts retelling of Ramayana from an Asura perspective; from perspective of the Asura emperor Ravana and a fictional Asura commoner named Bhadra. The book explores an alternate theory of relationship between Seeta and Ravana.

The book touches upon many themes such as war, administration, casteism, rituals, social order and propriety. The writer analyses events from a very realistic perspective and doesn't resort to'miracles' or'dharma' for explanation. Writing is extremely lucid, frank and courageous. It's so hard-hitting at times that one may end up feeling, depending on his/her beliefs, awed and rattled simultaneously. The writer elaborates the emotional battles going within each character beautifully; may be that's why one can empathise with characters strongly.

The book forced me to question my numerous beliefs. It was an unnerving experience at times. I realized, how little have I questioned some inconsistencies in name of piety. Occasionally, the book seemed an unapologetic attempt of legitimizing what Ravana did. However, after some time, it became amply clear that it was presenting a blunt view. No eulogies for the heroes we worship or villains we hate.

A commoner's perspective of war, administration and social order were highly enlightening. In times like today, when human life is getting cheaper by the day, it is a very relevant reading.

Overall, a fantastic book. One of the best that I have read in recent times. Highly recommended.

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I was recommended Asura by a friend(who had not read it) and he wanted me to give a review on it so that he could pick it up. I looked up for the book on Google and came to know it was the story of Ravana - his version.

I thought this would be an interesting read and did not check any further review before buying this book. I am around 75% through and already am feeling bored to even complete the book. I could spot many grammar errors and even text like "beer belly". Now, which mythological story can have someone muttering about "beer"(later in the story, the drink becomes toddy).

Now, firstly if it was the story of Ravana, you would expect the main character to stay somewhat close to the real Ravana that you have read about - but this goes on a totally different tangent.  Whether the story stuck to the original or not, no one would be worried if Ravana was not shown as someone meek, vulnerable, and indecisive.

The portrayal of Ravana is pathetic and shows him to be a man with a dream but with no concrete plan in many situations but in some places, he is shown as an extremely brilliant person. The character lacks consistency.

Many scenes in the story look like a page out of a masala potboiler - a common man entering the palace fooling all the guards, a revolutionary soldier having clandestine meetings in the palace with King's sister every day and making love, etc.

The character Bhadra is so loose(not the person but the way the character has been built) and he is your guy who survives 100 battles. The author seems to carry a strong anti-Brahmin philosophy and he has tried his best to forcibly insert that into the story. It sticks out like a sore thumb.

If Immortals of Meluha is the standard, this falls way below the standard(even below curse of the Nagas and oath of Vayuputras).

I would not recommend this book, even if you did not know Ramayana! If you knew Ramayana, you mostly will not read it fully even if you buy it.

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I completed reading the book'Asura-Tale of the Vanquished. It is an interesting book. It is the tale of the contest between Lord Rama and Ravana, told from Ravana's point of view. I have not read the Ramayana and there may be convenient deviations in this book in order to present Ravana as someone not as merciless and evil as portrayed in Ramayana, but it certainly has some convincing arguments.

From Ravana's point of view, Vibhishana may well come across as a traitor and the way Mandodari was treated was deplorable. So was Lakshmana's act of cutting off the nose of Surpanakha(though it may not be wise to comment before reading the Ramayana).

However, the self-conversations that Bhadra and Ravana have, are often too long, repetitive and don't take the story forward.

Character sketches of Bhadra, Ravana, Vibhishana, Prahastha and Maricha are nicely developed. However, characters on the other side, such as Rama, Lakshmana have not been fleshed out properly and appear to be one-sided. The attacks and satire on evils of caste-system work and are effective.

The author has attempted to use big words and unusual usages of phrases and language throughout the book, which takes away the joy of reading a story put together in simple yet effective words. The book would have been a more enjoyable read, if the language errors would have been taken care of and repetitive abuses kept to the minimum. The way it was presented also reflected some bitterness that the author seems to have for Lord Rama.

However, I credit the author for putting across a different perspective which is convincing in parts. It is equally true that history is written by those in power and parts of the story may be eliminated or presented mildly to create heroes and villains.

All in all, definitely a good premise and detailed research coming together for an interesting story.

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In the war between Devas and Asuras, Gods and Devils, it is ordinary citizens who suffer. In every war, the victors will write history and the failed ones will disappear without trace or pride, but the common man has to clean the waste created by them. Asura, Tale of the Vanquished tells such a story, of a commoner, who will later ponder, "What was life in this land without Gods (and Asuras) and their whims? The arms of the Gods caught up with my puny little life and shook it, squeezed it, and trampled on it, until the very last drop of blood oozed out."

A new world is been created by Anand Neelakantan in this exceptional novel. For the beginner, this is a dream start and Anand Neelakantan is a promise to Indian literature. Ravana wants to regain the lost glory of 'Mahabali' for the Asura empire. Bhadra, a commoner who want to revenge Devas for their atrocities during the Deva Asura war is keen to help Ravana in this task. Dramatically, he becomes the key for Ravana's success. Will the Asura king return some kindness to him or to his son? Will Devas show some mercy to this poor fellow?

The book starts exceptionally well and proceeds in good pace where story and thoughts go hand in hand literally in every chapter. Till reaching around 75 percent of the book, it was holding the stamp of 'classic' all over it. Then, in the final chapters the author tried to say too much to reduce the affect.

I was under the impression that the book is all about Ravana. Then the story is more of a commoner Bhadra, who is shuttled by Rakshasas and Devas of the world. Sure, Ravana took the central stage in most part of the novel but the hurried Rama episode becomes the climax, or say anti climax of the book.

Character creation is one of the hardest tasks and the base for success in any novel. This is more true for epics, especially if you are trying to change some of their nature or behaviour. In Asura, Anand Neelakandan succeeds in many and didn't that much in some. Characters of Ravana, Prahasta, Maricha, Vibhishna, Mandodari, Bhadra, Bali etc. are good examples of successful character creation. However, the author didn't do justice to Sita by not making her view point to the readers. Also, the characters of Meghanada, Kumbhkarna and Athikaya were not up to mark.

The author also succeed in creating dramatic situations and narrates them in minute details so that the reader can see the image while reading, a task only few mastered. Language used is quite good. Not difficult; not that simple. The author has a way for sarcasm and the book will witness many examples for that brilliance.

Lot of thoughts are been woven by the author in the novel where intellectual involvement of the reader is a must to enjoy it into full. This philosophical perspective takes the book a step above and as a side effect the readership may not be jumped like Shivaji Sawant's Mrityunjaya or MT Vasudevan Nair's Randamoozham. While I make these references let me say that with a bit of extra care Anand neelakantan was almost there, almost...still short of. In my view, the story must have stopped with the death of Ravana, from where it is been started. Instead, the author extended it to Sita's fate and also Badras which needed a complete novel length to do justice to the subject in hand.

There is no doubt that this novel is a very good read and I highly recommend it!

Few Quotes:

Money, caste, rituals, traditions, believes and superstitions all conspired together to crush the humble majority.

Couldn't the Brahmins conduct a puja so that our heads were cleared of sinful thoughts?

Stop playing a buffoon and be worthy of the ambition that burns in your heart

"What my predecessors had tried to do was to run a republic. They wanted democracy, where each man, like this bunch of idiots in front of me, decided the future of the nation. What such a race needed was a strong dictator. Mahabali tried to be one and failed. He was too soft to be a dictator."

Surely peace would be costly but the cost of war would be more.

Between glorious martyrdom and deceitful victory, I would always choose the second

Ultimately, the victories do not matter, not pride or glory, only survival matters - one's life and successors, the clan, race and language"

One can get used to anything, even embarrassment.

Children needed space to grow and it was difficult when their father was a huge Banyan tree. Nothing could grow beneath it.

The love of a father for his son is always one-sided.

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