Ashoka the Great

It is ironical that a book that I have a book in my hands that has 1000 plus pages of pure reading pleasure but I haven’t been able to read it fully as yet.

But I do want to review it inspite of not being able to read it fully because otherwise it will take me a year to do the review. So in effect- it makes for a leisure trip of reading. And do not forget- the book weighs 2 kg and is available in hard bound.

Ashoka the Wild Prince is the obvious King in waiting – the rightful claimant of the Mauryan throne- by attitude and manner and certainly not by order of birth.
Whereas the real King in waiting has all the qualities of a king- an eye for beauty, the love of art and love but not the art of war and the will to defend his empire.
Ashoka is the General of the Army that is sent to defend the borders. To his father Bindusara, he is the next king- subject to his proving his mettle- simply because of his order of birth.
The book covers the contrasts in the life of ashoka- his advent to the throne, his transformation from a wild prince to a wise ruler and the propagator and teacher of Buddhism.
The book is a fascinating read- even though I have not yet completed it, I review it here so that those interested in historical novels could look out for it.

Ashoka’s guru plays a key role in his life and his thoughts and recommendations shape his decisions.
The wild prince strategically forms allies as he goes about in the manner a true king does.
These and a whole host of nuggets form the tapestry of Ashoka’s story.