Return of the Brahmin book review: A political thriller in Ashokan times
The Buddhist Emperor’s wily spymaster returns with his fierce loyalties to his sovereign to untangle the mayhem that has descended
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Kalinga has fallen, Ashoka has converted to Buddhism but his life is far from serene. Image used for representational purposes.
Express News Service
History has gaps in it that allow a fiction writer’s imagination to flow through. However, recreating a credible story world set in the distant past is a challenge for even the most seasoned writers. Ravi Shankar Etteth’s earlier novel, The Brahmin, proved that he is up to the task. It took us to King Ashoka’s realm, Magadha, on the eve of war against Kalinga a seemingly calm period rife with underlying tensions, assassination plots and what-not. In short, it set the stage for Ashoka’s wily spymaster, and the novel’s eponymous hero, to play a masterly game. In Return of the Brahmin, t