The Forest of Stories (Book 1)

I still remember the first time i read the "Prince of Ayodhya". I just couldnt put the book down!!! I finished it in a day and a half and the next day i went back to the library and borrowed "siege of mithila" I was not disappointed. In the same voracious manner i devoured the whole Ramayan series and instead of being satiated i craved for more and more (gluttony, in this case, is not a sin!!!). I bought three of the Krishna Series and I'm nearly done with them....
The MBA, on the other hand, was not what i expected....
To be fair to the author, he has warned us in the Introduction and i quote " This is not an epic fantasy. It's not a sci-fi rendition. It's not a futuristic version. If you're expecting any of those things, you're going to be disappointed". Ladies and gentlemen...no truer words have been spoken. I went into the book expecting it to be another Ramayan...It wasnt. What it is, is what it is...the Mahabharath...researched right down to the "T" (or rather the H). Banker has obviously put his heart and soul into his book...Its his greatest piece yet and he needs to be appreciated for that...but unfortunately the book doesnt appeal to me...maybe it will 10 years down the line when my life has slowed down enough to soak in and absorb all the intricate details...
Ashok K Banker, you have impressed me once again! you're an inspiration to all the young Indian authors out there!!! I applaud you.
(Flipkart....what can I say...you have managed to find a loyal customer in me!!! keep up the good work!!)

This book is not the Ramayana. And it is not written in the same style in which Mr. Banker wrote the Ramayana. Whereas the Ramayana flows from one book to the other in seamless perfection, this epic endeavor is written like a collection (indeed, a forest) of stories. Do not be too disheartened by that though. There is enough in this book to make for an absorbing reading experience.

This is the author’s telling of the great epic. This much he has stated in the introduction. And he has chosen to tell it via the narration of one of the characters in his tale. This has the effect of giving the reader a third-person view of how literary epics might have been passed down from one generation to another in days long past.

This book is indeed a ‘forest’ of stories. There are many large and small stories told one after the other, and in some places I found myself overwhelmed trying to keep track between them and got lost in the jungle. But I soon found that getting lost here has its own merits. There isn’t a plot here that connects the tales, just the occasional reminder of the narrator reciting the epic he learnt from his guru to an assemblage of hermits. The stories are to be enjoyed one at a time, and not as logically connected parts of a big epic.

Among the stories that are told here, I would rank Parasuram’s tale as the best. Those who have read Mr. Banker’s Ramayana would remember Rama’s encounter with his axe-wielding namesake on the way back to Ayodhya after his marriage to Sita. The author had given a brief background there on how ‘Rama of the axe’ became the legend he was. In this book, that story is told in brilliant detail. I almost felt like reading the Ramayana again.

Other stories include Garuda’s tale, Shakuntala’s saga, the Sarpa Sutra etc. These are also told in detail, but more like a recollection of events. The origin of gods and demons is also told in similar fashion, though it does get a bit dull due the author’s attempt to enumerate almost every noteworthy member of the devas and asuras. The churning of the great sea by the gods to obtain the nectar of immortality is also told in great detail.

I really missed Mr. Banker’s signature writing style in this book. However, I look forward to reading the other books in this series and hope he entertains us with more stories like that of Parasuram’s.

Flipkart’s service lived up to its reputation again. Great work there guys!

I was introduced to the Mahabharatha epic through the evergreen Amar Chitra Katha vignettes and C Rajagopalachari's Mahabharatha. As a kid, the stories were sugar coated for my tastes and I was happy to gobble what ever was served

However this book seems to be a different version, where all the "goody goody" heavenly characters are portrayed as normal beings with all the regular misgivings any human being can have.

Truly enjoyed the parts in the book that told us the story of Parashurama and the tale of Dushyantha and Shakuntala. It was also interesting to see a lot of research. However chapters like the one where the author spells out the lineage of all the races, gods, animals, seems like an exercise to portray his research and does not really merit any literary excellence.

Barring a few, this book is mostly readable and indeed gives a different insight to the stories of lore that we have heard so many times over and over again.

I first discovered Ashok Banker's Prince of Ayodhya in my school's library and since then I have eagerly read all of his works. His Ramayana, Krishna Coriolis and now the Mahabharata. The Mahabharata is his magnum opus as he deftly strings together one story after the other. I loved it. In fact, some of the stories mentioned here are completely new to me which enthralled me. Go and pick this up now!!

Even if you have watched, heard or read the Mahabharata many times in different forms, you will still have much more to learn and experience through this book by Ashok K. Banker.

The book elaborates many of the lesser discussed tales and mysteries of the Mahabharata in a descriptive and captivating manner. Since this is the first book in the MBA Mahabharata series and there are, apparently, 17 more in line after this, the book begins with the stories not very commonly accepted as a part of the Mahbaharata. A reader impatient to jump to the Kaurava-Pandava feud might become restless reading the tales of Parshuram or the stories of Nagas. However, this restlessness will soon disappear as the reader will enter the world of imagination created by the descriptive narration.

The book elaborates the Sarpa Satra of Janamajeya with great detail and makes it a live experience for the readers while connecting the tale to the mainstream Mahabharata story. It was the chapter I loved reading the most. The last chapter of the book about Dushyanta and Shakuntala introduces the roots of the geneology that shall grow into the vast tree with several branches as the story moves on.

The extra-ordinary details and explanations have a brilliant effect on the reader's mind and speak in great deal about Ashok's dedication that went into writing this book. I would agree with what he said in the book trailer as well as the preface that this book is no less than a 3D Mahabharat Experience.

A book worth reading is worth buying! And so is this one, especially, for those who have deep interest in the Mahabharata and Indian Mythology.