Attempting a partially fictionalized account of the greatest saga of our country is indeed a brave thing. And to come out of it with flying colors is even greater an achievement. Debutant author Aditya Iyengar joins the list of the authors who have tried re-telling the Mahabharata from different angles.

No one is unfamiliar with the plot of the Mahabharata; and yet Aditya’s unique narrative makes this book a lovely read.
The story unfolds on the tenth day of the war in Kurukshetra, leading t...

Detailed Review on 'Life as Freya' | I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

A retelling of the Mahabharata this plot isn’t new and yet, it felt so because of the perspective. Set in Kurukshetra the story starts out on day 10 of the war and details the events that lead up to the death of Abhimanyu.

Igengar does a good job if describing the war and all that happens behind the scenes when the war is not on, in the camps and around the campfires. The main and support characte...

Aditya Iyengar's The Thirteenth Day is a marvellous peek into the mechanics of the Mahabharata. I'm thoroughly impressed by how cleanly this debutante author has built the book's plot line. Three days of Kurukshetra are busier than they sound and are, in fact, crowded with characters that cannot be ignored for their role in the conflict. Iyengar, it appears, has not forgotten this – The Thirteenth Day, before everything else, is the story of Abhimanyu during Kurkshetra.

The author's style ...

The Mahabharat is the greatest epic India has ever produced. The layers to the story, the symbolism, flawed heroes, upright ‘villains’ – it has the works. You could enter a debate on the Mahabharat and it could continue for weeks and months ?

The Thirteenth Day begins at the end of the Bhishma campaign or the beginning of the Drona campaign, depending on which way you look at it. It attempts to humanize the characters we have come to know and love/loath. Aditya Iyengar cuts through the mists...

Almost all of us heard the story of Mahabharata from our grandpas and grandmas. And, as we grew up, the whole story got abridged and deposited in our minds simply as the game of dice followed by fight between Kauravas and Pandavas with Krishna helping Pandavas. Can you imagine how will it look if each of the brave warriors wrote a diary giving account of what happened every day and night as the war progressed? That's exactly what Aditya Iyengar has tried to do, and the result is "The Thirteen...

Aditya Iyengar's novel The Thirteenth Day is a retelling of the four eventful days and nights (the tenth day to the thirteenth night) of the Kurukshetra War in the Indian epic Mahabharata.

As a child, I believe every Indian will have been told the story of how the Pandavas & Kauravas went to war for the throne of Hastinapur, shedding their own blood in the process, decimating their kin and refusing to stop at anything in the struggle for power. This book not only presents these eventful days...

I have read many a books on Mahabharat but few who treated the war as a war should be - strategies , passion , tactics and bravery ! Showcasing the weakest thoughts and the astonishing attitudes in the times of battle is so much fun to read. And Aditya has done a fabulous job at that in this book. a delightful read with some amusing conversations.

this is one book i absolutely loved, the description of the battle was vivid and transports the reader to the middle of the battle field of Kurukshetra. the emotions of vulnerability, confusion and determination of the character of the lead narrators or Radheya, Yudhishthira and Abhimanyu, are heart wrenching and relatable. Abhimanyu's valor and determination stands out like a beacon for young bravehearts.

i couldn't bare to put the book down, till i reached the final page.

about packing and delivery

the book came in a usual plastic package. my heart sank as i unpacked the plastic. the book was there. both corners of its cover page were badly unglued and tampered, as were the first few pages. it is not what i expect in a newly purchased book. Had it been a used product, the fault could have been ignored. in this case it was not and I expected a sophisticated service from the sellers. to someone like me a book can be a very precious object that grows into a pers...

The Thirteenth Day is a re imagined version of the war of Kurukshetra by Aditya Iyengar. This is also the authors debut work and he does leave a mark. The author very carefully narrates the story from perspective of the three characters mentioned above, but also does a commendable job of giving the readers a perspective about the past events and also reflects on acts of other important characters like Suyodhana, Bhima, Arjuna etc.
The narrative of the book invests heavily in the acts of war,...