Book Review: Gods, Kings & Slaves by R Venkatesh
War is coming ...Peninsular India, fourteenth century. The Pandyan Empire is at its peak, its enemies subdued and its people at peace. Having left behind his step-brother Sundar in the race to the throne, Crown Prince Veera Pandyan is set to rule from Madurai, reputed to be the richest city in the subcontinent. But invisible fractures within the kingdom threaten to destroy it, and a new enemy approaches, swifter than anyone can imagine. In Delhi, Sultan Alauddin Khilji's trusted general, the eunuch Malik Kafur, has trained his eyes on the distant south, fabled for its riches. A slave captured by the Khiljis, Kafur is renowned for his ambition and cunning. None, not even the mighty Mongols, have defeated him - no empire can withstand the trail of destruction he leaves in his wake. And all he wants is to see Madurai on its knees, its wealth pillaged, its temples destroyed. As an ancient city combusts in flames of treachery, bloodlust and revenge, brother will battle brother, ambition will triumph over love, slave will rise to rule, cities will be razed to dust, and the victor will be immortalized in history ...
R Venkatesh's debut novel in English is gripping. In this book the known and less known historical characters become alive with equal ease and the reader is pulled into the story without any significant effort. The author is very much successful in landing the reader in a distant past. The narrative style is fluent and simple. Although the critical reader may find few scopes of improvement in the narrative, Gods Kings & Slaves is intriguing and has potential of appealing to the readers of historical fiction.
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