Return of the Brahmin | Book Review

 This is the review of Ravi Shankar Etteth's Return of the Brahmin

At a Glance:  

• Title - Return of the Brahmin
• Author - Ravi Shankar Etteth
• Pages - 342
• Publishers - Westland [14 June 2021]
• Format - Paperback
• Genre - Historical Fiction

Blurb :

After thwarting the devious Lord Suma and becoming the emperor of Magadha, Ashoka now faces a new threat—a lethal foe whose only aim is to topple his empire. By slaughtering imperial officials, kidnapping royal prisoners and infiltrating the palace, the nemesis weaves a mesh of hatred, intrigue and menace. His identity is unknown, yet he breathes such terror that even dying men fear to utter his name. He calls himself the Khandapati. He provokes prison riots. He leads the Resistance. A poison witch and a murderous giant terrorise the people. What is the role of the vishkanya Daarya and the Pretnath? Who is the mysterious prisoner named Nirmukh?

Caught in a vortex of death and deceit, there is only one man Ashoka can turn to. The Brahmin. Years of friendship and fealty lead the spymaster back to Magadha, only to be caught in a violent conspiracy that extends beyond the empire’s boundaries. Will he be able to live up to his role as Magadha’s protector or will the Khandapati prove to be more than a match for the Brahmin?

My Review:

The return of the Brahmin is a historical thriller set in the times of Ashoka the Great! This is a sequel to the book The Brahmin. Even though this is a sequel [and I haven’t read the part 1] the storyline is easy to pick up from the part 2.

The Brahmin is the Emperor’s wily spymaster and he returns to Magadha only to find himself amidst a hell lot of conspiracies! Magadha is under turbulence. The Buddhist Emperor is caught in a web of lies and deceit and those around him are plotting against the throne.

 The spy master is under great resolve to calm the waters and this fast paced book takes us through various regions of the Kingdom and introduces to several characters.

The characters are aplenty and it takes a while to get used to them. The characterization is quite interesting, like the Visha Kanyas or the poison maidens who are fed with tiny doses of poison so that they become immune to it and they are sent to kill kings and imperial officials! The Nirmukh or the faceless man, Pretnath , the necromancer, Kandapathi, the enemy who is hell bent on killing Ashoka etc are some of the unique characters that you will come across. Each character has some really distinctive qualities and one can never imagine what havoc they can cause!

Ashoka who turns to Buddhism after the war and embraces non-violence still wants to go on a Holy war against the Ajivika sect who do not believe in reincarnation. With this war in mind and the threat to the life of both the King and the Brahmin, the spymaster tactfully manages each and every situation.

The relationship between the Brahmin and the King is brought out very well. It shows how much respect and trust they have on each other. They tactfully escape various assassination attempts and the spymaster proves his loyalty to the King by above and beyond the means of duty.

The narrative is very vivid. Be it the dresses, food, landscape, transportation, character description, all are descriptive and the author brings before our eyes everything from the ancient times!

On the whole, this is a fact paced and action packed historical thriller that takes you to Magadha and beyond. An enjoyable read filled with suspense that moves at an electrifying speed that you won’t put down the book until you reach the last page!