One highlight of the book with regards to the war scenes was the balance struck between dramatic narrative and attention to detail be it the description of the fortress of Warangal or strategies that made Prince Veera secure a crucial victory at Lanka. But a dramatic turn of events sees Veera ascend the throne but the power comes at a high cost, at the cost of love and friendship. The book alternates between the individual tales of Malik Kafur (I am almost tempted to give his real name away, but that would be a spoiler 😉 and Veera Pandya and I personally found the alternating narrative quite gripping.

Being the son of a courtesan by the Pandya King, Prince Veera is not considered a natural heir to the throne of Madurai against his step brother Sundara Pandya. The book also dwells into the internal conflicts of the Royal Pandya family. The dramatization of Veera’s exploits at a crisp pace makes this book a page turner. The tale of Malik Kafur that transformed an innocent love lorn youth into a stone hearted manipulative war general who knows no defeat was quite eye opening. The reader can be moved by the making of Malik Kafur and inspired by the ambitious Prince Veera. Starting with an engrossing narrative of the individual travails of both the characters in their early youth, the book sketches their journey upwards. Gods, Kings and Slaves, The siege of Madurai by Venkatesh Ramakrishnan, a Chennai based historian and author dwells on the conflict between Malik Kafur, the slave and trusted war general of the Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khilji and Veera Pandya, the King of Madurai. Indian English literature has begun to get into historical fiction quite late and is quite welcome. The classics by the likes of Kalki R Krishnamurthi, Vishvanatha Satyanarayana, KM Munshi have remained all time favourites and some of their works have groomed fan cults. The regional literature with had got into the genre quite early and has established its mark. Historical fiction is an ever green genre in India.

Gods, Kings & Slaves by R. Venketesh