Ashok and the Nine Unknown

Reading anyone’s craft is no less than watching a live performance. It’s always a treat to watch the creator set the stage for you, build its characters, appoint character function and row you through the course of his tale. It’s a familiar style of having the author ride along in his journey, share your reactions as the plot unfolds and occasionally draw your attention to the finer details that adds to the quality of his story telling. The author here, unapologetically, opens the screen and introduces you to an already framed scene and navigates you through his craft which constantly echoes with the pains and agony of an unforgettable battle. While it’s easy to believe in Ashok’s cause, forgive him before even asked for, what grips you is the uncertain fate of Amartya and his damnation to live. As a reader you would want to save the soul of the wounded warrior, redirect his course, but then understand the writer’s effort to make his audience watch several lives linked to an ancient lost world. With a well researched and intelligently devised plot line and multifaceted characters, the writer presents his gripping tale of faith, hatred, and an inescapable fate.

Personally, I like the kind of fiction which seems almost real. The author has used historically accurate locations, timelines, real places and yet has smartly managed to integrate his creative ideas with the reality.I was amazed at how seamlessly the author has handled two mythologies (yes, it is not just about Indian mythology!) which I have never seen in any book before and the best part was that the author connected, two supposedly unrelated legends in a realistic way.When I received the book, at first I thought it was a light read, as it is just 224 pages and didn't expect that the story would contain such a punch! The character development doesn't take much time and it occurs smoothly as the story moves forward, the end of every chapter makes you want to read more. The story has everything; history, mystery, magic, secret society, action and romance!Complete package, highly recommended!

I wish I had enough words to say about the book. The cast, the story, the twists, the magic, and the secrets; just an amazing journey to read this book.

Power is always hungry for more. The more you feed it ,the more it's hunger increases...Title - Ashok and the Nine unknownAuthor - Anshul DuparePublisher - Rupa publishingGenre - history/fictionPages - 224Format - paperback ..Plot - Ashok and the Nine unknown is the first of a two part series. The story starts with the end of the Kalinga war where the emperor Samrat Ashok standing like a dead man in the battelfield when he heard a cry for help. It was Amartya , a wounded soldier who cursed him for the destruction.It was then Ashok decided to dedicate his life towards the betterment of society. After realizing he could not do it single- handed . He created a secret society of nine members who were known as 'Nine unknown men' to help preserve and keep safe the knowledge that are in the wrong hands,could be used to destroy humanity.On the other hand,Amartya left for a magic land, Mayong to learn black magic so that he could take revenge from Ashok. There he came to know about many other secrets as well. The people of Mayong had vast knowledge of many fields like medicines,astrology,black magic etc.Who were the 'Nine unknown'?Was Amartya been able to take revenge from Ashok?Was Samrat Ashok successful in preventing the war situations and restore humanity?To know the answers of these questions grab your copy...Review -1) The cover of the book is bright and beautiful and the title of the book is related to the content.2) The plot of the story is interesting and fascinating. It is a perfect blend of history,mythology,thriller,fantasy. This book is divided into 13 small chapters with names and years mentioned.3) Maps and pictures given inside the book are reader friendly.4) The language used by the author is simple and easily understandable.5) Characterization is well developed and described by the author.6) The flow of the book is well paced which makes it an interesting read...I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves reading historical and fantasy books.

Kalinga war is one of the most deadly war ever fought in the history of mankind. When Ashok stood on the battle ground after his win he realized the amount of bloodshed the war has brought upon. So many lives were lost and so many families were devastated. Dead bodies were lying in every direction. That miserable sight awoke his emotions and made him accept his fault. He felt guilty all those lives were lost because of him. When he was immersed in his thoughts all of a sudden Ashok saw a body moving, he went to help the person but that dying man refused his help before he slipped down the slope. From that day Ashok decided to help people instead of fighting for their land. He wanted peace and prosperity and so formed a secret society of nine unknown people to stop the misuse of various forms of knowledge. But he did not realize that some terrible and inhuman things were about to happen. Many secrets are about to be revealed. And more bloodshed is yet to happen. Do you want to know what happened and which secrets were revealed? If you want to know then don’t forget to pick up this book.The book is amazingly written with a gripping plot and shocking twists. It is an amalgamation of thriller, history and mythology. It is written in an easy language and the style of narration is vivid. The book doesn’t fail to keep you hooked till the last page. It is fast paced and can be finished in a single sitting. The characters are promising and each has a background story which turns out to be crucial for the plot. The book happened to be much better than I expected. The story is a complete thriller and if you are a fan of mysteries then you are definitely going to like it. It also has various magical creatures starting from dragons to sphinx and the mention of spirits, ghosts and black magic makes it all the more enthralling. I completely loved reading this book and it has become one of my current favourite reads. Trust me and pick up this book and then you are in for a complete roller coaster ride. The suspense build up is amazing and the way the author has weaved the story is praiseworthy. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Ashok and the Nine Unknown - by Anshul Dupare .📒𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 🔻▪️The cover of the book is very attractive and eye catchy and it well marches to the plot of the book. The length is about 225 pages making it a light read.▪️The book is the first of two part series. Our story starts with the ending of th Kalinga War which is one of the greatest battle in history. After the battle, Ashoka is on new path as everything was destroyed and region is divided into two parts. Ashoka then decided to something for the betterment of society. Soon he created a small secret society of nine men who were known as Nine Unknown Men. They used to help and keep safe the peoples of the society by various means.▪️On the other side, Amartya was a solder who cursed Ashoka for the destruction, he left for a magic land- Mayong to learn black magic so that he could take revenge from Ashoka. After that he come to know many more secrets as well.Will Amartya be able to take revenge from Ashoka? And what Ashoka will do to prevent war and his society?▪️The plot of the book is well developed together with all the characters. I think that the narration part of the story could be much better. Overall it's a great read which i have finished it in 3-4 days ( because of simultaneous reading). I joyfully finished the book and glad that i picked it up.▪️𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅? ✓ Definitely, Yeah to everyone who reading this review and to especially to those who are history lovers as their next read.📒𝑴𝒚 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔- 4/5 🌟

" Power is always hungry for more. The more you feed it, the more its hunger increases"This book has a mixed genre. It starts out to be a historical fiction but after a quarter its all magic and fantasy and towards the end its a thriller. The story have been woven by the Author considering the facts, myths and legends about the Kalinga war, magical village named Mayong, the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid of Giza and also as the name of the book says a secret society created by Ashoka named the "Nine Unknown Men", to preserve and protect knowledge that could harm humanity.The books starts where the Kalinga War ends and where the Emperor Ashok is deeply affected by the destruction caused by the war. He holds himself responsible for everything and works for the betterment of people. But Amartya , a Kalingan swears to take revenge and finds all the possible ways for that. A magical city Mayong is introduced whose secrets and knowledge are protected by the people. A lot of magic, mantras, fire dragons and a lot of action in between takes it to another level.Then there is another story running in parallel who are just shown in shadows and have a mysterious motive behind there actions.The three stories find its way towards each other in the end.Plot is interesting and gripping. There are some violent and creepy content in between which may or may not be liked by the readers ( i didn't). There were philosophical talks in between which i liked. Author has done a good research on the content and presented his masterpiece beautifully and i also found the cover very beautiful and attractive. Waiting for the next part !.

The Kalinga War that turned Emperor Ashok's life topsy turvy forms the basis of the story.Title is catchy and so is the cover of the book that is attractive. Plot is gripping. Narration is fast paced. Language is crisp and vocabulary is good.What I liked?* The after effects of the Kalinga War has been explained well.* The blend of fact and fantasy with a distinctintive narration is goes well with the plot.* The detailed description of the Atlantis and the Atlanteans are commendable.* The unpredictable climax keeps the reader guessing till the end.What I didn't like?Few descriptions are violent and gore that did not go well with me.My VerdictA well written book that is intriguing and takes the reader on a journey to the past.