The Mahabharata is a grand and timeless story, the oldest and longest epic in the world. It is a story as enthralling as it is moving, as wise as it is entertaining, a living fount of wisdom. It’s an epic legend that has endured the millennia. Hindu children first hear the story on their mothers’ knee, and fall in love with the characters. Here’s a new and succinct version, accessible to those of all religions and of none.
A royal family split in two and caught in a lethal conflict: the righteous Pandava brothers, aided by the divine Krishna on the one side, the Kauravas, usurpers to the throne, on the other.
Karna, sired by the Sun-god Surya, is born to the unmarried princess Kunti. She abandons him to the river; he is found and raised by a low-caste couple. Spurned by all, Karna finds a friend and ally in the avaricious and wicked prince Duryodhana. But Duryodhana's worst enemies just happen to be the five brothers, the Pandavas, the noblest warriors in the world. And their mother is Kunti, that very princess who still grieves for the child she abandoned as a girl.
Karna and Arjuna -- the middle and mightiest Pandava -- each vow to kill each other without knowing they are brothers. As tensions mount, so does their hatred for each other; until, in the cataclysmic war that will destroy the known world, they meet in the inevitable face-off on the battle-field of Kurukshetra. This is a war in which no-one can be the winner.
Sons of Gods is a novel version for contemporary readers of both East and West, the essence of the story brought to life.
Sharon's Mahabharata blog:
www.sonsofgods.blogspot.com
REVIEWS:
AVERAGE FIVE STARS
“Love, betrayal, lust, envy, pride, devotion, and heroism never go out of style. Sons Of Gods is a literary soap opera with a soul that spans the full horizon.”
Sons of Gods: The Mahabharata Retold is kaleidoscopic in its beauty and intricacy. The hurdle of the tale’s massive scope has always daunted translators, and the difficulty of prising the right tone from an ancient grand epic to suit a modern and Western audience has relegated it to largely academic obscurity.
What’s saved it for us is that Aruna Sharan knows full well that love, betrayal, lust, envy, pride, devotion, and heroism never go out of style. Sons of Gods is a literary soap opera with a soul that spans the full horizon.
Love for the panoramic story itself and the patience of more than three decades of careful crafting has solved the literary puzzle of how to present it for an audience in the digital age. Aruna Sharan is well-suited in both talent and passion to deliver a new classic for lovers of mythology.
The unique category of mythology also makes Sons of Gods a clever fit for Amazon’s Kindle publishing as proving ground for its appeal. The price is incredible for a work of such excellence. Still, I hope for the day to hold it hardbound in my hands, as well. This isn’t just a book, it’s the Universe explained.
- Jamie Mason, author of Three Graves Full, Monday’s Lie and Hidden Things
GOODREADS REVIEWS
There are many retellings of the Mahabharata, India's classic epic. I have read several and would recommend Sons of Gods for anyone not already familiar with this ancient tale.
Taken as a whole, the Mahabharata is unwieldy, to say the least. It is filled with digressions and stories within stories that resist linear narrative. Sharon Maas's version is admirably streamlined for readers who want to get a grounding in the basic story before exploring in more detail the rambling conglomeration of myths, legends, and history that make up this massive tale.
The greatest strength of Sons of Gods lies in its introduction to the complex Kuru-Pandava lineage. Understanding the complicated issues around the succession is key to understanding the tragic war between the two princely lines. Maas lays out the whole convoluted tale, from the grandfather Santanu to the grandsons Dhritarashtra and Pandu. Dhritarashtra, who is born blind, cannot rule. Pandu, the younger one, will inherit…
Maas's version goes straight and true from the early conflicts between the young Kuru and Pandava princes, who are raised in the same royal household, to the martial contest where an unknown charioteer's son Karna challenges the haughty Pandava prince Arjuna and becomes an ally of the Kurus, through the infamous game of dice to the Pandavas' thirteen year exile to the final war. I read avidly; didn't put it down, even though the ending was no mystery to me. It hits the most important events and illustrates the moral conflicts, but necessarily leaves out a great deal. Also, Maas's prose is lovely and descriptive, and it reflects the fact that the Mahabharata is a religious text as well as a ripping tale. For me, this sometimes renders the characters two-dimensional.
- Shelley Schanfield
Since I was disappointed with C. Rajagopalachari's version of Mahabharata, I was keenly looking for a better work of the great epic written in English. I wasted no time in showing my interest in reading her work. She sent it to me right away. When I read the prologue and I thought: Wow! It's amazing. This is the one! I am and will be grateful to her forever.
It overwhelmed me right from the start. The writing style, the apt use of poetic words, the conversations, the dialogues and the way the story eloquently flows like a calm river has made me fall in love with it. It's aesthetically appealing. The beauty of the language is experienced throughout the book as it weaves through all the episodes covering the substance of the original epic. I can imagine how difficult it was for her to first read the other versions of the great epic, then analyze them, and then meticulously extracting all the essential details and to finally come up with something as priceless as this, is nothing short of a literary marvel. (As a matter of fact, she has watched TV series of the epic. It really shows how interested she was about Mahabharata.) It's not just the beauty that appeals to the reader, but also that it misses nothing important; thereby doing justice to the original epic nonetheless.
There are 72 chapters. The chapters are more or less equally spaced. Each chapter is about ten minutes long. So, it will help you keep up with it without boring you even for a minute. Therefore, you can easily read a chapter or two during a break from your busy work schedule.
The aesthetics in defining each of the great characters, for instance, describing the charm of the heavenly maidens, their relationships with the kings - the conspiracies and fight scenes, and the principles of wisdom, makes the reader fondly remember all the episodes and the epic as a whole. It's truly a commendable effort. Well done, Sharon!
I want to urge all the people who are interested to read Mahabharata in English, buy this version without a speck of doubt. You won't be disappointed. I'll give you my word for it. It is prose poetry in the form of a novel.
- Amit Herlekan
“Absolutely fantastic”
After failing to get past Rajaji's Mahabharata prose for over an year, I complete Sons of Gods in less than 24 hours! Sharon Maas's retelling is an eminently readable edition of the greatest story ever told.
The book got me hooked with a fiction-isque style and short chapters.
A popular saying in India, "What's not in Mahabharat is not in life" rings true after reading the great tale. It has everything: war, peace, love, lust, strategy, tactics, and many more.
As an Indian growing up in a relatively religious family, most of the stories are already well known to me. However, this is the first time I read it as it should be: in complete.
I look forward to reading the denser and more intricate versions of Mahabharata: those of Ganguli or Rajaji.
- Sri
First of all thanks a lot to the author for offering a soft version of this book while I was going to wait forever for the hard copy to release. Despite not being a die hard Karna Fan I have to say this is a Karna centred (as mentioned by author herself) book which does not twist and turn facts to suit the glorification of its central character. It is a very short retelling I would say (18 days war description only can cover a single book ) but the way of narrating the story is good and entertaining. Overall a very nice read (specially if you have no prior knowledge of the epic which unfortunately I did have a little bit) but being very short and simple version many complex characters of the epic did not get enough space to be portrayed properly in my opinion.
- Arunita
This book is mainly written to attract the westerner to this great Indian epic and those Indian youth who are unaware of the Mahabharat. Keeping this in mind, I loved this compiled version. This book has all the great elements which can arouse interest in the reader for further reading of Mahabharat. I have already read many versions of Mahabharat but still, this book hooked me till the last. Especially the Kurukshetra war. I always love to imagine the characters of Mahabharat while reading the book. This time co-incidentally the events in the book and the TV-series related to each other, which helped me to see this epic tale again with the fresh imagination.
I love the way how authoress has started this book from the creation of the universe and finished it to the Parikshit, who was the grandson of Arjuna.
One can read as many books on Mahabharat but the thirst to know more about this epic is never ceases.
If you want to read about Mahabharat and looking for books, which can introduce you to this, then this book is surely for you.
Beautiful, crisp, and interesting, this is how I like to describe this book.
- Sheetal Maurya, India
AMAZON REVIEWS
This is a wonderful book, a glorious read -- it's not for nothing The Mahabharata has been called "the greatest book in the world" or "the longest known epic poem." This is the 3rd rendition of it that I've read in my life, and the most recent. I read a very loooonnnnngggg scholarly version at uni, alongside other epic poems like The Iliad and Gilgamesh. But when I realised that there was this version -- a novelised narrative version of the work -- I was eager to get hold of it. And I was in no way disappointed.
Sharon Maas novelises without losing any of the grandeur of the epic poem; she shortens the work without 'reducing' any of its beauty or majesty. I just love how well she 'got' the work and all its themes and meanings into a more compact narrative form without 'lessening' it in any way. From the opening sentence, her language grabbed me and made me realise this was not just going to be an edifying read but damned good one: "Before... Before Creation, before Time, Lord Vishnu reclined in great splendour upon the thousand-headed serpent Sesha on the infinite and shoreless cosmic Ocean...."
In short, I love this new version and have already recommended it to friends in my yoga class, who are adding it to their holiday shopping lists. I too will be re-reading it over the holidays, sitting with a hot cuppa next to a fire, I'm sure the second read will be just as wonderful.
- SSBrowne
This is the only translation of the Mahabharata I have read so I can't compare it to others. However, this was an engaging and enjoyable read and the characters felt very real to me. The magic of this ancient epic really came across. Translations of classic works can often feel clunky and awkward but Sharon Maas has managed to create a beautiful and flowing translation that doesn't feel like a translation. I'm now starting to work my way through her novels.
- Catpee
I know the story but not in full and this book just does that it gives you the inside of how is all began. It is brief but not to the point that you are in any way leaving behind the moral of the story. I loved this it is one of the best Mahabharata I have read.
- Mrs mrc
“Greatest story I have ever read. It’s beautiful composed by the author. Just can recommend it to everyone who is interested about India and Indian philosophy. ”
Fabulous read. I will read it several times to fully appreciate.
- Amazon Customer, Canada
At India's grand culture and the epic that has inspired millions, for centuries! The Sons of Gods, is an excellent addition to it's many translations and retellings! I thoroughly enjoyed this brief retelling of the Mahabharata!
- J.Fernandez, USA
A most excellent novelization of what is probably one of the oldest books existent, and assuredly the longest epic poem in all of history. There's bits left out, and it doesn't go into the depths of metaphysical discussion one finds in such translations of bits of the story, such as the "Bhagavad Gita as it is" - by Swami Prabhupata- something not usually read by anyone outside the Krishna ashrams or a comparative theology course, so don't come looking for explanations for the magic, beyond the magic itself.
- William Brown, USA
This book about mythology makes you think about good, evil, love, devotion and duty. Makes you question the importance of avenging honor and question what is honorable, especially in light of the Middle Eastern/Western conflict and all of the regional wars being waged today.
- PAT, USA
Excellently written and brilliantly composed, this novelized rendition of the Mahabharata brings together Kings, Gods and demons in an entertaining way that (for a story that's more than a thousand years old) kept me on the edge of my seat, page after page.
- Liam Macci, USA