Ashvamedha : The Game of Power by Aparna Sinha is an epoch making novel which is a mixture of romance, politics followed by gripping plot and mind blowing characters. The use of Stream of Consciousness is perfectly used. I got this copy in return of an honest review. Lets read between the lines :
Cover- The cover of the book is intriguing with bit dark colour scheme followed by the image of the horse. This gives us the glimpse of power as the major subject of this book.
Title- The title is fascinating as the whole story revolves around the power. The subtitle clearly gives us the purpose of this novel and we get a clear picture about the novel.
Blurb- “You have to dethrone a powerful man to become the most powerful. I was itching to defeat the single most powerful person, but there wasn’t any. I was left with only one choice — to create one.”
Little does Ashwin Jamwal know that the last twenty-five years of his life have been controlled by a master manipulator, who wanted to make him the most powerful man on earth, though for a reason! Ashwin steps up to take oath as the youngest Prime Minister of India and is unknowingly thrown into a vortex of power and authority as the entire world is threatened by a faceless enemy — Hades.
The world starts to look up to Ashwin as the savior, but he was just a pawn, reared only to be sacrificed in the end.
A story of greed, lies, deceptions, manipulations and corruption, Ashvamedha is a thriller revolving around the infamous game of power in a maddening bid to seek absolute control.
Plot- The plot is gripping and a page turner. This is a simultaneous story of two people Ashwin Jamwal and Hades who come together in the end of the novel. The biggest suspense of the novel is revealed in the end when these two come together.
Theme- There are variety of themes in this novel. The theme of dirty politics and corruption is poignant. The author carefully highlights this concept without causing any scandal or hurting anyone’s feelings from the political sector. It is a true picture which the author wants to show us.
Further, there is theme of romance between Ashwin Jamwal and Adya. They are true lovers who stay with each other, without any expectations. They got separated to come together when their lives completely change as Ashwin become’s the Prime Minister of India.
There is a theme of friendship between Arun and Ashwin. They both are adopted and are inseparable. They stay with each other through thick and thin. Even when Ashwin becomes the Prime Minister he never stops the contact between his best buddy. Both could go to any extend.
Characterisation- The author has artistically constructed her characters and my favourites are Ashwin Jamwal , Arun and Adya. Ashwin Jamwal is the protagonist who is the puppet in the hands of the society. The way he rise to power using his brain and the way others support him is all scripted. He has some aspirations which are fulfilled accordingly. He is a true friend as he is always there to support his best friend,Arun.
Arun is a true confidante of Ashwin Jamwal. Ashwin share everything with him. He can go to any extend to save his friend from this dirty politics of people and solve many of his problems.
Adya is the female protagonist in the story who loves Ashwin Jamwal from the core of her heart. They have a very short sequence at the start or rather say the opening is from Adya’s leaving him. It looks like they are not meant for each other. But when they bump into each other in a conference when Adya is the topmost Journalist whereas Ashiwin Jamwal is the Prime Minister of India. Their love blooms at the crucial time when Ashwin is stuck in a national threat by the terrorist named Hades.
Style-The style of writing is elegant and the way the author has used the varied range of sentences starting from simple to complex to compound is just fine. The book starts from a beautiful poem. The other wow factor is the quotes from Yajur Ved which shows author’s interest in our roots. Further we find mystery, suspense like elements which makes the book vibrant. The concept of schrizopherania is phantasmagorically highlighted. This book is a perfect instance of a well scripted book which has all the traits of blooming into a successful movie. I wish the best for this book and I hope the directors surely approach the author.
ABout the Author
Aparna Sinha wrote her first poem when she was seven, which she recited on All India Radio. Since then, her literary work and industry specific articles have been published in various media, including reputed business magazines across Asia.
Equipped with a Master’s in management, when she was forced to quit her lucrative job because of a chronic disease, she focused on her sole passion – writing
