Title: Raavanputr Meghnad: The Prince of Lanka

Author: Kevin Missal

Publisher: Simon and Schuster India

Publication date: Jan 2020

Source: Review copy

Genre: Mythology

My rating: 3/5

I had read a few mythological fictions on the Mahabharata before, but this was the first time I had read something related to the Ramayana. Kevin Missal made it clear that this book isn’t about Ramayana but about the great warrior Meghnad. I don’t know much about Meghnad except that he was the son of Ravana, the vanquisher of Lord Indra, therefore, goes by the name Indrajeet.

I liked the scientific aspect given to certain things like how different asthras were made of radioactive stones. I also liked the portrayal of Kumbakaranan as a scientist and the reason given for his six months slumber. As the book mainly focuses on Maghnad, the other characters got less spotlight and were shown to be weak, which is what I felt was the downside of this book.

I enjoyed reading the love part between Meghnad and Prameela but it could have been better if it was given a gradual development rather a sudden change in their character. This was my first Kevin Missal’s book and I’m quite impressed with his writing style and found it really hard to put down the book. In the end, that’s what matters I think. Though the reason behind Sita’s abduction differs here, the storyline remained the same as the original epic. The book is fast-paced and to the point. I would recommend this book to all mythology lovers.

*A special thanks to the publisher Simon and Schuster IN, for the review copy. All opinions are my own.*