After the retelling of the stories of Lord Shiva and Sri Ramachandra, legendary author Amish turns to a historical character. The Legend of Suhel Dev is the story of a great king retold in the brilliant narrative style that Amish is so famous for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The story of Suhel Dev, the king who defeated the Ghazni general, Ghazi Miyan is a part of history. This book presents an action packed retelling of the story of Suhel Dev. As usual, the amazing story telling makes you feel that \u2018this\u2019 is history, and this is what happened. The book comes from Immortal Writer\u2019s Centre, which is a collaborative effort of a team of writers led by Amish who has done most of the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The story starts with an incident that will send a chill down your spine. It is the terrible destruction of the Somnath temple by Mahmud of Ghazni. The retelling of one of the saddest moments of India history ensures the book starts with a bang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are then introduced to Suhel Dev, who desperately tries to forge unity among the Northern Kings to take on Mahmud and his blood-thirsty general Salar Maqsud. We witness Suhel\u2019s attempts fail as petty kings fail to recognize the true enemy and refuse to stand united.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The story of India is the story of Bharat that was fractured thanks to the lack of unity among the various kingdoms. While many of these kingdoms were powerful, they simply lacked the firepower to individually take on the enemies who plagued India. Whether it was Ghazni, the Mughals, or the British, time and again, a small handful of people managed to keep a large nation under subjugation thanks to our lack of unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fall of large kingdoms is well depicted and it makes the reader understand why we so hopelessly failed against foreign invaders. Failing in his effort to unite various kingdoms, Suhel Dev becomes a renegade and wages his own war against the Ghazni marauders. He has his loyal team and keeps adding members to his team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of them is Toshani, a soldier who quit her army after it crossed over to the Ghaznavid side. Suhel Dev and Toshani develop a close bond that slowly moves to a different level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A major turn occurs in the novel when Suhel Dev meets a Turk who helps him. He is Aslan and he soon becomes a part of Suhel Dev\u2019s close team, much to the consternation of some of his associates who clearly don\u2019t trust the Turk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Who is Aslan? What is his motive behind helping Suhel Dev? Is he a Turkish spy or does he really intend to help Suhel achieve his objective? Without revealing much, let me say that the character of Aslan is one of the most important ones in the novel. There are many things that happen in the novel related to Aslan that will leave you surprised and even shocked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is Aslan the good guy or the villain of the piece? Does Suhel\u2019s reliance on him lead to disaster? Can Suhel build up a force to take on the might of Salar Maqsud? Does Suhel\u2019s attempt to get help from the great Chola king Rajendra work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To know the answers to these questions, you need to read \u201cSuhel Dev \u2013 the King who saved India\u201d. The book is an extremely fast paced one. The speed at which events move may make you feel breathless. It also makes you eager to turn the pages quickly. You may well end up staying awake at night to complete the last few chapters of the novel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The final battle scene is the highlight of the novel. It is extremely well narrated and you will virtually see the battle unravel before your eyes. This book is not meant for just lovers of historical fiction but is a novel that every Indian should read. Not only is it an enjoyable story to read but it makes you think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It makes you think of what could have been had India united behind any one king. We would never have to face the humiliation of being ruled by foreigners. This is a reflection of the sad reality of our country\u2019s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are many interesting points Amish highlights through this novel. There are narratives about secularism and nationalism that Amish presents in a very unbiased way. These narratives may not be palatable to those who hold extreme views but when you think about all that Amish is trying to say, you will realize everything he says is so important for our country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The novel is soon to become a film. Suhel Dev will come to life before us on the big screen. Before that, he already has become a powerful character in the world of Indian novels. In case you haven\u2019t read this book yet, please do it. This is a book that is immensely enjoyable and one that every one of us must read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The book also throws a tantalizing hint. There will probably be a mega blockbuster of a book coming up on the assassination of Ghazni by Rajendra Chola\u2019s men. Waiting for this book and for more such books on India\u2019s true heroes from the legend Amish.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After the retelling of the stories of Lord Shiva and Sri Ramachandra, legendary author Amish turns to a historical character. The Legend of Suhel Dev is the story of a great king retold in the brilliant narrative style that Amish is so famous for. The story of Suhel Dev, the king who defeated the Ghazni …<\/p>\n