Shadows of the Sun Dynasty: An Illustrated Series Based on the Ramayana (Sita's Fire Trilogy)

I will start with a caveat: I’ve not read the source material. Or at least the whole thing. So I won’t comment on the story. This is a re-telling — a feminist re-imagining, of sorts — of the Ramayana. It’s beautifully written. I immediately want to compare it to Neil Gaiman’s stilted “re-telling” of the Norse mythologies. Sheth’s style blows that out of the water. It’s cohesive. And engaging. With poetic prose. And the perfect writerly touch. And the illustrations? Out of this world! Johansson, Sheth’s mother, poured her heart out through pigment and water in a sort of poetry rendered in watercolor. A perfect match for the text. A highly recommended read

I found this book intriguing from the time I downloaded it. First, I love mythology, even if I don't know much about Indian mythology. Second, I love stories about women in history, whether as known figures, myths, or realistically fictitious characters -- (The Red Tent has long been a favorite book). So what makes this book stand out? It offers an extraordinarily well-written exploration of Indian myth, with special consideration to the women and their strengths -- as well as their weaknesses. I also love how it delved into the main characters' backgrounds -- to understand their motivations and what truly drives each choice they make. Although it took me about 20 pages to really get into the story, as some of the unfamiliar names took a bit to sink in, and the characters began to become real to me, I found this book fascinating. And, the illustrations that are peppered throughout the story are beautiful and complex. I'm really glad to have had the opportunity to read this book -- it was not what I expected, in the best possible way.

This story offers an entirely new perspective on an ancient story. It is extremely well done. Not ever hearing of this story before I read it with a virgin mind. I really enjoyed the female characters being bold, strong and equal to the men in the story. The basic story is that of the prince Rama who was cheated of his throne and sent to exile. Here he battles a demon who has kidnapped his wife Sita. The pure descriptions of this battle and the beautiful story of good and evil, kings and queens and a feminist hero. Makes this a good read. Not only is this a great story but the book is illustrated beautifully. My favorite pictures being the ones of the animals ( a peacock, the horses, the swans). One of my favorite characters is Manthara. She is a troublemaker. And she gets into unique situations. She has a well developed background and a lively attitude. I enjoyed the complexity of family relationships and the struggle and internal betrayal of the story. Although the book was a little on the long side, I would recommend this novel to anyone who liked myths and ancient tales of good versus evil.

Let me start by saying that regardless of your background knowledge on the Ramayana (I myself had next to none when beginning), this book will captivate you. It is an epic: as grand and encompassing as the Odyssey, but not nearly as fairly recognized in mainstream American culture. The story - as told by Vrinda Sheth - begins with Manthara, a young woman turned bitter and whose soul grows as twisted as her deformed spine. She becomes the foster mother to King Ashvapati's only daughter, and is determined to make the fiercely beautiful princess the most powerful royal in the world. Her strongest lesson to her charge: love is the ruin of all. Our princess Keyi, however, is not immune to love. Despite her warrior-like skills and stubborn free spirit, she is taken as King Dasharatha's third wife. He and all his wives are barren, and after years of battles with monstrous blood-drinkers - Dasharatha is finally desperate for an heir. His desire for one is not selfish - he needs a son to carry the line of the Sun Dynasty, the line of men that are destined to defeat Ravana, the ten-headed demon king and creator of the blood-drinkers, who rapes and steals women. So begins the ritual to bring fertility to his family, from which four sons are born. One among them, Rana, is quickly fated to be the chosen heir. Mayhem, jealousy, great love and immense grief follow from there. This is no picnic book, to be sure - this will take you a good chunk of time in a recliner to read. I can assure you, however, that it is well worth the effort. A stunning work.

First - the artwork was amazing. I was so impressed with the word descriptions and then seeing the artwork - I truly think my favorite part of this story was seeing the text come to life with the pictures and descriptions. But not only was the artwork beautiful, the words were so thoughtful and had so much depth. I literally read this book from front to cover in two days and know that this will be a go to for me. Vrinda Sheth has a true art in telling a story that has so many dimensions and gives life to the role women have played in the story of Ramayana. When I finished this book, I was compelled to learn more about the story of Ramayana and saw that Vrinda Sheth was able to develop the female characters - it is interesting to see her take on the queen and princess and their motives behind their actions. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to have a great read or anyone who has the passion to step outside of their norm and learn more!

Beautiful, thoughtful, epic story of love and betrayal and a refreshingly modern take of a timeless story, loved it, must read.