War Of Lanka (Ram Chandra Series Book 4)

Have read most of Amish Tripathi's books and enjoyed reading it. Amazed by the knowledge he has of all the ancient places.

Amish has indeed crafted a commendable work; his writing style is notably refreshing. I particularly admire his ability to present the dramatic and often fantastical narrative of the Ramayana in a more plausible and relatable manner. However, this particular installment, despite the strong foundations laid in previous books such as "Ram," "Sita," and "Ravan," lacked the expected impact. It had the potential to be a significantly more thrilling narrative. The conclusion felt somewhat rushed, and even with 475 pages, the story did not achieve a sense of completeness. While I thoroughly enjoyed the preceding three books, this one did not resonate with me as strongly. Nevertheless, I am still inclined to award it four stars due to its positive attributes.

The story continues from 3400 BCE in India. Raavan has kidnapped Sita and is flying her to Lanka in his Pushpak Vimaan. Ram is wearing a facade of calmness while fury and despair run inside him, thinking about how Sita was taken. With the help of Vayuputras, Malayaputras, and other unexpected allies, Ram intends to lead an army towards Lanka. On the other hand, Sita is learning more about her mysterious past from Raavan himself. This is another masterpiece by Amish Tripathi. One of the things I admire the most is how seamlessly Amish Tripathi writes a novel from multiple perspectives - not just of Ram, Sita, and Raavan, but even the secondary and background characters too! He chooses the best character to present a particular scene and writes it from their perspective. It doesn't feel overwhelming at all, even though there are tons of characters. That's because sometimes the side characters can explain an event happening better than the main ones, as a single character isn't omnipresent. Not many writers write in this flexible style, which I love a lot. As for the plot, it was epic. Normally, when people twist the Puranas to their own interpretations, I hate it. But Amish Tripathi has authored all these books in a wonderful way that it feels like this is a totally original story. Like, the Valmiki Ramayana is a separate entity, and Amish Ramayana is a new Indian series. I am very grateful that I received the hard copy of this book, as I did not want to read it on a computer. Because of this, I was able to mark all my favorite lines with neon bookmark flags, which I greatly enjoyed doing. My book looks much more colorful now!

🎯 Unflinchingly gripping! Devouring on 475 pages of this book in five days was the best Diwali treat I gave myself. 😉 All the praise sung in favour of this intuitive author by the Indian and world celebrities is so true! Amish writes to engulf the reader inside his world. One could also say; he is reshaping Indian mythology, one series at a time. 🎯 From how to be a human, to, how to be a GOD; this book encapsulated it all! This book can be used to study human psych. Love, animosity, devotion, treachery, spirituality, greed, friendship and grief the story has it all. Being the fourth in the Ram Chandra Series, it definitely pays off to have read the initial 3 books for getting the hang of nuances in the situations and characters. Nonetheless, the author has covered relevant details of the flash back well. 🎯 It is the lack of greed to become a GOD that actually makes Ram one. Ram’s obsession with ‘dharma’ not only endears him to the reader but even to the enemy in his story. Ram very effortlessly teaches us that if one wishes to be in line with the inner conscience then ‘dharma’ is the way. The way of a true ‘human’. Sita is an epitome of an ‘ideal wife’ inch by inch. 🎯 While Ravan’s character highlights that no matter how powerful one gets using ‘adharma’, his conscience will never accept it. An ‘adharmi’ is in a constant ‘state of war’ with his/her core, even if they don’t notice. No matter how many reasons one can produce for greed-filled, self-centric actions, the end can never justify those means. ‘Adharma’ is a burden on the soul. This book leaves a reader on the hook for the fifth one… 🤗

Traditional main characters reduced to a side foot note. Confounding how Hanuman is reduced from being Ram's best friend to just another general in the army who is hardly there for more than 20-30 pages. Side characters inexplicably brought into central roles. Character inconsistencies e.g. Ram choosing to ignore flouting of orders just to keep army strong etc. Unnecessary headache inducing description of modern societal constructs and poor attempt to amalgate them to a story that took place thousands of years ago. Even the battle descriptions which the authir tries to go so much into hardly make sense sometimes. Special corps lighting funeral pyres while waiting in ambush to give their position to the enemy, apparently brilliant tacticians missing the point of enemy actions entirely when even the reader can guess the paper thin strategies The list of short comings just keeps growing. This is not a retelling of Ramayan. This is a completely separate story at odds with it enjoyable only if you cast aside all you know about the original epic. Loved Amish in Meluha. Vayuputras was good. Ram was okayish but literally had to slog through the last few books jist to complete the series and the latest was a doozy. Had to force myself to finish it in the end.

As a story this book is amazing, but since it's a part of our history some facts are just not acceptable. At points the story is made to be scientific and in that way it lost it's interesting points. Though I find it amusing, as it's a mythological fiction some facts will certainly be distorted no doubt. However overall I can say it's a really good book. This is a Ramayana where you can't hate any person. Everyone is amazing and have their own character development arcs that make the reader feel more connected to the story. It's good though. After waiting for 4 years I can say... It was worth it. Just I am a little disappoined with Ravana. A sequence in the middle spoils the entire plot where Ravana says he knows he will be killer by Shri Ram and he willingly accepts it. This episode could have been shifted to the last, just the conversation part after his death where we would have got to see a side of Ravana that knew his fate and as a veera accepted it. But keeping it in the middle made me feel like a king who gave up without trying. He didn't though. Cuz when he fights in the later chapter he actually meant it. Just a minor change and I would have loved this book a little more. But let it, I definitely loved it and looking for the next part 😌 yeah u heard me right. He gave a tease for another book or series in the end.

This book is the final conclusion of the first three books of the Ram Chandra Series. In this story, Sita is kidnapped and taken to Lanka, where she is kept captive by Raavan. While in Lanka, she learns about the past of her biological parents and the events surrounding her birth. She also discovers how she was saved as a child by a vulture. Much of the story explores the relationship between Raavan and his brother Kumbhakarna and how their actions shape the events leading to the great war. Ram eventually comes to Lanka to rescue Sita. In this version of the story, Sita chooses to stay in Lanka for a greater purpose. She secretly works with Raavan as part of a larger plan for the future of India. Raavan already understands that he must eventually fight Ram and lose so that Ram can emerge as a hero who will unite and lead the nation. Sita has complete faith that Ram will win the battle. Meanwhile, Ram’s three brothers also contribute in different ways to help make victory possible. In the end, Ram defeats Raavan and returns to Ayodhya, where he is destined to lead the land toward a better future.

After the very long long wait, We get to witness the epic war between Ram and Raavan. In his own inimitable style, Amish charts the build up to the final face off between Rama and Ravana. One would marvel the granularity of detail in some of the lead up scenes as they would at the thorough research of the geography of Lanka. I personally liked that the battle part was conceived and executed not in a linear manner like many of the popular adaptations would show, but in a strategic multi-pronged manner as how real battles would happen. Pacy readers may find the amount of detail overwhelming at places but if you are like me who likes to pause often and visualize the world built by the author, this makes for a great read. Philosophical discussions as usual are a delight. I loved the exchange on a hero vs leader, elite vs mass and the rise of counter elite. Each of these discussions are apt for anyone in the 21st century to stop and ponder over our current socio-political contexts. The final battle scenes present a breath taking picture. And the best part is that the War of Lanka is not the last battle. The fifth and concluding part of this wonderful series, as the book clues us towards the end, promises another great battle. Who will fight in this battle? Hope it won't be another 3+ year long wait for us all to find out!

Just wow

Last of the Ram Chandra series...amazing book..very well written...would highly recomend reading the full series by Amish. Also the shive trilogy.

Good book to read

Author has taken too much liberty to mix modernity with period fiction Examples such as Biryani and Idli are not great to read in period fiction Book also feels rushed at few junctures such as last war

As always, Amish delivers a gripping story. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on the battle of Sigiriya, which were detailed, captivating and descriptive. This entire series has been a joy to read, envision and pour into.