Sons of Darkness (EPZ)

I have a massive fascination with mythology, especially with the mythology of my own country. But I have found the Indian landscape for mythological fantastical retelling a very bland genre. Until that is, Sons of Darkness released. Sons of Darkness, as advertised, is dark AF and the best depiction of Indian mythology till date. The constant power struggle between great nations, politically motivated actions of individuals, the blurred binary of good and evil characters, and a lot more. Gourav really excels in the intrigue sections. They heighten the tension and it's fascinating to see all the twists and turns and schemes on display. And I was really impressed with how alive the world felt. So often if can feel as if characters are pieces being moved about to tell the story, but in Sons of Darkness, the characters felt real. Fascinating and bloody, full of intrigue, with characters that leap off the page and feel alive. If you like GRRM or Abercrombie, I highly recommend giving this one a go.

Sons of Darkness by Gourav Mohanty is a gripping reimagining of the epic tale of the Mahabharata. Already widely praised fantasy novel promises to be a grimdark reimagination of the Indian epic with a heavy influence from George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones. Traversing centuries and multiple kingdoms, this book offers a lot of thrill and adventure to its readers. The book is set in the Riverlands where the Mathuran Republic narrowly survives a war with the Magadhan Empire. Senator Lord Krishna, integral in turning the former Mathura Kingdom into a republic, puts a plan into motion to save his kingdom. Meanwhile, an upcoming “swayamvar” in the Panchal Kingdom, where potential suitors compete for the princess’s hand in marriage, becomes a power play with the hopes of uniting certain regions. During the same time, an oracle struggles to decipher a cryptic prophecy in which the appearance of a mysterious “Son of Darkness” is a sign of utter destruction. How would destruction pan out in the riverlands? Could it be averted? First things first, at some 700 odd pages, Sons of Darkness was a long and intimidating tale set in dark worlds. It took me a long (very long!) time to finish it because - one, it is a whole new world with parallel worlds within; two, the fantastical writing put me at pause mode more than once. Sons of Darkness has cruel power play, conflicts, adultery, lust, gore, and more enmeshed wonderfully to serve a truly fascinating tale on the platter. There are numerous characters and their stories at play and a dramatically obnoxious climax is in place. This, and deliberate pace along with taut writing lend more thrill to the narrative of this book. Mohanty has experimented with epic retelling and I must say that his imagination and flair for world-building are praiseworthy. He managed to include incredibly outstanding viewpoints and alternate personalities of the known characters. What stood out for me were the unbelievable twists and turns in the plot. While it was hard to get into the book, it was a fine experience once you truly got into it. A recommended read for fantasy lovers!

This book is what India needed. Beautifully doing justice to a genre that was unexplored until now. This is indeed India's first epic grimdark fantasy. I read this book while undergoing a reading slump and boy oh boy! This is what I needed. From the word go, this book entraps you and will not let you put it down till you have finished reading it. Thereafter, it leaves you to deal with the heartbreak it gives. Battles, political drama, lust, gore, emotions, you name it and this book offers you all of it. I don't remember the last book I read (that too by an Indian author) where the world building was so vivid. It is nothing short of watching a movie as you read. If you are a Game of Thrones fan, you cannot miss this. Even if you aren't, this book has has everything to make you a convert.

Great story. Loved it so much.

First in the series, the book follows 2 main storylines. One focuses on Krishna and Bhanumati trying to save the fate of people in Mathura with an alternate strategy. On the other Karna's character emerges with his own set of challenges that mixes his destiny, past life and future into an adventurous ride. The prologue surely invested me into the story. I was excited to see how the Mahabharata-inspired tale spans out into its own epic fantasy. The main characters certainly had a depth to them with multiple angles developed and introduced to readers (their intellect, emotional baggage & strengths). While the book did have so many layers to it, I did have a few concerns. The character names & a few relationship dynamics were borrowed from the original, but they often played a different role and interest areas, which confuses whether to live with the image in mind or with the partially developed side characters who we may or may not understand. Another turn-off was that the female characters were explained in a stereotypical way. And lastly, it is not exactly a clean read! Hence, I had a hard time deciphering if I loved it or had too many issues with it, which leaves my rating somewhere in the middle. Given the length of the story, I feel at least a few of the muddles could be cleared up.

Like the author I'm a huge fan of India mythology and grim dark fantasy novels...and the world he created from it is absolutely dark and twisted.. what i like most about the sons of darkness is it keeps you on the edge... The two of my favourite characters from the books is krishan & shakuni... and the climax and the big reveal in the END!!!! 🤯🤯🤯 I'm waiting eagerly for the second book!!!!

"Sons of Darkness" is Amish on Adrenaline—a world where *Avatar* meets *A Song of Ice and Fire*. Forget noble heroes—Mohanty’s cast is delicious dark and complex. Especially Shakuni’s ruthless cleverness and Krishna’s sharp wit which made for an epic dark showdown. I also loved the chakra-based magic which was so unique, rooted in Indian philosophy yet completely its own. And then there are the battles. Oh man, the Swayamvar duel was brutal, but nothing preps you for The Battle of Mathura. It’s carnage, it's chaos, and it’s intense. Even the worldbuilding is 😍😁 makes Aryavrat a living, breathing character. Each realm— Pirates of Kalinga, Empire of Magadh, Republic of Mathura, Hastina Union—brings the dust, clash of swords, and spice-scented air alive. But my favourite were the women. These aren’t side characters—they’re powerhouses who steal the show. Be it Mati the Pirate Princess or the Silver Wolves, these women are brutal and unapologetically badass!

The book is amateurish at some times and absolutely brilliant at other times. This is one of the most difficult genres to get right The author has done a commendable - with his take of the Mahabharata in a fantasy genre. The characters are great - well etched out The book is slow but worth the ride. Highly recommend

I just finished today reading this book. Honestly, I really liked it, though I think it was a bit slow in the beginning. But soon after the story picks up and is very rich. You have battles, mythology, politics, relationships, that make your time reading it worthwhile. Like in Game of Thrones, there are battles and rivalries between factions, but you will see that the Great Game is not between them, but involving superior beings, more powerful than humans. Also, I really enjoyed the way how the author, in the final part of the book, the the Battle of Mathura, puts scenes observed by different participants - you really feel engaged. I am waiting now eagerly for the second volume.

The first half is slow at times but the author is building the characters and the storylines up for a phenomenal second half of the book which is action packed. Love the book and I can’t wait for the second!

A truly great dark fantasy with vivid imagery, deep characterizations and head spinning plot twists that catch you totally off guard. With a lot of moving parts, the pacing, progression and flow of the story was well balanced without it feeling overwhelming. And the culmination set it up wonderfully for a sequel that hopefully will be released soon. Quite an epic ride and read, and totally worth the buy.

Came exactly as it looks, excited to get to read it and the cover is just so pretty. Looks so nice on the shelve.

Very good first novel that reimagines some of the adventures in the Mahabharata, making them more readable. I bought the Mahabharata over a year ago and have not worked up the courage to tackle it. Having read The Sons of Darkness I will now have a go. I look forward to the sequel when it is published.