Children of the Lion

by Carl Muller

A monumental saga of passion, love, war and redemption from the best-selling author of The Jam Fruit Tree.‘She will grow to plunder the senses of man and yet reject all that man can offer.’ This prophecy by the wise men at the birth of the princess Sihavathi of Vanga comes to pass when she turns seven. It is announced that she is ‘in her flowers’, and soon she has grown to know man. At ten, she leaves home to fulfil her destiny, to be the consort of the lion, and to bring forth two lion-children, Sihabahu and Sihasivali. Thus begins Carl Muller’s monumental saga about Sri Lanka.Myth combines with historical fact as the author recreates the story of the conquest of Lanka by Sihabahu and Sihasivali’s eldest son, the disgraced and banished Vijaya. In conquering the island, Vijaya is fulfilling the Buddha’s prophecy—that the truant prince would make for himself a kingdom on the island where Buddhism would take root and flower for all ages to come. The narrative goes on to describe the ordeals of Vijaya’s successors in their attempt to become the undisputed rulers of Lanka. There are tales of the glorious reign of Panduvasudeva, of his beautiful queen, Bhaddakaccana, and of the daughter born to them—the exquisite Ummadacitta, the princess whose beauty drives men mad. A foretelling at her birth terrifies her brothers and drives them to madness and mindless slaughter, for it is said that her son will kill his uncles and reign supreme. This prediction is fulfilled by Pandukabhaya, and a new era of peace is ushered in that leads to the establishment of Buddhism in the kingdom by Asoka’s contemporary and friend, Devanampiyatissa, and ends with the battle between Lanka’s most famous king, Duttha Gamini Abhaya, and the ‘usurper’, King Elara. After a bloody victory, Duttha Gamini Abhaya begins the long and arduous process of winning Lanka back for the Lion Kings... Richly textured with a remarkable grasp of history and myth, Children of the Lion is a tour de force of the imagination.

984 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1997

About the author

Carl Muller was born in 1935 in Kandy. As a young man he joined the Royal Ceylon Navy, then briefly served in the Ceylon Army and later joined the Colombo Port Commission. He moved into journalism and worked in the Middle East. He is a prolific writer having written poetry, fiction, a children’s book, short stories, historical fiction, a collection of essays and monographs. He has won many awards and prizes for his writing. He is best known for The Jam Fruit Tree (1993) which won the Gratiaen Prize for that year. He currently lives in Kandy.
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Reviews

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's like the Mahawamsa in story form. I wish I could have said a thank you to the author while he still was amongst us.