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The Burnt Empire Saga #1
Upon a Burning Throne
From international sensation Ashok K. Banker, pioneer of the fantasy genre in India, comes the first book in a groundbreaking, epic fantasy series inspired by the ancient Indian classic, The Mahabharata
In a world where demigods and demons walk among mortals, the Emperor of the vast Burnt Empire has died, leaving a turbulent realm without an emperor. Two young princes, Adri and Shvate, are in line to rule, but birthright does not guarantee inheritance, for any successor must sit upon the legendary Burning Throne and pass The Test of Fire. Imbued with dark sorceries, the throne is a crucible—one that incinerates the unworthy.
Adri and Shvate pass The Test and are declared heirs to the empire . . . but there is another with a claim to power, another who also survives: a girl from an outlying kingdom. When this girl, whose father is the powerful demonlord Jarsun, is denied her claim by the interim leaders, Jarsun declares war, vowing to tear the Burnt Empire apart—leaving the young princes Adri and Shvate to rule a shattered realm embroiled in rebellion and chaos . . .
Welcome to the Burnt Empire Saga
In a world where demigods and demons walk among mortals, the Emperor of the vast Burnt Empire has died, leaving a turbulent realm without an emperor. Two young princes, Adri and Shvate, are in line to rule, but birthright does not guarantee inheritance, for any successor must sit upon the legendary Burning Throne and pass The Test of Fire. Imbued with dark sorceries, the throne is a crucible—one that incinerates the unworthy.
Adri and Shvate pass The Test and are declared heirs to the empire . . . but there is another with a claim to power, another who also survives: a girl from an outlying kingdom. When this girl, whose father is the powerful demonlord Jarsun, is denied her claim by the interim leaders, Jarsun declares war, vowing to tear the Burnt Empire apart—leaving the young princes Adri and Shvate to rule a shattered realm embroiled in rebellion and chaos . . .
Welcome to the Burnt Empire Saga
662 pages, Paperback
First published April 16, 2019
223 people are currently reading
11964 people want to read
About the author
Ashok K. Banker
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 273 reviews
December 6, 2021
woooow !! review to come after I gather the pieces of my soul this shattered
February 25, 2019
The Mahabharata is an epic of epics. It is incredibly long. While the Ramayana is a story of the golden age, the Mahabharata is meant to be about the transition to the modern age of confusion. In this epic, warriors and kings are no longer sure of their moral duties. As a made-up example, you face your brother, who wronged your wife, in war. You are obligated to your wife to kill him; but you are obligated not to kill your brother; but you are obligated by the rules of battle to kill the enemy. The epic asks us difficult questions. Honest men must lie. Good men must be tricked. The age of a simple binary between heroes and villains is over.
I was thrilled by the prospect of an epic fantasy grounded in the Mahabharata, which is why I’m so crushed to be disappointed by Upon a Burning Throne, a fantasy epic series that promised to lay its roots in the epic. Epics are occasionally repetitive and always long, and the Mahabharata I knew would be heavy, large, and violent; but Ashok K. Banker’s novel did not have to as long as it is: his writing is scattered, and he spreads stories that are compact in the original epic very, very thin. I found myself skimming in its 669 pages often.
I am also struggling with some of the novel’s choices. First, his decisions around his Krishna-like figure (capable of both great violence and wisdom). Banker frames him as a clear and inarguable villain and demon who commits disgusting atrocities and is directly responsible for the early twists of the epic. In the original, these occurrences and twists are signs of changing times, of hazy successions and dubious moral debates. Now, that confusion enters the binary: human or demon, good or evil. Banker also pours most of his new magic into the horrifying atrocities (one of the most disturbing scenes I’ve read in fantasy) of the demon. Despite the rich source material of nagas and gods, Banker’s only other main fantastic trope is in the prologue: the royal family is crowned by and impervious to fire, yet somehow this ceases to be important for the rest of the book.
Banker also introduces a ton of fatphobia into the text, and somewhat reduces, in my opinion, some of my favorite mythic women, even after introducing more female warriors (’Bhima’ is female, and Karni a complex character, and those were the only two changes I liked in his retelling). He exaggerates Adri’s blindness and Pandu’s albinism—they’re there in the myth, and threats to their legitimacy as kings; but in Banker’s novel, they are presented as crippled. Particularly Adri has many emotionally humiliating moments, and is portrayed as weak and unwilling to rule, which disturbed me. I also found Banker’s adaptive execution confusing and inconsistent. Karna’s mother Kunthi is renamed Karni in the novel, which is heavily confusing—similarly, Shiva becomes Shima—all while other characters just keep their names (Pandu).
This read, if I’m honest, was immensely disappointing. From an epic based in source material rich with strong women (Draupadi! Kunthi!) and complicated heroes, it underdelivered. I hope someone is able to execute this differently at some point in the future. Or even, I hope that I am the minority in opinions about this book. People less familiar with the Mahabharata may love this, or those who know it may have a different opinion than I do. I sort of hope they do.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I studied the Mahabharata extensively in college, but will not pretend to be an expert. These opinions are my own from my own knowledge of the epic as it stands in English translation.
May 19, 2022
05/19/22 reread: top tier fantasy, so underrated it hurts 😭 I completely forgot about the twist at the end and now I am extra excited to get to book 3 now that it's out!
CW: ableism, incest, rape (mentioned), animal death, graphic violence & gore
I devoured this 650+ page book in 4 days, which I think says a lot in and of itself. It's been so long since I've felt like I couldn't put a book down, and this book was it. I think this book just has so many elements that I love - morally grey characters, complicated family dynamics, political intrigue, rich worldbuilding, and a healthy dose of action and violence to top it all off.
Just a quick disclaimer though that I am not familiar with the Mahabharata at all, so my reading experience and review is not going to be able to reflect how good of a retelling this is. I encourage you to look up other reviews, particularly those of own voices reviewers, to see what they thought of it.
I adore Ashok Banker's writing style. It's incredibly addictive, and just lyrical enough for my taste. The worldbuilding is so lush, and while I've seen some people say it's too info dumpy, I don't feel that way at all. I think the narrative style, which leans towards a more classical feel, rather than a modern style (much like Ken Liu's The Grace of Kings), lends itself well to this type of intricate and detailed worldbuilding and politics. I loved how many POVs we got and while of course, there were a few central characters, I loved being able to see the same scene or plotline play out from multiple different angles.
I felt like for such a huge cast of characters, Banker did a pretty good job at making me feel connected to them, especially the ones that were more central to this book's plot. Aside from Adri and Shvate, whom I love as characters, Jilana was also a favourite for me. There's just something about a power-hungry Dowager Empress that gets me every single time, and Jilana is one of the best (or worst, depending on how you look at it). I also adored Vida, our little resident scholar, and I hope he'll have a bigger role to play in future books.
My one criticism, and what is keeping this from being a true 5 stars (edit: bumping this up to a full 5 stars upon thinking about it more but this is still a criticism I have about this book), is the way female characters are handled in this book. On one hand, I understand that with the main conflict of the book being court intrigue and inheritance drama, there was inevitably going to be a lot of talk about women producing heirs, but I couldn't help but feel like at times, that was the only purpose of a lot of the women in this book. I do want to note that Banker does make attempts at subverting this in the text, so I don't feel like this is an issue of the author being sexist, but more so an issue in the execution. I felt similarly about the ableism presented in this book - while it never goes unchallenged in the book, just know that the main characters do face a lot of ableism in this world, so if that is a trigger for you, I would definitely proceed with caution. I feel like Adri (who is blind) in particular faces a lot of trauma and emotional manipulation when it comes to his disability, but given the ending, I do feel hopeful that this will be addressed in future books.
This book gripped me from the very first page to the end, and I think there's no better word to describe it than "epic". I think it set up the series (slated to be at least 9 books) incredibly well, and while I am slightly hesitant going into the second book since it doesn't seem like we'll be following the same characters (or at least getting less of them), I feel pretty confident that Ashok Banker is going to continue to deliver in terms of the worldbuilding, politics, and prose, and I am very excited for that.
If you are a fan of epic fantasy, especially ones with a heavy political focus, family drama, and godly shenanigans, I think you will love this as much as I did.
CW: ableism, incest, rape (mentioned), animal death, graphic violence & gore
I devoured this 650+ page book in 4 days, which I think says a lot in and of itself. It's been so long since I've felt like I couldn't put a book down, and this book was it. I think this book just has so many elements that I love - morally grey characters, complicated family dynamics, political intrigue, rich worldbuilding, and a healthy dose of action and violence to top it all off.
Just a quick disclaimer though that I am not familiar with the Mahabharata at all, so my reading experience and review is not going to be able to reflect how good of a retelling this is. I encourage you to look up other reviews, particularly those of own voices reviewers, to see what they thought of it.
I adore Ashok Banker's writing style. It's incredibly addictive, and just lyrical enough for my taste. The worldbuilding is so lush, and while I've seen some people say it's too info dumpy, I don't feel that way at all. I think the narrative style, which leans towards a more classical feel, rather than a modern style (much like Ken Liu's The Grace of Kings), lends itself well to this type of intricate and detailed worldbuilding and politics. I loved how many POVs we got and while of course, there were a few central characters, I loved being able to see the same scene or plotline play out from multiple different angles.
I felt like for such a huge cast of characters, Banker did a pretty good job at making me feel connected to them, especially the ones that were more central to this book's plot. Aside from Adri and Shvate, whom I love as characters, Jilana was also a favourite for me. There's just something about a power-hungry Dowager Empress that gets me every single time, and Jilana is one of the best (or worst, depending on how you look at it). I also adored Vida, our little resident scholar, and I hope he'll have a bigger role to play in future books.
My one criticism, and what is keeping this from being a true 5 stars (edit: bumping this up to a full 5 stars upon thinking about it more but this is still a criticism I have about this book), is the way female characters are handled in this book. On one hand, I understand that with the main conflict of the book being court intrigue and inheritance drama, there was inevitably going to be a lot of talk about women producing heirs, but I couldn't help but feel like at times, that was the only purpose of a lot of the women in this book. I do want to note that Banker does make attempts at subverting this in the text, so I don't feel like this is an issue of the author being sexist, but more so an issue in the execution. I felt similarly about the ableism presented in this book - while it never goes unchallenged in the book, just know that the main characters do face a lot of ableism in this world, so if that is a trigger for you, I would definitely proceed with caution. I feel like Adri (who is blind) in particular faces a lot of trauma and emotional manipulation when it comes to his disability, but given the ending, I do feel hopeful that this will be addressed in future books.
This book gripped me from the very first page to the end, and I think there's no better word to describe it than "epic". I think it set up the series (slated to be at least 9 books) incredibly well, and while I am slightly hesitant going into the second book since it doesn't seem like we'll be following the same characters (or at least getting less of them), I feel pretty confident that Ashok Banker is going to continue to deliver in terms of the worldbuilding, politics, and prose, and I am very excited for that.
If you are a fan of epic fantasy, especially ones with a heavy political focus, family drama, and godly shenanigans, I think you will love this as much as I did.
June 24, 2021
Oh my goodness what a pleasant surprise this was! I went in with tempered expectations given the rather low goodreads rating, but wow!!!! It blew me away! I’m not quite sure why this is rated so low! It definitely deserves a lot more attention and praise!
First of all, the writing is absolutely gorgeous. I loved getting absolutely lost in this world with these characters and Banker’s writing style completely connected for me! It felt very reminiscent of Katherine Arden’s writing style for her Winternight trilogy. It had this fairytale like quality that I adored!
The characters, twists, and lore in this book is what totally sold me. I loved exploring the lore with the gods and goddesses, exploring characters’ hardships in a really well developed way that felt genuine, and loved just the overall plot of this book, centering around a royal family and siblings who both end up as co-heirs to the throne.
Definitely need the next book right away after that ending! Highly recommend this one!
First of all, the writing is absolutely gorgeous. I loved getting absolutely lost in this world with these characters and Banker’s writing style completely connected for me! It felt very reminiscent of Katherine Arden’s writing style for her Winternight trilogy. It had this fairytale like quality that I adored!
The characters, twists, and lore in this book is what totally sold me. I loved exploring the lore with the gods and goddesses, exploring characters’ hardships in a really well developed way that felt genuine, and loved just the overall plot of this book, centering around a royal family and siblings who both end up as co-heirs to the throne.
Definitely need the next book right away after that ending! Highly recommend this one!
March 2, 2022
4.0 Stars
I really enjoyed this East Indian inspired epic fantasy novel. The complex character was wonderfully complex. The novel explores some progressive and nuanced ideas surrounding disabilities and gender roles. Likewise, the worldbuilding was detailed and fascinating. I really enjoyed this one and look forward to reading the sequel.
I really enjoyed this East Indian inspired epic fantasy novel. The complex character was wonderfully complex. The novel explores some progressive and nuanced ideas surrounding disabilities and gender roles. Likewise, the worldbuilding was detailed and fascinating. I really enjoyed this one and look forward to reading the sequel.
Want to read
March 18, 2017Pitched as "Indian Game of Thrones."
August 7, 2019
This was a tough one.
I read a slew of 1 star reviews I agreed with. I read tons of 4-5 star reviews I agreed with. This novel is *very* YMMV. (Your Milage May Vary - highly depending on reader proclivities.)
In the end, I could not finish this after 236 pages. And yes, I know how foolish it is to rate a book you haven't actually finished. I never claimed to be a sage of common sense.
I do, however, have a goodreads account that I can do whatever the hell I want with.
The good: Delicious world building. Literary Fantasy. Smart writing. Characters that are all sorts of morally grey. Evil villains with a good cause, righteous leaders that turn a blind eye to their own corruption.
But the regressive, nose wrinkling way a portion of the characters were written stopped me.
Not initially.
Not after 10 pages.
Not after 50.
Finally, during a death of a thousand cuts I lay down and gave up at 236 pages. The reasons are below.
*Spoilers Ahoy! Ye were warned.*
So, the Empress is a Strong Female Character. Great, right? Former fisherwoman, now powerful. But then...She coordinates the rape of her two daughter-in-laws to continue the bloodline. (Yeah, there's some incest.) And characters lament that these heartless daughter-in-laws don't love their children. What bitches, right? (INSERT HEAVY SARCASM) In fact, they may have even caused their children to be born with abnormalities! See, one daughter-in-law closed her eyes during the rape, so maybe that's why her son was born blind?! Or so the palace gossip says.
We do get another Strong Female Character. She's young, royal, and learns how to sword fight. AND she knows the law of the land. She's pretty smart. Actually, she's damn cool.
Until a god tells her, "Hey, so basically, you need to get impregnated"
Strong Female Character, horrified: "So, you're gonna assault me? Gross!"
God: "Well, no, I can implant a baby another way. But you'd like the sex, sooooo. Let me take on the visage of your dead boyfriend you never got to have sex with. You...really wanted it anyway, right?"
Strong Female Character: "Well, now that you mention it, I DO want it. And I might as well accept my fate. Because I'm a Strong Female Character! Let's sex and make me an incubator!"
(This is after she spent weeks playing slave to a visiting sage to appease him. Making his breakfast, fetching his errands, etc. Apparently - and this is bonkers - her service and dedication was SO GOOD that she was rewarded by a god being summoned to make her pregnant. SIGN ME UP!)
Banker, the author, does make the reader aware of these inequalities. He does, to his credit, seem to find them a tiny bit ridiculous. Females can't handle scrolls? How unfortunate and unfair!
But they can be "strong" and do their "duty" by being baby incubators. And then Banker just RUNS with this 1984 dystopian feminism and tries to make it...regressive AND progressive.
It's just bullshit manipulation. Worse, it's in the guise of empowerment to women.
Eventually, I just had to pass.
Good luck, gentle reader. Try your hand, as I said: YMMV
I read a slew of 1 star reviews I agreed with. I read tons of 4-5 star reviews I agreed with. This novel is *very* YMMV. (Your Milage May Vary - highly depending on reader proclivities.)
In the end, I could not finish this after 236 pages. And yes, I know how foolish it is to rate a book you haven't actually finished. I never claimed to be a sage of common sense.
I do, however, have a goodreads account that I can do whatever the hell I want with.
The good: Delicious world building. Literary Fantasy. Smart writing. Characters that are all sorts of morally grey. Evil villains with a good cause, righteous leaders that turn a blind eye to their own corruption.
But the regressive, nose wrinkling way a portion of the characters were written stopped me.
Not initially.
Not after 10 pages.
Not after 50.
Finally, during a death of a thousand cuts I lay down and gave up at 236 pages. The reasons are below.
*Spoilers Ahoy! Ye were warned.*
So, the Empress is a Strong Female Character. Great, right? Former fisherwoman, now powerful. But then...She coordinates the rape of her two daughter-in-laws to continue the bloodline. (Yeah, there's some incest.) And characters lament that these heartless daughter-in-laws don't love their children. What bitches, right? (INSERT HEAVY SARCASM) In fact, they may have even caused their children to be born with abnormalities! See, one daughter-in-law closed her eyes during the rape, so maybe that's why her son was born blind?! Or so the palace gossip says.
We do get another Strong Female Character. She's young, royal, and learns how to sword fight. AND she knows the law of the land. She's pretty smart. Actually, she's damn cool.
Until a god tells her, "Hey, so basically, you need to get impregnated"
Strong Female Character, horrified: "So, you're gonna assault me? Gross!"
God: "Well, no, I can implant a baby another way. But you'd like the sex, sooooo. Let me take on the visage of your dead boyfriend you never got to have sex with. You...really wanted it anyway, right?"
Strong Female Character: "Well, now that you mention it, I DO want it. And I might as well accept my fate. Because I'm a Strong Female Character! Let's sex and make me an incubator!"
(This is after she spent weeks playing slave to a visiting sage to appease him. Making his breakfast, fetching his errands, etc. Apparently - and this is bonkers - her service and dedication was SO GOOD that she was rewarded by a god being summoned to make her pregnant. SIGN ME UP!)
Banker, the author, does make the reader aware of these inequalities. He does, to his credit, seem to find them a tiny bit ridiculous. Females can't handle scrolls? How unfortunate and unfair!
But they can be "strong" and do their "duty" by being baby incubators. And then Banker just RUNS with this 1984 dystopian feminism and tries to make it...regressive AND progressive.
It's just bullshit manipulation. Worse, it's in the guise of empowerment to women.
Eventually, I just had to pass.
Good luck, gentle reader. Try your hand, as I said: YMMV
January 8, 2019
I received an ARC of this book and it doesn't in any way influence my opinion on it.
I will start this review by thanking Ashok Banker for fighting to get this book out in the world. This book is not just a book you read, It's a book that you digest, ruminate over and enjoy thoroughly.
Those new to his writing like I am will be so intrigued by the intricate attention to detail and perfect melding of so many plots and characters. Also big thank you to John Joseph Adams for realizing how special this book is.
Upon A Burning Throne is a long and lovely book and I finished it in a day and a half. To the annoyance of my family I hardly put this book down and ignored some bodily functions because I just had to read what comes next.
Upon A Burning Throne chronicles (yes that particular word) the Krushan Family the rulers of the Burnt Empire. The world Ashok has built is a very vast, rich and lush civilization with many cultures, norms and ways of life which are not skimmed over but aptly detailed and explained. Each page of this book evokes emotions, I had gone through a maelstrom of feelings by the time I was done with this book (Most good though that ending....... JAWDROPPING!).
The Burnt Empire is ruled by the Krushans who are made up of Jilana the Dowager Empress, Vrath the Prince Regent (Who is a badass demigod and devout man), along with the pregnant Princess daughters-in-law of Jilana, Ember and Umber.
The two children of these women are to be the new heirs to the throne. Any child born of the Royal family meant to be heir has to for through a magical trial after birth to prove his/her legitimacy to the right of the throne.
This time not only does the two boys get chosen as heirs but there's also a third child chosen who is born from and exiled dangerous member of the Royal family.
The two boys are each born with what the Burnt Empire sees as disabilities, Adri the elder is blind and Shvate the younger is an albino who is very sensitive to sunlight.
These events will lead to a shift in the fabric of the world.
The heirs will have to prove they're capable of ruling the Burnt Empire and shouldering the large responsibilities that come with it while dealing with their own issues, supernatural forces of darkness and familial problems.
All the while the gods manipulate the mortals and make the world their giant chessboard.
The story isn't just isolated to these characters, there is a vast pool of characters with various interesting storylines that intersect to form one big brilliant astonishing web. This book can aptly be compared to Game of Thrones in it's scope and deviousness of it's villains and yes it's also quite bloody at times.
There are so many aspects of this book I love, here are some highlights:
-The women. There is an abundance of amazing, badass and strong women in this series. Even matriarchal kingdoms. Princesses are warriors and battle strategists, they slay in battle and rule as mothers. The main female characters are complex and are also as much important to the grand scheme of things although at times their role is mostly facilitating certain things into certain places for future purposes.
-The Writing. It's so vividly detailed I easily picture every single scene perfectly.
-The magic/gods/chosen ones/nasty powerful enemy, I love the way it all plays out like an epic tale.
-That beautiful resplendent cover!!!
-The culture of the Krushans/their law. They're so honourable although they sure love their battles.
-The Foreshadowing, oh yes many things are heavily teased and they're so well executed the anticipation is sweet.
-The fact that the main characters overcome what things that should hinder their life and burn brightly.
-The Indian culture this book is inspired by.
There's many more things I loved that I can't even remember but I assure you that everything about this book will implore you to love it.
Warning though, this is not a happy book, It will draw you in, chew you, devour you and spit you out regardless of your feelings and you will be ready to do it all over again. This book is a nice way to start this year as it reminds me why I love books.
The passion and imagination of the author is so obvious in many scenes, the battles, cultures, mythical beings and descriptions.
I could go on gushing about this book but not do it justice so I'll begin to close my review by saying Upon A Burning Throne is a book you'll see characters grow, learn, make mistakes, fight, give birth to their own children thus setting prophecies in motion and through it all you will love every single thing.
So many things happen that I can't cover but it's all on an epic scale fantasy lovers will adore and as an avid fantasy fan, I happily recommend this book.
I can't wait for the next book because that cliffhanger ending has got me in my feelings.
I will start this review by thanking Ashok Banker for fighting to get this book out in the world. This book is not just a book you read, It's a book that you digest, ruminate over and enjoy thoroughly.
Those new to his writing like I am will be so intrigued by the intricate attention to detail and perfect melding of so many plots and characters. Also big thank you to John Joseph Adams for realizing how special this book is.
Upon A Burning Throne is a long and lovely book and I finished it in a day and a half. To the annoyance of my family I hardly put this book down and ignored some bodily functions because I just had to read what comes next.
Upon A Burning Throne chronicles (yes that particular word) the Krushan Family the rulers of the Burnt Empire. The world Ashok has built is a very vast, rich and lush civilization with many cultures, norms and ways of life which are not skimmed over but aptly detailed and explained. Each page of this book evokes emotions, I had gone through a maelstrom of feelings by the time I was done with this book (Most good though that ending....... JAWDROPPING!).
The Burnt Empire is ruled by the Krushans who are made up of Jilana the Dowager Empress, Vrath the Prince Regent (Who is a badass demigod and devout man), along with the pregnant Princess daughters-in-law of Jilana, Ember and Umber.
The two children of these women are to be the new heirs to the throne. Any child born of the Royal family meant to be heir has to for through a magical trial after birth to prove his/her legitimacy to the right of the throne.
This time not only does the two boys get chosen as heirs but there's also a third child chosen who is born from and exiled dangerous member of the Royal family.
The two boys are each born with what the Burnt Empire sees as disabilities, Adri the elder is blind and Shvate the younger is an albino who is very sensitive to sunlight.
These events will lead to a shift in the fabric of the world.
The heirs will have to prove they're capable of ruling the Burnt Empire and shouldering the large responsibilities that come with it while dealing with their own issues, supernatural forces of darkness and familial problems.
All the while the gods manipulate the mortals and make the world their giant chessboard.
The story isn't just isolated to these characters, there is a vast pool of characters with various interesting storylines that intersect to form one big brilliant astonishing web. This book can aptly be compared to Game of Thrones in it's scope and deviousness of it's villains and yes it's also quite bloody at times.
There are so many aspects of this book I love, here are some highlights:
-The women. There is an abundance of amazing, badass and strong women in this series. Even matriarchal kingdoms. Princesses are warriors and battle strategists, they slay in battle and rule as mothers. The main female characters are complex and are also as much important to the grand scheme of things although at times their role is mostly facilitating certain things into certain places for future purposes.
-The Writing. It's so vividly detailed I easily picture every single scene perfectly.
-The magic/gods/chosen ones/nasty powerful enemy, I love the way it all plays out like an epic tale.
-That beautiful resplendent cover!!!
-The culture of the Krushans/their law. They're so honourable although they sure love their battles.
-The Foreshadowing, oh yes many things are heavily teased and they're so well executed the anticipation is sweet.
-The fact that the main characters overcome what things that should hinder their life and burn brightly.
-The Indian culture this book is inspired by.
There's many more things I loved that I can't even remember but I assure you that everything about this book will implore you to love it.
Warning though, this is not a happy book, It will draw you in, chew you, devour you and spit you out regardless of your feelings and you will be ready to do it all over again. This book is a nice way to start this year as it reminds me why I love books.
The passion and imagination of the author is so obvious in many scenes, the battles, cultures, mythical beings and descriptions.
I could go on gushing about this book but not do it justice so I'll begin to close my review by saying Upon A Burning Throne is a book you'll see characters grow, learn, make mistakes, fight, give birth to their own children thus setting prophecies in motion and through it all you will love every single thing.
So many things happen that I can't cover but it's all on an epic scale fantasy lovers will adore and as an avid fantasy fan, I happily recommend this book.
I can't wait for the next book because that cliffhanger ending has got me in my feelings.
May 10, 2021
Definitely dove into Upon a Burning Throne because I got the audio ARC from Netgalley for book 2. It just so happens to work out because this one was available on Kindle Unlimited. Double whammy guys!
That being said, I was pretty intrigued to dive into this one. I'll admit that I was getting tons of Game of Throne vibes - which is good because so many other people mentioned that save vibe in their reviews. Phew! Glad we are all vibing together.
As for the characters, it felt like a lot to keep track of - kind of like that series. In the beginning, I didn't know what I was going to get out of everyone because things were moving at a snail's pace. Yet, after part 1 things really took off. I was so glad that I was getting action, betrayal, and all kinds of twists. It made this book very hard to put down and walk away from.
I can't wait for more complications and revenge in the next book. I hope the sequel does a good job of continuing this storyline because it's going to suck if it falls victim to the second book syndrome. Especially with the GOT vibes and all.
That being said, I was pretty intrigued to dive into this one. I'll admit that I was getting tons of Game of Throne vibes - which is good because so many other people mentioned that save vibe in their reviews. Phew! Glad we are all vibing together.
As for the characters, it felt like a lot to keep track of - kind of like that series. In the beginning, I didn't know what I was going to get out of everyone because things were moving at a snail's pace. Yet, after part 1 things really took off. I was so glad that I was getting action, betrayal, and all kinds of twists. It made this book very hard to put down and walk away from.
I can't wait for more complications and revenge in the next book. I hope the sequel does a good job of continuing this storyline because it's going to suck if it falls victim to the second book syndrome. Especially with the GOT vibes and all.
April 11, 2019
DNF @20%.
Upon the Burning Throne opens up with the most dull, long-winded, derivative prologue I've read in recent memory, and that kind of set the tone for the next couple of hundred pages. One dimensional characters, prose that's riddled with info-dumps and lists (good lord, so many lists *clutches head*), and is, apparently, a terrible retelling (of The Mahabharata) to boot.
At least the cover is pretty.
~
Review copy provided by the publisher via Edelweiss. All opinions are my own.
Upon the Burning Throne opens up with the most dull, long-winded, derivative prologue I've read in recent memory, and that kind of set the tone for the next couple of hundred pages. One dimensional characters, prose that's riddled with info-dumps and lists (good lord, so many lists *clutches head*), and is, apparently, a terrible retelling (of The Mahabharata) to boot.
At least the cover is pretty.
~
Review copy provided by the publisher via Edelweiss. All opinions are my own.
June 7, 2025
1.5/5 stars.
DNF at 267, though I may pick it up again at some point. This book had a lot of potential but it was just so plotty and all of the characters lacked any substance. I thought the prologue was really cool and I was excited to see Adri and Shvate compete with Jarsun’s daughter, but she literally never was mentioned again (even in Jarsun’s chapters).
I also really hated the way literally all of the female characters were treated. All of them were objectified in some way or another and the only one we really get to know (at least up until where I got to) was forced to be a servant for like her whole chapter and then gave up on her life and future to have some god’s kid. Banker makes a point of stating how hot and how sexy every single woman is as part of her “introduction”.
There were cool things, like the world building and the mythology, but I’m a character-based reader and this book is 100% plot.
DNF at 267, though I may pick it up again at some point. This book had a lot of potential but it was just so plotty and all of the characters lacked any substance. I thought the prologue was really cool and I was excited to see Adri and Shvate compete with Jarsun’s daughter, but she literally never was mentioned again (even in Jarsun’s chapters).
I also really hated the way literally all of the female characters were treated. All of them were objectified in some way or another and the only one we really get to know (at least up until where I got to) was forced to be a servant for like her whole chapter and then gave up on her life and future to have some god’s kid. Banker makes a point of stating how hot and how sexy every single woman is as part of her “introduction”.
There were cool things, like the world building and the mythology, but I’m a character-based reader and this book is 100% plot.
Want to read
February 19, 2022The lowest rated fantasy book on my tbr. And I actually have plans to read it, soon. Also is inspired by the ancient Indian classic, The Mahabharata. I'm super curious...👀 👀
February 14, 2021
CW: for ableism, sexism, SA and more. YMMV also spoilers.
Despite being based on the Mahabharata epic, Upon a Burning Throne manages to distinguish itself enough from the original in ways that benefit the overall narrative. Where it fails is the adherence to the original characters and plot which once recognized completely takes you out of the immersion of the fantasy world the author has worked so hard to build.
Speaking of worldbuilding, despite some praising the characters, I coudn’t help but find them riddled with inane and backwards social views and gender roles. Both from the society established within Arthaloka, the fictional setting, as well as from the narration given from third and often first person perspectives.
**Edited for Content Warning**
Karni, my favorite character, falls victim to a pregnancy “given” 🤢 to her by a god as a "reward" for her servitude to a rishi/mage. Not only did she NOT KNOW the consequences of uttering the spell to call the god, the god then refuses to leave the chamber and coerces her into receiving 🤢 a child from the god. The way it's written makes it feel very slimy and the imagery of manipulation and coercion of a woman into essentially fornicating with a deity could've been avoided. Not only do we have this in the original mythology, I wonder if there was a way to write this better and not rely on that element of the original. Requires better writing I guess. Despite this being her arc, to be the birth mother of Kern and the five Krushan children in the story, I would’ve hoped to see someone as capable as she’s depicted have more agency of her own path.
For as much as she thinks about and talks about how she makes her own choices, I can’t help but feel though her hand is forced by fate and the source material, and therefore the author to be nothing more than lipservice to “strong and well rounded women” of the narrative.
****
All that said, when the book is good it’s not bad. There are interesting turns of phrase and there are individual scenes that stand out like when Adri’s lover is kidnapped. That whole drive was interesting to witness and i was not expecting anything like that at all.
Even with the long winded prose, Upon a Burning throne eventually falls victim to being based off a well known mythology and in adapting that, despite how self aware it may seem the author fails to see and subvert certain aspects of Desi and in particular Indian Hindu society that are unsavory to say the least.
Having two brothers be born atypically, one blind and dark skinned who is weak of heart, partakes in infidelity and becomes the father of 101 demon spawn, and an albino brother who is virtuous, brave and husband to the Kerni and Mayla, mother of the five protagonists in this adaptation....is odd.
There is rampant colorism, sexism and an odd fetishization of the caste system, in which the upper caste learned people (Brahmanistic seers,) are revered and honored with little scrutiny, the ruling and upper class people are the target of the most analysis where we see all sides of their lives, and the lower castes are relegated to being happy in their places, honoring their roles and lives of servitude....it’s all very basic.
If you’re going to make a whole fantasy world, I would also hope that one can sidestep these issues, especially when it gives that air by attempting to give some lipservice to progressive politics in the women and femme characters.
Also the preview for the next book has a species of people with multiple genders using neutral pronouns while literally being...monstrous? I wonder if this was simply an attempt to create inclusion while simultaneously avoiding gender diversity within the nation of Hastinaga, and going with the monstrous queer people of gentle hearts being misunderstood.
All in all this book is a 2/5. It’s something to read and if you’re used to South Asian story tellin, particularly Indian narratives with winding paths, long descriptions, you’ll like this. If not, then good luck. I would recommend this to anyone with time to burn or if you’re looking for fantasy that’s not based in explicitly western settings.
Despite being based on the Mahabharata epic, Upon a Burning Throne manages to distinguish itself enough from the original in ways that benefit the overall narrative. Where it fails is the adherence to the original characters and plot which once recognized completely takes you out of the immersion of the fantasy world the author has worked so hard to build.
Speaking of worldbuilding, despite some praising the characters, I coudn’t help but find them riddled with inane and backwards social views and gender roles. Both from the society established within Arthaloka, the fictional setting, as well as from the narration given from third and often first person perspectives.
**Edited for Content Warning**
Karni, my favorite character, falls victim to a pregnancy “given” 🤢 to her by a god as a "reward" for her servitude to a rishi/mage. Not only did she NOT KNOW the consequences of uttering the spell to call the god, the god then refuses to leave the chamber and coerces her into receiving 🤢 a child from the god. The way it's written makes it feel very slimy and the imagery of manipulation and coercion of a woman into essentially fornicating with a deity could've been avoided. Not only do we have this in the original mythology, I wonder if there was a way to write this better and not rely on that element of the original. Requires better writing I guess. Despite this being her arc, to be the birth mother of Kern and the five Krushan children in the story, I would’ve hoped to see someone as capable as she’s depicted have more agency of her own path.
For as much as she thinks about and talks about how she makes her own choices, I can’t help but feel though her hand is forced by fate and the source material, and therefore the author to be nothing more than lipservice to “strong and well rounded women” of the narrative.
****
All that said, when the book is good it’s not bad. There are interesting turns of phrase and there are individual scenes that stand out like when Adri’s lover is kidnapped. That whole drive was interesting to witness and i was not expecting anything like that at all.
Even with the long winded prose, Upon a Burning throne eventually falls victim to being based off a well known mythology and in adapting that, despite how self aware it may seem the author fails to see and subvert certain aspects of Desi and in particular Indian Hindu society that are unsavory to say the least.
Having two brothers be born atypically, one blind and dark skinned who is weak of heart, partakes in infidelity and becomes the father of 101 demon spawn, and an albino brother who is virtuous, brave and husband to the Kerni and Mayla, mother of the five protagonists in this adaptation....is odd.
There is rampant colorism, sexism and an odd fetishization of the caste system, in which the upper caste learned people (Brahmanistic seers,) are revered and honored with little scrutiny, the ruling and upper class people are the target of the most analysis where we see all sides of their lives, and the lower castes are relegated to being happy in their places, honoring their roles and lives of servitude....it’s all very basic.
If you’re going to make a whole fantasy world, I would also hope that one can sidestep these issues, especially when it gives that air by attempting to give some lipservice to progressive politics in the women and femme characters.
Also the preview for the next book has a species of people with multiple genders using neutral pronouns while literally being...monstrous? I wonder if this was simply an attempt to create inclusion while simultaneously avoiding gender diversity within the nation of Hastinaga, and going with the monstrous queer people of gentle hearts being misunderstood.
All in all this book is a 2/5. It’s something to read and if you’re used to South Asian story tellin, particularly Indian narratives with winding paths, long descriptions, you’ll like this. If not, then good luck. I would recommend this to anyone with time to burn or if you’re looking for fantasy that’s not based in explicitly western settings.
June 1, 2022
Why is this so UNDERRATED
Hello anyone who likes games of thrones??? Why did you drag yourselves through that and slept waiting for George to give us Winds of Winter when you can dive into this beauty and enjoy?
Hello anyone who likes games of thrones??? Why did you drag yourselves through that and slept waiting for George to give us Winds of Winter when you can dive into this beauty and enjoy?
May 22, 2021
This truly was an epic fantasy read, wreathed in culture, myth, and intrigue. More thoughts to come, especially on why I did not give this book 5 stars. But I am always up for epic/high fantasy sagas that are not eurocentric. Banker really set the stage on which his story would play out: creating the vast world, introducing, placing and removing the players, and fleshing out their characteristics, crafting his vast and varied world, and infusing all with the culture of an ancient India.
"...He is a piece in a great game, brought here for a purpose..." - Adran
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
A sweeping epic following two brothers and their progeny of an immensely powerful empire, each with what is considered a weakness that could potentially endanger their ascension to the throne. Banker gives us grand, lush, dramatic prose that fully enmeshes the reader in the colourful, ancient, sprawling world of the Burnt Empire.
🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘
There is history, political intrigue and machinations, familial dynamics, sibling bonds, gods, demigods, demons, sages, mages, gender roles, teachings; all coalescing to mold and influence the outcome of the destiny of our characters and their world.
Banker writes devious, hateful, power-hungry, compelling, smart, and powerful villains, while also giving us heroes that are strong and must rely on ingenuity, brotherhood and familial support to overcome the battle for their homeland.
🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍
The zone and style of the conflicts as well are varied, some unfolding in very familiar settings and formations, while others are completely original, intriguing and deeply unsettling, as such, reading this book was very sensorial in the feel, as Banker made sure that his readers were steeped in the sounds, smells, and sights of the atmosphere he created.
♟♟♟♟♟♟
I did feel the latter part 2/3s into the book dragged a bit, as if the occurrences were just fillers that could have been handled in a more condensed way. It also was wearing to have every single aspect of a decision, position, and action ruminated and expanded upon. Also the rather cliched portrayal of a fat character had me sighing as i read the character's scene.
🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡
Banker also tried to balance the portrayal of female energy and characteristics, though I could have done without the selfish, short-tempered, entitled daughter-in-law; it would have been unrealistic to actually expect there to only be well-rounded, conscientious female characters.
🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹
"...He is a piece in a great game, brought here for a purpose..." - Adran
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
A sweeping epic following two brothers and their progeny of an immensely powerful empire, each with what is considered a weakness that could potentially endanger their ascension to the throne. Banker gives us grand, lush, dramatic prose that fully enmeshes the reader in the colourful, ancient, sprawling world of the Burnt Empire.
🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘
There is history, political intrigue and machinations, familial dynamics, sibling bonds, gods, demigods, demons, sages, mages, gender roles, teachings; all coalescing to mold and influence the outcome of the destiny of our characters and their world.
Banker writes devious, hateful, power-hungry, compelling, smart, and powerful villains, while also giving us heroes that are strong and must rely on ingenuity, brotherhood and familial support to overcome the battle for their homeland.
🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍
The zone and style of the conflicts as well are varied, some unfolding in very familiar settings and formations, while others are completely original, intriguing and deeply unsettling, as such, reading this book was very sensorial in the feel, as Banker made sure that his readers were steeped in the sounds, smells, and sights of the atmosphere he created.
♟♟♟♟♟♟
I did feel the latter part 2/3s into the book dragged a bit, as if the occurrences were just fillers that could have been handled in a more condensed way. It also was wearing to have every single aspect of a decision, position, and action ruminated and expanded upon. Also the rather cliched portrayal of a fat character had me sighing as i read the character's scene.
🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡
Banker also tried to balance the portrayal of female energy and characteristics, though I could have done without the selfish, short-tempered, entitled daughter-in-law; it would have been unrealistic to actually expect there to only be well-rounded, conscientious female characters.
🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹
May 11, 2021
I’ll be writing a review once I pick myself up off the floor but this was a wild ride from start to finish
Read
August 14, 2020Actual Rating - 3.5
First of all, a big thanks to Simon and Schuster India for providing me with a hardcopy of this book as a part of the blog tour.
Pitched as an epic retelling of Mahabharata and as the Indian Game of Thrones, I was intrigued by this book and the prologue which is kind of long but captivating. I finished reading this book last night and have a LOT of thoughts.
↠ The world building is phenomenal. It's so detailed and the author's descriptions are extremely vivid. Right from the prologue I could picture the setting beautifully which drew me into the novel. The world is diverse and there are tons of different empires and civilizations. The story is mainly set in patriarchy but in this world there exist matriarchal kingdoms too and I really was interested to see more of that.
↠ The characters are multi dimensional. And whatever feelings I had towards different characters from the prologue changed a LOT by the time I turned that last page. There were times when i did not agree with the things the main characters did and there were times when I agreed with the evil villains. This makes for a very interesting group of characters and while I was intrigued by them, I didn't really like any of them much. The character I hoped to see after the prologue wasn't even there for the rest of the story.
↠ The action scenes are so well-written. And so are the supernatural aspects. They were vivid and had me deeply engrossed in the scene.
↠ The writing is captivating and the descriptions gave me such good imagery of the scenes. The dialogues were a bit stilted at times though. The very first line of the book is intriguing and captivating though.
“They came to watch the children burn.”
↠ I wasn't a fan of the time lapse. Suddenly in one chapter Adri is a young boy and in the next chapter he's married and leading a mission and these time jumps jarred me out of the story multiple times.
↠ I liked how I could draw parallels between the story here and that of Mahabharatha and yet the author has retold it with his own twists.
↠ There are a couple cliffhangers in the character arcs and I'm interested to see how the author takes these characters forward.
↠ I didn't like how certain things are repeated throughout. Every time Vrath is a part of the scene, there is a long paragraph about his abilities as a demi-god. The extra descriptions at certain places also felt unnecessary.
↠ A strong start to the series making me look forward to the next book and see how the story progresses.
First of all, a big thanks to Simon and Schuster India for providing me with a hardcopy of this book as a part of the blog tour.
Pitched as an epic retelling of Mahabharata and as the Indian Game of Thrones, I was intrigued by this book and the prologue which is kind of long but captivating. I finished reading this book last night and have a LOT of thoughts.
↠ The world building is phenomenal. It's so detailed and the author's descriptions are extremely vivid. Right from the prologue I could picture the setting beautifully which drew me into the novel. The world is diverse and there are tons of different empires and civilizations. The story is mainly set in patriarchy but in this world there exist matriarchal kingdoms too and I really was interested to see more of that.
↠ The characters are multi dimensional. And whatever feelings I had towards different characters from the prologue changed a LOT by the time I turned that last page. There were times when i did not agree with the things the main characters did and there were times when I agreed with the evil villains. This makes for a very interesting group of characters and while I was intrigued by them, I didn't really like any of them much. The character I hoped to see after the prologue wasn't even there for the rest of the story.
↠ The action scenes are so well-written. And so are the supernatural aspects. They were vivid and had me deeply engrossed in the scene.
↠ The writing is captivating and the descriptions gave me such good imagery of the scenes. The dialogues were a bit stilted at times though. The very first line of the book is intriguing and captivating though.
“They came to watch the children burn.”
↠ I wasn't a fan of the time lapse. Suddenly in one chapter Adri is a young boy and in the next chapter he's married and leading a mission and these time jumps jarred me out of the story multiple times.
↠ I liked how I could draw parallels between the story here and that of Mahabharatha and yet the author has retold it with his own twists.
↠ There are a couple cliffhangers in the character arcs and I'm interested to see how the author takes these characters forward.
↠ I didn't like how certain things are repeated throughout. Every time Vrath is a part of the scene, there is a long paragraph about his abilities as a demi-god. The extra descriptions at certain places also felt unnecessary.
↠ A strong start to the series making me look forward to the next book and see how the story progresses.
October 10, 2021
You only enaged when you wanted to destroy your enemy. This was true of arguments as well as physical combat. Never start a fight unless you intend to win it. And winning for a warrior could only mean the destruction of your opponents. Anything less was a fool's victory.
Rating: Really Enjoyed It
As my rating implies, I really enjoyed this book. I was bewitched by the beautiful cover and bought it with some birthday money. I was a bit unsure based on the low average rating whether it was a good buy, but I loved the sound of the blurb. Siblings, gods, political rivalry. It sounded great. I was in a reading slump when I picked this up and I read this in just a few days. It was one of those books that I thought about when I wasn't actively reading it.
Now this is a retelling of the Mahabharata. I have never read the Mahabharata, so I cannot speak on the quality of the retelling, only how I personally felt about this book.
Things I Liked
* I loved the setting and the magic of this world. Most of the magic is related to god-hood, and that was really cool to read about. I am always a fan of a story involving gods and immense power. The bad guy, Jarsun, is a demon of some sort, and his powers were absolutely horrifying. Some of the most horrific things I have ever read descriptions of were included in this book, making it a great, if unintentional, spooky season read. I still don't 100% understand what all transpired in some of the scenes where the gods/demigods/demons were at work, but I was able to roll with the confusion and come out at the end.
* The plot was also just really interesting. The Burnt Empire is the largest power in the area, and it has been ruled by the Krushan from the start. Where our story begins, the family was left without heirs, so an illegitimate son fathered two little boys by the wives of the dead heirs. However, each boy is born with a different condition that makes it difficult for them to be accepted as heirs, Adri is blind, and Shvate is albino. Then a third baby is presented to the burning throne, and also accepted in the trial by fire, the daughter of Jarsun. The dowager queen makes a decision that will affect the lives of all the children in the coming years. We specifically follow the brothers, Adri and Shvate as they grow, enter battle, and near ascension to the throne. I am a sucker for a good family drama in fantasy, and this did not disappoint. There is a lot going on between all the members of the Krushan dynasty and I really enjoyed the characters' interactions with each other.
* I was pleasantly surprised by the characterization of women in this story. I was a bit questionable at first based on the characters we were given, but eventually we start to follow the wives of the brothers: Geldry, married to Adri, and Mayla and Karni, married to Shvate. Mayla and Karni were lovely characters to read about. I enjoyed the way that they interacted with each other and were able to share a sisterly bond with no jealousy between them of the other's relationship with their husband. A lot of the women's characterizations were focused on being wives and mothers, but it was done much more tastefully than I anticipated. I never deeply connected with any of the characters, but my favorite was probably Karni.
* The writing style was something that I both enjoyed and didn't enjoy at the same time. I loved the authorial voice in this one. It almost felt like a story that was being told by a storyteller around a campfire. Most of the time it struck the perfect balance of descriptive, thoughtful, and just really beautiful. However, at other times, it felt a bit over the top to me, and I found myself skimming a page or so until I got past the over the top part. But for the most part it was a positive rather than a negative for me.
The Negatives/Some Warnings
- I think probably my least favorite thing about this book was the portrayal of blindness and albinism. It was very ableist, and I feel like some of the way that it was discussed in the text, half the time there was an attempt to indicate that the thought of the populace in the book was incorrect, and the princes were fully capable of ruling; however, this was spoiled a bit by the other half of the way that the disabilities/differences were discussed. At times the difficulties of each character seemed exaggerated in order to provide a bigger obstacle to overcome to attain the throne; it was almost as if each boy was utterly crippled at times, and I just didn't appreciate these instances.
- I never really connected deeply with any of the characters. This didn't really take away from my enjoyment as I was really caught up in the plot and worldbuilding and also had characters that I liked, but I definitely think this could have elevated the book to a Favorites level and helped me overcome my dislike of the portrayal of disability.
- There is a lot of violence in this book. That by itself didn't bother me too much, but there is also a lot of violence towards animals, which I hated to read. There are lots of battles and war scenes, so we had to experience a lot of the animal deaths. HOWEVER, I do have to say that on a certain level, I sort of appreciated this. Many books just sort of gloss over the horror that war wreaks on the animals involved, and this book leaned into it. But for the most part it wasn't over the top, and the author was always careful to frame it in such a way that the humans were cruel for forcing the peaceful animals into this situation. So I liked that spin at least.
- My smallest grievance with this book was that the villain seems very flat and just sort of mustache-twirling. Based on the reviews I have read though, and the premise of the next book, this will likely be rectified in the next book when we focus more on his daughter and their story. So I am hopeful that this will become a moot point. I just never really cared about the fight with him because I didn't have a great understanding of why he had been exiled, how he was a demon when his brother was not, and why exactly he hated the other Krushans so much.
Overall I am very pleased to have read this book and am greatly looking forward to the sequel. Based on the blurb, it sounds like it will be going back to the beginning and following the third heir to the throne and then perhaps the third book will be the two storylines coming together. This is pure conjecture as I have clearly not read the second book yet, but I am actually really excited to see how this plays out.
I highly recommend if you are up for some horrific elements and a quick-paced, engaging plot in a really intriguing world.
Rating: Really Enjoyed It
As my rating implies, I really enjoyed this book. I was bewitched by the beautiful cover and bought it with some birthday money. I was a bit unsure based on the low average rating whether it was a good buy, but I loved the sound of the blurb. Siblings, gods, political rivalry. It sounded great. I was in a reading slump when I picked this up and I read this in just a few days. It was one of those books that I thought about when I wasn't actively reading it.
Now this is a retelling of the Mahabharata. I have never read the Mahabharata, so I cannot speak on the quality of the retelling, only how I personally felt about this book.
Things I Liked
* I loved the setting and the magic of this world. Most of the magic is related to god-hood, and that was really cool to read about. I am always a fan of a story involving gods and immense power. The bad guy, Jarsun, is a demon of some sort, and his powers were absolutely horrifying. Some of the most horrific things I have ever read descriptions of were included in this book, making it a great, if unintentional, spooky season read. I still don't 100% understand what all transpired in some of the scenes where the gods/demigods/demons were at work, but I was able to roll with the confusion and come out at the end.
* The plot was also just really interesting. The Burnt Empire is the largest power in the area, and it has been ruled by the Krushan from the start. Where our story begins, the family was left without heirs, so an illegitimate son fathered two little boys by the wives of the dead heirs. However, each boy is born with a different condition that makes it difficult for them to be accepted as heirs, Adri is blind, and Shvate is albino. Then a third baby is presented to the burning throne, and also accepted in the trial by fire, the daughter of Jarsun. The dowager queen makes a decision that will affect the lives of all the children in the coming years. We specifically follow the brothers, Adri and Shvate as they grow, enter battle, and near ascension to the throne. I am a sucker for a good family drama in fantasy, and this did not disappoint. There is a lot going on between all the members of the Krushan dynasty and I really enjoyed the characters' interactions with each other.
* I was pleasantly surprised by the characterization of women in this story. I was a bit questionable at first based on the characters we were given, but eventually we start to follow the wives of the brothers: Geldry, married to Adri, and Mayla and Karni, married to Shvate. Mayla and Karni were lovely characters to read about. I enjoyed the way that they interacted with each other and were able to share a sisterly bond with no jealousy between them of the other's relationship with their husband. A lot of the women's characterizations were focused on being wives and mothers, but it was done much more tastefully than I anticipated. I never deeply connected with any of the characters, but my favorite was probably Karni.
* The writing style was something that I both enjoyed and didn't enjoy at the same time. I loved the authorial voice in this one. It almost felt like a story that was being told by a storyteller around a campfire. Most of the time it struck the perfect balance of descriptive, thoughtful, and just really beautiful. However, at other times, it felt a bit over the top to me, and I found myself skimming a page or so until I got past the over the top part. But for the most part it was a positive rather than a negative for me.
The Negatives/Some Warnings
- I think probably my least favorite thing about this book was the portrayal of blindness and albinism. It was very ableist, and I feel like some of the way that it was discussed in the text, half the time there was an attempt to indicate that the thought of the populace in the book was incorrect, and the princes were fully capable of ruling; however, this was spoiled a bit by the other half of the way that the disabilities/differences were discussed. At times the difficulties of each character seemed exaggerated in order to provide a bigger obstacle to overcome to attain the throne; it was almost as if each boy was utterly crippled at times, and I just didn't appreciate these instances.
- I never really connected deeply with any of the characters. This didn't really take away from my enjoyment as I was really caught up in the plot and worldbuilding and also had characters that I liked, but I definitely think this could have elevated the book to a Favorites level and helped me overcome my dislike of the portrayal of disability.
- There is a lot of violence in this book. That by itself didn't bother me too much, but there is also a lot of violence towards animals, which I hated to read. There are lots of battles and war scenes, so we had to experience a lot of the animal deaths. HOWEVER, I do have to say that on a certain level, I sort of appreciated this. Many books just sort of gloss over the horror that war wreaks on the animals involved, and this book leaned into it. But for the most part it wasn't over the top, and the author was always careful to frame it in such a way that the humans were cruel for forcing the peaceful animals into this situation. So I liked that spin at least.
- My smallest grievance with this book was that the villain seems very flat and just sort of mustache-twirling. Based on the reviews I have read though, and the premise of the next book, this will likely be rectified in the next book when we focus more on his daughter and their story. So I am hopeful that this will become a moot point. I just never really cared about the fight with him because I didn't have a great understanding of why he had been exiled, how he was a demon when his brother was not, and why exactly he hated the other Krushans so much.
Overall I am very pleased to have read this book and am greatly looking forward to the sequel. Based on the blurb, it sounds like it will be going back to the beginning and following the third heir to the throne and then perhaps the third book will be the two storylines coming together. This is pure conjecture as I have clearly not read the second book yet, but I am actually really excited to see how this plays out.
I highly recommend if you are up for some horrific elements and a quick-paced, engaging plot in a really intriguing world.
May 13, 2021
Even though I'm giving it 3 stars, I did enjoy it. I just didn't LOVE it. It was also hard for me to get through and I didn't have that push or need to keep reading it. I kept taking breaks and going on to other books. With multiple POVs and the epic scale, I probably would have enjoyed this a lot better as an audiobook with multiple narrators. My library didn't have the audiobook and audible has one but I didn't have a credit.
I love that it's pitched as "Indian Game of Thrones." and I totally agree with that statement. There were definitely a lot of super cool scenes and wtf is happening moments that I loved so I will definitely be re-reading sometime in the future as an audiobook. And fingers crossed that it gets a show or movie deal in the future!
I picked this up because I was chosen to be on the ARC reviewer team for the audiobook of Book 2. I've already heard from my reading buddy that it's much easier to keep up with everything and much more enjoyable to read book 2 in audiobook form so I look forward to it.
I love that it's pitched as "Indian Game of Thrones." and I totally agree with that statement. There were definitely a lot of super cool scenes and wtf is happening moments that I loved so I will definitely be re-reading sometime in the future as an audiobook. And fingers crossed that it gets a show or movie deal in the future!
I picked this up because I was chosen to be on the ARC reviewer team for the audiobook of Book 2. I've already heard from my reading buddy that it's much easier to keep up with everything and much more enjoyable to read book 2 in audiobook form so I look forward to it.
January 24, 2022
Audiobook: This one surprised me. Epic battles, interesting gods, and just the right amount of court politics. I knocked a star off because I wasn’t really attached to any characters but the story is very well written. Also, this book is surprising feminist which I loved and has some really strong female characters.
March 26, 2020
I tried to read Upon a Burning Throne by Ashok K. Banker last year, but I couldn’t get through the prologue at first. I don’t know if I was just in the mood to read a fantasy epic this time around, but I loved every moment of this book. I’d consider this a diamond in the rough. People are calling it an Indian “Game of Thrones” but it’s so much more than that. This book is heavily inspired by Indian mythology, fantasy, and fable. There are times when it reads like a dream and things aren’t always as clear as they seem.
Upon a Burning Throne is inspired by the ancient Sanskrit Mahabharata. This is a sprawling epic, set over the course of many years. This is a long book full of adventure, mythology, gods, mages, royals, demigods, and divine magic so I don’t plan to go that deep into the plot. It’s centered around two princes who are half-brothers and heirs to the Burnt Empire, one of the greatest in all the land as part of the Krushan Dynasty. Shvate is the eldest and he’s an albino who is sensitive to the sun while Adri is a picture-perfect prince, but he is blind. In the prologue there is a third, Princess Krushita who is the daughter of the banished seer-mage Jarsun.
There is political intrigue, betrayal, sex, adventure, and war as expected. I am a little upset that this doesn’t have a better rating because this book offers so much. Yes, it is a little wordy in some areas but once you move past it then it’s a beautifully written book full of lush and interesting storytelling. Reading this reminds me of The Odyssey and The Iliad. There is some flowery writing and I wish that it was a little more straightforward at times, but the mysticism and mythological occurrences are partially why I love this book so much.
Immediately I was drawn to Adri because he’s blind, his mother didn’t want him, and he was pretty much underestimated by everyone. He falls in love with a servant girl while married to Geldry who turns out to be a villain in the end, along with her brother Kune. Another character I was drawn to was Karni who becomes Shvate’s wife. Karni is clearly a special character because we got more of her back story as well as the fact that she was made to give up her bastard child out of wedlock who turns out to be a demigod.
My main annoyance with this book beyond some of the rambling is the fact that I would have liked to see more of the Princess Krushita who was turned away from her claim to the throne. I think that she will play a bigger part in the next novel, especially since this ends on such a big cliffhanger. I also didn’t care for Jarsun as a villain but as soon as the book introduced us to Geldry and her brother Kune, I was much more invested in the antagonist aspect of it.
I’m a little confused about how Karni plays into all of this because the way it ends shows Karni to be a major antagonist, but I don’t really get why. There was a reason listed since Shvate abdicated the throne to Adri, but the book doesn’t describe her to be a power-hungry villain.
Anyway, the book never stops being interesting. Whenever a conflict wraps up then there is usually something else that comes along which is exciting. Even though this book is long, I feel like it was still set up for something huge to come.
PS. This cover is beautiful!
Upon a Burning Throne is inspired by the ancient Sanskrit Mahabharata. This is a sprawling epic, set over the course of many years. This is a long book full of adventure, mythology, gods, mages, royals, demigods, and divine magic so I don’t plan to go that deep into the plot. It’s centered around two princes who are half-brothers and heirs to the Burnt Empire, one of the greatest in all the land as part of the Krushan Dynasty. Shvate is the eldest and he’s an albino who is sensitive to the sun while Adri is a picture-perfect prince, but he is blind. In the prologue there is a third, Princess Krushita who is the daughter of the banished seer-mage Jarsun.
There is political intrigue, betrayal, sex, adventure, and war as expected. I am a little upset that this doesn’t have a better rating because this book offers so much. Yes, it is a little wordy in some areas but once you move past it then it’s a beautifully written book full of lush and interesting storytelling. Reading this reminds me of The Odyssey and The Iliad. There is some flowery writing and I wish that it was a little more straightforward at times, but the mysticism and mythological occurrences are partially why I love this book so much.
Immediately I was drawn to Adri because he’s blind, his mother didn’t want him, and he was pretty much underestimated by everyone. He falls in love with a servant girl while married to Geldry who turns out to be a villain in the end, along with her brother Kune. Another character I was drawn to was Karni who becomes Shvate’s wife. Karni is clearly a special character because we got more of her back story as well as the fact that she was made to give up her bastard child out of wedlock who turns out to be a demigod.
My main annoyance with this book beyond some of the rambling is the fact that I would have liked to see more of the Princess Krushita who was turned away from her claim to the throne. I think that she will play a bigger part in the next novel, especially since this ends on such a big cliffhanger. I also didn’t care for Jarsun as a villain but as soon as the book introduced us to Geldry and her brother Kune, I was much more invested in the antagonist aspect of it.
I’m a little confused about how Karni plays into all of this because the way it ends shows Karni to be a major antagonist, but I don’t really get why. There was a reason listed since Shvate abdicated the throne to Adri, but the book doesn’t describe her to be a power-hungry villain.
Anyway, the book never stops being interesting. Whenever a conflict wraps up then there is usually something else that comes along which is exciting. Even though this book is long, I feel like it was still set up for something huge to come.
PS. This cover is beautiful!
May 5, 2019
Well this was another big tome that I had high hopes for this year.
Unfortunately it was just okay.
It felt like it dragged on a bit and with the hundreds of different kingdoms it was quite confusing at first. I didn't really connect with the princes and had high hopes for the girl contender of the throne to make her appearance, which she didn't.
I'd assume that this is going to happen in the next installment, but at this point I am not sure if I am going to continue with this series.
The battles were written great, but quite gory and brutal, hence the GOT reference?
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC.
Unfortunately it was just okay.
It felt like it dragged on a bit and with the hundreds of different kingdoms it was quite confusing at first. I didn't really connect with the princes and had high hopes for the girl contender of the throne to make her appearance, which she didn't.
I'd assume that this is going to happen in the next installment, but at this point I am not sure if I am going to continue with this series.
The battles were written great, but quite gory and brutal, hence the GOT reference?
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC.
January 19, 2021
2.5/5 stars
CW// ableism, rape (mentioned)
I was super hyped to get to read Upon a Burning Thorne, it sounded like everything I could want in an epic fantasy. Gods and demi gods, a fight for the throne political intrigue, but unfortunately I just don’t think it was for me.
The story starts off with an incredibly long prologue. The drama that goes down on the first page had me hyped, but then it drags out. The author proceeds to info dump, giving us a unnecessarily long history lesson.
I didn’t find myself caring about any of the characters. I also didn’t understand why characters were making certain decisions, but that could be because of cultural differences. I found one specific character unbearable to read about, she was very whiney and ableist (she pretends to be blind at certain times within the story). Normally I don’t mind morally gray characters, but she was more of a spoiled brat than anything.
The world is ableist and because Adri and Shvate are born blind and albino, they face a lot of discrimination and hardships throughout the story. The magic system is soft and things kinda just happen.
Overall I think this had the potential to be a five stars if it weren’t for these issues I had
CW// ableism, rape (mentioned)
I was super hyped to get to read Upon a Burning Thorne, it sounded like everything I could want in an epic fantasy. Gods and demi gods, a fight for the throne political intrigue, but unfortunately I just don’t think it was for me.
The story starts off with an incredibly long prologue. The drama that goes down on the first page had me hyped, but then it drags out. The author proceeds to info dump, giving us a unnecessarily long history lesson.
I didn’t find myself caring about any of the characters. I also didn’t understand why characters were making certain decisions, but that could be because of cultural differences. I found one specific character unbearable to read about, she was very whiney and ableist (she pretends to be blind at certain times within the story). Normally I don’t mind morally gray characters, but she was more of a spoiled brat than anything.
The world is ableist and because Adri and Shvate are born blind and albino, they face a lot of discrimination and hardships throughout the story. The magic system is soft and things kinda just happen.
Overall I think this had the potential to be a five stars if it weren’t for these issues I had
March 16, 2024
This was a long book, but the narrative flowed quickly. There was so much packed into this book and a lot of POVs to keep track of, but I was engaged with story. The author used animal POVs, which was really interesting. I was surprised though that Adri and Shvate's cousin didn't come into the story at all (or at least not in a way I recognized). There were some scenes that did bog down the narrative and felt unnecessary, and some of the time jumps were a bit confusing. Still, this was a really interesting book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2021
https://undertheradarsffbooks.com/202...
I came across Upon a Burning Throne in 2019 when discovering this epic tale inspired from the ancient Indian classic The Mahabharata. The Mahabharata is one of two Sanskrit epics an ancient India and it describes the struggle between two kingdoms for power and the right to rule. Ashok K. Banker took the inspiration from this Indian epic and transformed it into a tale for the fantasy genre. Many of the factors present in this story are: philosophy, magic, gods, demons, love, betrayals and so much more. I can definably say that I have not read another epic like this and it is sure to inspire authors to right tales like this. A few things to note before I get into my review. I have not read the original text of The Mahabharata and my comments are only a reflection of the fictional novel Upon a Burning Throne. I also listened to the audio book so my reaction to the story may be different from other readers.
This novel starts with the Emperor of the Burning Throne being declared dead and a new heir must be chosen for succession. Two Princes Adri and Shvate are next in line by birthright but blood line along doesn’t guarantee the right to rule. The next successor must sit upon the legendary burning throne to withstand the Test of Fire and it must also be said that these two Princes don’t exactly look the part of royalty. One of the Princes is blind by birth and the other is an albino and these people are usually exiled. The whole country is surprised when not one but both of the brothers pass the trials and will co-rule together, but that is not the end of the story. A third child, a girl from a distant kingdom with the birthright to sit on the Burning Throne. She passes the test but is denied the right to rule and her father Jarsun declares war on the Burnt Empire bringing the land to chaos and collapse. Welcome to the Burnt Empire!
Now that I have laid the groundwork for the novel, let me talk about how the story is structured. The plot and storytelling is not just one linear tale about the two brother fighting a war, but several multilayered stories weaving into a complex tale. The best way for me to describe is if anyone has read the ancient Greek epics such as the Iliad or Ovid’s Metamorphoses. These contain several fable type stories but woven in the same world and what Banker is able to do with these several tales and compact them into one book is astonishing. My favorite stories involve the brothers especially as they grow up. Adri is blind and has to learn the ways of the court and become a stellar mind for advantage in the war while Shvate has albino skin and is sensitive to light but must prove himself on the battlefield as a warrior. The lore and history of this world are rich and luscious if you are a worldbuilding type of reader and the stunning twists will leave you wanting more!
Now, with all of this being said there are a few shortcomings for this novel. First is that the writing style will not appeal to everyone. While the pace is good, the detail and new terms can be overwhelming for readers and slow down the narrative tremendously. The audiobook helps out with this issue, but I want everyone to be made aware of this. Also, remember how I said there is a girl with the right to rule the Burnt Empire? Well apart from the prologue, she is not in the rest of the book at all. Almost 700 pages and we get no other mention of this character! This would have been a big negative had I not already read the sequel and it is entirely devoted to her. Just some information before anyone takes a dive into this series.
If you are looking for something different but Epic, while being challenged and rewarded tenfold by the ending, Upon a Burning Throne is a great place to start. This is not a perfect book, but the bones are there for an Epic tale and I look forward to sharing my thoughts with everyone soon.
Cheers!
I came across Upon a Burning Throne in 2019 when discovering this epic tale inspired from the ancient Indian classic The Mahabharata. The Mahabharata is one of two Sanskrit epics an ancient India and it describes the struggle between two kingdoms for power and the right to rule. Ashok K. Banker took the inspiration from this Indian epic and transformed it into a tale for the fantasy genre. Many of the factors present in this story are: philosophy, magic, gods, demons, love, betrayals and so much more. I can definably say that I have not read another epic like this and it is sure to inspire authors to right tales like this. A few things to note before I get into my review. I have not read the original text of The Mahabharata and my comments are only a reflection of the fictional novel Upon a Burning Throne. I also listened to the audio book so my reaction to the story may be different from other readers.
This novel starts with the Emperor of the Burning Throne being declared dead and a new heir must be chosen for succession. Two Princes Adri and Shvate are next in line by birthright but blood line along doesn’t guarantee the right to rule. The next successor must sit upon the legendary burning throne to withstand the Test of Fire and it must also be said that these two Princes don’t exactly look the part of royalty. One of the Princes is blind by birth and the other is an albino and these people are usually exiled. The whole country is surprised when not one but both of the brothers pass the trials and will co-rule together, but that is not the end of the story. A third child, a girl from a distant kingdom with the birthright to sit on the Burning Throne. She passes the test but is denied the right to rule and her father Jarsun declares war on the Burnt Empire bringing the land to chaos and collapse. Welcome to the Burnt Empire!
Now that I have laid the groundwork for the novel, let me talk about how the story is structured. The plot and storytelling is not just one linear tale about the two brother fighting a war, but several multilayered stories weaving into a complex tale. The best way for me to describe is if anyone has read the ancient Greek epics such as the Iliad or Ovid’s Metamorphoses. These contain several fable type stories but woven in the same world and what Banker is able to do with these several tales and compact them into one book is astonishing. My favorite stories involve the brothers especially as they grow up. Adri is blind and has to learn the ways of the court and become a stellar mind for advantage in the war while Shvate has albino skin and is sensitive to light but must prove himself on the battlefield as a warrior. The lore and history of this world are rich and luscious if you are a worldbuilding type of reader and the stunning twists will leave you wanting more!
Now, with all of this being said there are a few shortcomings for this novel. First is that the writing style will not appeal to everyone. While the pace is good, the detail and new terms can be overwhelming for readers and slow down the narrative tremendously. The audiobook helps out with this issue, but I want everyone to be made aware of this. Also, remember how I said there is a girl with the right to rule the Burnt Empire? Well apart from the prologue, she is not in the rest of the book at all. Almost 700 pages and we get no other mention of this character! This would have been a big negative had I not already read the sequel and it is entirely devoted to her. Just some information before anyone takes a dive into this series.
If you are looking for something different but Epic, while being challenged and rewarded tenfold by the ending, Upon a Burning Throne is a great place to start. This is not a perfect book, but the bones are there for an Epic tale and I look forward to sharing my thoughts with everyone soon.
Cheers!
May 22, 2021
I wish I had liked the book as much as the cover, but alas this really didn't work for me.
One thing, that could've worked but didn't was that there was just a theoretical plot. Yes, we have evil Jarsun, but he just sometimes popped up and imitated people, then got kinda defeated and people moved on until the plot repeated itself. But I could have worked with that.
My problem started with the many characters, who were very hard to keep track of, especially when some characters were only there for like two chapters. I don't know if that'll come up in the sequel, but the book starts with Jarsun's granddaughter I think also being worthy of the Krushan throne, but then we never see or hear from her again, although that kind of started the conflict.
Then I heard from other reviewers that the author took a lot of liberties from the original story that he was retelling, and while that is his right, the things that he apparently did change were things I would have liked to see.
And the two things that bothered me the most, was one, how the author treated the disability, especially from Adri. Shvate's albinism was rarely actually adressed but Adri never really accepted how his blindness shapes his life, which frankly makes no sense, and other people treated him horribly because of it and no one thought to change their behaviour.
The second thing that bothered me extremely, was the way women were written. There was the extreme mansplaining that annoyed me to no end, but there was the fact that Umber and Ember were raped to have the two princes and it barely gets acknowledged and in the one sentence where it does, the blame is given to the women, because the were too "immature". Then we have Geldry, who is just there to complain, cheat and not try to accept the different rules of the country she marries into, because why would she?
Karni was the one woman I actually liked, but then we apparently have to balance her with Mayla, who is somewhere in her 20s I would assume, but behaves like a teenager for the most part.
While the book has an interesting world, there was little plot in between and the characters rarely interested me, but genereally annoyed and frustrated me.
One thing, that could've worked but didn't was that there was just a theoretical plot. Yes, we have evil Jarsun, but he just sometimes popped up and imitated people, then got kinda defeated and people moved on until the plot repeated itself. But I could have worked with that.
My problem started with the many characters, who were very hard to keep track of, especially when some characters were only there for like two chapters. I don't know if that'll come up in the sequel, but the book starts with Jarsun's granddaughter I think also being worthy of the Krushan throne, but then we never see or hear from her again, although that kind of started the conflict.
Then I heard from other reviewers that the author took a lot of liberties from the original story that he was retelling, and while that is his right, the things that he apparently did change were things I would have liked to see.
And the two things that bothered me the most, was one, how the author treated the disability, especially from Adri. Shvate's albinism was rarely actually adressed but Adri never really accepted how his blindness shapes his life, which frankly makes no sense, and other people treated him horribly because of it and no one thought to change their behaviour.
The second thing that bothered me extremely, was the way women were written. There was the extreme mansplaining that annoyed me to no end, but there was the fact that Umber and Ember were raped to have the two princes and it barely gets acknowledged and in the one sentence where it does, the blame is given to the women, because the were too "immature". Then we have Geldry, who is just there to complain, cheat and not try to accept the different rules of the country she marries into, because why would she?
Karni was the one woman I actually liked, but then we apparently have to balance her with Mayla, who is somewhere in her 20s I would assume, but behaves like a teenager for the most part.
While the book has an interesting world, there was little plot in between and the characters rarely interested me, but genereally annoyed and frustrated me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2019
This was a surprisingly fast read for an almost 700-page tome. Horrifying fantastical details and an impressive setup for further epic installments, marred by sexism and problematic portrayals of female characters. I would have to re-read to be sure, but I doubt this book would pass the Bechdel test.
April 25, 2019
Meh. Definitely not worth the page count. DNF, but got to page 500 before I realized I was only persevering for the sake of finishing. The parts from the children’s perspectives were the most interesting, but the patriarchy inherent in the succession of the kingdom was problematic. Mothers who can’t connect with children that are the product of sex that they didn’t want to have, and lots of magical god men... I didn’t like the queen saying that another woman was a whore, or the sex one prince had with the servant who even said “I COULDN’T SAY NO!”. Real romantic. The relationship the other prince has with his wives is better, but honestly I spent most of those 500 pages wondering where the girl cousin, born out of love, was. If the whole book was about which cousin would inherit the thrown, why was her father evil incarnate and her and her mother not mentioned at all, after their initial appearance in chapter one? I guess I will never know, because I’m the quitter who returned this to the library after only a 500 page investment.
May 28, 2022
Actual rating: 3.75 ★
This was a mixed bag.
On one hand it's definitely an epic - in every sense of the word. On the other hand it took me ages to read. There were moments that had me filled with intrigue and moments that had my eyes glaze over. Some of the characters were interesting, others had no agency whatsoever. The pacing would be fine, then abruptly either skip ahead or ground to a halt.
At the end of the day, the good outweighs the bad for me, but it certainly won't for everyone. Because of that I would only cautiously recommend it.
This was a mixed bag.
On one hand it's definitely an epic - in every sense of the word. On the other hand it took me ages to read. There were moments that had me filled with intrigue and moments that had my eyes glaze over. Some of the characters were interesting, others had no agency whatsoever. The pacing would be fine, then abruptly either skip ahead or ground to a halt.
At the end of the day, the good outweighs the bad for me, but it certainly won't for everyone. Because of that I would only cautiously recommend it.
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