Book Review: Blue Vanquisher

Book Review: The Blue Vanquisher

Author Manoshi Sinha

Published in 2017

Introduction:

Indian mythology and particularly the great battle between Kauravas and Pandavas in the Mahabharata which continues to fascinate us and holds a prominent place in Hinduism. There are countless authors who are adopting the mythological stories by adding a dash of modernity in making the characters human and down to earth. Author Manoshi Sinha’s Blue Vanquisher is the second book as part of Krishna’s trilogy which followed the Eighth Avatar where she shows her devotion for the Lord which is a much-admired character in the history of Hindu mythology.

In short, Blue Vanquisher makes for an interesting read on the place Lord Krishna occupies in Hindu history which serves as a good guide to living a life laden with humility, sacrifice, and hard work.

Blurb:

Circa 3216 BCE! The end of Dwapar Yug! The first battle between Krishn and Jarasandh, the king of Magadh, ended in favor of the former. Sixteen more battles followed, one after another, with grander strategies and bigger armies in the outskirts of Mathura. To avert the 18th battle, Krishn did something. What did Krishn do?

Credit: Amazon

Narration:

The Blue Vanquisher is an attempt to trace the life of Lord Krishna from his 14th to 85th years. There are several instances in the book right from the romance between Krishna and Rukmini that makes for an interesting account as well as the former’s friendship with Balram and Sudhama. Through the narration, the author showcases the friendship with Sudhama in a heart-wrenching manner touching several aspects such as the sacredness of relationship where prejudices or class differences play no part.

The climax makes for an interesting read where Draupadi makes a tirade and doesn’t even spare her own husband, Yuddhistir which puts to the fore the role of a wronged woman in society. The book discusses several issues such as the victory of good over evil in this tale where Krishna has always been a very competent ruler who strived to put an unbiased perspective, something that many of us should learn from.

On the whole, Blue Vanquisher makes quite an interesting read for people who are not well versed with the Mahabharata and the role of Lord Krishna in the Hindu way of life.

What’s Not!

Blue Vanquisher tells the story of Lord Krishna in the Mahabharata but, at the same time, it could have been set in the contemporary times by injecting a dose of realism to make them contemporary in real-time. At some point, the narration becomes drab with the 256 odd pages and perhaps the author could have given the narration a compact twist coupled with shortening the length. But, then, the book ends with the preparation of the Mahabharata war and one can only hope that the author builds on the interesting premise to make it engrossing.

Final Remarks:

The Blue Vanquisher serves as a good guide for people who are keen to explore the basics about the Mahabharata and Lord Krishna who is adored by many devotees. Another plus point is the author’s devotion for Lord Krishna. The book has both its high and low moments but, at the same time, the war climax is quite engaging where it promises to be an enthralling affair during the next installment.

You can check the author’s page here and buy the book on Amazon.

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