Sharath Komarraju

Four good mysteries. Fans of Agatha Christie will immediately see the inspiration. Like another reviewer said, 'Tree Bears Witness' seems like a story taken out of its time and place. But otherwise good reads with the occasional poetic turn of phrase.

The relationship between Gandhari and Shakuni in Rise of Hastinapur was well done! Reminded me of me and my brother :)

I really liked the progression between the Essentials, the Character Guides and the Reader Bundle. It actually feels like a course in the Mahabharata. The Essentials give you basic knowledge. The character guides take you a bit deeper. The Reader Bundle has everything in it. Of course, you can pick and choose which you want to read but if you want full value, do it in order. Bonuses can be read at any time of course. I am yet to read the bonuses.

I've always been interested in the Mahabharata, but I've only read Amar Chitra Katha so far. I like the 'Bhishma' and 'Drona' books in ACK. I picked up this bundle because it felt like a deeper dive into the story characters. I found that it's much more than that. Sharath Komarraju explores different facets to each character, their situations, and the context in which their decisions were made. Gave me fresh insights to people I thought I knew well enough. Lot to ponder over and lot to digest! Definitely recommend.

An interesting bundle. For a while I couldn't figure out how to read these on the Kindle, but once I did, I breezed through them all. I vaguely remember some buzz about Murder in Amaravati when it first came out. Glad I finally got to read it.

Like some of the other readers have mentioned, the character monologues are wonderful. While the plot is good and the writing is lovely, I found myself waiting for the monologue chapters. Something about the tone and wistfulness in them…

Dhritarashtra and Yudhishthir's books were my favourite. You hardly ever get to read about these two characters in such detail, with their motivations and biographies. The main characters are of course well presented: I really enjoyed the 'relationship questions' between Arjuna, Draupadi and Karna. The other 'non character' guide I liked was Kurukshetra - it felt like Sharath wanted an excuse to write about the war and chose this path. But I am glad he did. A no-brainer for anyone interested in the Mahabharata - and at such a no-risk price.

I'd heard of Sharath Komarraju before but had not read any of his books. Was recommended the Mahabharata Book Set by a friend who knew about my obsession with mythology. My favourite of the 58 books (yes, there really are 58 books in the set - I counted!) is the Reader Bundle. I loved the Sanskrit verses that form the beginning of each chapter. I struggled with pronouncing some of them, but overall they added a lovely touch. Essentially you get more than 1500 original Sanskrit verses out of the Mahabharata. Not a bad deal! Honestly, I read these on the Kindle sometimes, and sometimes on the phone. Enjoying the flexibility. Definitely recommend!

I found the first part of the first book a bit dragging - couldn't identify with Ganga's predicament at all - but from then on, it's like a switch went off. The three-part Rise of Hastinapur was the absolute best. The final chapter of that book is worth re-reading for the sheer poetry of it. I'd read Sharath's 'Murder in Amaravati' before this, but I'm glad his style is versatile enough to fit two genres. Try it - and even if you find the first part of 'Winds' boring, stick with it. You will love it at the end.

The Hastinapur novels are all about how it might have happened. These are not your usual retellings of the same old incidents that everyone knows. Sharath explores the silences of the Mahabharata - the parts that are not included in the original, and ties them back to the main events. I enjoyed all three of these books, and will definitely be checking out Books 4, 5 and 6. And beyond, if Sharath plans to write more.

I've been reading Sharath Komarraju's books off and on over the last decade, but have always skipped his nonfiction stuff. Here I saw an ad for this bundle and thought why not? After all, there is a money back guarantee. I was thoroughly interested in the Reader Bundle, because it covers the Mahabharata from start to finish. What's great is that it is organized into tiny chapters so that you can search for your topic with ease. Downside? You end up with a gigantic table of contents! Did not appreciate the value of the printable downloads at time of purchase. Now I read a little here, a little there... and when I want I print a dozen pages to read on paper. The flexibility is awesome!

Not every day that you run into a set of books that will take you at least 6 months to get through properly. There are some repetitions, but that's expected because the author is trying to cover the same material sometimes from different angles. However, these are few and far in between. I've not finished reading every book in the bundle, but what I have read is first rate. Recommend it to everyone.

Never thought of the Mahabharata like this before. I don't yet know how I feel about the whole 'high fantasy' treatment, but I enjoyed reading the books so that tells you something. What surprised me pleasantly was how insightful the character monologues were. Made me feel as if I was watching a play and one of the characters breaks the fourth wall to address the audience. These are usually self-serving and superficial, but in these books, I found them relevant, context-heavy, and just plain good to read.

This is a four-book bundle, so it is hard to pick your favourite. I will tell you the book I liked least - The Tree Bears Witness. It felt the most disconnected of all four books from its setting. It felt like the writer had a plot, and he wanted to put it into the Mughal Era without a thought as to whether it will fit. Having said that, I enjoyed the tightness of the plot, and the immersive nature of the author's writing. Especially that opening scene where the guard witnesses the murder - pulls you right in! I'd not heard of Sharath Komarraju before - just saw an ad for the books and they looked interesting. Four gripping reads - you can't go wrong with this bundle.

I've always been a fan of the old mystery classics, and these took me back to those times. I feel straight cozy mysteries like these are hard to find these days. The little touches in 'Murder in Amaravati' where Krishna Shastri and the Inspector discuss the possibility of being inside a mystery novel made me smile. I enjoyed all four books - obviously to various degrees, but I didn't dislike any of them. My favourite: Murder in Amaravati. Has a nice 'Malgudi' feel to it, but with a mystery thrown in!