Hastinapur Bundle - Books 1, 2 and 3

Did not know Satyavati had such a rich back story. Enjoyed reading the second part of the book more than the first!

Loved the story of Ganga, and how much she endures for her son. What I like about this novel is that the author does not 'retell' or change the original story. He just writes around it. So we mythology lovers can have our cake and eat it too! Recommended.

Could read a very unique perspective of this story, a really enriching version our history!

It is a very interesting read, which gets one hooked to the book. I liked the style of writing - a well known epic in such an interesting manner, in a very different perspective and approach. The most powerful characters like, Ganga, Devavrata, Shantanu and others are depicted so differently.

Good books! I would not say these are classic literature level material, but they are certainly a notch above all the other mediocre fare that you get in bookstores these days.

Don't hesitate, just go for it. The text is great, the formatting is lovely for all apps, and the writing is immersive. These books make you think!

In a country where lesser writers get all the praise and sell all the books, I feel as readers we should support writers like this who write intelligent, well-thought-out books. My favourite of the three was the part in Rise of Hastinapur that details the childhood and character arc of Gandhari. Beautifully imagined!

I remember seeing these books elsewhere before, but never got around to reading them until now. I was wary because it's a new author, but the Money Back Guarantee gave me some confidence. As it happens, I love the books. Book 1 was a bit slow, but the other two more than made up for it.

If you like the Mahabharata, this is a no-brainer. Even if you don't like the Mahabharata and you are a regular fiction reader, these are worth a try. Especially Winds of Hastinapur. Such beautiful writing.

My favourite was the Queens of Hastinapur, especially the last part where the story all comes together. Some of the battle scenes in Rise of Hastinapur are excellent!

I'd not heard of Sharath Komarraju before. The name didn't even ring a bell. I see these books were written quite a long time ago. Where have they been all this while? I loved the writing style, and the fact that these are not just 'twists' on a familiar story, but entirely new stories by themselves. Highly recommended.

For people like me who is a die-hard mythology fan, these books are a treat. Definitely getting the second set of books now.

I'd heard of Sharath Komarraju before, but from his short stories. I thought he had stopped writing. Good to rediscover these novels! I am not a big fan of reading on screen, but I liked the printable PDF option. Glad I took a chance on these!

I felt the Ganga portion was a bit too 'borrowed' from English fantasy, but the other two portions of Winds of Hastinapur were excellent. Books 2 and 3 were really good. I liked how the whole story comes together in the Epilogue of Book 2. Perfect harmony of three threads.

I've always liked myth retellings like Amish Tripathi's books, so I am probably biased. I enjoyed the new and fresh take on the Mahabharata that these books provide. I feel that the author has enough talent in him to create something new and original, and not just work in the Mahabharata universe. Well done!

I'm not usually a fan of myth retellings - I think if you want to read about our myths, why not read the originals instead of fanfiction? But with these books, I see that there is a legitimate place for myth retellings. Sharath Komarraju's approach is to write stories into the silences of the Mahabharata. The main narrative is left untouched, but he writes about what Vyasa has missed: the childhood of Bhishma, the early years of Kunti and Gandhari, the trials of Amba in the forest etc. I found that these add to the epic rather than retell it or change it. Very refreshing.

My favourite among the three books is the second - Rise of Hastinapur. It seems it's the longest of three as well, so the author takes enough time to develop each of the three characters. Each story is different to the others in tone and style, and in atmosphere. It almost felt like I got three novels for the price of one within that one book. I especially enjoyed the final Epilogue that brings the three strands of story together. Ganga is awesome!

Been wanting to read these for a long time, but they're not available anywhere else it looks like. Glad to have finally gotten my hands on them. I appreciated the app compatibility and the printable option.

Not award-winning novels by any means, but they do a good enough job entertaining you. If you're a Mahabharata / mythology nut (like me), you will enjoy them even more.

I generally look for tight plotting in my stories, so I picked up Sharath's Birbal Mysteries first. These seemed like esoteric character studies. But when I read Winds of Hastinapur, I realized how wrong I was. There is tight plotting here too, albeit not surrounding a murder. The language is lovely, so that's always a treat.

Definitely worth your time! It is a travesty that authors like these don't get much recognition while other writers who cannot string a sentence together become celebrities. I'd read some of Sharath Komarraju's earlier work, but mostly his mysteries. I hadn't tried his Hastinapur books until now. My favourite of the three is the second section of Winds of Hastinapur. Satyavati's story. So well written!

Having never heard of Sharath Komarraju before, I thought a couple of times about trying out this bundle. But the 30 Day Money Back Guarantee convinced me. I am glad I did! I found these books better written and deeper than much of the dreck out there. This author shows how mythological fantasy could be handled - instead of the same old point of view retellings that come out these days. Try it!

Most of all I enjoyed Queens of Hastinapur. Was interesting to see the dynamics between Kunti and Gandhari, and how they navigate the perils of palace life. Action is a little slow in this third book - especially compared to the second book - but I found the character study fascinating.

I came to the Hastinapur series after reading some of Sharath Komarraju's Mahabharata nonfiction. After reading the logical, analytical discussions, it was a treat to sit back and be swept away into a land of imagination. The Mahabharata gets a high fantasy treatment here, with the first part of Winds of Hastinapur being particularly evocative. Subsequent stories bring the action back to ground a little bit, but you can see the author is having fun with the material. Four stars.

Winds of Hastinapur was slow to start off with - I did not know what was going on for a few pages. But once I caught on to the time and place, it was a great ride! Rise of Hastinapur and Queens of Hastinapur were better written, I thought. Almost like the author has found his voice. Enjoyed all three books!

For anyone who likes the Mahabharata, this is simply a no-brainer. Forget all the other myth retellings and pick up this one. My only complaint is that Sharath seems to have stopped writing new books in this world after the first six. So now I'm wondering if there will be a new book at all. It feels like an incomplete series at this point. But apart from that, the writing, the imagination, the world, and the philosophical interludes - they're all so good.

I took some time getting into these books. It was not until the 'pitcher girl' part in Winds of Hastinapur that my interest got aroused. Sharath Komarraju's take on the Mohini avatar was refreshingly new. Admittedly I skipped some of the parts of Queens of Hastinapur (Gandhari with her 'sight') but overall the books gave me a lot to think about. The writing style is very soothing. Definitely recommend!

You're either a fan of myth-retellings or you're not. If you're not, you can skip these - but I must tell you these are not your usual myth retellings. I've seen other reviewers compare these to Amish Tripathi's books. Let me tell you: these are far, far removed from Amish Tripathi's books. The writing, the structure, the general approach to storytelling - everything is different! If you like well-written works of fiction, you will enjoy these full stop. I certainly did.

I did not like these books at all. The novels felt derivative and overly serious. There were also overtones of politics that I did not agree with. I would have given the books two-stars, but I'm changing my rating to a 4 because Sharath was very responsive with my refund. Many other ecommerce stores say 'No Questions Asked' but they try to gaslight you into believing you don't need a refund. But Sharath truly didn't ask for a refund. He processed it immediately. That was a very smooth experience - I might actually try his mystery novels now.

The Hastinapur Bundle is a collection of three novels set in the Mahabharata universe. In the author's own words, these books speak into the silences of the Mahabharata. This is not strictly true, but it is true for about 80% of the story. I personally have not seen any other novel speak of Ganga and Satyavati with such detail. Or even Amba, Kunti and Gandhari for that matter. Three whole books describing just these four characters may seem boring at first glance, but the stories are very interesting. Keep an eye out for 'The City of Gold' in Rise of Hastinapur. Just pure gold!