Ganga and Shantanu (Epic Love Stories #2) by Ashok K. Banker
Release: July 7th 2012
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Westland Books
Source: Amazon
Ganga and Shantanu Synopsis:
A LOVE STORY WRITTEN ON WATER
A king of a powerful race in an ancient age falls in love with a woman. What he does not realize is that she is no ordinary woman; she is the incarnation of the great Mother-Goddess River Ganga or Ganges herself. Compelled to take human form for one lifetime as the result of a curse, she must commit a series of terrible unspeakable acts in order to free herself from the curse and return to her true state. The curse forbids her from confiding in her human husband, who is unable to comprehend why she must act so cruelly. Finally, her awful tasks completed, she returns to the natural state of water whence she came.
But she cannot abandon her human lover without one final gift: the gift of a son, and a most unusual son at that. This story, and the events it sets into motion, sets the stage for the great war and clan-conflict that is at the center of the great epic story-cycle of the Mahabharata. But in itself, it is also a beautiful, heart-breaking yet ultimately inspiring tale of love beyond boundaries and forms. A love story written on water. Retold by Ashok in his Mahabharata Series, this stolen tale of love and loss will break your heart even as it reveals a facet of love rarely witnessed by mortal eyes.
Review:
While I enjoyed this story much more than “Shakuntala and Dushyanta” (because there’s a lot more happening with the plot here) I really didn’t care for both the characters and their relationship.
I wouldn’t classify Ganga and Shantanu as an “Epic” love story because both the characters seemed to be more in lust for each other. They were both physically attracted to one another, and Ganga was just fulfilling the promise she made to the Vasus. In fact, majority of this book was bordering on erotica using these two mythological Gods. For example, Ganga throws her first born into the river, and Shantanu grieves for a moment, but the very next minute, gets lusty feelings for Ganga and thrusts his groin against hers! At least in the first book, Shakuntala loved her husband and sacrificed a lot for him. This book didn’t have much character development. Also, because it is a short novella of less than 80 pages, there wasn’t much time to get invested in these characters.
I always enjoy Ashok Banker’s style of writing. The author can take even a normal mundane story and turn it into a crisp, vibrant tale with rich dialogue. He has recreated this famous Indian tale from the Mahabharat and beautifully described the settings and the characters. He has made the pivotal moments more dramatic and enjoyable. However, I found this book to have a few grammatical errors, and wish that the publishers spent more time proof-reading.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, but felt it was not an apt story for this series.
