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by Ashok K. Banker (Author)
Prince Ashoka is one of the many heirs to the mighty Mauryan empire, ruled
by his father Emperor Bindusara. Disillusioned by the trappings of power, he
has given up his position as the crown prince, but unlike the rest of the royal
family, Ashoka's loyalty to Mauryavansh is unwavering. So, when he overhears
a plot to assassinate the Emperor, he makes it his mission to root out the
assassins from the capital city of Patliputra with the help of the fierce army of
Chandikas.
But little does young Ashoka know that the enemy lies within his own family.
Despite successfully thwarting his father's assassination, he is sent away to
administer distant Takshashila, where he has to assist his brother Prince
Sushim. And when Ashoka takes necessary steps to squash the Pashtun
rebellion there, his acts are seen as treasonous and he is brutally punished, left
for dead. The brains behind these machinations are the ruthless Queen Noor
Khorasan and her mother, the War Marshall Jezza Khorasan.
Who will succeed in this ruthless game of thrones? Will it be the deadly
Khorasans, or will it be Seleucus Nicator and his daughter, Queen Mother
Apama, out to fulfil their dreams of conquering the subcontinent?
Or will Ashoka rise from the dead and save the vast empire founded by his
grandfather, the great Emperor Chandragupta Maurya?
Full of ambition, intrigue, lust, battles, and the high drama of politics in
ancient India, this trilogy by master storyteller Ashok Banker appears in a
single, complete volume for the first time. Gripping, and pulsating with
action, it recreates the rise to power of one of India's most legendary rulers.
