New Delhi, May 31 (IANS): HarperCollins on Tuesday announced its acquisition of the eagerly awaited new book by India's bestselling author Amish Tripathi, 'War of Lanka', the fourth book in the Ram Chandra Series, the second fastest-selling book series in Indian publishing history. The previous books in this series include 'Ram-Scion of Ikshvaku', 'Sita-Warrior of Mithila' and 'Raavan-Enemy of Aryavarta'.
It's India in 3400 BCE, with greed, rage, grief, love -- smouldering tinder all waiting to trigger a war.
But this war is different. This one is for Dharma. This war is for the greatest Goddess of them all.
Sita has been kidnapped. Defiantly, she dares Raavan to kill her. She tells him that she'd rather die than allow Ram to surrender.
Ram is beside himself with grief and rage. He prepares for war. Fury is his fuel. Calm focus, his guide.
Raavan thought he was invincible. He had kidnapped Sita. He thought he'd negotiate and force a surrender. Little did he know.
The first three books explore the journeys of Ram, Sita and Raavan. In this, the epic fourth book of the series, all narrative strands crash into each other. And explode into the slaughterous war.
Will Ram defeat the ruthless and fiendish Raavan, constrained as he is by the laws of Dharma? Will Lanka burn to a cinder or fight back like a cornered tiger? Will Sita return unharmed? Will the terrible costs of war be worth the victory?
Most importantly, will the Vishnu rise? And will the real enemies of the land fear the Vishnu? For fear is the mother of love.
Said Tripathi of his new book: "If you plan on picking up 'War of Lanka' when it releases, then in all probability you have already read the three earlier books in the Ram Chandra Series. And hopefully, have liked them!
"Thank you for your continued love and support.
"More so, thank you for that most precious gift to an artist: your time. I hope that this book will live up to your expectations.
"As some of you may know, I have been inspired by a storytelling technique called hyperlink. It has also been called the multilinear narrative, in which a connection brings the many characters together. The three main characters in the Ram Chandra Series are Ram, Sita and Raavan. Each has life experiences which mould their character. Each life in this story is an adventure with a riveting backstory. And finally, their stories converge with the kidnapping of Sita."
Ananth Padmanabhan, CEO, HarperCollins India, said: "Twelve years ago, when 'The Immortals of Meluha' was first published, it created a revolution and announced the arrival of a significant new voice in Indian fiction. Since that first book Amish, with his fantastical storytelling, has created multiple parallel universes and has entertained millions of readers. I am so thrilled that HarperCollins will now be the home for all his books globally."
Udayan Mitra, Executive Publisher, HarperCollins India, said: "As a reader, I'm tremendously excited that 'War of Lanka'... will be out soon. I still remember the thrill of reading the very first line of Ram-Scion of Ikshvaku on the day it was published, seven years ago; I knew then that this was the beginning of a great adventure and read on spellbound as the magic of Amish's narrative unfolded over the first three books in the series. As publishers, we're delighted beyond measure to now become a part of that adventure ourselves, as we bring 'War of Lanka', along with Amish's entire backlist, to the many, many readers who, like me, have been waiting with bated breath."