Empire devi yesodharan free pdf download

Empire by Devi Yesodharan is the story of Aremis and Anantha, the man who took her captive and had her trained. There is a greater conspiracy at hand and a war soon to be fought. With her life caught up in the games of the powerful, will Aremis ever find happiness and acceptance?

A woman of courage, with dagger and bow, Will do countless deeds: dark and light, right and low. Her armour dark, her armour gold, Around her red rivers will flow. The characters in the book are good. The main characters are exceptionally well written by Devi Yesodharan and they have a certain depth about them. The readers get to explore the depth of their emotions and feelings in a way that is not possible in most other novels.

I loved the way the various characters have been shaped — a mix of all shades of grey. Aremis and Anantha are two characters to look forward to. The other characters — both important and unimportant ones, are well developed. I especially loved the evil queen and her diabolical character.

The writing style of Devi Yesodharan is lucid. Probably deserved a more masala title, maybe, a sharper end, as arc shifts go protagonist-wise and definitely a more intelligent cover, befitting the text. Also, this is the first desi historical fiction kitaab I've read, where the main character flirts with bisexuality. Sep 02, Deepak rated it really liked it. Wished it continued for a while more.

Wonderful tale spun with wonderful introduction of characters, who tell the story in first person which ensures that you get an all-round ringside view of the action as it happens. It is based in Nagapattinam during the Chola dynasty. The narration is flawless and flows with ease without any grammatical errors and neat editing. Devi has a firm grip on the tale and the actors therein, except for a bit towards the end where she seemed bored and unsure, but picks up pace with elan and rides on!

It is not a gripping novel but has a way of growing and sticking on your awake time to ensure you keep reading at a laid back pace. History buffs will love it and even history haters will enjoy it!

Definitely worth a read! Thank you Juggernaut for sending me this book for an unbiased review. Enjoyed it! Looking forward to more books from Devi Yesodharan.

Sep 06, Tarang Sinha rated it really liked it. I love women as central protagonist and Empire has Aremis, a strong and only woman warrior, who not only beat all the boys in a tournament but qualifies to be the throne guard of the Chola King.

But she here as your guard, my King, no 'The strangest flowers,' my brother said, 'have come out of ordinary grass. But she here as your guard, my King, not your dancing partner. Characters do or the author make them justice to their roles.

Just one thing - I thought, for this story, it would have been better if it was written in third person PoV. Overall, this book was a wonderful read and it has inspired me to read more historical fiction, especially with strong female central characters. Oct 01, Chittajit Mitra rated it it was amazing. Review- 4. But can a female warrior survive among other male warriors who are jealous of her?

Read about the journey of a warrior who bloomed even in unfavourable conditions. Read the full review on Just Another Bookaholic Sep 05, Sukanya Mallik rated it really liked it. I'm currently reading it, and I am loving it so far. I specifically love the fact that Author Devi Yasho dharan has dug deep into the chola generation that hasn't been talked about much or rather we could say that as compared to the other dynasties, this particular dynasty has not been much explored in Indian literature.

Also, the exact generation talked about was never focused on so much before. The same facts made it difficult for yashodharan to research on the novel as she said in her webina I'm currently reading it, and I am loving it so far.

The same facts made it difficult for yashodharan to research on the novel as she said in her webinar "How to research for your first novel". However the author's research and her beautiful imagination has worked wonders and created an epic. I look forward to re reviewing it once I complete reading it. Sep 02, Pratibha Pandey rated it really liked it. I am getting hooked to historical fiction genre , all thanks to books like Empire.

From the very first chapter till the last scene , the author left no emotion unexplored , no character like lose end , no plot without build up and over all narrated this tale beautifully. I specially liked the way the street scenes and the events were like visuals I could easily imagine. The end was a little abrupt , as ini really wanted a welcome for Yavani. Still I loved the book. Jan 09, Sandhya Sekar rated it it was amazing. The book showcases a side to Chola history that we don't get a sniff of usually.

Unlike the grand imaginings of Kalki's Ponniyin Selvan, where the protagonists are royalty, this book takes a look at the 'normal' life -- day to day happenings, from street food to camp life to war. Sep 02, Sankalpita bookGeeks India rated it really liked it Shelves: historical-fiction , indian-readers-challenge. Feb 10, Bala Sivashankar rated it it was amazing.

Finished this book on the weekend, enjoyed it a lot. I loved the setting, which is close to my home. Dec 04, Arun Divakar rated it liked it. Bahubali was a movie that became a grand spectacle on the Indian screen but equating a book to a movie has always been a turn off for me. Having entered with this sour note, this book really surprised me with its tone, writing style and content.

Empire gets a lot of things right and much more importantly it was able to hold my attention and made it a quick and easy read. When it comes to new authors and popular fiction, readability is the one factor that I place above all others and Devi Yesodharan ticks all the boxes in this debut novel which also does not feel like a debut novel at all!

Indian history has a wide plethora of stories that can be used for umpteen retellings and it is delightful to see that there is many a book or a movie coming out lately that makes people familiar with the tales of their own past. Even the aforementioned Bahubali was a fantasy epic that had its roots in a fictional South Indian Kingdom. Devi Yesodharan chooses the influential, rich and colourful time of the Chola dynasty in Tamil Nadu to tell her story.

Raja Raja elevated the Cholas from a typically Tamil dynasty into a truly formidable force to be reckoned with and that too across the whole of South India. The son Rajendra who did not want to be outdone by his father continued the policy of expansion by strengthening an already powerful Navy into a far more superior weapon.

After his victory at the banks of the river Ganga, Rajendra acquired the title of Gangaikonda Chola which translates into : the Chola whose conquests took him as far as the Ganga.

Rajendra did not stop there though and led his naval forces across the oceans and brought under his control parts of Cambodia, Thailand, Sumatra and Java thereby again transforming the dynasty into one that spread across Southeast Asia.

The Cholas were patrons of art, music and grand temples and the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu is a standing testimony to the grand vision of these kings and is a sight to behold. Empire is set during the reign of Rajendra Chola and the major part of the story occurs just before and during the time he mounts a campaign against the Srivijaya Empire in the Malay Peninsula.

Aremis grows up as a warrior in the Chola barracks and gains repute as a fearsome archer. It is her viewpoint that becomes the most prominent in the story. Triumph, tragedy, heartbreak, sorrow, blood, sweat and tears all find their way into the lives of these two individuals while behind them rises the grand backdrop of the war that the Cholas are mounting against the Srivijayans.

As a reader, something I really appreciated was that the larger than life King was treated more or less as a supporting character while Anantha and Aremis took the story forward.

If the author had chosen to focus just on the militaristic aspect of the Cholas then this story would have been just another run of the mill albeit forgettable one but the author focuses extensively on human emotions and also about life in a bustling capital city at the height of its power.

The writing is empathetic and gives your vivid snapshots of the little things in the lives of these two people. While there is so much that the novel accomplishes so well, it also leaves a lot to be desired in terms of plot closure.

In the early parts of the story, there is an important sub plot around the Queen which gets almost fully forgotten save a tangential reference by the time the story comes to a close. The final battle scenes also do not do justice to the massive build-up all through the story and pretty much gets brushed aside rather quickly.

The human side of the story is pretty solid but it stops just short of being a great historical novel when it does not explore the larger themes of history towards the later parts of the story. There needs to be more such stories that delve deeper into Indian history. Oct 17, Arun rated it really liked it.

Enjoyed reading this - the descriptive bits are evocative, give you a sense of the Chola period and pull you into Aremis' and Anantha's stories. Both points of view are distinctive and work very well. The plot flags mid-way with the introduction of the queen don't want to give away much, so won't say more about it and the ending is a bit hurried.

That said, the battle scenes and the speed at which things can move in battle is conveyed beautifully. The ending also makes for a great setup for th Enjoyed reading this - the descriptive bits are evocative, give you a sense of the Chola period and pull you into Aremis' and Anantha's stories. The ending also makes for a great setup for the next book in the series assuming there is one!

Much of the characterization is drawn from the thoughts of the protagonists - what they think of themselves, of each other, of other major and minor characters. While that lends itself to some beautiful prose, at times it feels somewhat less natural and a touch overdone. Sharper, snappy dialogue may have aided the movement of the story, particularly in the middle section of the book. Historical fiction in India is under-represented, and even more so, from a South Indian perspective.

Am looking forward to more of this! Oct 30, Rithun Regi rated it it was amazing. During the Bangalore Literature Festival, I got to hear the author Devi passionately and logically talk about History. Historical fiction being my favourite genre, I was pleasantly surprised to see a book written on the Chola Empire. This book is a great read for someone to understand the culture, food and people of the 11th century. In all the books I ve read of empires in India, this is the first one which focuses on the naval prowess and power of an empire.

The author has brought in some refre During the Bangalore Literature Festival, I got to hear the author Devi passionately and logically talk about History. The author has brought in some refreshing perspective and I enjoyed taking pauses in some sections of the book to reflect on the poems and deep food for thought. A lot of research has been put into the book. One of the protagonists of the story is a Greek woman named Aremis and she tells the story of the Chola court like an outsider.

It is a good lesson from history that we get a better perspective when we get an outsiders view of our society. I think this is very relevant for our modern day society. Loved the book. Looking forward to the sequel. View 2 comments. Jan 27, Vishal Jha rated it it was amazing. Before I Write this review, i will like to tell you that i am a big fan of mythological fiction This was the first time, i read a historical fiction and now i think i will definately pick more in this genre The story is about a girl Aremis, who is a greek POW to the cholas who train her into being a warrier and a throne guard to the Chola King, she is skillful, brave and stares dange Before I Write this review, i will like to tell you that i am a big fan of mythological fiction The story is about a girl Aremis, who is a greek POW to the cholas who train her into being a warrier and a throne guard to the Chola King, she is skillful, brave and stares danger in its eye but she is a captive in the chola land and therfore is not treated well, this is her story of earning the respect of the men who treat her as their inferior, and of helping the cholas in a really big battle, The story is filled with betrayals, love, lust, conspiracy, jealousy and all these factors make this an amazing read When i came to know of the jcb prize longlist, this book immediately attracted me and now i know why it was so Nov 15, Prashanth rated it really liked it.

Wish the book had two parts. Felt the last phase of the book was done in a hurry , not that the writing was bad the last two were the best two chapters actually but could have been a bit more detailed. The alternative narration makes it a bit difficult to read at first but you get used to it as you progress. The book starts of slowly but picks pace after the Queen enters not sure who she is. Just wondering what happens to that character.

Was it explained, did I miss anything? T Wish the book had two parts. The last 2 chapters on the build up to the war takes me to Nagapattinam port and the rough sea rides will stay in memory forever. The narration was amazing Wish we had more details Being a big Chola and Chola books fan , I expected the book to be more on the King but the fictional story was not bad either. Finally , will miss Aremis. Hope we have one more follow up book!!

Sep 17, Sheece rated it liked it. Rajendra Chola has conquered Lanka, now he wants to rule the Indian Ocean. Their future is set: a dangerous journey across the seas and a bloody, brutal war they cannot survive undamaged.

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