~ Book Blitz ~
Storm From Taxila by Shreyas Bhave
15th to 17th August
Bindusar,
the Samrat Chakravartin of all the
Aryas, ruler of the Indian subcontinent, is dead. Chaos rules across the
empire. The royal succession turns upon intrigue, dark coalitions, violence and
death. The realm stands divided and civil war ensues.
In
Vidishanagri: Asoka kills his brother’s Ashwamedha
stallion and marches to Patliputra with his army. The ancient Brahminical order
rises in his supports, awaiting his entry into the capital. Have they made the
right choice?
In
Taxila: The rightful heir, Sushem, raises an army to meet the challenge posed
by his ambitious and gifted brother, Asoka. He prepares to march to the capital
and seize the throne by force. Will history repeat itself; will Sushem achieve
what his grandfather Chandragupta did 50 years ago?
In
Junagarh: Guild Master Hardeo sets out on a private mission to acquire the
great salt pans of Sindh. Will he succeed in his secret enterprise?
In
Vidishanagri: Radhagupta travels to fulfill the task allotted to him by the
Order. Kanakdatta, the Buddhist, stands up to stop him. Will Radhagupta fail in
his mission?
The
winds of war howl over the sub-continent, blowing every last person one way or
the other. Blood will be spilled, secrets revealed and men ruined. History
shall be made.
In
Book II of the epic Asoka Trilogy,
the storm approaches; the harbinger of death and destruction. When the dust finally
settles, the great question will be answered: Who is the next Samrat of the holy Lands of the Aryas?
Book Links:
Goodreads * Amazon
Read an Excerpt:
Asoka
was sitting on the steps to the throne, fastening his knee-high boots when
Chanakya entered
the chamber in his wheeled chair, dressed not in his usual long robe, but a
cotton undershirt. Asoka did not look up but kept tightening the straps of his
boots with both hands. The burning torches dispelled the darkness that
blanketed everything outside.
As
Chanakya rolled forward, his shadow fell upon the throne. “Why are you in
armour, Prince?” he asked.
“I am
in armour because we are under siege,” Asoka said, finishing his task.
“We
have been under siege for a week,” Chanakya reminded him.
“But
tonight the enemy is hammering at our walls,” Asoka replied, pointing a thumb
over his shoulder.
“The
walls will hold Prince.”
“I do
not doubt that. It is I who cannot hold on any longer.”
Chanakya
wheeled nearer. “What do you mean?”
Asoka
got to his feet. “Order the Captain of the Guards to assemble his reserve force
at the stables.” “But why?” Chanakya asked, perplexed.
Asoka
looked down at him. “I plan to sally out,” he said coolly.
“I beg
your pardon, Prince, but why such a foolhardy action?”
“It is
military slang,” Asoka explained, looking around for his shield, “sallying
out signifies a foray by the defenders, in the middle of the night, to
carry out a surprise raid on the besieger’s camp.”
“Well
you are not sallying out,” Chanakya said firmly.
“Why
do you say that, Prime Minister?”
“Isn’t
it obvious? It is dangerous!”
“Great
things cannot be achieved without facing danger, Prime Minister. You of all
people should know that.”
“Great
things!” Chanakya laughed mockingly. “What do you plan to achieve by sallying
out, Prince?”
“Small
things in this case,” Asoka replied, reaching for his scabbard. “We have about
forty horses
in the stables, Prime Minister. I and some of the city guards will ride out
under the cover of night and raid Sushem’s camp. I am certain we will catch his
men totally unawares. If we are lucky, perhaps Maharaja Sushem will fall
to my sword.”
“And
if you are unlucky,” Chanakya said, “you may fall to his.”
Asoka
shrugged as he pulled out his sword and checked its sharp edge by moving a
finger over it. “I am not afraid of dying,” He said.
“You
do not need to do this, Prince,” Chanakya pleaded. “Everything is under
control.”
Asoka
pushed his sword back into the scabbard. “Everything will be under control once
I am done with this raid,” he said softly.
“Your
friend, Shiva of Avanti, comes with your army soon,” Chanakya said, following
Asoka in his chair. “He will attack Sushem from behind and force him to lift
the siege. That is the plan!”
“The
plan!” Asoka stopped and turned around. “Is that your plan? Is that what you
wish the people of Patliputra to say, that they were saved by others while their
leader hid in the palace?” “Even your grandfather, Chandragupta, was not afraid to hide,”
Chanakya said. “He knew that…”
“Stop!”
Asoka said, raising one hand. “Look well, Prime Minister! Look at who stands
before you! I am not my grandfather. I do not look like him. I do not think
like him. Nor do I speak like him. But I am sure about one thing. If he were in
my shoes today, he would do the same as I.”
“You
are making a mistake,” Chanakya told him. “You will regret it later.”
Asoka
sighed. “I regret not doing this on the first day of the siege.”
About the Author:
Shreyas is a 21 year old guy currently pursuing his B.Tech in Electrical Eng. from VNIT Nagpur. His love for history since his childhood prompted him to write his take on the story of Asoka who was one of the towering figures in the history of India, which has been taken up as ‘The Asoka Trilogy’ by Leadstart Publishing.
The first part of the trilogy called ‘The Prince of Patliputra’ has been published in January 2016 and garnered positive responses.
He is also presently working on several other manuscripts and completing the final year of his engineering Course.
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