Pruthviraj Patil

I read Scion of Ikshvaku after seeing several positive reviews with the hope of experiencing a meaningful take on the Ramayana, as I have a deep interest in history and mythology. But right from the beginning, it became clear that the book is nothing more than a dramatized, commercial version of the epic. The author has turned this sacred story into a typical movie script—on the day of Shri Ram’s birth, a battle is lost, and suddenly the entire kingdom hates him. His mother and brothers support him while he goes through a forced redemption arc, like some overused Bollywood trope. To make matters worse, the book falsely claims that King Dasharath lost a battle to Ravana on the day Shri Ram was born. This is completely baseless. In the original Valmiki Ramayana, especially the respected Gita Press edition, there is absolutely no mention of such an event. In fact, Dasharath and Ravana never even faced each other in battle. Shri Ram’s birth is portrayed as a divine and joyous moment, not one of defeat or disgrace. If you’re planning to read this book expecting the true essence of the Ramayana, don’t waste your time. It’s just a fictional drama dressed up with sacred names to sell copies. The story has been heavily distorted, characters and events have been invented, and the soul of the epic is lost. This is not a tribute—it’s a marketing product built on the back of our cultural heritage.