HYDERABAD: ‘The Peshwa: War of the Deceivers’ is the second in the series of the historical fiction books by Ram Sivasankaran based on the Peshwas of yore. The first book, ‘The Peshwa: The Lion and the Stallion’ was the story of Peshwa Bajirao Bhat, who takes over the reins of the Peshwai after his father, Balaji Vishvanath Bhat’s death. Peshwa II follows Bajirao’s conquests and reign at the peak of his strength.
Bajirao is known to be extremely friendly to his friends, fair to enemies who accept defeat graciously, and brutal to tyrannical foes. He is surrounded by friends and family who are ready to lay down their lives for him. Or at least that’s what he thinks. When the Mughals and the Nizams join hands, he has to make some tough decisions that may or may not reveal the deceivers looking to bring down the sword.
The Peshwa series is a result of Ram Sivasankaran’s curiosity about the life and times of Peshwa Bajirao Bhat. The amount of research and the weeks that might have gone into connecting the dots between the historical events is evident in the absolutely brilliant writing style. It fits historical fiction like a custom-made glove to a tricky, lumpy hand. And to watch within the mind’s eye the stunning visuals conjured by Sivasankaran’s writing is a different experience in itself.
‘The book talks about the times of the post-Chhatrapati Shivaji Maratha Confederacy in a manner that will transport you back to those times.
All the deception and treachery that went on back then (crucial for survival), the lives of kings and Prime Ministers and underlings and women and children, war tactics, survival strategies, convenient alliances, court politics – everything comes tumbling out wonderfully across the vividly described landscape of the warring ‘kingdoms’ of yore.
‘The Peshwa: War of the Deceivers’ is an informative read for those who aren’t familiar with Maratha history. There’s so much to learn about their dynasties and domains. And though, Sivasankaran is cryptic in a few places about the details, it isn’t long before the suspense is unraveled and your brow’s clear of confusion. Yet, thanks to so many tidbits of information plus the extremely descriptive language, it is quite a tedious read. It requires one’s full attention – you just cannot afford to zone out while reading even a single paragraph of the narrative or you could simply lose the context.
If you’re looking for historical fiction that talks about the famous Peshwa of all, Bajirao Bhat, and his conquests at the peak of his stint as the Peshwa, this book is one for you!
Publisher: Westland Books Price:`599