Ashok and the Nine Unknown by Anshul Dupare

Ashok and the Nine unknown written by Anshul Dupare is a novel coming under the historical fiction genre. The beauty of historical fiction is they never lose the charm. Writing a story on the backdrop of a historical event defines the quality of a writer. In this book, the mystery of the nine unknown is crafted on the life and rule of Ashoka.

The title and cover are beautifully designed to create mystery at the very first moment you look at them. I was curious to find out what/who really were the nine unknown. That drove me to read the story in a single stretch. The book is designed to be compact and that is the quality I liked most about this book.

Ashok, the supreme King of Kings became devastated at the aftermath of the Kalinga war. The death and destruction of war changed him. He wanted to rebuild everything and decided to venture on a new path. The King then assembled nine prodigies from different fields to prevent him from wrongdoings and help him to restore peace and humanity in the country. This is the background and the challenges build on it in the rest of the story.

The language varies from simple to complex throughout the story. The author portrayed the protagonist Ashok as a very strong character in the story. The character development was good throughout the plot. From beginning to end, this is a well-narrated story. The author keeps alive the mystery through the plot and subplots. That makes this book more enjoyable. Altogether, it is a good historical fiction that any reader can enjoy without complications.

Recommended for Indian history lovers.