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A review by soumwise
Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri
5.0
SPOILER ALERT
‘Empire of Sand’ is a beautiful, deep tale with a strength and seriousness I haven’t come across in a while.
What stood out to me were the world-building and characters. The author beautifully takes a bit of Hinduism, Mughal India and desert life and etches out a whole new original world from them. It’s one thing to just directly refer to culture in the real world; it is entirely another to reimagine it so creatively. Loved that. Daiva especially were such fascinating beings. The scenes where they follow and circle around Mehr in the desert are just gorgeous. The scene with the Elder Mother and Mehr had such a spiritual quality to it; I felt dazed reading it. Reminded me of a scene in the Mahabharatha where Arjuna sees Krishna in his full divine form. In fact I often wished the author would describe the setting even more. A lot of fantasy tends to overdescribe its world but here, I wouldn’t have minded that at all.
Mehr is a character not easily forgotten thanks to her inner strength but reserved demeanor. Mehr’s quite way of rebelling, her seeming compliance with the docile behavior expected from her as a woman, an Amrithi and a stepdaughter but all this while silently preparing the biggest rebellion and firmly standing her ground when it comes to the really important decisions…it all felt much like the carefully balanced rites, dances and sigils she performs. There was also a strong sisterhood between all the female characters; Mehr, Lalita, the female mystics, Ruhi, Usha, Nahira etc. that made me feel at home.
Amun is also a truly remarkable hero. His tender nature, his lack of faith in himself but also his personal growth, fierce protection of Mehr and his defiance of the Maha makes for a touching character that expands the definition of masculinity. (Much needed, if you ask me.)
The power play in the story feels tangible and realistic. Suri beautifully shows how those who desire control over others the most are in fact those least secure about themselves. The Maha turns from a very scary villain to a fairly pathetic character in the end. It also rang very true for me that those who possess special qualities or resources are strangely also those who are oppressed. (I mean, just look at colonial history.) Story-wise however, I felt the Maha’s rather unceremonious death and especially Kalini’s feelings in killing him (although the motive is rather obvious) could be described a little more.
Three cheers to Tasha Suri! Beautiful read!
‘Empire of Sand’ is a beautiful, deep tale with a strength and seriousness I haven’t come across in a while.
What stood out to me were the world-building and characters. The author beautifully takes a bit of Hinduism, Mughal India and desert life and etches out a whole new original world from them. It’s one thing to just directly refer to culture in the real world; it is entirely another to reimagine it so creatively. Loved that. Daiva especially were such fascinating beings. The scenes where they follow and circle around Mehr in the desert are just gorgeous. The scene with the Elder Mother and Mehr had such a spiritual quality to it; I felt dazed reading it. Reminded me of a scene in the Mahabharatha where Arjuna sees Krishna in his full divine form. In fact I often wished the author would describe the setting even more. A lot of fantasy tends to overdescribe its world but here, I wouldn’t have minded that at all.
Mehr is a character not easily forgotten thanks to her inner strength but reserved demeanor. Mehr’s quite way of rebelling, her seeming compliance with the docile behavior expected from her as a woman, an Amrithi and a stepdaughter but all this while silently preparing the biggest rebellion and firmly standing her ground when it comes to the really important decisions…it all felt much like the carefully balanced rites, dances and sigils she performs. There was also a strong sisterhood between all the female characters; Mehr, Lalita, the female mystics, Ruhi, Usha, Nahira etc. that made me feel at home.
Amun is also a truly remarkable hero. His tender nature, his lack of faith in himself but also his personal growth, fierce protection of Mehr and his defiance of the Maha makes for a touching character that expands the definition of masculinity. (Much needed, if you ask me.)
The power play in the story feels tangible and realistic. Suri beautifully shows how those who desire control over others the most are in fact those least secure about themselves. The Maha turns from a very scary villain to a fairly pathetic character in the end. It also rang very true for me that those who possess special qualities or resources are strangely also those who are oppressed. (I mean, just look at colonial history.) Story-wise however, I felt the Maha’s rather unceremonious death and especially Kalini’s feelings in killing him (although the motive is rather obvious) could be described a little more.
Three cheers to Tasha Suri! Beautiful read!