Prince Ashoka is one of the many heirs to the mighty Mauryan empire, ruled by his father Emperor Bindusara. Disillusioned by the trappings of power, he has given up his position as the crown prince, but unlike the rest of the royal family, Ashoka’s loyalty to Mauryavansh is unwavering. So, when he overhears a plot to assassinate the Emperor, he makes it his mission to root out the assassins from the capital city of Patliputra with the help of the fierce army of Chandikas.
But little does young Ashoka know that the enemy lies within his own family. Despite successfully thwarting his father’s assassination, he is sent away to administer distant Takshashila, where he has to assist his brother Prince Sushim. And when Ashoka takes necessary steps to squash the Pashtun rebellion there, his acts are seen as treasonous and he is brutally punished, left for dead. The brains behind these machinations are the ruthless Queen Noor Khorasan and her mother, the War Marshall Jezza Khorasan.
Who will succeed in this ruthless game of thrones? Will it be the deadly Khorasans, or will it be Seleucus Nicator and his daughter, Queen Mother Apama, out to fulfil their dreams of conquering the subcontinent?
Or will Ashoka rise from the dead and save the vast empire founded by his grandfather, the great Emperor Chandragupta Maurya?
Full of ambition, intrigue, lust, battles, and the high drama of politics in ancient India, this trilogy by master storyteller Ashok Banker appears in a single, complete volume for the first time. Gripping, and pulsating with action, it recreates the rise to power of one of India’s most legendary rulers.