Book Name: Yuyutsu- The Rise of the Last Kaurava
Author: Aniket S Sharma
Publishing Year: 2021

About the story:

Everyone told me I cheated My blood, deceived My brothers, and befriended the enemies! On the holy ground of Kurukshetra, I chose the side of the Pandavas, knowing very well that they were on the right side of dharma and not My brothers, the Kauravas. But, was it only My sense of dharma or a hidden desire? Would you listen to my side of the story? Remember, there's always more to a story than what meets the eyes and what hits the ears. I wanted to reclaim what was always mine, I wanted to announce what I was truly capable of, I wanted to prove that karma could overrule bloodlines and most importantly, I wanted to be much more than a mere king! This is my journey. This is the story of Yuyutsu!

This is one of the few Mahabharat adaptations that I fell in love with. I mean, this is literally one of the best adaptations of Mahabharat I have ever read in my life, and you guys need to bear with my fangirling, because I am literally in love with this book and is one of my new favourites.

The story begins from the thirteenth day of war and continues to the end just before the Pandavas leave for Mahaprasthana and has been narrated in first person from Yuyutsu's point of view and I must say, the reader is left spellbound and a newer perspective of the already well known tale.

I'll first tell you what didn't work out for me in the book and then move on to the positive aspects and give my review. Please be warned that this may contain spoilers or snippets from the book I absolutely loved.

The Not So Impressive Points.

From a storytelling point of view I was a little disappointed in not finding much exploration of the bond of Bheem and Yuyutsu whom the latter has called his best friend. The two of them have some really beautiful moments of silent understanding in the book, but a little more dive into it would have made it more beautiful.

Another character from the book who had a potential to be explored was Swastika, who is shown as childhood friend and partner of Yuyutsu. She was an interesting character who always motivated Yuyutsu to never forget his dreams and desires of recognition and doing something for the throne, one which she assumes is ruling (but that was not the desire, a little spoiler there). She truly could have been explored on the basis of how she had influenced the man and stood by him throughout, which has been described time and again but we don't have instances.

I think these two characters deserved some more limelight for their influence on Yuyutsu's life. Especially Bheem, because of whom he makes the decision of switching sides.

The major turnoff what I felt was the length of the chapters, it's very similarly structured like how Mahabharat is structured. If you have read BORI CE its quite similar to it in structure. It may be a turn off if you want to get into it as a novel, but trust me, it's worth a shot for sure

The Impressive parts

I loved most of the book, so I shall be dividing it into sections and telling what I loved in the book. There's so much to pack in, so let's get into it.

All Facts and Authentic Retelling

If there's one thing most of us Mahabharat enthusiasts complain about fictional retellings, it's about how facts have been twisted or the absolute villain gets white washed and the beautiful characters get black washed or shown unnecessarily grey. And guess what this book has none of that, it's as if someone listened to us and decided to portray the characters of Mahabharat as they are in authentic versions.

The Pandavas are the wonderful human beings that they are. The Kauravas are as evil as they are. Characters like Bhishma and Dronacharya have been respected while also calling out their actions.

Dhritarashtra and Gandhari have been called out for how they have turned a blind eye to the deeds of their sons. And I can keep going on and on about all the details I have found here.

Characters like Radheya Karna who often gets white washed in fictions has been portrayed to the t here. There was not one instance where I was disappointed with his portrayal, and the ways in which he has been called out, pure Mahabharat literature gold, almost all major characters including Yuyutsu have called him out and I had a blast reading it for sure.

Adding a few snippets from the book about various Mahabharat characters so as to help you understand what I loved and also hopefully persuade you to read this book.

" He kept aside the righteousness and favoured the injustice for the sake of his friendship with Duryodhana. But today he had to burn his desires on the pyre of Duryodhana's fear. A man sometimes has to learn to balance the cries of personal aspirations with the wishes of other" about Karna using the Vasavi shakti against Ghatokacha (narrated by Yuyutsu)

"The message to sacrifice everything for Duryodhana was coated with the sugar of peace... It was my father's final attempt to avoid battle. But how? By asking Yudhishthira to leave everything which was lawfully his. And for whom? Duryodhana, his arrogant and deceitful son, who never left a chance...Unethical! The blind love for his sons had shielded my father from the light of rational and intellect as well. Mother Gandhari added a copious amount of ignorance by blindfolding herself. A piece of cloth didn't just shield her vision but obstructed her view of the truth too. All the Kaurava brothers were left, with no reverence for anyone" about Dhritarashta and Gandhari's parenting of the Kaurava brothers (Narrated by Yuyutsu)

The Beautiful Quotes Capturing the Essence of the Characters and Story

If there's something I absolutely adored in the book, it was the beautiful quotes that truly spoke about what Mahabharat truly is about. Whether it was the war, the little incidents during war or just about characters, the author has some really beautiful words that have described it. These words will make you feel for all, the protagonists, the antagonists or the deuteragonists.

Usually while I annotated for Mahabharat books,it usually went like this part was offensive, these characters were not portrayed right and the list of things I found offensive were endless. It was refreshing for me to annotate such beautiful quotes and there was one quote that has stuck with me ever since I read this, capturing about the readers

"This world is full of people belonging to two categories.Those who believe everything they read and those who read everything they believe" he replies and walks away. I stare at him, trying to decipher his words. (Yudhishtir to Yuyutsu)

I think these words of Yudhishtir truly capture the readers of the tales he is a part of and has my heart. I will talk more about his characterisation a little later.

The language is simple, yet knows how to hit the right strings of hearts, you can not help but mark those quotes as you go, because man they are so beautiful, and there are too many of them.

Yuyutsu - The Hero

Yuyutsu is the hero of the story and the events of Kurukshetra and its aftermath has been narrated from his perspective. The author has beautifully captured how Yuyutsu had felt left out growing up in the Kuru household and the silent discrimination he faced. His thoughts about the Pandavas and the special bond he shared with the Pandavas and why he became a close confidante of the five brothers and their well wishers.

The respect and adoration for people like the Pandavas and Kanha and also his thoughts about some of the key characters on the otherside has been well explored, one not only gets an authentic retelling but also an insight into one of the lesser known characters.

Yuyutsu, as far as I have read the unabridged versions, has no real divine origins associated with him. And that makes him as human as me and you, and the author does a wonderful; job at capturing his emotions. Whether it's his desires and dreams or the disappointment in not being able to achieve something despite doing your best. The dilemmas in doing the right and feeling you have betrayed your blood. All of this has been captured well and makes you root for him to achieve what he wants.

Samrat Yudhishtir

Yudhishtir is one of the most misrepresented people and the Emperor Yudhishtir is almost dismissed as being nothing. This book not only does justice to Yuyutsu, but also Samrat Yudhishtir.

The book gives you an insight into how Yudhishtir functions as a king, a perspective to understand his complex and nuanced character. Especially during the war. There are two controversial episodes, one of the half truth and the other of the seventeenth day (if you know, you know this one. The nuance in which this has been handled and how Yudhishtir comes out as a calculative king, a brother who is fine to get into the bad books of his brothers who literally worship just so they achieve their goals, will warm your heart.

Yudhishtir is one person, from here what I understood is someone who will burn in the fire and let the world call him bad but will never let the world point fingers on his loved ones.

The Samrat Yudhishtir here has been portrayed a thousand folds better than a series dedicated to him. I said what I said, don't attack me you people.

The Yuyutsu and Yudhishtir Bond

The bond between Yudhishtir and Yuyutsu is just as beautiful as the bond between Yudhishtir and the other Pandava brothers. The way the eldest son of Pandu has always understood Yuyutsu's mind and guided him every time the man felt he was losing track, is just so beautiful.

The bond of these two brothers of the Kuruvash in the book will really make you crave for the kind of relationship they have. I will be very frank, I was smiling throughout at the way Yudhishtir was there right there and understood this man, who had felt left out throughout his life. It's truly remarkable to see an elder brother put in the effort to make the younger one feel secure in what they have and he is approachable.

The Half Pandava and The Half Kaurava [Spoiler, read at your own risk]

One of the most interesting comparisons in the book is that of Yuyutsu and Karna. The similarity between the two being half blood royals. In the case of Yuyutsu, his father was a royal and mother was a vaishya and the book has described Yuyutsu to have been conceived during his mother's maidenhood and she not being married to Dhritarashtra. And in the case of Karna, his mother is of royal blood and his biological father is God and as for his adoptive family, his father is royal (kshatriya) and mother is brahmin.

The book talks about how they came from a similar back story, but it was their actions that differentiated the two. While one chose dharma and the greater good, along with probably wanting to side with his friends, the other was more selfish and self centred, not only was he a greedy person, but he also served a greedy person's favour.

The book as summarised this beautifully, and here is an excerpt from it:

"I am here to tell you about Karna's death. While I remember him, I relate to him with you. You and he were on a similar boat but sailing in the opposite directions. He was the Half- Pandava, and you are the Half-Kaurava" Yudhishtir to Yuyutsu

" Karna was born to rule, but he died the fateful death. I, born in the family of Kauravas, was destined to die but survived. He favoured the selfish; I favoured the selfless. He favoured the egoist; I supported the tranquillity. He sup- ported the avarice; I favoured the benevolence. The munificent was indebted, and I was free from all obligations. Duryodhana fed Karna's weaknesses, but Yudhishthir invested in my strengths"

This excerpt not only talks about how Yuyutsu and Karna are similar yet different, but also why Yudhishtir has an edge over Duryodhan. There is quite a lot there to interpret, and I shall leave it to you.

The writing and overall views

The writing is simple and straightforward. The author knows what he is talking about and communicates it beautifully. I personally fell in love with this book and this will be one of my favourites for now, for it has blended fact and fiction really beautifully, and Aniket deserves some praise for it.

The book is surely an enjoyable read and you will come out of it feeling like you have learnt something new.

I would rate this book a 4.5/5 stars

And did I forget, if you guys have Kindle unlimited, just go and download that book, because its worth all your time.