The King of Mathura

This book turned out to be so so different than I what I expected - not in a bad way - just that the story deviates a lot from the well known mythology. But it also gives a rare look into the kind of the character Krishna, how he trusts no one but himself, and how he takes it upon himself solely to remove all the obstacles for his brother to be the king.

But, we also get to see what happens when he is outmaneuvered at his mind games by someone smarter at playing the game. It is this part of the story (the second half to be specific) that I found fascinating, because it so much resembled our real life - how facts get twisted and retold, how truths are mixed with lies to confuse and manipulate the minds of the masses, how politicians and other bad faith actors use these misinformation tactics to get a leg up on their opponents - it felt like the author was making a commentary on our world through allegory. And this part of the story kept the mystery going till almost the last page, leaving us wondering how Krishna will react. And it was worth the wait.

I don't know if the author plans to write more books in this series. If he does, I don't know if I'm looking forward to more of Krishna's story or the Mahabharata; but I know I will eagerly wait whatever comes next.