2002 Lesser Known Tales from Mahabharat Vol IV

The novel is a collection of short stories from the epic Mahabharata. The fourth in a series of books written by Komarraju, the book can be read independently of the other books in the series. The book comprises roughly 50 tales. As the title suggests, these are lesser known tales from Mahabharata. While reading, I was wondering whether I had originally heard of these characters in the context of Mahabharata or some other tale. However, the tales synthesise around the larger tale that comprises of the epic. In this volume, the focus was on the game of dice and the eventual vanvaas. 

While reading, you will of course feel that you are familiar with some of the stories, however, there are others that you are not likely to be familiar with. To give credit to the author, he gives a disclaimer to this effect at the beginning of the text. The writing is smooth and easy to read. At some places I felt that I would have enjoyed it more if some of the stories would have been better if they have been combined together. But this may be because I like reading long stories. At the end of it, I am left wondering how have I enriched from knowing these tales! Some wisdom is left for the reader to derive. Komarraju’s writing is neutral in that. Not indicating what you can derive out of these tales. The stories are supplemented by some threads to think about at the end of the book. But largely, it is for you to see what you can get out of these books.