Once Upon a Bookcase: a spark of white fire

Monday, 7 January 2019

a spark of white fire, indian mythology retelling, non-western inspired sci-fi, poc, poc - indian, retelling, review, sangu mandanna, sci-fi, the celestial trilogy, the mahabharata, YA

Review: A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna

07:00 Jo No comments

A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna

Published: 11th September 2018 | Publisher: Sky Pony Press | Source: Bought
Sangu Mandanna's Website

In a universe of capricious gods, dark moons, and kingdoms built on the backs of spaceships, a cursed queen sends her infant daughter away, a jealous uncle steals the throne of Kali from his nephew, and an exiled prince vows to take his crown back.

Raised alone and far away from her home on Kali, Esmae longs to return to her family. When the King of Wychstar offers to gift the unbeatable, sentient warship Titania to a warrior that can win his competition, she sees her way home: she’ll enter the competition, reveal her true identity to the world, and help her famous brother win back the crown of Kali.

It’s a great plan. Until it falls apart.

Inspired by the Mahabharata and other ancient Indian stories, A Spark of White Fire is a lush, sweeping space opera about family, curses, and the endless battle between jealousy and love. From Goodreads.

Thursday, 13 September 2018

a spark of white fire, indian mythology retelling, once upon a retelling, retelling, sangu mandanna, the mahabharata

Once Upon a Retelling: A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna

07:00 Jo 2 comments

Welcome to Once Upon a Retelling! I'm a huge fan of retellings, and I'm really interested in hearing about authors' own love of the original stories, and what inspired them to retell those stories. And so Once Upon a Retelling was born, a feature in which I interview authors about their versions of well-loved tales.

Today, I'm really excited to have Sangu Mandanna stopping by the blog to talk to us about her retelling of the Mahabharata, A Spark of White Fire.

Can you tell us a little about A Spark of White Fire? What kind of a retelling of the Mahabharata is it?

A Spark of White Fire is the story of Esmae, an orphaned servant who reveals herself to be the lost princess of a kingdom torn by civil war. Esmae wants nothing more than to reunite with her family and take back the crown that was stolen from her brother, but she soon discovers that things may be a little more complicated than that. Her story is very much inspired by the Mahabharata! It’s a reimagining of the original epic, set in space, with a mixture of fantasy and futuristic elements.