Welcome to The Naraka Cycle
I’m Sundar Nathan, author of the Indian mythology thriller series entitled The Naraka Cycle. I’ve spent the past seven years researching, outlining, and writing the first two books in the fantasy adventure series.
Meet Ravan, the tenacious crown prince of Asurapura on the continent of Naraka, moments before he must face the dangers of the Aranya jungle as part of his Twice-Born Trial of Seven Days.
He emerges from the Aranya and returns to the palace, triumphant but emotionally drained. His completion of the Trial, however, brings about more complications than he could have imagined…
Interview with Dr. Deepak Chopra on his Youtube Channel
Dr. Chopra with Sundar Nathan
About Sundar Nathan
Sundar has been passionate about mythology and story-telling since he was a boy when his grandmother Namagiri and his mother Saroja regaled him with tales from the great Indian Epics - The Ramayana & The Mahabharata. Sundar is an engineer and tech marketer. While pursuing a successful career in Silicon Valley, Sundar embarked on a seven-year journey that culminated in his first mythological thriller - Prince of Naraka.
Explore the World of Naraka
Are you ready to explore the World of Naraka? Read a sample chapter of Book I: Prince of Naraka. Meet the characters of six unique kingdoms, their culture, politics, art, architecture and weapons. Traverse the equatorial belt, the icy peaks, red desert and warm southern oceans of Naraka. All connected to the ancient Indian mythology, science, culture and spirituality.
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Advance Praise for The Naraka Cycle
What readers are saying…
“With ‘Prince of Naraka’, Sundar Nathan has written an epic fantasy story with memorable characters from the great Indian epic, the Ramayana. The story is gripping, familiar characters in new roles with new destinies. Sundar has also done extensive research on the setting for his story. I enjoyed it a lot.”
– Viswanathan Anand, 5-Time World Chess Champion
“Imagine an addictive combination of epic fantasy, anthropological fiction, and religious mysticism, all wrapped up in outstanding writing and scene creation with a bunch of plot twists thrown in for good measure. That is what Sundar has created here.”
– Corey Sommers
“Author Nathan grew up on the Ramayana and Mahabharata, classic Indian sagas which combine, as he has done here, elements of traditional Hindu beliefs, grand multi-faceted scenarios of intertwining rulers, religion, and romance, and pure fantasy. Balancing these weighty portions is a feat that the author, who has created this novel as the first of two parts, handles with the skills of a wordsmith warmed to his task. In addition, he has subtly infused his work with an over-arching universalist viewpoint reflecting higher spiritual truths, represented in the words of Raa One's teacher. Nathan targets this complex tale to young adults, and no doubt older readers will also wish to immerse themselves in the new perspectives he brings to classic archetypes.”
– Barbara Bamberger Scott, The US Review of Books
“What better way to introduce young adults (and kids at heart) to the ancient spiritual wisdom of India? A ton of rich history & mythology packed into a page-turning narrative.
Highly recommend!”
– Nilesh Parate
”The Prince of Naraka by Sundar Nathan is a revisionist supernatural fantasy fiction saga with a deep nod to the sweeping texts of one of the world's most ancient mythological epics, and the first novel in the Naraka Cycle series. Nathan pieces together an incredibly deep and thoroughly developed realm and breathes life into his main character Raa One, beginning the book with a restrained unpeeling of family plot drivers through the individual days of Raa One's Trial of Seven Days and a devastating setback.”
– Jamie Michele, Readers’ Favorite
“In terms of drama, characters, and emotions, The Prince of Naraka is a quintessential fantasy inspired by a classic that can never go wrong. It is quite rare to find stories spun from Indian mythology, and Sundar Nathan makes you sit back and savor this story that has a Tolkienesque feel to it.”
– Vincent Dublado, Readers’ Favorite
