The novel American Maharajah is the second book by author Mark Stephen Levy who seems to be a very ardent traveller always ready with his backpack tied on his back. You will find the novel quite interesting and quite fascinating as well. The myths of reincarnation and the details of rituals and mantras look very amazing coming from an author who does not have any direct connection with any of them. Mark has made his novel American Maharajah a bonhomie of the east and the west – his understanding of Indian psyche is surely remarkable and he has tried his best to portray the ‘Indianness’ with his phrases like ‘sar hilaake nod,’ ‘namaste,’ and other ones which are not so frequent like these two mentioned.

The novel takes us back to the ancient legend at the beginning and then it takes us to the United States where we meet the protagonist Ravi Shankar, an IT employee. He lives with his parents in Denver, Colorado. We meet him on his birthday and then the novel does not let you pause for a while. It moves fast and so fast that Ravi is ready to leave the USA for India real soon. His break up with Melissa, his landing in India and his accidental meeting with the Maharajah of Bhanhara, Suraj Pershad and a beautiful lady Aishani… everything happens to keep the readers engaged in the novel and it seems nothing short of a movie with suspense and mystery. Ravi is mistaken to be Amar, the deceased son of Maharajah and beloved of Aishani. His attempts to persuade the king and the lady go in vain and even Ravi begins to have a soft corner of Aishani. He makes another baffling discovery about his birth and parents and Amar in the due course of time. His discoveries make the novel even more interesting and his journey to India becomes one of a kind – spiritual realisation, as well as other forms of truth, strike him and he becomes a true Maharajah at the end and you won’t like missing the events which propel him…

American Maharajah is a tale of love, helplessness, myth and truth. The novel has been kept simple and yet very interesting and engaging for the readers. The language is very pleasant and the most beautiful thing in the novel is that it does not have those dragging portions where you just wish to quit reading it. Ravi’s experiences in India are amazing and so do they make the readers feel – amazing! The plot has a straight line in which it moves and there are the twists but they are within the limits of comprehension and readers will like this aspect which has been worked very well by Mark.

Indian fiction lovers have a very good novel waiting for them in the form of this piece of fiction American Maharajah. You will love it, out and out. This is a one-go novel and it won’t let you relax because the curiosity of the readers is kept intact throughout and it only loosens once the novel ends. There are several amusing accounts in the novel which will make you laugh and many emotional events are also there to make you speechless. Just read it and make sure you don’t miss this complete piece of fiction!

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Review by Amit