‘Kakar’s own depth of understanding of the human mind and of every varied character in The Crimson Throne, together with his skill as a storyteller, makes this such a convincing and outstanding novel’—India Today
‘It is the economy of the overall narrative, rife with little miniatures of insight, that makes the book a wonderfully sensual read’—Tehelka
‘High up on my must-read list of a handful of Indian authors is Sudhir Kakar . . . The Crimson Throne is Sudhir Kakar at his best’—Khushwant Singh, Outlook
‘[A] well-crafted historical novel on the power struggle among Shah Jahan’s sons . . . Those looking for a great story will find it in The Crimson Throne . . . Riveting’—Times of India
‘The author has . . . conjured up an enthralling panorama of an empire in crisis. It presents a vivid picture of the life and culture of the Mughal elite at a time when the empire was past its Akbarean glory’—Week
‘The Crimson Throne, with its plethora of details, offers us a veritable picture of the Mughal period along with the gory reflections of father-son-brother relationships’—Statesman
‘Kakar has written a truly superb novel about the goings-on in the court of Shah Jahan towards the end of his reign’—The Hindu BusinessLine
‘An enchanting storyteller . . . an enthralling mélange of an empire in crisis . . . It is lusciously imagined fiction, by far Kakar’s finest’—Open
‘A great read . . . [a] wonderful story . . . All in all, a great study of life and history and a truly entertaining piece of writing’—Life Positive