Long ago, in a golden age now almost forgotten, the world is ruled by glittering royal houses which trace their ancestry to the gods. But the fragile peace is crumbling and all omens point toward a catastrophic war. The rich and illustrious House of Kuru is in trouble. Two sets of cousins, united by blood and divided by greed, square off for the coveted succession.

Into the simmering animosity and court intrigue step an orphan whose skill with weapons leaves the princes breathless, a young queen rumored to be the daughter of a sacrificial fire, and a charming diplomat from a neighboring kingdom who some believe to be a god born on Earth.

In this vital and exuberant new vision of humanity’s greatest epic—the Mahābhārata—kings and warriors, sages and scoundrels, storytellers and snakes, gods and humans, are all drawn together in a grand ceremony conducted by fate—a ceremony that threatens to sacrifice the world.

Sacrifice the World is a serialized novel adapting the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. My intention here is to tell a story which will be engaging, exciting, troubling, wondrous, and thought-provoking, both for readers familiar with the epic and those who have never even heard of it before. For a full explanation of what the Mahabharata is and why I feel this story is deeply relevant for our lives, please read the Introduction, which is the very first post in the archive.

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