Published By UK - NEL, US - St Martins Press, Ger Bastei Lubbe

'-This sizeable novel describes the continuing adventures of Kimball O'Hara, the hero of Kipling's Kim resurrected by T N Murari in The Imperial Agent. In the background, there is the growing clamour for Indian independence, and the book beats its wings over great events and great figures. But Murari does not allow this to distract attention from the hearty story of Kim's romantic odyssey round the subcontinent. There is also an appropriate flirtation with demonology, adding to the mixture an exotic and intoxicating touch of the mystical.' THE INDEPENDENT.
'-Here Mr Murari, who brought to life Rudyard Kipling's Kim in The Imperial Agent, continues the theme and Kimbal O'Hara once more dances across the pages. It's a real treat. A fine novel that looks without too much old fashioned guilt, yet with a searching eye, at (Britain's) long, vivid time in India.'-MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS
'-this is a work of impressive fiction which mixes the charms of an Eastern legend with the weight of historical account. Conflicts of conscience litter the narrative - empire versus nationalism, peace against violence, pragmatism against spirituality. Murari writes with an obvious love of his country - and humanity.' -BIRMINGHAM POST.
'-Both these books (The Imperial Agent & The Last Victory) are highly readable, yet offer intellectual depth, commendable additions to Indian literature. Murari's latest books offer young Indians an opportunity to understand the inner conflicts of those who lived in an important but very uncertain period of Indian history. Similar kinds of tension are not far from the contemporary surface as India seeks to shape its 'hi-tech' future. Indians need to 'feel' their past in order to analyse how its contributes to, or detracts from - but inevitably significantly shapes - the future.' THE HINDU
'-Colorful characters, romance, intrigue, and vivid descriptions of India at the turn of the century are skillfully combined in this engrossing novel.' LIBRARY JOURNAL.

INDIAN EXPRESS interview by Geeta Doctor.

              "This is a part of India, as much as the Mughal past, the Afghan, the Turkish. You may resent their rule but you cannot deny their place in Indian history. To do so is to be false, to be, blinded by resentment. They've shaped our minds and changed our future by their presence. There will come a day when history will be rewritten to deny their existence, but that history will be written in their language.

              "  This brief passage will give some idea of Murari's secret strength. It is a gift for writing dialogue, or rather for transforming dry facts into living speech. He not only does it to carry his message but also to provide lightning strokes of character that bring to life a whole gamut of historical personages, particularly the heroes of the Congress party. Not every- one will be amused. The Ali brothers follow Lord Minto to his changing room to get his assurance on the Muslim question, Mahatma Gandhi presses Parvati's hand at his Sabarmati ashram and gives her a thrill, spiritual of course, while Nehru chats with Anil Ray in a railway compartment about the sixer he once hit at Lords in an Eton-Harrow match, without even once suspecting that he, dear God, was facing a charge of sedition.  

             Finally, there is one more touch, the element of the fabulous, that charges an already complex story with the supernatural. It takes the form of two blind singers, boys named Bala and Bala, whose song never strays far from Kim when he is in trouble, or of the eagle that hovers far above his head, or even more dramatically of Vamana, the dwarf avatar of Vishnu, who gives Kim a magic tone that changes colours with the state of his inner mind. It also takes the form of devils that haunt Parvati and of a multi-headed snake named Sesha who happens to be unusually talkative.
             "I think an element of fantasy is important in life", is the way Murari explains his reasons for including these bits, "I enjoyed putting the fantasy element in. It is the fantasy of India. It doesn't mean that I actually believe in evil spirits or the superstition that goes with them. It is just another aspect of human life, I think. We don't really believe that a person like Vishnu, with his many arms, or a god like Ganesh with his elephant head existed and yet in every household you will find some image of him. Even I have taken an image of Ganesh that my sister gave me, all over the world. There is no clear explanation for it."
             He is even more succinct in answering the charge that there is an element of bestsellerese in his writing that could dilute the impact of his work. "I am a story teller", he says, "if I can tell a good story either on film or on paper I am happy. I look at it as a craft. You can't be dull or boring in this business, because the competition is too great. "