Sri Lanka, May 30 -- In the vast tapestry of mythology, few figures are as polarizing as Ravana-the mighty king of Lanka, the learned scholar, the fearsome adversary of Rama. For centuries, the Ramayana has painted him as a demonic figure, a symbol of arrogance and evil. But what if there is more to his story? What if Ravana was not merely a villain, but a complex ruler shaped by the tides of history, ambition, and destiny?

Nalin Goonewardene's The Legend of Ravana offers a bold and imaginative retelling of this enigmatic figure, peeling back the layers of myth to reveal a man of flesh, blood, and profound contradictions. Set in a prehistoric era (circa 3500-3000 BCE), this novel is not another version of the Ramayana but an entirely fre...