Manu S Pillai

“Given the sheer number, as well as the enormous diversity of states…it is no easy task to pen an account that would be sufficiently comprehensive to give the reader a good idea about this diversity and, at the same time, rich in the kind of fascinating detail which makes for an absorbing narrative. Pillai performs this feat adroitly..”- India Today

“..[Pillai’s] scholarly gifts sit beside an ability to tease out juicy, hilarious, even bizarre nuggets from the nooks and crannies of… Show more

“Given the sheer number, as well as the enormous diversity of states…it is no easy task to pen an account that would be sufficiently comprehensive to give the reader a good idea about this diversity and, at the same time, rich in the kind of fascinating detail which makes for an absorbing narrative. Pillai performs this feat adroitly..”- India Today

“..[Pillai’s] scholarly gifts sit beside an ability to tease out juicy, hilarious, even bizarre nuggets from the nooks and crannies of historical sources. He buries the reader in mounds of notes and references, then regales with a saucy sense of humour…expertly researched…[False Allies] will complicate the reader’s understanding of India’s struggle for independence because the story rarely includes the stories of the princely states..”- Business Standard

“False Allies…provides a balanced account of the complex politics that defined the era before the rise of Congress and the emergence of a Pan-Indian nationalist movement…[It] offers a meandering and delightful journey through Princely India that is well-researched and supplied with copious endnotes and illustrations. Rich in anecdote and interesting asides, this is a wide-ranging and accessible introduction to an often-overlooked and misunderstood chapter of India’s modern history.”-
Asian Review of Books

“[False Allies] is a revelation…[Pillai] smashes the notion that the royalty of pre-independent India was only about exotic lifestyles, indulging in baubles of extravagance or wasting away in a haze of opioids. Instead, a complex nuanced world is revealed…[and Pillai] shows the readers how the princes, their queens and ministers deftly played the chess game set by the British Raj…False Allies is a must read…”-
The Hindu Show less

“This book is that old clichéd thing: a must-read…”- The Deccan Herald

“Pillai brings the sophistication and the rigour of the academy—minus the jargon…As a collection of essays, (the book’s) temporal and geographical canvas is dizzying..”- Open Magazine

“…this book should be made mandatory reading: Pillai wears his learning lightly and his prose style is exquisite.”- Deccan Chronicle

“…an eclectic collection of essays on interesting episodes from Indian history…Pillai’s… Show more

“This book is that old clichéd thing: a must-read…”- The Deccan Herald

“Pillai brings the sophistication and the rigour of the academy—minus the jargon…As a collection of essays, (the book’s) temporal and geographical canvas is dizzying..”- Open Magazine

“…this book should be made mandatory reading: Pillai wears his learning lightly and his prose style is exquisite.”- Deccan Chronicle

“…an eclectic collection of essays on interesting episodes from Indian history…Pillai’s prose is crisp, fluid and makes for an entertaining read…the essays are crafted cleverly and leave the reader with enough questions which hopefully will make him/her pursue further reading..”- The Hindu

“…each essay is a nugget of well-written history, easily absorbable…(with) some extraordinary stories and characters…Mr Pillai’s book–well researched and accessible–does a yeoman’s work in uncovering nuggets of history of which a general reader would have usually been unaware.”- Business Standard

“…Manu Pillai’s book is an important contribution. Wide ranging and informative…Pillai rescues history from being a compendium of incontrovertible data by allowing us to engage with the strengths and frailties of the humans who lived through it.”- The Tribune

“…a collection of eclectic, wide-ranging essays, bound by this central theme: That India is large, it contains multitudes.”- The Hindu Business Line

“What emerges through the book is a different idea of “greatness”, a persistent, if sometimes weak, uniquely subcontinental strain of liberalism. At a time when the philosophy is often attacked for being western-centric, an accessible but more complicated picture of the past is invaluable.”- India Today

“…an eclectic collection of some astonishing nuggets of Indian history…Pillai writes in impeccable prose…an exhilarating read…(and an) exquisite book!”- The Pioneer
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“Deftly and with great vividness, Manu S Pillai takes us through 400 years of roiling history and returns the Deccan to the centre of our attention–where it belongs.”
Sunil Khilnani

“Minutely researched and yet instantly accessible…Rebel Sultans will bring the fascinating history of the medieval Deccan to a whole new generation of readers.”
William Dalrymple

“In this lively study, Manu S Pillai does a superb job of re-orienting the narrative of late medieval and early modern… Show more

“Deftly and with great vividness, Manu S Pillai takes us through 400 years of roiling history and returns the Deccan to the centre of our attention–where it belongs.”
Sunil Khilnani

“Minutely researched and yet instantly accessible…Rebel Sultans will bring the fascinating history of the medieval Deccan to a whole new generation of readers.”
William Dalrymple

“In this lively study, Manu S Pillai does a superb job of re-orienting the narrative of late medieval and early modern South Asia towards the Deccan.”
Muzaffar Alam

“With enviable elan and ease this book recreates the history of the Deccan in the late medieval and early modern times. It is a marvellous achievement and will stoke future scholarship on the area and era.”
Rudrangshu Mukherjee

Press reviews for Rebel Sultans

“[Rebel Sultans] is dazzling storytelling. Pillai has employed an extraordinarily powerful imagination and a prodigious talent with words to write a genuine thriller that is near impossible to shut before reaching the end.”- The Indian Express

“…this fine book…(is) nuanced…convincing when assertive…(this) is scholarship.”- The Business Standard

“Writing in an eloquent and lucid style, Pillai holds his readers spellbound…”- The Hindu

Academic review for Rebel Sultans

“…in an elegant and lucid style…Pillai brings together a wide range of sources to weave a fascinating narrative of a historically important and understudied region and period in South Asian history…Pillai’s book is significant not only because it is the first history of the Deccani Sultanates written for a general audience, but also because of the breadth of sources it integrates…(which) gives the work a notable sophistication…Rebel Sultans is an excellent contribution…from which both scholars and the general public will benefit.”- Studies in History Show less

“…a gem of a book…”- The Indian Express

“…the wealth of information crammed into this book is bewildering…Especially when you keep in mind that Pillai is only 25 and this is his first book, The Ivory Throne is a magnificent effort.”- Mint

“This 700-page whopper of a book…swirls through Kerala’s history like a dervish possessed by the intention of telling a magnificent story, and telling it marvellously well.”- The New Indian Express

“A detailed work of history…The… Show more

“…a gem of a book…”- The Indian Express

“…the wealth of information crammed into this book is bewildering…Especially when you keep in mind that Pillai is only 25 and this is his first book, The Ivory Throne is a magnificent effort.”- Mint

“This 700-page whopper of a book…swirls through Kerala’s history like a dervish possessed by the intention of telling a magnificent story, and telling it marvellously well.”- The New Indian Express

“A detailed work of history…The achievement of the book matches its ambition…You will not regret the many hours you commit: It is an absolute delight.”- Business Standard

“…a brilliant debut…The Ivory Throne is an exceptional work; the achievement falls into perspective when you realise that Pillai is just 25 years old.”- DNA

“…a particularly fascinating account…The Ivory Throne is also a sociological study– perhaps the first of its kind…”- The Tribune

“A riveting read…Even a cursory glance makes one forget that it is a debut work by a writer in his mid-twenties…an awesome achievement.”- The Hindustan Times

“…a gripping historical account…”- The Telegraph

“A clear-headed history…Well-researched and well-written, The Ivory Throne adds a new point of view to the study of Kerala.”- Outlook Magazine

“…vast and learned…Pillai has given us a wonderful book.”- Asian Review of Books

“…a distinguished piece of work…”- The Deccan Herald

“…Pillai’s work breaks new ground…”- Fountain Ink
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