Madhavi S Mahadevan’s The Bird of the forest is a retelling of the myth of Drishadvati. An interesting and intriguing tale of a girl whose fertility was repeatedly sold in exchange for priceless horses. Staying true to the original myths, the novel also brings to life several other characters including; Garuda, the bird who flies Lord Vishnu around the world: the proud kings of Ayodhya, Pratisthan and Kashi and the queen, Devayani.