It is based on the legendary Indian king Suheldev who defeated the army of Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Maqsud in the Battle of Bahraich.
[1][2][3] The story begins in 1025 CE when Mahmud of Ghazni sacks Somnath Temple and breaks the idol of Lord Shiva.
During this time, he also loots Qasar Khan, a special envoy of Mahmud and the governor of Kannauj but treats his wife with respect and is kind to his six year old.
He also visits Bareilly and meets a Turk called Aslan who is a disciple of the Sufi saint Nuruddin Shaikh.
He wanted to protect India as it was the only land where all religions can co-exist peacefully and hence supported Suheldev against Ghazni.
Maqsud, as Aslan, tells the news of Mahmud's death to Suheldev saying Turks are not going to attack India for some years as they are into a civil war.
Thus, he leaves Suheldev and sets back to Ghazni in order to help Mahmud's rightful heir get the throne.
Before his death, Mangaldhwaj says that he had created a confederacy of 21 kings to repel any Turkic invasion and Suheldev leads it.
It is revealed that it was actually Rajendra Chola who ordered Mahmud's assassination to avenge the Somnath temple massacre.
His head is preserved and sent to Ghazni along with his ashes with a message inscribed on his forehead — "Come to India as devotees and our motherland will welcome you.
In an interview, Amish said that the team did the work of writing the body while he edited it and wrote the final draft.
[5] Gautam Chikermane in his review in the Open Magazine said, "(Legend of Suheldev) is gripping from the first chapter and leaves you with a fulfilling climax as well as gasping for more at the last.
"[6] Indic Today's review of Legend of Suheldev says, “Beyond everything, Amish has given us a new hero – from an era that is completely obliterated from modern history.
Even more importantly, he has revived, rather re-established the genre of nationalistic historical fiction in Indian English writing.
In that sense, we also have a new hero, an author in a language and genre,that we have missed in the last 70 years – thanks to ideologues assuming the role of gatekeepers of narratives.”[7] The Daily Guardian's review of the Legend of Suheldev says, " With Suheldev, Amish is trying to create an ecosystem of writers who can work with him to resuscitate some of the long-forgotten heroes from the pages of Indian history."
Reya Mehrotra of Financial Express was positive in her review saying,"Amish, in fact, effortlessly paints a picture of every character he introduces in the reader's mind with minute and detailed description of their traits and characteristics...The forgotten story brings about notions relevant today and those that need re-thinking – class, caste and national consciousness.