Victory City by Salman Rushdie

This was written and submitted to his publisher before the author was viciously attacked and wounded at a public event. It is inspired by the real-life history of Vijayanagar, a once flourishing medieval Hindu Kingdom in South India that was undone by men's lust for power and the inability to let well enough alone. Rushdie re-imagines its collapse as a feminist fable about the lust for power and the power of stories. The book reads like an old Indian tale, complete with magical elements that interact with mere mortals, and who have come to expect the worst from humans. They are rarely disappointed. It recounts the story of a sorceress and poet named Pampa Kampana, who dreams a whole civilization into existence from magic seeds. Through divine intervention, Pampa lives for more than two centuries, witnessing the city's many victories and defeats. She writes it all down and seals the story in a clay pot for future generations.