Toynbee, the renowned historian, has pithily remarked that " History not used is nothing, for all intellectual life is action, like practical life...". Rashantha Seneviratne's "Gods of the Realm' is in this sense, a bold endeavour to create a historical novel on that magnificent citadel Sigiriya and show the much maligned ' God King' Kasyapa, as a true patriot of the Simhaladipa, who spared no pains to preserve the territorial integrity of the land. The narration is based on the historical interpretation given to Sigiriya by the Archaeologist / Historian Prof. Senerat Paranavitana, whose version differs from that given in the Mahawamsa, with the latter;s heavy sectarian bias. The reader is taken through a racy and picturesque narrative of one of the siblings of Kasyapa, covering the many battles fought with the foreign invaders, the alliances contracted with Indian Royalty and the intricate webs of palace intrigue which seem to have been legion, particularly in the harems of the Kings! One marvels at the spontaneity, the vitality and the sincerity of the author, when she speaks so lucidly through the narrator. It makes one even wonder whether the author's surges of creativity come from tapping the vast reservoir of a latent 'unconscious'! Readers will indeed, find her ' Gods of the Realm', a compellingly fascinating read.