Karna -- the anti-villain.

Karna is  the most tragic and misunderstood member of the Mahabharata, the most unjustly neglected in all written versions, even in the original epic itself.  He disappears behind the more obvious heroes, Arjuna, Bhishma, Bhima, and of course Krishna himself. Karna is a handsome, hawkish, brooding man, burdened with insecurity and the need to validate himself; even the need simply to be loved. 
I would like to add: Karna is also brave, loyal, trustworthy, compassionate, unselfish, and the greatest Giver of all time. He is unforgettable. I wrote this whole book, really, in Karna's honour.

The story of Karna is the main subplot of Sons of Gods. The main reason I was so dissatisfied with all the Mahabharatas I read as a young woman in India was that I fell in love with Karna early on, but could not find a single book which did his character justice. He seemed as neglected in literature as his character is in the story; the whole tragedy of his life often buried beneath the exploits of his noble half-brother, Arjuna. 

I wanted Karna to be the lynch-pin of the story. Without him, there would be no Mahabharata.