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quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
Varansai: holy city of the Ganges.
In this land of ancient temples, incense and snake charmers …
Where the monsters and heroes of the past come to life …
One slightly geeky boy from our time …
Is going to kick the demon hordes back to hell.
Ash Mistry hates India. Which is a problem, since his archaeologist uncle has taken him there for the summer holidays.
But Ash is about to have bigger problems. Soon, he finds himself in a desperate battle against both humans and demons, to prevent the freeing of a monster that has been locked away for millennia …
When 13 year-old Ash Mistry’s uncle invites Ash and his younger sister Lucky to spend their summer holidays in Varanasai, India, Ash jumps at the opportunity. Raised in London, he’s always dreamed of seeing his family’s homeland but he quickly realises that he hates it. India’s too hot, too sweaty and too full of flies and it’s not long before he’s counting the days until he’s back home with his mates, his computer games and junk food.
Home has to wait however when the mysterious Lord Savage offers Ash’s uncle £2 million to translate an ancient Harappan scroll. Ash accidentally discovers that Lord Savage is up to no good but despite his warnings, his uncle takes the job and it’s not long before Ash finds himself thrown into a nightmarish world of demons, gods, magic and warriors. Helped by a mysterious shaman and the beautiful Parvati who hides a deadly secrets, Ash is the only person able to stop a legendary monster from returning to the world and making it his own …
In the first of a dark fantasy trilogy for children aged 9+, Sarwat Chadda uses Indian mythology and culture to produce a fast-paced, action-packed read that’s sure to appeal to boys and girls alike.
Ash is a believable and likeable character. Overweight and overly fond of his creature comforts, he’s not cut out for adventure and he knows it. My favourite line in the book is when he realises that he’s more of a sidekick than a hero and I loved the antagonistic relationship between him and Lucky and his sense of responsibility for her. I also enjoyed his complicated feelings for Parvati – part crush and part fear of her secret, theirs is an interesting relationship and given the ending, I’m interested in seeing where it goes.
The book draws on Indian mythology, which is completely under-represented in modern fantasy. The myths being used here were new to me, which meant they were fresh and exciting and Chadda puts a good spin on them to adapt them to the modern world.
The story cracks along at a fast pace and there’s plenty of action to keep readers hooked. I did find the climatic scene a little rushed and the villains too two-dimensional for my tastes but it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment and I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a good and different MG fantasy.
The Verdict:
Sarwat Chadda uses Indian mythology and culture in the first of a dark fantasy trilogy for children aged 9+, to produce a fast-paced, action-packed read that’s sure to appeal to boys and girls alike. I did find the climatic scene a little rushed and the villains too two-dimensional for my tastes but it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment and I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a good and different MG fantasy.
In this land of ancient temples, incense and snake charmers …
Where the monsters and heroes of the past come to life …
One slightly geeky boy from our time …
Is going to kick the demon hordes back to hell.
Ash Mistry hates India. Which is a problem, since his archaeologist uncle has taken him there for the summer holidays.
But Ash is about to have bigger problems. Soon, he finds himself in a desperate battle against both humans and demons, to prevent the freeing of a monster that has been locked away for millennia …
When 13 year-old Ash Mistry’s uncle invites Ash and his younger sister Lucky to spend their summer holidays in Varanasai, India, Ash jumps at the opportunity. Raised in London, he’s always dreamed of seeing his family’s homeland but he quickly realises that he hates it. India’s too hot, too sweaty and too full of flies and it’s not long before he’s counting the days until he’s back home with his mates, his computer games and junk food.
Home has to wait however when the mysterious Lord Savage offers Ash’s uncle £2 million to translate an ancient Harappan scroll. Ash accidentally discovers that Lord Savage is up to no good but despite his warnings, his uncle takes the job and it’s not long before Ash finds himself thrown into a nightmarish world of demons, gods, magic and warriors. Helped by a mysterious shaman and the beautiful Parvati who hides a deadly secrets, Ash is the only person able to stop a legendary monster from returning to the world and making it his own …
In the first of a dark fantasy trilogy for children aged 9+, Sarwat Chadda uses Indian mythology and culture to produce a fast-paced, action-packed read that’s sure to appeal to boys and girls alike.
Ash is a believable and likeable character. Overweight and overly fond of his creature comforts, he’s not cut out for adventure and he knows it. My favourite line in the book is when he realises that he’s more of a sidekick than a hero and I loved the antagonistic relationship between him and Lucky and his sense of responsibility for her. I also enjoyed his complicated feelings for Parvati – part crush and part fear of her secret, theirs is an interesting relationship and given the ending, I’m interested in seeing where it goes.
The book draws on Indian mythology, which is completely under-represented in modern fantasy. The myths being used here were new to me, which meant they were fresh and exciting and Chadda puts a good spin on them to adapt them to the modern world.
The story cracks along at a fast pace and there’s plenty of action to keep readers hooked. I did find the climatic scene a little rushed and the villains too two-dimensional for my tastes but it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment and I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a good and different MG fantasy.
The Verdict:
Sarwat Chadda uses Indian mythology and culture in the first of a dark fantasy trilogy for children aged 9+, to produce a fast-paced, action-packed read that’s sure to appeal to boys and girls alike. I did find the climatic scene a little rushed and the villains too two-dimensional for my tastes but it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment and I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a good and different MG fantasy.
