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Ash Mistry and the Savage Fortress

by Sarwat Chadda (also writes under Joshua Khan)

Interest age: 9 to 13
Reading age: 9+

Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2012

  • Myths and legends

About this book

Geeky boy Ash Mistry and his sister Lucky are on holiday with their aunt and uncle in Varanasi, where the sweltering heat and corpse-burning smells are a far cry from home in England. But when wealthy Lord Savage seeks Uncle Vik’s help translating an ancient manuscript, things take a very strange turn.

Why has Savage surrounded himself with rahkshasa, shape-shifting demons, that act as his servants? Ash stumbles across an ancient spearhead on one of Savage’s archaeological digs, and realises something very odd is happening to him when he dreams he’s taking part in battles straight from the Ramayana – as if he were actually there.

When Uncle and Aunty are murdered by Savage’s rahkshasa because they refused to keep working for Savage, Ash and Lucy have to stay hidden in the heart of Varanasi. But what will happen when they are forced out of hiding? What is Ash’s extraordinary destiny?

Ash Mistry and the Savage Fortress is book that anyone aged 9+ will race through. Covering themes of reincarnation, destiny, family, friendship, loyalty and a host of characters from Hindu belief and mythology, this is a page-turner that most children will find totally gripping.

About the author

Sarwat Chadda has been published for a decade now, and in over a dozen languages. He's written urban fantasy for young adults, big mythologies, trilogies and, most recently, the epic Shadow Magic fantasy series under the pseudonym of Joshua Khan.

London-born and coming from a south Asian Muslim background, he is keen to explore the stories and mythologies of his heritage. The Ash Mistry series was inspired by his trips to India and his love for its stories, and he has adapted the Mahabharata in graphic novel form. Sarwat is based in south London.

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