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Why comics matter for young readers 02/12/24
Ash Mistry and the World of Darkness
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books
The gripping final instalment of the Ash Mistry trilogy sees Ash trapped in a parallel world, where Savage has successfully managed to change time itself. In this version of his universe, Ash’s uncle and aunt in Varanasi are still alive, and his father is working for one of Savage’s many charitable foundations.
To really complicate things, Ash has a doppelganger, Ashoka – the plump, nerd version of Ash before he became the powerful Kali-aastra – and worse, in this world, Ash no longer has the powers Kali granted him.
When Ash, Ashoka and Parvati stumble upon Savage’s real agenda in this place, it’s a fight against time and unimaginable depths of evil to try to stop him.
The book isn’t simply a battle of good versus evil – the central theme is about realising your potential and becoming the best person you can be, however you started out, and however many lifetimes it takes to achieve it. With a backdrop in Hindu myth and featuring some of the most terrifying monsters in children’s fiction, readers of J K Rowling, Rick Riordan and Jonathan Stroud are very likely to enjoy this fantasy series.