Ghosts, Monsters, and Demons of India by J. Furcifer Bhairav and Rakesh Khanna / ISBN 9789380636474 / 470-page paperback from Blaft Publications in India [sold out but some scratch and dent copies available here]
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An encyclopedia of evil entities and folkloric fiends from across the country, from Ladakh to Kerala, Lakshadweep to Nagaland, Naraka to Tuchenkwaka.
"I was not prepared for how deeply this book captivated me... Ghosts, Monsters, and Demons of India is exemplary of what a book can be, how it can operate. It’s a bridge across space, time, and language" -- Robin Sloan
"...A welcome effort in compiling the astonishing diversity of otherworldly beings who make the Indian subcontinent their home... As you browse through the entries, it feels like traversing a colossal hypertext, the denizens of the netherworlds all interlinked, all shapeshifting. A vast and teeming multitude is revealed, abounding with grotesque imagery" -- Jaideep Unudurti, OPEN
Inside this book you will find...
Killer robots built with stolen Roman engineering technology that once guarded the relics of the Buddha
The ghost of a twenty-one-year-old motorcyclist whose Enfield Bullet is venerated at a highway temple in Rajasthan
A Himalayan drum-playing spirit-teacher whose wife is a fearsome Yeti
Diabolical entities conjured into existence by the simultaneous deaths of seven tigers
Triple-rooted night-flying Vedic necromancers
Call-centre employees from beyond the grave
The dreaded Ngalei Ahmaw of Maraland, whose victims’ heads detach themselves from their bodies at night and go wandering in search of blood... AND MORE!
Featuring illustrations by Appupen / Shyam / Samita Chatterjee / Rashmi Ruth Devadasan / Misha Michael / Pankaj Thapa / Vidyun Sabhaney / Osheen Siva / Priya Kuriyan