Ghosts, Monsters and Demons of India - by Rakesh Khanna & J Furcifer Bhairav (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

An illustrated guide to the folktales and real-life stories of the ghosts, monsters and demons of India, a culture famously rich in tradition and legends. Perfect for fans of Eli Roth's Urban Legends and Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities.

"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, author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

An encyclopedia of evil entities and folkloric fiends from across India, from Ladakh to Kerala, Lakshadweep to Nagaland, Naraka to Tuchenkwaka, complete with 60 spooky illustrations. 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 21-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

Review Quotes

"[The authors] have done an astounding job of documenting, in vivid and highly entertaining detail, the imaginative ways in which people from the Indian subcontinent relate to, and make sense of their lives, relationships, and the world they inhabit ... a thrilling romp through the annals of what goes bump in the Indian night." - Helen Nde, Mythological Africans

"Ghosts, Monsters and Demons of India is a must-read entry in the literary search for human meaning. It's a trek through the dark corners of India's cultural imagination populated with nightmarish creatures, demons, dark forest stalkers and all manner of grisly entities. It's also a fantastic read." - Exquisite Terror Magazine

About the Author

Rakesh Khanna grew up in Berkeley, California, of mixed Punjabi and Anglo-American heritage. He co-founded Blaft Publications in Chennai with his wife, Rashmi Ruth Devadasan, in 2008. The company publishes translations of bestselling Indian-language pulp fiction, folklore, and graphic novels.

J. Furcifer Bhairav is the pseudonym of an extremely private and somewhat mysterious individual who is the child of a professional exorcist.