Rakesh Khanna - Ghosts, Monsters and Demons of India
Left Bank Books presents author and publisher Rakesh Khanna to discuss Ghosts, Monsters and Demons of India, the US version of his illustrated guide to the folktales and real-life stories of the ghosts, monsters and demons of India described by Robin Sloan, author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, as "exemplary of what a book can be, how it can operate." Join us to discuss the encyclopedia of evil entities and folkloric fiends from across India!
Khanna will personalize and sign copies after the presentation!
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.
About Ghosts, Monsters and Demons of India
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
"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
"The range of ghouls Khanna and Bhairav detail is staggering: trucker ghosts that haunt isolated stretches of mountainous highway, gigantic birds that snatch people from their doorways, Tamilian undead monsters who double as avatars for a lost goddess . . . the collection is endless in its tellings." -- Kajal Media review
