Ghosts, Monsters and Demons of India

by Rakesh Khanna, J. Furcifer Bhairav

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 RajasthanA Himalayan drum-playing spirit-teacher whose wife is a fearsome YetiDiabolical entities conjured into existence by the simultaneous deaths of seven tigersTriple-rooted night-flying Vedic necromancersCall-centre employees from beyond the graveThe dreaded Ngalei Ahmaw of Maraland, whose victims’ heads detach themselves from their bodies at night and go wandering in search of blood ... AND MORE

Genres: Nonfiction

831 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 12, 2023

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.

Reviews

[Catherine Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review, and I will admit that I got excited when it landed at my door. The book is a tactile beauty with a gorgeous hardback cover and some grisly, gruesome, Gothic illustrations alongside the monster stories. I felt like one of the Winchester brothers or maybe a Grimm character, researching lore and learning about monsters, their origins, their habits, and where to find them. It was a perfect October read and very atmospheric on Halloween. I recommend this book for every monster hunter out there, every Supernatural fan, and anyone that appreciates traditional gruesome folklore.

[Josh Buyarski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance copy from Netgalley and I really enjoyed the encyclopedia set up of this book. I do a drawing challenge every year about mythologies and I think this will be a great reference to add!
The illustrations were really nice as well!

[Archaic Blurb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been a fond of folklore and history . And there are so many intriguing stories about this south east Asia countries that i found in this book but I would highly recommend breaking it up and reading other books in between.
Although the stories were fascinating, but some legends seemed repetitive . But all in all a good book with a brilliant cover!