Ads #43 HOT NEW RELEASES IN BOOKS TO BUY ON AMAZON

1. Victory City

Author: Salman Rushdie

Publisher: Penguin Hamish Hamilton

Print Length: 352 pages

Release Date: 9 February 2023

Price: ₹539.00 (price may vary)

Review

The epic tale of a woman who breathes a fantastical empire into existence, only to be consumed by it over the centuries - from the transcendent imagination of Booker Prize-winning, internationally bestselling author Salman Rushdie.

In the wake of an insignificant battle between two long-forgotten kingdoms in fourteenth-century southern India, a nine-year-old girl has a divine encounter that will change the course of history. After witnessing the death of her mother, the grief-stricken Pampa Kampana becomes a vessel for the Goddess, who begins to speak out of the girl's mouth. Granting her powers beyond Pampa Kampana's comprehension, the goddess tells her that she will be instrumental in the rise of a great city called Bisnaga - literally 'victory city' -the wonder of the world.

Over the next two hundred and fifty years, Pampa Kampana's life becomes deeply interwoven with Bisnaga's, from its literal sowing out of a bag of magic seeds to its tragic ruination in the most human of ways: the hubris of those in power. Whispering Bisnaga and its citizens into existence, Pampa Kampana attempts to make good on the task that the Goddess set for her: to give women equal agency in a patriarchal world. But all stories have a way of getting away from their creator, and Bisnaga is no exception. As years pass, rulers come and go, battles are won and lost, and allegiances shift, the very fabric of Bisnaga becomes an ever more complex tapestry - with Pampa Kampana at its centre.

Brilliantly styled as a translation of an ancient epic, this is a saga of love, adventure and myth that is in itself a testament to the power of storytelling.

Salman Rushdie has created a radiant myth about myth-making. Victory City is a book that privileges the ethical imagination and the unmistakable permanence of storytelling. Within these pages, you will find global travellers, rapacious kings, cave dwellers, prophets of doom and, at its fierce and eloquent heart, a storyteller who reminds that death may take away a lot of things, but never the power of our words. Beyond war, beyond violence, even beyond life itself, the story, and the storyteller, lasts. -- COLUM McCANN

Victory City is vast and deep, soaring and scintillating. Every page is magical, every page is gorgeous. In the way of a significant work of art, it does not resemble any other novel I could name. A major accomplishment by one of our greatest living writers. -- MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM

No one, and I mean no one, can bring an entire world to life with the authority, wisdom, humour and panache of Salman Rushdie. In the pantheon of his novels, Victory City stands out as a book of particular imaginative achievement. It defies category, but it invites pleasure. -- GARY SHTEYNGART

Salman Rushdie is a genius and I wish he could read me a story - or a chapter of his book - every night before bed. The scale and scope of his intellect and his imagination is googolplex, as big as infinity, and then some. In Victory City, he spins an epic tale that brings us back to the key questions of what it is to be human, to be authentic, to love and to grieve. -- A. M. HOMES

This is Salman Rushdie at his most virtuosic, a wondrous tale of medieval India which is also, as ever, a fable about the triumph of life - in all its joyous, messy excess - over the forces of fanaticism and darkness. -- HARI KUNZRU

About The Author

Salman Rushdie is the author of fourteen previous novels, including Midnight's Children (for which he won the Booker Prize and the Best of the Booker), The Satanic Verses, and Quichotte (which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize). A former president of PEN American Center, Rushdie was knighted in 2007 for services to literature and was made a Companion of Honour in the Queen's last Birthday Honours list in 2022.

2. You are the Best Friend

Author: Ajay K Pandey

Publisher: Srishti Publishers & Distributors

Print Length: 232 pages

Release Date: 10 February 2023

Price: ₹179.00 (price may vary)

Review

You might come across love many times in life; but the one that you experience with your best friend is etched for eternity. Ajay is fighting demons in his mind after losing his wife Bhavna. Ten years of togetherness, and a harsh twist of fate have thrown him into the pit of depression. With medication and therapy helping him fight his immense grief, there is only one ray of hope for him – he wants to immortalize his wife.

Anisha lives life queen size. Making the most of each moment, she loves everything that she is blessed with. She is shocked when she meets Ajay. How can someone hate God so much? More than anything, what will that hatred do to him?

Even as her mind makes a harsh judgment about Ajay, her heart notices his simple and caring gesture that changes her perception completely. So begins the journey of two people who are poles apart. A journey which will change their outlook towards life. Ever felt the need to have a friend who could just sit with you and talk for hours? Do you think friendship can bring you out of emotional pain and depression? Read this emotional rollercoaster from the pen of bestselling author Ajay K Pandey, which explores friendship like never before, and is sure to re-affirm your faith in life.

About The Author

Ajay K Pandey grew up in the modest NTPC township of Rihand Nagar with big dreams. He studied Engineering in Electronics at IERT (Allahabad) and MBA at IIMM (Pune) before taking up a job in a corporate firm.

He grew up with a dream of becoming a teacher, but destiny landed him in the IT field. Travelling, trekking and reading novels are his hobbies. Travelling to different places has taught him about diverse cultures and people, and makes him wonder how despite all the differences, there is a bond that unites them. Trekking always inspires him to deal with challenges like a sport. Reading is perhaps what makes him feel alive.

Apart from writing, he wants to follow his role model Mother Teresa and create a charitable trust to support aged people and educate special children.

After his debut book You Are the Best Wife won lakhs of hearts, Ajay has authored bestselling titles like Her Last Wish, Everything I Never Told You, An Unexpected Gift, A Girl to Remember, The Girl in the Red Lipstick and I Wish I Could Tell Her.

3. If It's Not Forever It's Not Love

Author: Durjoy Datta

Publisher: Penguin Random House India

Print Length: 248 pages

Release Date: 14 February 2023

Price: ₹159.00(price may vary)

Review

When Deb, an author and publisher, survives the bomb blasts at Chandni Chowk, he knows his life is nothing short of a miracle. And though he escapes with minor injuries, he is haunted by that unfortunate day.His feet take him to where the blasts took place. From the burnt remains he discovers a diary. It seems to belong to a dead man who was deeply in love with a girl. As he reads the heartbreaking narrative, he knows that this story must never be left incomplete. Thus begins Deb’s journey with his girlfriend, Avantika and his best friend, Shrey, to hand over the diary to the man’s beloved.

About The Author

Durjoy Datta’s first book—Of Course I Love You!—was published when he was twenty-one years old and was an instant bestseller. His successive novels—Now That You’re Rich!; She Broke Up, I Didn’t!; Ohh Yes, I Am Single!; You Were My Crush; If It’s Not Forever; Till the Last Breath; Someone Like You; Hold My Hand; When Only Love Remains; World’s Best Boyfriend; Our Impossible Love; and The Girl of My Dreams—have also found prominence on various bestseller lists, making him one of the highest-selling authors in India.

4. The Last Hours: Chain of Thorns

Author: Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Walker Books Ltd

Print Length: 688 pages

Release Date: 31 January 2023

Price: ₹970.00(price may vary)

Review

James and Cordelia must save London ― and their marriage ― in this thrilling and highly anticipated conclusion to the Last Hours series from the #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Cassandra Clare. Chain of Thorns is a Shadowhunters novel.

Cordelia Carstairs has lost everything that matters to her.

In only a few short weeks, she has seen her father murdered, her plans to become parabatai with her best friend, Lucie, destroyed, and her marriage to James Herondale crumble before her eyes. Even worse, she is now bound to an ancient demon, Lilith, stripping her of her power as a Shadowhunter.

After fleeing to Paris with Matthew Fairchild, Cordelia hopes to forget her sorrows in the city’s glittering nightlife. But reality intrudes when shocking news comes from home: Tatiana Blackthorn has escaped the Adamant Citadel, and London is under new threat by the Prince of Hell, Belial.

Cordelia returns to a London riven by chaos and dissent. The long-kept secret that Belial is James and Lucie’s grandfather has been revealed by an unexpected enemy, and the Herondales find themselves under suspicion of dealings with demons. Cordelia longs to protect James, but is torn between a love for James she has long believed hopeless, and the possibility of a new life with Matthew. Nor can her friends help ― ripped apart by their own secrets, they seem destined to face what is coming alone.

For time is short, and Belial’s plan is about to crash into the Shadowhunters of London like a deadly wave, one that will separate Cordelia, Lucie, and the Merry Thieves from help of any kind. Left alone in a shadowy London, they must face Belial’s deadly army. If Cordelia and her friends are going to save their city ― and their families ― they will have to muster their courage, swallow their pride, and trust one another again. For if they fail, they may lose everything ― even their souls.

About The Author

Cassandra Clare is the author of the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, The Bane Chronicles, The Dark Artifices, The Shadowhunter’s Codex and Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy. Her books have more than 50 million copies in print worldwide and have been translated into over thirty-five languages. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is a major movie and Shadowhunters is airing on Netflix. Cassandra lives in Massachusetts, USA. Visit her online at CassandraClare.com. Learn more about the world of the Shadowhunters at UKShadowhunters.com.

5. CURSED BUNNY

Author: Bora Chung (Author), Anton Hur (Translator)

Publisher: Hachette India

Print Length: 256 pages

Release Date: 1 February 2023

Price: ₹480.00(price may vary)

Review

Cursed Bunny is a genre-defying collection of short stories by Korean author Bora Chung. Blurring the lines between magical realism, horror, and science-fiction, Chung uses elements of the fantastic and surreal to address the very real horrors and cruelties of patriarchy and capitalism in modern society.

Anton Hur's translation skilfully captures the way Chung's prose effortlessly glides from being terrifying to wryly humorous. Winner of a PEN/Heim Grant and shortlisted for the 2022 Booker International Prize.

'Whether borrowing from fable, folktale, speculative fiction, science fiction, or horror, Chung's stories corkscrew toward devastating conclusions―bleak, yes, but also wise and honest about the nightmares of contemporary life. Don't read this book while eating―but don't skip these unflinching, intelligent stories, either.' – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

'While the stories in Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung blend elements of horror, fantasy and the surreal, each is viscerally rooted in the real fears and pressures of everyday life.' – International Booker Prize judges

'Chung debuts with a well-crafted and horrifying collection of dark fairy tales, stark revenge fables, and disturbing body horror. Clever plot twists and sparkling prose abound. Chung's work is captivating and terrifying.' – Publishers Weekly

'Cool, brilliantly demented K-horror-just the way I like it!' – Ed Park, author of Personal Days

About The Author

Bora Chung has written three novels and three collections of short stories. She has an MA in Russian and East European area studies from Yale University and a PhD in Slavic literature from Indiana University. She currently teaches Russian language and literature and science fiction studies at Yonsei University and translates modern literary works from Russian and Polish into Korean.

Anton Hur is a writer and translator working in Seoul. His translation of Bora Chung’s Cursed Bunny and Sang Young Park’s Love in the Big City were, respectively, short and longlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize. Some of his other translations include Violets by Kyung-sook Shin, I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee, and many others.