The Savage Fortress (review)

If the heat and the crowded streets of Varanasi weren't bad enough, thirteen-year-old Ash Mistry finds out that India's holiest city is home to a fortress of demons, effectively putting the kibosh on what he though would be a fun summer vacation. Pudgy Londoner Ash discovers that Lord Savage, a wealthy businessman leading an archeological dig in Varanasi with the help of Ash's uncle, is actually marshaling an army of rakshashas (demons) to take over the world, but his plans hit a snag after Ash picks up a legendary arrowhead and begins to suspect that he may be the reincarnated soul of Rama, India's greatest warrior king. With the help of a former demon and several other reincarnated souls, Ash prepares to take on Savage and perhaps even the gods themselves. A classic hero's quest, this action-packed story has its protagonist making the transformation from portly, brainy everyday kid to courageous, physically strong warrior with relative ease. Chadda wisely keeps his hero's mental state the same, however, so even after Ash has proven his abilities, the boy is racked with self doubt and frankly resentful that this lot has fallen on his shoulders, two traits that will make him immediately relatable to a young reader. Graphic fight scenes leave little to the imagination, describing in cinematic clarity just what happens when one is attacked by a twenty-foot crocodile-demon hybrid. The incorporation of the Ramayana legend serves as a basic introduction to Indian deities; fans of Riordan's Kane Chronicles, Indiana Jones, and the like will appreciate this non-Western take on fantasy adventure.