The Savage Fortress
Author: Sarwat Chadda
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine
Publication Date: Oct. 1, 2012
Pages: 304
Series: Ash Mistry Chronicles, book one
Source: audiobook for review
Read By: Bruce Mann
Audiobook Publisher: Listening Library
Length: 8 hours, 8 minutes
Listen to an excerpt here.
About the Book: The gods and monsters of India roar to life in this thrilling fantasy!
After three weeks of vacation, Ash Mistry is ready to leave the heat and dust of India behind him. Then he discovers a gleaming gold arrowhead hidden in the sands—a weapon used to defeat evil King Ravana in legend.
At least, Ash is pretty sure it’s only a legend . . .
But when Lord Alexander Savage comes after Ash, the legends are suddenly way too real. Savage commands an army of monstrous shapechangers called rakshasas, who want only to seize the arrowhead and restore Ravana to power. As they hunt Ash through magnificent fortresses and brutal deserts, he must learn to work with a powerful rakshasa girl named Parvati, and find the strength within himself to fight on no matter what. Because this isn’t just a battle to stop the end of the world. It’s a battle to stop the end of reality as we know it.
No pressure.
My Thoughts: I so enjoyed Sarwat Chadda’s Devil’s Kiss books (sidenote: I NEED MORE!) so I was really looking forward to reading The Savage Fortress. I mean, Indian legends come to life? Yes, please! I’m a huge fan of contemporary books dealing with the mythos of ancient cultures. I’ve certainly read my fair share dealing with Greek and even Roman mythology. I’ve found a few with Norse gods. But set in India? I’ve not seen very many! The Savage Fortress filled that void for me.
In this book we meet Ash Mistry. He and his sister live with their parents in England but are visiting their aunt and uncle in India. The visit is going alright, if a little boring for Ash. But then! Oh man. Things go wildly out of control and Ash is thrust in the role of would be hero. And Ash is… Ash is…. well, not the coolest kid ever 😉 He’s a little chubby, a little awkward, the perfect target for bullies. Certainly not what you’d picture when you think hero. He’s thirteen for goodness sake! With the help of a mystical old man and a shape-changing girl Ash must work to find the hero within or risk losing his sister… and destroying the world!
I had so much fun listening to this story. It was action packed and full of interesting characters, places, and legends. I was fascinated by the many different rakshasas (shape-shifting demons) that we meet. Ash is certainly not perfect. He makes mistakes and doesn’t necessarily want to do what is requested of him. He is, after all, only human. I really enjoyed seeing the ways he grew throughout the story and cannot wait to see where his adventures take him next.
The audiobook was really well done. Bruce Mann did a wonderful job narrating. I enjoyed the different voices he used for the variety of characters (many not entirely human!) The pacing was great as well. Fair warning, there are a number of delightfully gruesome scenes (eyeballs popping, skulls smashing, arms torn off, etc…) that I know my students will adore. However, they were not ideal to listen to while eating breakfast on the drive to work!
The Savage Fortress is a great read for lovers of action, adventure, and a healthy dose of thrilling mythology. You’ll be begging for more of Ash Mistry!
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