Weapons of Kalki  (English, Paperback, Kochhar Ritika)

Circa, 1969, Uttar Pradesh, India When Vishnuvyas Thakur from Sambhala, UP, insists on marrying Princess Parvati Sahib of Arjungarh, they are both aware that prophecies say their child will be Kalki - the tenth avatar of Vishnu. What they are not prepared for is the viciousness with which their family will be ripped apart by the Daughters of Mara, as the evil creatures start the descent of humankind towards a kind of evil that can cause the end of the world. It's not just the supernatural that Kalki has to contend with. Both sides of his family want to use Kalki's fame for their political and personal ends. But even before he is born, Kalki has protectors including his step-sister, Chandika; and then his equally powerful twin sister Kali. As they get caught between human and superhuman power struggles, Kali must survive. And like her mother and sister before her, she has to make choices that weigh her survival against her humanity. Ritika Kochhar delivers an epic magic-realist series that is equal parts suspense and philosophy, adventure and fantasy, in this absorbing novel set in the near past.