We chat with debut author Gourav Mohanty about Sons of Darkness, which is an epic reimagining of the Mahabharata and a blend of House of the Dragon meets Succession!
Hi, Gourav! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Thank you for having me, Nerd Daily. Your name could be the title of my autobiography. But joking aside, I daylight as a lawyer, moonlight as a standup comic and gaslight as an author. I could talk for hours on a date if we’re discussing history or culture. And if there is one Indian stereotype that I am proud of embodying, it’s my love for dancing.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I discovered my love for stories as a kid when my grandmother fed me stories from our lore during my visits to her.
I discovered my love for writing during my years at the law firm. Writing gave me an escape as well as an arena to play Thanos in the world I was building where with a snap of a finger could change the fates of my antiheroes.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (I can assure you I SHOULD NOT have been reading it at that age)
- The one that made you want to become an author: Circe by Madeline Miller
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Your debut novel, Sons of Darkness, is out January 9th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Game of Thrones in Ancient India
What can readers expect?
- Deliciously dark and desi damsels-who-cause-distress.
- Machiavellian Politics, Murder Trials and Murderous Weddings.
- Medieval Matchmaking: Adorable Psychopath X Reluctant Soldier, Pirate Princess X Lowborn Archer, Assassin’s Apprentice X Immortal Tyrant, Tyrionish Politician X Valiant Swordswoman.
- Siege, Battle and Flying Pigs.
- Grimdark-Historical-Epic Saga
Where did the inspiration for Sons of Darkness come from?
It was really organic. I was in a long train journey home back from law school, and I’d been watching the first season of A Game of Thrones. I was struck by the similar themes between the show and the mythological poem of Mahabharata: the duality of morality, the shades of grey, the presence of powerful women. But in the case of Indian mythology, these themes had become invisible in its refraction through the religio-patriarchal prism of absolute good versus absolute evil. I thought what a beautiful thing it could be to reimagine that epic from the perspective of traditionally perceived evil characters. I wed this thought to my college-long dream of exploring a vast Indian-inspired world in epic-fantasy where my fascination with the psychology of villains played head-priest. From this fragile marriage, the seed of Sons of Darkness was born.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Indian history is filled with heroic women on the frontlines but curiously Indian mythology has no mortal female warriors. Curious, ‘cause, Indian mythology worships a ‘Goddess’ of War. It was then in my research I came across the tale of Satyabhama, a swordswoman, who was the third-wife of the human avatar of God called ‘Krishna’. She was a footnote character in the main epic but her tiny tale stuck with me – of how she used her sword to save the God from a monster by slaying it in single-combat. Now this woman graces the cover of my book. To flesh out the character of this badass woman lost in the shadows of myths was a great honour and even a great pleasure.
Though in terms of sheer knowledge-gain, writing the battle and siege scenes would be my favourite. It took months of studying the greatest battles in history. I am fairly confident that if by some freak accident, I was sent back in time to the siege of Constantinople, I would do a great job serving either army.
With it being the new year, have you set any resolutions or goals for 2024?
Besides the cliché resolutions of fitness, productivity, and travel that I hope not to break this time, I aim to reconnect with art. During my days as a lawyer, writing served as my go-to activity, filling the ‘Others’ column in my daily life. Now that writing is my career, I want to resurrect my other hobbies to keep my mind ‘bendy’.
What’s next for you?
I’m nearly finished with the sequel to Sons of Darkness: Dance of Shadows. I’m eager to delve into the murky waters of the ideas I have for other stories waiting to be told. Interestingly, I’ve noticed the absence of lawyers as fantasy heroes. Perhaps it’s time to change that.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Non-Fiction: Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets by Svetlana Alexievich
Fiction: Guards! Guards! By Sir Terry Pratchett
