‘Aru Shah and the End of Time’ by Roshani Chokshi

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi is a fantastic read, a fast-paced story that pits two girls (reincarnated ancient heroes) against an entity known as “The Sleeper.”

The story is populated by gods and characters from Hindu mythology. I’m looking forward to continuing the series with Aru Shah and the Song of Death, which is slated for publication in April 2019.

Chokshi’s book is the first story to be released under a new imprint, Rick Riordan Presents (Disney Hyperion). Riordan is known for his fantasy-adventure series that combine modern-day characters with figures out of Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Norse mythologies.
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Like Riordan’s books, the stories in this imprint involve themes and characters from mythology, but Riordan’s role can be described as that of a curator rather than author (Publisher's Weekly, Sept. 13, 2016).

Here’s what Riordan himself has to say about Rick Riordan Presents:

“Basically, our goal is to publish great books by middle grade authors from underrepresented cultures and backgrounds, to let them tell their own stories inspired by the mythology and folklore of their own heritage. Over the years, I’ve gotten so many questions from my fans: 'Will you ever write about Hindu mythology? What about Native American? What about Chinese?' I saw that there was a lot of interest in reading fantasy adventures based on different world mythologies, but I also knew I wasn’t the best person to write them. Much better, I thought, to use my experience and my platform at Disney to put the spotlight on other great writers who are actually from those cultures and know the mythologies better than I do. Let them tell their own stories, and I would do whatever I could to help those books find a wide audience.”

Speaking as a librarian who is also a member of an underrepresented culture, I value the presence of diverse stories in a library’s collection. Roshani Chokshi’s book deserves widespread readership among fans of mythology-based fantasy.

Disclosure of material connection: My taxes support local libraries’ acquisition of this and other resources. I consider the access I enjoy to be a “priceless” return on my investment.