Author | Roshani Chokshi |
---|---|
Cover artist | Abigail L. Dela Cruz |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Series | Pandava Quintet |
Genre | Fantasy, Children’s Fiction, adventure |
Publisher | Disney Hyperion (US) Scholastic Corporation (UK) |
Publication date | March 27, 2018 |
Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback), audiobook, e-book |
Pages | 368 |
ISBN | 1368012353 |
Followed by | Aru Shah and the Song of Death |
Aru Shah and the End of Time is a 2018 American-fantasy-adventure novel written by Roshani Chokshi and published in March 2018 by Disney-Hyperion. [1] [2] It is the first of many "Rick Riordan Presents" imprint books, and focuses on twelve-year-old Aru Shah who doesn't fit in at school and often stretches the truth to please her friends, but discovers her Pandava sisters, and the very real world of Hindu mythology. The novel received critical acclaim, with critics praising the story, the tone, the humor, and the characters.
Aru Shah is a twelve-year-old girl, living in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, who often stretches the truth to please her friends, a trait developed due to her mother's distant behavior. She has a wide imagination and is ashamed to be living in a museum. While she is at home during school break, three of her classmates arrive at the museum to find that Aru lied about spending her time in France. Under pressure, she lights the Cursed Lamp of Bharata to prove them wrong, since she once told her class the Lamp is cursed. She accidentally releases the Sleeper, a demon who can freeze time. After time is frozen in her town and Aru herself is briefly frozen, a pigeon enters the museum and explains that Hindu mythology is real and that she is a Pandava. They leave to find the other known sister. Expecting a fierce warrior, they are both taken back by germophobic Mini. Afterward, they visit the Council of Guardians, where they meet Urvashi and Hanuman. Hanuman reveals that the ahamas of the Gods have gone missing and that the places where the Sleeper walked have frozen. Both of the sisters are claimed. Indra is Aru's soul father, while Dharma Raja is revealed to be Mini's.
The Pandavas are tasked with stopping the Sleeper from awakening The Lord of Destruction, who will bring an end to all of Time. They have to find their celestial weapons by going into the Kingdom of Death, which can only be entered by finding the Three Keys: The Sprig of Youth, the Bite of Adulthood, and a Sip of Old Age. Indra gives a ping-pong ball to Aru while Mini is given a compact by Dharma Rajah. They go on the quest with the pigeon, which Aru has nicknamed Boo. During the quest, Aru and her companions learn more about themselves and the Hindu Gods. They grow closer and eventually become friends. They also find out that Aru's ping-pong ball carries celestial light and Mini's compact has the ability to create or break illusions. They are attacked by several demons, like Bhasmasura (from whom they get the Sprig), and also grant Valmiki a day of their lives in exchange for a mantra for safety. The Sleeper attacks them various times during their journey. Once the Pandavas acquire protection from the Seasons, they are once again attacked by the Sleeper in the Library of the Night Bazaar, where they find the Bite of Adulthood.
There, the Sleeper reveals the pigeon is actually Shakhuni, an enemy to the Pandavas during the Mahabharata War. He captures the pigeon, saying that in exchange for his freedom, they must give their weapons to him once they acquire it. Mini leaves Aru when she hears the truth, intending to finish the quest herself. Aru discovers that the Sleeper left behind a cage, which contains clay figures. The clay figures, once exposed to celestial light, become the vahanas of the Gods. They thank her for freeing them, and say that she can call them in emergencies. Uchchaihshravas gives her a ride to the location of the Sip. There, she is reunited with Mini. Collected, the Keys open the Door to Death, and they enter the Kingdom. After tricking the Guardian Dogs, Ek and Do, they go on to meet the Palace of Illusions, a living palace who was once the home for the Pandavas. Their memories are nearly stolen by a Hindu deity, but Aru kills him by using his own power against him. He curses Aru that she will forget what she needs in an important time. After journeying deep into the Kingdom, they find out that their gifts, the ping-pong ball and the compact, are the weapons. They return to Earth. There, Aru summons the vahanas, and develops a plan to assault the Sleeper. It nearly works. However, the Sleeper escapes, ravaging the Museum. Boo, who has been rescued, explains the Sleeper had to wake Shiva at the full moon, which has passed, indicating that they saved the world. In the aftermath of the crisis, Aru and Mini continue school. They discover they have three more sisters out in the world.
Aru Shah and the End of Time received 3/5 stars from Common Sense Media , which stated that it was a "Flawed but fascinating modern spin on Indian mythology", citing "problems with the storytelling". The book has been listed as one of the "Best Books to Read If You Love Harry Potter" by Oprah Magazine . Rick Riordan said that the book "had everything I like. Humour, great characters and awesome mythology!" Eoin Colfer, author of Artemis Fowl said a "new star was born."
Reader's Digest said that "This is Percy Jackson meets Sailor Moon ." The Library Thing gave it 5 stars, saying the book was "fresh. And great." Kirkus Reviews wrote that "in her middle grade debut, Chokshi spins fantastical narrative of feminism and mythology that everyone, including children of Indian origin, will like." The book was also nominated for the 2019 Nebula Award.
In April 2019 a sequel, Aru Shah and the Song of Death, was released, and continues Aru's story. It was just over 300 pages. A third installment, Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes was published in May 2020, and a fourth book, entitled Aru Shah and the City of Gold was released on April 6, 2021. [3] A fifth and final book, Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality , has been confirmed and will be released in April 2022. [4]
In April 2018 it was announced that Paramount Pictures had purchased the film rights to Aru Shah and the End of Time, beating out one of its competitors, Netflix. [5] Karen Rosenfelt has been named as one of the film's producers. [6] Headed by Riordan, the film will be Hollywood's first Hindu mythology project ever. About the film's potential, Chokshi also said that it will "inspire a whole new audience of readers to feel as though they have seen themselves and make them excited about the world inside of the book as well" and that it could begin a new franchise. Paramount Pictures compared the story with The Wizard of Oz and Coco. [7]
Hanuman, also called Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a Hindu god and a divine vanara companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic Ramayana. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and one of the chiranjivis. Hanuman is regarded to be the spiritual son of the wind-god Vayu, who in several stories played a direct role in Hanuman's birth. Hanuman is mentioned in several other texts, such as the epic Mahabharata and the various Puranas.
The Pandavas is a group name referring to the five legendary brothers, Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva, who are central characters of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. They are acknowledged as the sons of Pandu, the King of Kuru, but were fathered by different Devas (gods) due to Pandu's inability to naturally conceive children. In the epic, the Pandavas married Draupadi, the princess of Panchala, and founded the city of Indraprastha after the Kuru Kingdom was split to avoid succession disputes. After the split, the other part of the kingdom was ruled by their cousins, the Kauravas. However, the Pandavas lost their kingdom to Duryodhana when Yudhishtira gambled it away during a game of dice. The bet Yudhishtira agreed to was that the Pandavas would hand the kingdom to the Kauravas and go into exile for 13 years. After this time the Kauravas refused to return the kingdom. As a result, the Pandavas waged a civil war against their extended family, and this conflict was known as the Kurukshetra War. With the help of the god Krishna, the Pandavas eventually won the war with the death of the Kauravas, albeit at great cost.
Karna, also known as Vasusena, Anga-raja, and Radheya, is one of the main protagonists of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. He is the son of the sun god Surya and princess Kunti, and thus a demigod of royal birth. Kunti was granted the boon to bear a child with desired divine qualities from the gods and without much knowledge, Kunti invoked the sun god to confirm it if it was true indeed. Karna was secretly born to an unmarried Kunti in her teenage years, and fearing outrage and backlash from society over her premarital pregnancy, Kunti had no choice but to abandon the newly born Karna adrift in a basket on the Ganges, in the hope that he finds foster parents. The basket is discovered, and Karna is adopted and raised by foster Sūta parents named Radha and Adhiratha Nandana of the charioteer and poet profession working for king Dhritarashtra.
In Hindu scriptures, Durvasa, also known as Durvasas, is a legendary rishi (sage). He is the son of Anasuya and Atri. According to some Puranas, Durvasa is a partial avatar of Shiva, known for his short temper. Wherever he goes, he is received with great reverence by humans and devas alike.
Mohini is the Hindu goddess of enchantment. She is the only female avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. She is portrayed as a femme fatale, an enchantress, who maddens lovers and demons, sometimes leading them to their doom. Mohini is introduced into Hinduism in the narrative epic of the Mahabharata. Here, she appears as a form of Vishnu following the Churning of the Ocean, a mesmerising beauty who distributes the amrita to the weakened devas (gods) and depriving it to the dominant asuras (demons), allowing the former to defeat the latter with their newfound immortality.
The following list consists of notable concepts that are derived from Hindu culture and associated cultures traditions, which are expressed as words in Sanskrit or other Indic languages and Dravidian languages. The main purpose of this list is to disambiguate multiple spellings, to make note of spellings no longer in use for these concepts, to define the concept in one or two lines, to make it easy for one to find and pin down specific concepts, and to provide a guide to unique concepts of Hinduism all in one place.
Tilottama, is an apsara described in Hindu mythology.
Yama, also known as Kala, and Dharmaraja is the Hindu god of death and justice, responsible for the dispensation of law and punishment of sinners in his abode, Yamapuri. He is often identified with Dharmadeva, the personification of Dharma, though the two deities have different origins and myths.
Nahusha is a king of the Chandravamsha in Hindu mythology. He is described to be the son of Āyus, the eldest son of Pururavas, and Prabha, the daughter of Svarbhānu.
The Panchakanya is a group of five iconic women of the Hindu epics, extolled in a hymn and whose names are believed to dispel sin when recited. They are Ahalya, Draupadi, Sita, Tara, and Mandodari. While Draupadi is from the Mahabharata, Ahalya, Sita, Tara, and Mandodari are from the Ramayana. The Panchakanya are regarded to be ideal women who exemplify perfect wives in Hinduism.
Roshani Chokshi is an American children's book author and a New York Times bestselling author.
RadhaKrishn is an Indian Hindi-language mythological television drama series that premiered on 1 October 2018 on Star Bharat and is also digitally available on Disney+ Hotstar. After a successful run of more than 5 years, it went off air on 21 January 2023. The series is based on the life of Hindu deities Radha and Krishna. It is produced by Siddharth Kumar Tewary, Rahul Kumar Tewary and Gayatri Gill Tewary for Swastik Productions and is directed by Rahul Kumar Tewary. The roles of Krishna and Radha are played by Sumedh Mudgalkar and Mallika Singh. It completed 1145 episodes and is listed among longest running television series of India and also became the longest ran mythological series. It is also the longest running drama series on Star Bharat to date.
Rick Riordan Presents is a book imprint of Disney-Hyperion that was launched in 2018 and is led by Stephanie Owens Lurie. The line publishes books that utilize the mythology of various cultures and countries in its storytelling akin to Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & the Olympians. The first book published under the imprint, Aru Shah and the End of Time, was released on March 23, 2018.
Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes is a fantasy mythology book published by Disney-Hyperion on April 7, 2020, under the "Rick Riordan Presents" publishing imprint. It is the third book in the Pandava Quintet and was written by author Roshani Chokshi. It revolves around the titular character Aru Shah as she adventures in a world of Hindu mythology with her friends and fellow Pandava sisters.
Aru Shah and the City of Gold is the fourth and penultimate book in the Pandava Quintet, written by author Roshani Chokshi. It was published under the "Rick Riordan Presents" imprint on April 6, 2021. The book follows fourteen-year-old Aru Shah as she struggles to find her place, and win the war against an ancient entity called the Sleeper. It received critical acclaim, with reviewers praising the complexity of the characters, and story's scope.
Pandava Quintet is a five-part book series written by Roshani Chokshi. It is part of the "Rick Riordan Presents" publishing imprint. The first book of the series and the imprint was published on March 23, 2018, under the name Aru Shah and the End of Time. The next books include Aru Shah and the Song of Death, Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes, Aru Shah and the City of Gold, and Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality. The main character of the series is the young Aru Shah, who is disliked by her classmates, but fits in with the other Pandava sisters, like Mini and Brynne, once she meets an enchanted talking pigeon who she nicknames "Boo" after touching a cursed ancient artifact. The rest of the series has gotten praise for being similar to Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.
Aru Shah and the Song of Death is an American fantasy-adventure novel written by Roshani Chokshi, published on April 30, 2019, under the "Rick Riordan Presents" publishing imprint. It is the second book in the Pandava Quintet, following the debut novel, Aru Shah and the End of Time. While learning how to control her Pandava powers, Aru Shah is accused of stealing the god of love’s bow and arrow. To prove her innocence, she must navigate the serpent realm with Mini and two new companions.