https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=The_DevourersThe Devourers - Revision history2026-10-21T22:43:20ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Devourers&diff=540469&oldid=prevManish Khouriwal at 16:10, 3 April 20262026-04-03T16:10:54Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|2015 novel by Indra Das}}<br />
{{Infobox book<br />
| name = The Devourers<br />
| author = [[Indra Das]]<br />
| country = India<br />
| genre = [[Dark fantasy]]<br/><br />
[[Science fiction]]<br/><br />
[[Speculative fiction]]<br />
| published = 2015 (India)<br/><br />
July 2016 (U.S.)<br />
| publisher = [[Penguin India]] (India)<br/><br />
[[Del Rey Books|Ballantine Del Rey]] (U.S.)<br />
| isbn = 978-1101967515<br />
| image = File:The Devourers.jpg<br />
| border = yes<br />
| caption = First edition<br />
| cover_artist = Dan Burgess<br />
}}<br />
'''''The Devourers''''' is a 2015 debut novel by Indian writer, artist, and editor [[Indra Das]] (aka Indrapramit Das). It takes place in [[Kolkata, India]], where Das grew up, and is considered [[South Asia]]n [[speculative fiction]] and [[dark fantasy]], incorporating aspects of [[historical fiction]], [[fantasy]], and [[Horror fiction|horror]]. It was originally published by [[Penguin India]] in 2015, followed by release in [[North America]] by [[Del Rey Books|Ballantine Del Rey]] of [[Penguin Random House]] in July 2016.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://indradas.com/|title=Indrapramit Das|website=Indrapramit Das|language=en-US|access-date=2016-11-05}}</ref><br />
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The novel features [[shape-shifters]], more specifically [[Werewolf|werewolves]],<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.tor.com/2016/07/11/intimacy-as-magic-the-devourers-by-indra-das/|title=Intimacy as Magic: The Devourers by Indra Das|date=2016-07-11|website=Tor.com|access-date=2016-11-07}}</ref> and explores the concepts of love, [[Human cannibalism|cannibalism]], and what it means to be human. It is told in a multi-layered manner, alternating between different time periods and perspectives. The author's writing has been compared to that of [[Margaret Atwood]], [[China Miéville]], and [[David Mitchell (author)|David Mitchell]] by his publisher.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://www.randomhousebooks.com/books/534499/|title=The Devourers|last=|first=|date=|publisher=Penguin Random House|access-date=2016-11-05}}</ref><br />
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The novel grew out of werewolf stories he wrote during college, which he called "male-centered," with the female characters being either prey or prostitutes who are raped "so that a male predator can come to terms with his own predatory nature." Das claimed those early versions of characters remain in his final novel and also said, "but the novel was woven around questioning how easily I, as a straight male writer, slipped so comfortably into using this misogynistic narrative device of taking away the voice of women, even while exploring violence against women (and ostensibly questioning and criticizing it)."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shelf Awareness for Readers for Friday, July 15, 2016 |url=https://www.shelf-awareness.com/readers-issue.html?issue=523 |access-date=2025-12-09 |website=www.shelf-awareness.com}}</ref><br />
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== Plot ==<br />
The story, which takes place primarily in [[Kolkata]], is set during the reign of the [[Mughal Empire]] in the seventeenth century and extends to [[modern India]]. The main character, Alok Mukherjee, is a college professor and historian who happens upon a stranger that tells him a story about shape-shifters that devour human souls in order to survive. The stranger claims that the tale he tells it true, and although Alok is skeptical, he is intrigued and insists on finishing the story. Alok is then enlisted to translate and transcribe a collection of notebooks and texts documented on human skin, through which the rest of the story is told.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/14/books/review/science-fiction-ninefox-gambit-yoon-ha-lee.html|title=The Latest in Science Fiction and Fantasy|last=Jemisin|first=N. k|date=2016-08-11|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=2016-11-05}}</ref><br />
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== Reception ==<br />
''The Devourers'' was shortlisted for the 2015 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize, the 2015 TATA Live! Literature First Book Award, and the 2016 [[International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts]] [[Crawford Award|William L. Crawford Fantasy Award]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sfadb.com/William_L_Crawford_-_IAFA_Fantasy_Award_2016|title=sfadb: William L. Crawford - IAFA Fantasy Award 2016|website=www.sfadb.com|access-date=2016-11-05}}</ref> It was also listed as a 2015 selection for [[Locus (magazine)|Locus]] Recommended Reading.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cookeagency.ca/books/Das-I_The-Devourers.htm|title=The Devourers by Indra Das|website=www.cookeagency.ca|access-date=2016-11-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.locusmag.com/News/2016/02/2015-locus-recommended-reading-list/|title=Locus Online News » 2015 Locus Recommended Reading List|last=Publications|first=Locus|website=www.locusmag.com|date=February 2016 |access-date=2016-11-07}}</ref><br />
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"Not for the squeamish, Das' debut is an ambitious, unsettling trip into our own capacity for violence," according to ''[[Kirkus Reviews]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/indra-das/the-devourers/|title=THE DEVOURERS by Indra Das|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=Kirkus Review|access-date=2016-11-06}}</ref> Author of ''The Obelisk Gate'', [[N. K. Jemisin]], concluded in her review of the book in ''[[The New York Times]]'', ”Readers will savor every bite."<ref name=":2" /><br />
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In a starred review, ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' praised Das' debut novel as "brutal, intoxicating, and gorgeously visceral."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-101-96751-5|title=Fiction Book Review: The Devourers by Indra Das|newspaper=PublishersWeekly.com|access-date=2016-11-07}}</ref> [[Podcast]] host and writer for [[Tor.com]] Mahvesh Murad described ''The Devourers'' similarly and expanded on the sentiment: "It is violent and vicious and deeply unsettling for a number of reasons. But it is also showcases Das’ incredible prowess with language and rhythm, and his ability to weave folklore and ancient legend with modern day loneliness."<ref name=":1" /><br />
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The [[Los Angeles Review of Books|LA Review of Books]] said that "very little happens plotwise in the novel" but pointed out how it critiques patriarchal violence and "the harm inflicted by heterosexual norms."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-09-03 |title=Finding Silence: Indra Das’s “The Devourers” |url=https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/finding-silence-indra-dass-devourers |access-date=2025-12-09 |website=Los Angeles Review of Books}}</ref> <br />
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== References ==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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== External links ==<br />
* [http://www.tor.com/2016/07/07/excerpts-the-devourers-indra-das/ Excerpt of ''The Devours'' on Tor.com]<br />
* [http://indradas.com/ Indrapramit Das's website]<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Devourers, The}}<br />
[[Category:2015 debut novels]]<br />
[[Category:2015 Indian novels]]<br />
[[Category:2015 science fiction novels]]<br />
[[Category:2015 fantasy novels]]<br />
[[Category:2010s horror novels]]<br />
[[Category:Indian science fiction novels]]<br />
[[Category:Indian fantasy novels]]<br />
[[Category:Indian historical novels]]<br />
[[Category:Science fantasy novels]]<br />
[[Category:Science fiction horror novels]]<br />
[[Category:Dark fantasy novels]]<br />
[[Category:Historical fantasy novels]]<br />
[[Category:Love stories]]<br />
[[Category:Novels set in Kolkata]]<br />
[[Category:Novels about teachers]]<br />
[[Category:Novels about werewolves]]<br />
[[Category:Novels about cannibalism]]<br />
[[Category:Lambda Literary Award–winning works]]<br />
[[Category:Penguin Books India books]]<br />
[[Category:Novels based on myths and legends]]</div>Manish Khouriwal