Say hello to Anantya Tantrist: A notoriously bad-ass supernatural
detective who has a penchant to smoke beedis, vent out in foul-mouthed
profanity that would make a fisher-woman blush and has a never-ending
love-affair with nameless dangers as an everyday occupational hazard.
On the surface, Cult of Chaos is billed as an urban fantasy
set in the underbelly of Delhi with a liberal smattering of Tantrism and magic
thrown in. But Shweta’s meticulous research and assured story-telling skills
turns this premise right on its head. It’s a relentless avalanche of a novel
that crams in so many novel ideas – Tantric concepts, supernatural beings that
range from talking serpents who brew potions, ghosts (Oh so many!), Rakshasas
to wholly new and intriguing races called Datyus ( Spies relying on disgusting
smells!) or Dasyus ( Bat-like creatures with a predilection for movies!) –
While yes there is an all-too comforting feel in the atmospheric Delhi that
Shweta draws up, the events and the phen…