Lee Langley

A Mughal Disneyland and a ripping yarn

The Smoke is Rising, by Mahesh Rao, and The Strangler Vine, by M.J. Carter. A funny, angry view of contemporary India, and a Boy's Own picture of one of its past tipping points

(Photo: Punit Paranjpe/AFP/Getty) 
issue 19 April 2014

  • The Smoke is Rising

    Mahesh Rao

    Daunt Books, pp. 299

  • The Strangler Vine

    M.J. Carter

    Fig Tree, pp. 311

Mysore, once the capital of a princely kingdom in South India, has lost its lustre. In Mahesh Rao’s darkly comic novel, grandiose futuristic visions are being floated: in a city desperate to reinvent itself for today’s brave new world, ancient temples and palaces are no longer enough. With India’s space programme about to send a man to the moon, Mysore must make its own giant leap.

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