𝐙𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐑 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐆𝐎𝐃𝐒. Written by Abeer Kapoor, illustrated by Ujan Duttta, Reviewed by Dr. Azam Gill, in Different Truths, Jan 31, 2026

ZORAWAR AND THE LOST GODS, an exhilarating, novel, written by Abeer Kapoor and illustrated by Ujan Duttta, was published in 2025 by Bloomsbury. Reviewed by Dr. Azam Gill, in Different Truths

ZORAWAR’s distinctive identity notwithstanding, its illustrious pedigree is traceable to Rudyard Kipling and T. N. Murari. Kipling’s KIM, came out in 1901, and T. N. Murari’s distinguished sequel, THE IMPERIAL AGENT, in 1987. Both novels are as exciting as they are thought-provoking, grounded in history from 1901 to the eve of India’s partition and independence. Murari boldly shepherded Kipling to continue Kim’s character development under the pressures of his English ancestry, vagrancy in the streets of Lahore, the intelligence bureau’s grooming and, the dilemma of clashing ideologies of Independence and Partition.

ZORAWAR’s active timeline on the eve of the First World War is close to that of KIM’s. Abeer Kapoor adroitly deals with the unbridled greed driving the East India Company (EIC) and Crown Rule. William Dalrymple’s ANARCHY, a history of the EIC, cherishes the same theme. It opens with the irony of the Indian word loot, appropriated and enacted by the EIC with moral alacrity and single-minded ruthlessness, refined and delivered to Crown Rule after the failed 1857 Revolt.
ZORAWAR laudably wields prose and plot structure to make its point without recourse to dealing a victim card. Devoid of subjective adjectives or attributes, the narrative engenders a refreshing liberty in the reader to adjust the story within a chosen moral framework, if so desired.

Read the full review in Different Truths, Jan 31, 2026, here:
https://www.differenttruths.com/thrilling-secrets-how-zoraver-khan-defies-british-spies-in-wwi-thriller/