‘David Hair hasn’t just broken the mould. He’s completely shattered it’ – Bibliosanctum
One deathless Demon King. Six ghostly queens. And only four twenty-first century young men and women to stand against a centuries-old evil . . . The first in award-winning author David Hair’s series The Return of Ravana.
Mandore, Rajasthan, 769 AD: the evil sorcerer-king, Ravindra-Raj, has devised a deadly ritual. He and his seven queens will burn on his funeral pyre, and he will rise again with the powers of Ravana, Demon-King of the epic Ramayana. But things go wrong when a court poet rescues the beautiful, spirited Queen Darya, ruining the ritual – and Ravindra’s plans.
Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 2010: At the site of ancient Mandore, Vikram, Amanjit, Deepika and Rasita meet – and are forced to accept that this is not the first time they have come together to fight the deathless king. Now Ravindra and his ghostly brides are hunting them down.
As vicious forces from the past come alive, Vikram needs to unlock truths that have been hidden for centuries, if they are to win this ancient battle . . . for the first and last time.
‘Riveting! Like its reincarnated heroes, I was drawn again and again to David Hair’s gripping, blood-soaked tale’ – Chris Bradford, author of Young Samurai
One deathless Demon King. Six ghostly queens. And only four twenty-first century young men and women to stand against a centuries-old evil . . . The first in award-winning author David Hair’s series The Return of Ravana.
Mandore, Rajasthan, 769 AD: the evil sorcerer-king, Ravindra-Raj, has devised a deadly ritual. He and his seven queens will burn on his funeral pyre, and he will rise again with the powers of Ravana, Demon-King of the epic Ramayana. But things go wrong when a court poet rescues the beautiful, spirited Queen Darya, ruining the ritual – and Ravindra’s plans.
Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 2010: At the site of ancient Mandore, Vikram, Amanjit, Deepika and Rasita meet – and are forced to accept that this is not the first time they have come together to fight the deathless king. Now Ravindra and his ghostly brides are hunting them down.
As vicious forces from the past come alive, Vikram needs to unlock truths that have been hidden for centuries, if they are to win this ancient battle . . . for the first and last time.
‘Riveting! Like its reincarnated heroes, I was drawn again and again to David Hair’s gripping, blood-soaked tale’ – Chris Bradford, author of Young Samurai
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Reviews
The Pyre is an excellent fantasy novel. If you're familiar with the tales of Rama and Sita, you'll find much to enjoy, and if not, then David Hair's introduction to the legends are an excellent place to start.
This was YA, but it works for everyone . . An interesting story. Light and dark.
When it comes to Young Adult fiction, David Hair hasn't just broken the mould. He's completely shattered it.
fast paced young adult novel
If you like fantasy influenced by mythology and would like to explore beyond the well-known Western mythologies, The Pyre is an excellent departure point.
A riveting book [that] will keep you hooked to the very end. Hair has managed to pack horror, reincarnation, mythology [and] history all in one book!
Riveting! Like its reincarnated heroes, I was drawn again and again to David Hair's gripping, blood-soaked tale
The Pyre was genuinely dark and unsettling . . . The story-telling within the novel is outstanding
David Hair did an amazing job at recreating the Ravana legend . . . great tension and character development . . . This was a fantastically written novel which will appeal to readers outside the fantasy genre too. A 5 star read!
I enjoyed the characters . . . [I] was sorry to say goodbye to the cast
A fantastically written tale . . . An amazing story set in a magnificent background, it had me hooked from the very first page. The last half of the book literally had me on the edge of my chair, rooting for the characters in both timelines and wondering how the history would unfold and if it would repeat itself