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The Youngest Novelist of Pakistan strikes again. After the resounding success of his first novel, which earned him the aforementioned title, Muhammad Aanish Ayaz Farrukh has returned to the spotlight by penning down Mahanos. A few days ago, the Synopsis and the list of the Main Characters for Mahanos was released which left all of us at the edge of our seats.
Synopsis: In a surprising turn of events, Liam and his cousins are tossed into a world of magicians, castles, and thrones. Meet them in the land of Mahanos, where they strive against a menacing witch, with no one by their side except an ancient king. As our four young heroes are left to prepare for protection against the wicked and the possible wars in their fate, they remain oblivious to the fact that the worst is yet to come…
Main Characters:
- Liam Cooper
- Medea Duke
- Alison Cooper
- Margaret Lewis
- Vince Lewis
- General Amus
We have compiled a list of 10 things you need to know about this much-anticipated novel:
A totally different genre!
The simple things first, Mahanos is a fantasy novel. A sharp departure from his more grounded first novel Scar, readers will be thrust into a world of castles, witches, and thrones in the magical world of the titular land. Stating himself that he had been working on this from the time since he was eleven, readers can expect to see The Protesting Orator at is best
Characters
Characters make up the exoskeleton of every good novel and it seems that Aanish has been able to hit this one out of the park. Rather than being from the perspective of a Mahanosian, readers are put in the boots of the Cooper cousins who are complete strangers to Mahanos, and what we have so far deduced from the synopsis, they are going to be more confused than a chimpanzee in a thumb wrestling match!
All jokes aside, seeing the land of Mahanos from the eyes of strangers will not only prove to be a more memorable experience but will also add a new layer of intrigue and complexity to the novel. Another important character revealed in the synopsis is Medea Duke, described as a ‘menacing witch’. She gives off the vague impression that she might just not be the nicest person around in Mahanos! This brings us to.
The Most beautiful witch ever?
‘I will make the most beautiful witch ever’ said Aanish in a recent interview. So, is this ‘most beautiful witch’ the same ‘menacing witch’ talked about in the synopsis? It seems so. Well, we can say that Medea Duke makes up for her abundant outer beauty with her inner beauty, or rather lack thereof.
Aanish has said that the idea of coming up with a beautiful witch who is able to befriend the Mahanosians and earn their trust has been a collaborative idea. Suffice to say, folks, we should not expect a Good Witch of South with this one. Aanish has promised a plethora of intriguing character but unfortunately, it looks like we have to wait for the official release of the book to find out more about them.
A Dark theme
Recently on his Instagram Aanish shocked his fans by stating that they should be in for their most ‘Darkest Fantasy Ever’, that’s darkest with a capital D by the way while reading Mahanos. Touching subject matters that other novels tend to avoid, Mahanos will make it clear why it’s intended for audiences over 13. To be honest, anything which involves children in something as unpredictable as a magical land is bound to have its dark moments.
The Ancient King
Another character which deserves the spotlight is none other than the mysterious ‘Ancient King’. Who is he? What is he? What even is his real name? Well, your guesses are as good as ours. His entire existence is shrouded in mystery except for the fact that he would be an ally to our heroes. Probably the only thing we can say about this enigmatic character is that he will be one of if not THE most important protagonist of the novel.
Will this novel have romance?
One question not answered by the synopsis really started to get to us. The romance between Oscar and Hanna was truly the highlight of Scar. So, will we see something like that in Mahanos? Thankfully we were able to get a hold of Aanish himself and force him to answer that question, but we had to resort to bribery. ‘Obviously, bro. It’s an Aanish Novel. Romance is compulsory.’ Aanish casually explained whilst munching on a roast. Indeed, this guy loves to love.
Monsters
So, coming back to the war and carnage. It seems that the witch’s army, which will serve as the primary obstacles in our hero’s path, will consist of monsters. The true nature of these monsters is yet to be revealed. In fact, we are still not sure who will be fighting alongside our protagonists. However, since Mahanos is a land of Magicians and Warriors, we may see them on the good side of the force, fingers crossed.
The History of Mahanos
Considering the fact that a large chunk of the story will take place in Mahanos, the novel does bear its name, after all, it’s very important that readers are aware of its history. Writers tend to leave bits of crucial information in areas scattered all over the novel but Aanish has decided to go all out and to dedicate 3 to 4 pages in the opening chapter to its history. Readers are advised to pay close attention to them, otherwise, they may have difficulty understanding many of the key plot points. After all, you cannot comprehend the present without fully understanding the past.
A second resistance?
Another rather haunting aspect of the story that the synopsis has revealed so far is the talk of a ‘second resistance’ to our heroes. If a witch is not enough it seems that something even eviler is in store for the Mahanosians. Grimly revealed as ‘the worst is yet to come’ it seems that a beautiful witch is going to be the least of our heroes’ concern.
Series?
A question for the post-novel times. Will Mahanos be a standalone novel or the first in a series? We got the answer to this question soon enough, thank God, we did not have to bribe him this time. As mentioned above, Aanish has been developing this story since he was 11 years old and now it has become too vast to fit into a single book. Safe to say that fans should expect 3 to 4 more books in the years to come.
Without revealing too much, the synopsis has put us on the edge of our seats. For the time being, we can only wait for its official release which is coming at you on 8th August. Brace yourself!
