The Pledge Adventures to Sada

by Madhulika Liddle, Kannan Iyer

In an imaginary time, in the mythical, scenic but deeply troubled land of Mandala, the ailing old magician Jaadum expresses his dying to have his son Raibhu immerse his and his wife Asi's last remains in the Sada river. But under that simple human wish lies buried the secret at the heart of the Mandala purana-the legend of the Mandalan civilization. A powerful secret that reveals itself in one intriguing layer after another to Raibhu and his his best friend Afhash and the mysterious, strikingly beautiful Inosa. Together they must protect this purana at all costs from the evil warlord Umur Naash. As Raibhu, Afhash and Inosa embark on a journey through perilous terrain to fulfil Jaadum's wish, they will be tested to their limits. The future of Mandala lies in the hands of Raibhu and his companions. The first book in the Mandala Purana series, The Pledge is a richly detailed fantasy adventure stretching across time and space. As much a story of evil and intolerance as love and justice, it is an utterly compelling exploration of humanity-the depths it can sink to and the heights it can scale. Inspired by a story by film producer Amit Bolakani, Madhulika Liddle and Kannan Iyer have created a fantasy world that will enrapture and absorb you till the end.

364 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2023

About the author

Madhulika Liddle is best known for her books featuring the 17th century Mughal detective Muzaffar Jang, although she is also a prolific writer of short fiction, travel writing, and writing related to classic cinema.

The Muzaffar Jang Series: Madhulika’s best-known series of works are historical whodunnits featuring the 17th century Mughal detective, Muzaffar Jang. Till now, four books in the series have been published:
The Englishman’s Cameo (2009)
The Eighth Guest & Other Muzaffar Jang Mysteries (2011),
Engraved in Stone (2012), and
Crimson City (2015).

In October 2021, Madhulika Liddle published The Garden of Heaven, the first novel of a four-novel series called the Delhi Quartet. This is a series of historical novels that will span 800 years of Delhi's history. The Garden of Heaven was long-listed for the Book of the Year (Fiction) Award of the annual Tata Literature Live! literature festival.

In March 2023, Madhulika's The Pledge: Adventures to Sada was released. A fantasy adventure novel, this is the first part of a two-part series called The Mandala Purana, written in collaboration with film-maker Kannan Iyer.

Short stories: Madhulika has written a range of short stories in different genres, including black humour, humour, crime and detection, and social awareness. Several of these have won awards (including the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association’s (CBA) Short Story Competition, for A Morning Swim, in 2003) or have been selected for anthologies. Her story, Poppies in the Snow, was longlisted for the 2015 Sunday Times EFG Short Story Prize.

Short story collections:
My Lawfully Wedded Husband & Other Stories. Black humour shorts, all of which have a twist in the tale.
Woman to Woman: Stories. A collection of twelve women-centric stories.

Madhulika is also known for her travel writing, which has been published in Rough Guides, National Geographic Traveller (India), Lounge (Mint), and other periodicals.

In addition, she is a cinema buff and blogs (mostly about classic cinema) at www.madhulikaliddle.com.

Awards and Recognition:

CBA Short Story Competition – Honourable Mention (2002) for Love and the Papaya Man
CBA Short Story Competition – Overall Winner (2003) for A Morning Swim
Winner of Oxfordbookstore e-Author version 4.0
Sunday Times EFG Short Story Prize (2015) - Longlisted for Poppies in the Snow
Book of the Year Award, Tata Literature Live! (2023) - Longlisted for The Garden of Heaven
Starting 2022, Crimson City (Muzaffar Jang #4) is being taught as an elective to Delhi University students majoring in English