The Mangoman

by Rishabh Dubey

'The Mangoman' is a comical mixture of modern Indian politics with a superhero story. It revolves around Oday Luhar (pronounced Udai), a useless and silver-spoon-fed brat of a corrupt politician who knows nothing about his natural duty as a human being to help the needy. Due to some idiosyncratic series of events, the story takes a dramatic turn, and Oday mistakenly gains certain superpowers. Regardless of the periodic checks on the usage of those powers, Oday gains abilities beyond the direst of imaginations of even the most dedicated believers. What would he do with this godly gift? If good, then how? If bad, then why was he chosen over the seemingly billions of readily available better choices? These usual interrogatives must be striking your mind. But would they really be better choices? The story encircles the probable answer to this most important of all the queries. Rejoice the evolution of Oday Luhar from being an overprivileged prince to being the most powerful creature on planet Earth, the Mangoman.

318 pages, Paperback

Published March 19, 2016

About the author

Rishabh Dubey, known by his pen-name 'Kridious', is a young author, poet and musician hailing from the city of Lucknow, India. Dubey is credited with writing and publishing six books so far in diverse genres of Science Fiction, Poetry, Fantasy, Anthology and Literary Fiction. He published his first book, The Mangoman, at the age of 18. A natural tech aficionado, Dubey pursued Computer Sciences as a profession whilst exploring Science Fiction as his passion. He is currently residing in the city of Mumbai, India and working on sequels to his published books. Rishabh also began an initiative, called 'The Voices of Silence', to give a platform to young aspiring authors of India to showcase their work without any hindrances.

Reviews

[Steve]

Ever wondered what you would do if you could turn up as any superhero in the world??... If ‘YES’ this book is for you. ‘Mangoman’ is one of a kind Indian superhero book that takes inspiration from the west and yet maintains its originality throughout. Although it is predominantly the story of a superhero, it tells the insinuating tale of dirty Indian politics. It talks about the coming of age story of ‘Oday Luhar’ a spoilt brat of a rich politician, who gains access to a superpower under mysterious circumstances. The fact that the egocentric-negligent-pampered boy is ‘the chosen one’ makes you feel that Oday’s friend Arjun or rather you yourself could have been a better choice for the divine gift by God; it seems that to err is Godly...
The book is packed with witty banters and dialogues that will make you grin and keep you glued to the conversations. An instance of the same is when the author compares the protagonist’s chewing down the crispy edges of a burger to a modern-day bureaucrat who does the same to a nation’s economic stronghold. An attempt is made at establishing personas that relate to real life like Raj Gautam and his mother, the Arlub’s NewsHourAndHalfNight Debate and many more. The author seems to have done thorough research on political scenario in northern India and the localities of UP which is evident from the detailing done in the book. What is most appealing is that even though the story makes references to many animes, comics and TV shows, it seems original and a fresh tale. A comic book with such amazing dialogues could have brought more life to the story. Tight writing could have improved the storyline which becomes lingering and faltering in later parts. Despite all this I would recommend everyone to read it once!

[Tanmay Mehta]

It's well punctuated with the most '21st Century' sort of humour. What really makes this book stand out is how the most original and well-structured amalgamation of all the other fictional worlds created by some of the greatest word forms walked the earth's surface.
The characters all have their USPs (Unique Selling Points.) Shalini being the most disagreeable at first, but turning out to be quite a faithful friend.

[Aakansha]

This book is, what one would evidently call, a precise blend of supernatural, fiction, emotions and the troubles of a pampered teenager. Oday is a character one would often relate to. Troubled and lost in his own world, and almost completely depended on his best friend Arjun, superimposed by some other surprising events, he finds himself in a state of emotional confusion, whereupon he is rescued by none other than God himself. And the witty and almost unbecoming portrayal of God is downright fantastic.

The story is written with dexterous penmanship, with proper justice done to all events and all characters. It is well punctuated with humor of the most '21st Century' kind. What makes this book truly stand out, is how it is the most unique and well structured amalgamation of all the other fictional worlds created by some of the greatest wordsmiths to have walked the surface of the earth.
If one is familiar with the likes of Harry Potter, Naruto, or the humongous DC world, one will enjoy this book thoroughly.

The characters all have their USPs (Unique Selling Points.) Shalini being the most disagreeable at first, but turning out to be quite a faithful friend.
Arjun's character is admirable and is a blend of all the virtues that could be expected from a teenager in our society.

The only thing slightly missing from the book was a description of the characters. As a reader I always believe that the characters, especially the protagonist (in this case even the deuteragonist) must always be physically described, this gives the reader a sense of connection with the character, as it enables him to imagine it in his own creative way.
Other than this, The Mangoman will leave you smiling and satisfied and maybe even crave for a Mango.