Angels and demons

♦ THE BALLAD OF BANT SINGH: A QISSA OF COURAGE (Speaking Tiger, Rs 250) by Nirupama Dutt tells the story of the Dalit icon, Bant Singh, a Mazhabhi Sikh whose minor daughter was raped by two upper-caste Jat men in 2002. Unlike his fellow men, who usually turn a blind eye to such atrocities, which are common in Punjab, Singh decided to raise his voice. This led to the conviction of the rapists. However, justice came at a high price. Singh was brutally assaulted by upper-caste Jat men and he lost three of his limbs.

In her novel, Dutt has shown how the caste system operates within the Sikh community and has thrown light on the dismal condition in which the people belonging to the lower castes live. She has also highlighted the plight of Dalit women who are preyed upon by upper-caste men.

♦ ANTISOCIAL (Harper Black, Rs 299 ) by Arun Krishnan reveals the murkier side of social-networking sites. Arjun Clarkson works for an advertising agency in New York. An evening out with his former colleague, Emily Dickinson, goes wrong and he ends up murdering her. Clarkson goes ahead and commits some more murders to waylay the investigators and make the murders look like the work of a serial killer. All goes well for him till one of his victims survives and identifies him. Though Krishnan's work is not as thrilling as American Psycho or Monkeewrench, it shows how social networking sites render people vulnerable by placing important personal information in the public domain that can be exploited to harm people.

♦ GHOSTS OF KINGDOMS PAST (Penguin, Rs 150) by Harsho is a 70-page graphic novel about the adventures of Sir Alec Morgan. Famous for investigating paranormal occurrences, Morgan comes to Calcutta to launch his book, Demons in our Spirits, and insists on touring the most haunted places in the city. His guide, Joga, takes him to the Red House of Kalighat, the Nimtala Burning Ghat, Putulbari and many such places, which are reputed to be haunted. To his dismay, Morgan does not find any ghost. However, at his book launch, a man from the audience suggests that he should visit St Mary's cemetery.

Harsho has combined colonial history, myths, and elements of horror and suspense to enrich his story. The book is quite riveting. However, the end is abrupt and disappointing. The black-and- white sketches are in some parts too dense. The author has also added a helpful section at the end called "How to create a comic" for aspiring comic book writers.