Kulshreshth’s Once Upon a Time in the Future is a collection of short stories that makes new tales from the classic epic of Indian myth, The Mahabharata, putting a unique spin on the rivalries between the Pandav and Kaurav brothers. The intro gives part of the classic tale, and each story is prefaced by an abbreviated version of the particular part it reinvents. These stories range from the past to present day. There are five stories in total, each of a pretty good length. These below are my favourite.

‘The Examination’ was hilarious. A group of businessmen are out at a lodge in the forest, drinking, and each goes out to pee in a lake. Too bad the spirit of the lake takes offense. Dharam Raj is the only one who listens, and the spirit lady proceeds to question him. If he answers her questions satisfactorily, she’ll release the others from the slumber she’s put them in. Raj succeeds and passes out, only to be woken in the morning by the others. They don’t believe his encounter, but he finds subtle proof that it was real.

‘Honour’ was set in a more ancient time, though not mythic. It follows Karn, who is close to King Duryodhan, and is commissioned to find the murderer of an ambassador found brutally murdered in a locked room. This was a very Holmsian story, with elements of Laura John Rowland’s Inspector Ichiro series.  

Overall the stories were okay. They were either translated, or English isn’t the author’s first language. This didn’t make much of a difference to me, personally. It does mean phrasing was sometimes unusual. The author certainly knew their stuff regarding the original epic. I really liked that stories and information on the classic myth cycle are included. Recommended for those who enjoy mythology and myth reinvention stories.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Cameron Publicity for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.