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Devi (collected editions) #1
Shekhar Kapur's Devi - Vol. 1
Librarian's Note: The ISBN 9789383260195 for this book was also used by "This Girl" by Colleen Hoover .
Between the divine and the diabolical, there is... Devi
India's first super heroine.
A native of mythical Indian city of Sitapur, Tara Mehta has no idea that she is about to become the centerpiece of a divine battle between the Gods of Light that created her and the demon Lord Bala and his army of things that go bump in the night. But in a never-ending war where innocent human souls are unfortunate, but acceptable, collateral damage, the all-to-human Goddess begins to wonder if either side deserves to win in Sitapur, city of modern atop ancient, mixed amongst the profane, where the divine drifts toward the diabolical.
Between the divine and the diabolical, there is... Devi
India's first super heroine.
A native of mythical Indian city of Sitapur, Tara Mehta has no idea that she is about to become the centerpiece of a divine battle between the Gods of Light that created her and the demon Lord Bala and his army of things that go bump in the night. But in a never-ending war where innocent human souls are unfortunate, but acceptable, collateral damage, the all-to-human Goddess begins to wonder if either side deserves to win in Sitapur, city of modern atop ancient, mixed amongst the profane, where the divine drifts toward the diabolical.
152 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
About the author
Samit Basu
75 books495 followersSamit Basu is an Indian novelist best known for his fantasy and science fiction work
Samit's most recent novel, The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport, was published by Tordotcom in the US and Canada in Oct 2023.
His previous novel, the anti-dystopian near-future The City Inside (Tordotcom, '22) was on the Washington Post and Book Riot best SFF of 2022 lists and earlier shortlisted for the 2020 JCB Prize (India) as Chosen Spirits.
Samit's first novel, The Simoqin Prophecies, published by Penguin India in 2003, when Samit was 23, was the first book in the bestselling Gameworld Trilogy and marked the beginning of Indian English fantasy writing. The other books in the trilogy are The Manticore’s Secret and The Unwaba Revelations.
Samit’s US/UK debut, the superhero novel Turbulence was published in the UK in 2012 and in the US in 2013 to rave reviews. It won Wired‘s Goldenbot Award as one of the books of 2012 and was superheronovels.com’s Book of the Year for 2013.
Samit has also written children's books, published short stories for adults and younger readers in Indian and international anthologies, and has been a columnist and essayist in several leading Indian and international publications.
Samit also works as a screenwriter and director. His debut film, House Arrest, was released as part of Netflix’s International Originals in 2019, and was one of Netflix’s top 5 most viewed Indian films that year. He wrote the film and co-directed it with Shashanka Ghosh.
Samit’s work in comics ranges from historical romance to zombie comedy, and includes diverse collaborators, from Girl With All The Gifts/X-Men writer MR Carey to Terry Gilliam and Duran Duran.
Samit was born in Calcutta, educated in Calcutta and London, and currently works between Delhi and Kolkata. He runs a newsletter, Duck of Dystopia (samit.substack.com) and can be found on social media at @samitbasu, and at samitbasu.com
Samit's most recent novel, The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport, was published by Tordotcom in the US and Canada in Oct 2023.
His previous novel, the anti-dystopian near-future The City Inside (Tordotcom, '22) was on the Washington Post and Book Riot best SFF of 2022 lists and earlier shortlisted for the 2020 JCB Prize (India) as Chosen Spirits.
Samit's first novel, The Simoqin Prophecies, published by Penguin India in 2003, when Samit was 23, was the first book in the bestselling Gameworld Trilogy and marked the beginning of Indian English fantasy writing. The other books in the trilogy are The Manticore’s Secret and The Unwaba Revelations.
Samit’s US/UK debut, the superhero novel Turbulence was published in the UK in 2012 and in the US in 2013 to rave reviews. It won Wired‘s Goldenbot Award as one of the books of 2012 and was superheronovels.com’s Book of the Year for 2013.
Samit has also written children's books, published short stories for adults and younger readers in Indian and international anthologies, and has been a columnist and essayist in several leading Indian and international publications.
Samit also works as a screenwriter and director. His debut film, House Arrest, was released as part of Netflix’s International Originals in 2019, and was one of Netflix’s top 5 most viewed Indian films that year. He wrote the film and co-directed it with Shashanka Ghosh.
Samit’s work in comics ranges from historical romance to zombie comedy, and includes diverse collaborators, from Girl With All The Gifts/X-Men writer MR Carey to Terry Gilliam and Duran Duran.
Samit was born in Calcutta, educated in Calcutta and London, and currently works between Delhi and Kolkata. He runs a newsletter, Duck of Dystopia (samit.substack.com) and can be found on social media at @samitbasu, and at samitbasu.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
July 7, 2023
Cute but so redundant
This was a cute review of the last 2 books, but from Will's point of view. Most of it was irritatingly redundant. Still cute from his perspective, but nothing mind-blowing to change things. The ending is what saved this book. Great ending to a wonderful romance.
This was a cute review of the last 2 books, but from Will's point of view. Most of it was irritatingly redundant. Still cute from his perspective, but nothing mind-blowing to change things. The ending is what saved this book. Great ending to a wonderful romance.
October 21, 2008
I wanted to like this, but I just didn't. The characters were either flat, like Tara, who is kind but has no personality (she gives cricket equipment to orphans! her neighbors think she's a whore!) or cliche, like the hard-drinking detective who is at odds with his supervisor. Wow, haven't seen that before. The dialogue wavers between Whedon-esque and just ridiculous. And what are Mars and Ra doing in a book about an Indian goddess?
December 14, 2010
I liked the idea of the story better than the actual story itself. The main character, Tara/Devi, was seriously underdeveloped. There was not much of a back-story on her at all, so you couldn't tell what kind of a person she was before her transformation. In fact, there wasn't much about her after the transformation.
Really liked the art, though. Maybe the story line will progress with the next volume.
Really liked the art, though. Maybe the story line will progress with the next volume.
February 25, 2017
1.5 Stars
Ugh. I wanted to like this but seriously, I can't.
The story and the characters was a lot more like a mixture of all Fantasy novels and comics. For example, the head God looked like Gandalf with the lightsaber. I was intrigued by the plot as it has Indian Mythology and the MC is the incarnation of Devi, War-Goddess. I thought that the Gods are all from Indian Myth but some are adapted from Greek and Egypt.
I didn't like anything in this book.
Ugh. I wanted to like this but seriously, I can't.
The story and the characters was a lot more like a mixture of all Fantasy novels and comics. For example, the head God looked like Gandalf with the lightsaber. I was intrigued by the plot as it has Indian Mythology and the MC is the incarnation of Devi, War-Goddess. I thought that the Gods are all from Indian Myth but some are adapted from Greek and Egypt.
I didn't like anything in this book.
March 5, 2020
This is the Volume 1 Shekhar Kapur's Devi India's first Super Heroine then what was Shakti printed by Raj Comics in 2000s. Well that apart its a good start to a similar origin story here the Gods are assembled from all Myths so there is Ra from Egypt so Ares from Greece too and then some new Gods too. Tara Mehta is a girl who's is supposed to be born at the exact same moment when everything aligned and that means that Tara has to die for Devi to come in her body. So what happens next, well only Chaos where all the dark entities come to kill Tara and each other. After lot of action we finally come to the end of the first book and it was good overall now onto the next book.
I have always loved comics, and I hope that I will always love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics or Diamond Comics or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on the international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I can. I Love comics to bit, may comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
I have always loved comics, and I hope that I will always love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics or Diamond Comics or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on the international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I can. I Love comics to bit, may comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
April 22, 2023
Disappointed
Waste of paper. Will just retells the first 2 books. So sad the first two books were so great and then this.....the first few pages of each chapter and the epilog were the only things worth reading.
Waste of paper. Will just retells the first 2 books. So sad the first two books were so great and then this.....the first few pages of each chapter and the epilog were the only things worth reading.
February 25, 2023
my least favorite
This book is basically a recap of the first 2 books. It’s Will telling Lake all of his thoughts during the special moments in their lives. It is cute, but definitely not needed to end their story.
This book is basically a recap of the first 2 books. It’s Will telling Lake all of his thoughts during the special moments in their lives. It is cute, but definitely not needed to end their story.
November 19, 2019
3/5 stars
I was really intrigued by the premise of an Indian heroine and I loved the setting of the story, along with its hints to Indian culture. I also loved the
The story wasn't very interesting for me and I wanted to learn more about the main character, Tara. I also felt like there wasn't much to the antagonists and I didn't know enough about their motivations. I know it's the first volume in a series but it didn't really make me want to carry on with it.
This story has potential and maybe if I carry on with it, I'd enjoy following plot lines and character development. I was left wanting more, but in a bad way.
These are just my initial thoughts, and I may expand on some points in the future. I really wanted to love this, and I guess I did like it, but I can't help feeling a bit disappointed in the story.
I was really intrigued by the premise of an Indian heroine and I loved the setting of the story, along with its hints to Indian culture. I also loved the
The story wasn't very interesting for me and I wanted to learn more about the main character, Tara. I also felt like there wasn't much to the antagonists and I didn't know enough about their motivations. I know it's the first volume in a series but it didn't really make me want to carry on with it.
This story has potential and maybe if I carry on with it, I'd enjoy following plot lines and character development. I was left wanting more, but in a bad way.
These are just my initial thoughts, and I may expand on some points in the future. I really wanted to love this, and I guess I did like it, but I can't help feeling a bit disappointed in the story.
August 20, 2023
A perfect conclusion to this trilogy 💔💞💕💝
I wouldn’t rate this a strong four star like books 1 and 2 of this trilogy were, but it certainly is deserving of more than just a three star rating. Slammed, Book 1, was told entirely from Layken’s POV, and this book is basically the same, only this time told from Will’s POV. Despite knowing the story from Book 1, it was nice to learn Will’s thoughts and feelings, and there were some additions as well that were previously unknown. With it’s beautiful and perfect ending, This Girl is a must read to conclude the Slammed trilogy.
I wouldn’t rate this a strong four star like books 1 and 2 of this trilogy were, but it certainly is deserving of more than just a three star rating. Slammed, Book 1, was told entirely from Layken’s POV, and this book is basically the same, only this time told from Will’s POV. Despite knowing the story from Book 1, it was nice to learn Will’s thoughts and feelings, and there were some additions as well that were previously unknown. With it’s beautiful and perfect ending, This Girl is a must read to conclude the Slammed trilogy.
February 10, 2018
Not my favorite Hoover book but not my least favorite book
I like happily ever after as much as the next person but I also enjoy a little excitement, possibly a twist or a bit of mystery. This installment lacked anything resembling that. It was a bit boring IMO but it brings the story to a close so if you’ve made it this far in the series, you might as well finish it.
I like happily ever after as much as the next person but I also enjoy a little excitement, possibly a twist or a bit of mystery. This installment lacked anything resembling that. It was a bit boring IMO but it brings the story to a close so if you’ve made it this far in the series, you might as well finish it.
November 9, 2022
A rehash of the first two books
I enjoyed the first two books in the slammed series, but this one was nothing but a rehash of the first two books. The only new information was in the epilogue! I can’t believe an author could get away with this with their publisher!
I enjoyed the first two books in the slammed series, but this one was nothing but a rehash of the first two books. The only new information was in the epilogue! I can’t believe an author could get away with this with their publisher!
December 25, 2022
Just a almost word for word re- write. Total money grab!
Hoover and her publisher should be ashamed to sell this book. Extremely disappointed. I've read all but maybe 3 of all her books and am skeptical to buy any more
Hoover and her publisher should be ashamed to sell this book. Extremely disappointed. I've read all but maybe 3 of all her books and am skeptical to buy any more
December 9, 2016
I'm not normally one for point of view books but this one was great. Thanks colleen for another awesome read
August 25, 2017
Good artwork. But so inspired by other, popular figures.
August 12, 2020
Death by male gaze.
April 30, 2021
This Girl
Excellent third book in the series. Thank you for complete I g the story of Lake and Will. Or should I say beginning the story of Lake and Will.
Excellent third book in the series. Thank you for complete I g the story of Lake and Will. Or should I say beginning the story of Lake and Will.
December 24, 2021
Omg so good
It's the best conclusion for this series. U will look back and recap the best and worst of these lovebirds relationship. Another great book.
It's the best conclusion for this series. U will look back and recap the best and worst of these lovebirds relationship. Another great book.
November 19, 2022
this girl
Young adult genre or not, this is a great written book!!! I can’t wait for more… this 67 year old is now a yiung adult!
Young adult genre or not, this is a great written book!!! I can’t wait for more… this 67 year old is now a yiung adult!
Currently reading
December 22, 2022Amazing Trilogy
This trilogy is AMAZING!!!! It has all the feels!! I’m sad it’s over. I would recommend these books to anyone who loves a good love story!!
This trilogy is AMAZING!!!! It has all the feels!! I’m sad it’s over. I would recommend these books to anyone who loves a good love story!!
Read
February 5, 2023So weird. I didn’t read this book I read This Girl by Colleen Hoover. Looks like there’s some glitch or error with these 2 books.
April 4, 2023
amazing!
I read all three of the books in the Slammed series in 2 1/2 days. They will definitely make my best of 2023 list to be read again in 2024.
I read all three of the books in the Slammed series in 2 1/2 days. They will definitely make my best of 2023 list to be read again in 2024.
Read
July 10, 2023I did not read this book.
July 29, 2023
Boring, not as good as the first 2 in series
Waste of time. The first two books were better. Basically this was just a review from Will's side of things.
Waste of time. The first two books were better. Basically this was just a review from Will's side of things.
August 27, 2023
This review is for “This Girl” by Colleen Hoover. Not sure why it is ringing up under this title. Strange. Sorry to give it 2 stars lol it’s for Colleen Hoover.
July 31, 2023
love
Love the story❤️❤️ the best of the books !!! The perfect Ending to the story and you can write more about the characters and stories
Love the story❤️❤️ the best of the books !!! The perfect Ending to the story and you can write more about the characters and stories
October 17, 2016
This review and others posted over at
my blog.
Tara Mehta, a social worker in Sitapur, India, has no idea that she is about to become imbued with powers from all the gods and goddesses and inherit the mantle of Devi, protector of light. But the evil Lord Bala has his own plans and hopes to stop Devi’s reincarnation by taking Tara’s life, so he sends his own super powered henchmen after her.
I picked this up for $1.00 when I was on vacation and visiting my favorite used bookstore, Wonderbooks. I liked the cover art style (which is, sadly, the most important part of a comic for me) and was interested in the concept of a modern goddess with Indian influences.
In the beginning, we see Devi battling Bala alongside an army of what appeared to be monks. Bala is defeated and imprisoned and then we’re brought into modern times. I’m not sure what happened to the previous Devi, but now the group of monks – the Durapasya – have kidnapped Tara and plan begin the ceremony to infuse her with various powers from different gods and goddesses who gave their gifts to help stop Bala.
There’s a little montage showing some of the gods talking about what powers they are bestowing on Tara and I thought that was cute. My favorite was the techno-esque goddess that gave Tara the “coolest catchphrases” and good press – it made me laugh.
Tara is a little flat in this first volume, as the story focuses on the characters trying to help or hinder her in becoming the next Devi. I did enjoy that she was upset about her newfound powers because she never consented to them and I think that rebellion will strengthen her in future issues. I was also a little confused about what type of world Tara inhabits, as there seem to be plenty of people with superpowers. I wasn’t sure if that was the norm, or if these characters were hidden from normal society. There was a lot going on in this first volume, so I ended up with a lot of questions.
I do think I’ll enjoy the relationship with Devi and her cop buddy, Rahul, in future volumes, if I can get my hands on them. They seem to be a little scarce (at least on the sites I’m used to shopping on). I’m curious to see where the writers take this comic and hopefully I’ll be able to read further. If you’re a fan of anti-heroes and mutant comics, I’d say this is worth a try.
Tara Mehta, a social worker in Sitapur, India, has no idea that she is about to become imbued with powers from all the gods and goddesses and inherit the mantle of Devi, protector of light. But the evil Lord Bala has his own plans and hopes to stop Devi’s reincarnation by taking Tara’s life, so he sends his own super powered henchmen after her.
I picked this up for $1.00 when I was on vacation and visiting my favorite used bookstore, Wonderbooks. I liked the cover art style (which is, sadly, the most important part of a comic for me) and was interested in the concept of a modern goddess with Indian influences.
In the beginning, we see Devi battling Bala alongside an army of what appeared to be monks. Bala is defeated and imprisoned and then we’re brought into modern times. I’m not sure what happened to the previous Devi, but now the group of monks – the Durapasya – have kidnapped Tara and plan begin the ceremony to infuse her with various powers from different gods and goddesses who gave their gifts to help stop Bala.
There’s a little montage showing some of the gods talking about what powers they are bestowing on Tara and I thought that was cute. My favorite was the techno-esque goddess that gave Tara the “coolest catchphrases” and good press – it made me laugh.
Tara is a little flat in this first volume, as the story focuses on the characters trying to help or hinder her in becoming the next Devi. I did enjoy that she was upset about her newfound powers because she never consented to them and I think that rebellion will strengthen her in future issues. I was also a little confused about what type of world Tara inhabits, as there seem to be plenty of people with superpowers. I wasn’t sure if that was the norm, or if these characters were hidden from normal society. There was a lot going on in this first volume, so I ended up with a lot of questions.
I do think I’ll enjoy the relationship with Devi and her cop buddy, Rahul, in future volumes, if I can get my hands on them. They seem to be a little scarce (at least on the sites I’m used to shopping on). I’m curious to see where the writers take this comic and hopefully I’ll be able to read further. If you’re a fan of anti-heroes and mutant comics, I’d say this is worth a try.
July 12, 2014
Going by Samit's previous work (The Gameworld series), I wasn't surprised by the Silmarilion influence - although that's probably true for almost any epic where a 'world' is created. It started off well-enough with the promise of a strong female lead which I lost after the first chapter - probably becasue the story has not begun yet - maybe I will fare better with Part 2.
The plot is engaging with the correct amount of action for a graphic novel and a shroud of mystery - to build an anticipation of soon to be revealed...
The characters are underdeveloped but that's to be expected from a graphic novel - although I would have liked a backstory on the main characters - even if it was just a few lines - maybe it's coming in the subsequent parts.
Among what I could make out, I find Kratha much more interesting than Taara - but that might be becasue her character is more evolved in this part - although the dichotomy of her being is not brought out strongly, again, probably it's a graphic novel. Rahul is obviously a cliche, and meant to be - there is a 'Sin City/Max Payne' - esque character to his narratives though which I would have loved to see properly IndianiZed.
Loved how the names of the different parts are a short story in itself.
Although this is a graphic novel, I won't comment on the artwork, simply becasue I don't feel up to the task. But I did like the models for Agantuk and Kratha.
Definitely reading the next one.
The plot is engaging with the correct amount of action for a graphic novel and a shroud of mystery - to build an anticipation of soon to be revealed...
The characters are underdeveloped but that's to be expected from a graphic novel - although I would have liked a backstory on the main characters - even if it was just a few lines - maybe it's coming in the subsequent parts.
Among what I could make out, I find Kratha much more interesting than Taara - but that might be becasue her character is more evolved in this part - although the dichotomy of her being is not brought out strongly, again, probably it's a graphic novel. Rahul is obviously a cliche, and meant to be - there is a 'Sin City/Max Payne' - esque character to his narratives though which I would have loved to see properly IndianiZed.
Loved how the names of the different parts are a short story in itself.
Although this is a graphic novel, I won't comment on the artwork, simply becasue I don't feel up to the task. But I did like the models for Agantuk and Kratha.
Definitely reading the next one.
July 25, 2011
The beginning chapters of this graphic novel seemed almost too "American" in style to convincingly suggest that the book is one of India's first attempts to create its own unique comic industry. (According to the introduction, this was one of the stated purposes of the book.) However, as the story progresses, Indian mythology becomes more visible, and it becomes quite an enjoyable first volume. Parts of it are admittedly familiar (such as the rebellious hardened cop character and the important use of a secret organization); truthfully, if the book hadn't had the novelty of being Indian in origin and content, I probably wouldn't have picked it up. However, this Indian element is also what makes the story work when it does. Any fan of superhero comics who is looking for something a bit different to read might find an interesting experience in this book. I'm curious to try the following volumes to see how the story (and the culture of it) progresses.
Read
October 1, 2011In one of those strange international twists of inspiration, it seems like this comic is inspired by Buffy and some of Indian legends I've heard in places. (Maybe versions of the story of Kali? I'm not sure).. Of course, these seem to have also been an inspiration for later episodes I've seen of Buffy.[return][return]I say Buffy probably had and influence given the appearances of demons as vampires, but I could be exaggerating.[return][return]Wonderful art, although occasionally it seemed that it was difficult to make out the flow of action, like the panels were drawn really large and details lost when they were shrunk to fit the page.[return][return]Decent story so far although it all seemed a bit familiar. The last few pages though were interesting enough I'm going to pick up the second volume, [return][return]It does seem the target is a western audience and I have to wonder what comics would be like if the writers were writing primarily for an Indian audience.
October 7, 2020
Great graphics. Indian names western characters. Heavily influenced by greek gods. At its soul, it doesn't give any impression of indianness rather strongly reflects western god and goddess.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews