The Garden of Delights by Amal Singh

 The Garden of Delights

 by Amal Singh

The Garden of |Delights by Amal Singh was published on 14th May 2024 by Flame Tree Press.

My thanks to the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review and to 

Random Things Tours for inviting me on the tour.

Synopsis

A world where petals are currency and flowers are magic. A man battling a curse of eternal old age. A girl who can be his boon. But it's not all tulips and roses. There are also nettles and thorns. Where Delights persist, Sorrow must follow. In the city of Sirvassa, where petals are currency and flowers are magic, the Caretaker tends to the Garden of Delights. He imparts temporary magical abilities to the citizens of Sirvassa, while battling a curse of eternal old age. No Delight could uplift his curse, and so he must seek out a mythical figure. A god. When a Delight allows a young girl the ability to change reality, the Caretaker believes he’s at the end of his search. But soon a magical rot takes root in his Garden, and the Caretaker must join forces with the girl and stop it from spreading.

My Review

This is a wonderful fantasy story centred around love and hope starting with , what appears to be the opportunity for people to realise a little of their innocent desires through the use of flower petals and delight potions supplied by The Caretaker.

As the story develops and the rot sets in we see the narrative take a darker twist , leading us into a different world which is in stark contrast to the one that we were first introduced to. The Caretaker and Iyena are two superbly written characters and you find yourself drawn into their worlds and the challenges they face together to stop the rot spreading . For a child Iyena shows a bravery beyond her years in making decisions that will not be welcomed by all, including those who are close to her. However, thankfully, there are those who believe in her, for whatever reason, and are always there for her through whatever she encounters .

At times , for me , the narrative with the Ce and the Champions was a little confusing and detracted away from the knowledge I was building up as to what was happening in Sirvassa . However, the relevance for this became clearer as the story progressed and one aspect is answered.

Now that I have finished the book my next question has to be, “When can we expect the next book in the series ? “ 

This has all the nuances of a modern day fairy tale with curses, magic, good and evil and the only question you need to ask yourself is which will prevail.

About The Author

Amal Singh is a writer of science fiction and fantasy from Mumbai, India. He has numerous short story publications to his credit, in venues such as Clarkesworld, F&SF, Apex, Fantasy, among others. His story What is Mercy?, published in Fantasy Magazine, was longlisted for the BSFA Award in 2021. While he has held jobs of IT Analyst, Database Administration, and SOP consultancy in the past, he is now fortunate enough to do something that involves full-time writing. By day, he juggles screenwriting, audio-writing, and Creative Production, working on web-shows and movies. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking and running.

 amalsingh.substack.com / X: @Jerun_onto