Highlights:

Title: The Third Mumbai

Author: Philipose Thomas

Genre: Apocalyptic Fiction, Thriller

The earth looks calm from space. Its majestic rotation continues on its eternal journey—a serene sight. 

From the high sky, all looks well over the Indian subcontinent with its unmistakable jutting coastline. The ethereal vision is suddenly muddled by a mushroom-shaped cloud arising from the west coast of the Mumbai peninsula. 

Shortly thereafter, similar clouds arise. This time, they’re over Islamabad and Karachi.

Political relations between India and Pakistan deteriorate, leading to an inevitable nuclear war. Landscapes are flattened, buildings are torn down, and people are hurriedly evacuated. A post-apocalyptic India is on its last legs when another country moves in on its territory, attempting to set up an empire. In the wake of this disaster, it is the inmates of the Arthur Road Jail who rule Mumbai, the eternal gateway of India. Colaba faces impending doom, one even worse than the nuclear fallout, and one man must make a stand to reclaim his nation.

Excerpt:

Colaba itself is a ghost town. The evacuation of the city looks complete. The streets are littered with clothes, furniture and other stuff left over by the fleeing multitude of what was one of the most coveted places in recent world history.

The men freak out over the enormity of events. A lone dog barks from the empty balcony of a high-rise apartment facing the park. Its skin is pale pink, bereft of its fur. The men listen, transfixed by the sound.

This is the first living sound they have heard inside the dead city.

Professor mutters to Raka with scarcely concealed bitterness, “We were not considered fit for evacuation even during this Armageddon. We were left condemned for death inside the prison.”

He pauses and softly says, “And yet we live and inherit the city.” He throws his head back and laughs at the irony looking up at the sky. Raka spits near a decayed corpse and muses on this. The others remain silent.

Why we love it:

What would a post-apocalyptic India look like? Philipose Thomas’ The Third Mumbai is the first book of its kind to explore this question. One mistake or misspoken word and the events in the book might well be our reality. And this realism of the plot is what grips us the most.

Be it the striking descriptions of a ravaged Mumbai or the intricate details of whale-hunting, the author’s meticulous attention to detail entrenches us in the book’s universe, leaving us dazed and confused by the real world when we finish the book.

You will love it if:

If you enjoy apocalyptic thrillers like The Road or The War Game, you will love this book! Do you have a soft spot for pirates, gangsters or whales? If yes, pick up The Third Mumbai today!

If you would like to read The Third Mumbai, you can find it on Amazon or the Notion Press bookstore.