A Completely Human AI-Generated Reading List for the Indian Summer
Photo: Karan Madhok
Satire: The solution to AI mimicking humans is to have humans mimic the AI that mimics the human. From Vikram Chandra and Salman Rushdie to mythological adventures and a popcorny topsy-turvy romance, here is our preview of the 15 hottest and thoroughly fraudulent Indian books for the 2025 summer.
These are trying times for journalism, where paid writers are getting replaced by chatbots and generative text is hallucinating new epic realities more purana than the Puranas (@Grok: is this true?). Perhaps the solution to AI mimicking humans, is to have humans mimic the AI that mimics the human. If the Chicago Sun-Times could (erroneously) publish an A.I.-generated summer reading list—with books that don’t exist and authors that haven’t been conceived—then why can’t we take it a step further?
So, in that spirit, whether you are lounging by scenic view of a waterlogged road in Mumbai, lulled into silence by an increasingly-authoritarian government, or merely soaking up the front row seat of the incoming climate apocalypse, here is our preview of the 15 best hot, hot, hot titles (no, wait, that’s too hot, kya A/C kharab hai bey?), a thoroughly fraudulent exercise that promises to deliver us an imitation of genuine short-lived bliss:
Sacred Games (T20 Format) by Vikram Chandra: The bestselling author returns to the Mumbai underworld for more misadventures of Inspector Sartaj Singh as he faces off the city’s vilest gangsters. But if the 900-page original felt too much of a slog, Chandra’s novella-length ‘T20 Edition’ provides just the breezy escape you l have been looking for: Awesomer action! Bloodier blood! Colour photographs of random women at IPL games caught unaware by the cameraman! And gambling tips from Ganesh Gaitonde (sponsored by Dream11).
All the Clocks that Never Worked by Aabhash Biswas: In an evocative debut inspired by the poetics of Rabindranath Tagore, Biswas writes of Shabhayata Shome, the patriarch of a proud Bengali family who sees his descendants scrambling for the largest share of his inheritance after he suffers a minor stroke. For young Komal, however—whose left-leaning politics have wrought shame upon the family—the inheritance she seeks is an acceptance, an embrace from her dying grandfather that would mend the threads tangled and broken over generations.
DronaNomics: Leadership Lessons from the Mahabharta by Bhagvat Sharma: Sometimes, the deluge of board meetings, low hanging fruits to be picked, and the yearning for operation excellence can make one forget their larger karmic consciousness. How does a leader in the business world exhibit a facade of spiritual depth in a world that can be so messy, unethical, and sometimes, downright cruel? Sharma’s latest book bridges the divides between dharma and databases, so that you, too, can learn to navigate the palace of illusions and how to mute your microphone during Zoom calls.
Wolves in My Soup by Beena Mridha – Translated by Shireen Bano: Mridha’s collection of tearjerking stories exploring the quiet torments of Muslim women—suffering under the double hammer of patriarchy and religious disenfranchisement—was originally published in Kannada in 1993 following the riots that ensued the demolition of the Babri Masjid. The collection was largely forgotten by its own publishers, agents, and the author herself, until its rights were quickly sold and translated after Banu Mushtaq’s collection Heart Lamp won the 2025 International Booker Prize.
The Goblin of Gulmarg by Salman Rushdie: The ‘Booker of Bookers’ award-winning author returns in a dazzling new novel that charts the spellbinding story of young fairy who must choose between the romance of mortal life and the utter dullness of infinity. Featuring magical matsyas, artificial intelligence sex dolls, and a legendary turtle tired of carrying the heavy burden of his own brilliance, The Goblin of Gulmarg is as much a timeless fable as it is an urgent siren ringing against the lurking dangers of fanaticism and fascism in the world today.
The Avengers of Ujjain by Abhirama: The fifth book of the Samudra Manthana undecology continues the never-ending battle of celestial beings. Follow young Durgi as she seeks the nectar of immortality in the grand celestial ocean, searches for the fourth of the six infinity stones, encounters a mysterious new horcrux, and debates abandoned devices appearing from a metal almirah that opens into an Election Commission office.
My Superwife Superlife by Twinkle Khanna: The best-selling author, columnist, author, and thought-leader’s latest foray into fiction is the perfect breezy summer read, featuring the misadventures of ‘superwife’ Jaishna Kapoor in a Greater Noida society who must balance her aspirations of walking the runway, the demands of a pesky mother-in-law, the rising cost of groceries, and a husband who just can’t wait for the dawn of neo-fascism.
The Rivers of Discord by Mallika Somani: A poet in Kashmir looking for a muse. A farmer in Punjab protesting his livelihood. A data analyst in Bengaluru who must confront her sexuality. The lives of these individuals and more collide in an India at the precipice of violent protests. Shortlisted by Oprah’s Book Club and a starred review by Kirkus, Somani’s debut novel is “a taut, breathtaking saga that questions the very idea of what it means to be Indian” (The New Yorker).
Follow young Durgi as she seeks the nectar of immortality in the grand celestial ocean, searches for the fourth of the six infinity stones, encounters a mysterious new horcrux, and debates abandoned devices appearing from a metal almirah that opens into an Election Commission office.
Operation Tandoor by General Shobhit Arora: Former army chief General Shobit Arora took a record 16 days to generate this thriller of tragedy, revenge, and valour in a fictionalized, cinematic account of a legendary military operation. In a story that celebrates the valour of our brave soldiers and the strategic leadership of the country’s highest office, Operation Tandoor is “yet another feather in the cap of Bharat’s 40,000-years of domination and military might” (ANI).
Why I Am a Nationalist by Shashi Tharoor: “We are all the majority,” expostulates the politician, public intellectual, and best-selling author Tharoor in his latest, his third book published this year. Written with this prosaic drollery and magnetism, Tharoor makes a discerning argument for a colour-blind nationalism, one that postulates in the righteous dharma of safeguarding India’s borders and its constitution against all maledictions: foreign and domestic.
Oops… But I’m a Romantic! by Preetika Kamaria: Neha believes her life should be a romantic comedy, but where can she fit in time for romance in a life that only seems to be a comedy at her expense? At the movie theatre, a mix-up of caramel and buttered popcorns leads her to Arjun, a man who seems to have it all: ambition, good looks, a sense of humour, and a suitable standing in caste hierarchy. What could possibly go wrong. In Oops… But I’m a Romantic!, the influencer/model/author Kamaria presents a sweet, relatable story of thoda-sa confusion and thoda-sa pyaar.
Road to Imphal by Minzo Chawte. Translated by PS Ajang: Held in the foreground of turmoil and communal violence, this crisp, razor-sharp novella tells the tale of an unexpected friendship between two young men of opposing clans, who must look past the barriers of language, politics, and religion to march across the state. Road to Imphal is a must-have for every ‘mainland’ Indian reader who waited until 2023 to discover that Manipur and Mizoram are different places.
Landour Nights by Ruskin Bond: This is the 109th book by the beloved children’s author, and the sequel to 2002 journal of essays, Landour Days. Bond presents yet another perspective on the timeless rhythm of life in the Himalayan foothills, except this time it is dark, and the nights are filled with fun, frolic, traffic jams, tipsy tourists, and tired leopards frightened into submission by a mass of humanity.
A River of Sweet Teardrops by Bandhula Dutta: In a haunting epic inspired by the compositions of Satyajit Ray, Dutta writes of Bansuri Ghosh, the matriarch of a proud Bengali family who sees her descendants scrambling for the largest share of his inheritance after she suffers a minor stroke. For young Virbhanu, however—whose right-leaning politics have wrought shame upon the family—the inheritance he seeks is an acceptance, an embrace from her dying grandmother that would repair the threads tangled and broken over generations.
The Panther of the Purple Skies by Arundhati Roy: New fiction by Arundhati Roy? This must be a computing error. Try again in the summer of 2044, maybe?
***
Karan Madhok is a writer, journalist, and editor of The Chakkar. He is the author of Ananda: An Exploration of Cannabis In India (2024) and A Beautiful Decay (2022), both published by the Aleph Book Company. His work has appeared in Epiphany, Sycamore Review, Gargoyle, The Literary Review, The Bombay Review, Fifty Two, Scroll, The Caravan, the anthology A Case of Indian Marvels (Aleph Book Company) and The Yearbook of Indian Poetry in English 2022 (Hawakal). You can find him on Twitter: @karanmadhok1 and Instagram: @karanmadhok.
