Samit Basu's GameWorld ends with Unwaba Revelations

GAME OVER: Samit Basu’s series began its journey with The Simoquin Propehecies when he was just 22.

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New Delhi: Samit Basu has spent the last six years creating what he calls The GameWorld and filling it with colourful, dramatic characters. But as he comes up with the concluding part, The Unwaba Revelations, that world as we know it is about to end.

When asked about his feelings on the occasion, Basu said, “I feel like a mother who’s given birth to triplets after a very protracted and malfunctioned labour. It's good fun, but I'm beginning to get used to this and there's an acute sense of relief. I've spent most of my twenties doing this.”

Basu’s series began its journey with The Simoquin Propehecies when he was just 22.

At the launch of his latest book in Delhi this week, Basu paid tribute to some of his influences, which range from J R R Tolkien to blockbuster movies, to life.

The launch was attended by some leading literary lights like Anurag Mathur, of The Inscrutable Americans fame, as well as graphic novelist

“We have to look at that fiction as ours, not derivative of Western, which Samit doesn't do,” said Sarnath Banerjee.

“He looks at the massive cultural baggage – if I may use the word – and links it with international, speculative fiction. In that respect he's done something unique,” Banerjee pointed out.

Although he's often called India's first modern fantasy or science fiction author, Samit Basu wears the mantle lightly.

“It's an extremely light burden, because only, like, 12 people are aware of it. Can come up with India's first – anyone can find one,” the author said, nonchalantly.

To Basu’s credit, it's not just anyone who can get their head around genocide and ending the world, while keeping the spirit of playful adventure well and truly alive.