In the dynamic landscape of Indian mythological thrillers, Ajeet Pratap Singh marks a powerful step with Arsenal of the Gods — a novel that boldly bridges ancient mythology, historical mystery, and present-day urgency. Published by Om Books International and represented by The Book Bakers Literary Agency, the book stands out for its gripping premise, intricate riddles, and cinematic storytelling rooted in India’s sacred geography.
But beyond the author persona lies a fascinating blend of science, creativity, and storytelling discipline. Ajeet is not only a writer but also an engineer and professional chocolatier, having worked with some of India’s most loved chocolate brands. His career in research and development — designing recipes, processes, and technologies — has deeply influenced his writing style. Precision, structure, and meticulous planning form the backbone of his storytelling, resulting in tightly woven plots and carefully layered mysteries.
The idea for Arsenal of the Gods was sparked years ago by a haunting nightmare after a night shift, which later evolved into the novel’s dramatic opening scene. Around the same time, Ajeet found himself drawn to a compelling mythological question: What happened to the mighty divine weapons after the wars of the Ramayana and Mahabharata? This curiosity led to over a decade of research into ancient temples, Sanskrit texts, epics, and local folklore. Many of the temples described in the novel were personally visited by the author, lending authenticity and vivid realism to the narrative.
Set across locations like Goa and Prayagraj, the story follows a race against time as hidden pieces of a catastrophic mythological weapon lie concealed in forgotten temples, protected by Sanskrit riddles. Blending intellectual puzzles with emotional stakes and high adventure, the novel also marks the beginning of an ambitious trilogy that promises even greater revelations ahead.
Ajeet, a devoted family man and father of two young daughters who inspire his nightly storytelling, brings heart as well as scale to his writing.
We at BookGeeks got a lucky chance to have a tête-à-tête with the author, and here is what he has to say about the world of Arsenal of the Gods and the journey behind it.
| For readers discovering you through Arsenal of the Gods, who is Ajeet Pratap Singh beyond the authorial persona. How does the person differ from the storyteller? |
| I am a Chocolatier, an engineer. I have worked with some of the most loved chocolate brands of our country. I develop new recipes, processes, technologies, layouts to make industrial chocolates. And in this a lot of research, meticulous planning and data crunching is needed. These qualities help me in writing airtight stories. Arsenal of The Gods is a result of 12 years of research of ancient temples, our epics and folklores. I am married to Deepti and have two adorable little daughters who test my creativity every night by forcing me to tell two new stories before they go to bed. |
| Tell us about your latest book Arsenal of the Gods? When did you first conceive the idea of writing it? |
| Arsenal of The Gods is a mythological thriller which explores what happened to the divine and mighty weapons which remained unused after the great wars of Ramayana and Mahabharata ended. What would happen if these cataclysmic weapons fall into wrong hands? This epic mythological thriller is about race against time to save the world from annihilation. The antagonist is preparing to launch the most catastrophic weapon from Hindu mythology to end the human race. But before that he has to find the weapon which is kept hidden in pieces in secret locations of various ancient and forgotten mysterious temples. And to locate these temples, riddles written in Sanskrit must be decoded but not everybody can decipher them. Rudra and Kshitip, two factory colleagues with unknown and troubled past are trying to find these pieces before the antagonist but what is their connection with the weapon? About conceiving the idea; there is an interesting incident which happened during Mahabharata war which later became the inspiration for the plot. The incident is; Arjun launches Brahmashtra on Karna but he later withdraws it fearing the consequences of the mighty weapon. I started thinking, where did Brahmashtra go? By the way this book is not about finding Brahmashtra but a much deadlier weapon. |
| When you began writing the book, did you start with a complete outline, or did the story evolve organically as you wrote? |
| I started writing this book during Covid-19 lockdown after a research of almost 10 years at that time. The outline was ready but a few characters and story arcs developed organically while writing. I had clarity about the memory loss theme, the ending, the temples and the riddles that I was going to mention but the use of Covid-19 lockdown scenario and the challenges faced due to this, developed organically and it truly made the book much more realistic. |
| Did any character or subplot surprise you during the writing process and take the story in an unexpected direction? |
| Oh yes. The character development of Kshitip and Agent twenty seven surprised me. Kshitip was always going to be the descendant but I was planning to finish his arc in the first book but the way the character developed, forced me to bring him back for part-2. Agent Twenty seven was the biggest surprise. His role is not huge in this book but his skill set, knowledge, faithfulness forced me to think more about his future and something amazing is waiting for him in series now. And obviously, the Covid-19 lockdown forced me to make a few changes, including the introduction of flying sphere and time portal in first book. |
| Are you a structured, routine-driven writer, or do you prefer writing in spontaneous bursts of inspiration? |
| I am structured when it comes to defining the outlines of the story and making sure there are no ambiguities or timeline mismatches. I am an Engineer in field of R&D, we love making spreadsheets, charts, tables, and color coding them. When you know what exactly you are going to write and what your expectation is from a chapter or sequence, writing becomes easy. As they say “First right step is half job done”. But when it comes to writing, I don’t have any routine, it is completely spontaneous. Sometimes I don’t write for days and months and then 70-80 pages in a couple of days. In my opinion, clarity is more important. You may not know word by word what you are going to write but you need to have clarity about what you want to achieve through those pages. |
| Was there a scene in Arsenal of the Gods that was especially difficult to write because of its emotional weight or narrative stakes? |
| Yes, there are a few very emotionally charged scenes in the book and the one where Rudra accidently visits the fort from his nightmares and starts doubting Roshni, is such a scene. They are not aware that they are seeing each other for the last time. It took me so many days to write that scene and in the end I chose to make it less dramatic considering the crowd at that location and all the confusion in their head, to make it more heart-breaking that they could not even understand the gravity of the situation. Even today I think about rewriting it to make it more palatable for readers. |
| Many writers juggle professional commitments alongside writing. How has your professional life shaped your discipline, perspective, or storytelling choices? |
| As I shared, I am into research and development. My profession has taught me that going into detail and research of the subject are the foundation on which any development starts. Yes, professional commitments come first but I have been lucky enough to have supportive colleagues. The story is set in a large chocolate factory, in Goa. This factory is inspired by a chocolate factory in Goa where I have worked for a decade. First 70-80 pages are about Rudra struggling with memory loss and nightmares while diligently delivering his professional commitments. So, balancing personal and professional life is an art which few manage to master. |
| Research plays a crucial role in Arsenal of the Gods. Could you walk us through your research process and the time it took to bring this world together? |
| Arsenal of The Gods took 12 years of research. I read Ramayana and Mahabharata. I visited all the temples mentioned in the book and stayed there to interact with people and learn the local folklores. A proper research makes a story authentic. Various readers who have been to the temples which I have mentioned in Arsenal of The Gods, highlighted that the description of the temples is so vivid that they felt they were standing in that temple while reading the book. It could be possible only because I visited those temples myself. The local folklores made the riddles, soulful. And when I read our epics, I found some information that will eventually become the backbone of the trilogy. |
| What can the readers expect from the next book in the series? And when do you plan to release it? |
| Arsenal of The Gods is about finding one weapon and saving the world. In the next two parts the number of weapons will increase and the risk will rise multifold. But most importantly, the story will unfold in second part and readers will come to know what the real danger is. The identity of Guruputras, Rudra, agent twenty seven will be revealed, many characters from mythology will come into play. The story will not remain confined to India. The research is over, outline is ready, have started writing the next part so it should be out sooner than you expect. |
| Which book or mythological tale first made you fall in love with reading? |
| My Dadi used to tell stories. Her storytelling was literally magical. I grew up listening stories of noble and kind kings and queens, brave warriors, righteous people, gods and demons and I loved them all. I honestly don’t remember which story or book made me fall in love with reading but I just loved stories. I used to read my older siblings’ book just to read new stories. I was that kid in family who was either being scolded for non-stop playing or sitting quietly in a corner reading stories. But yes, growing up in a city with rich literary and mythological history like Prayagraj was a major reason. Knowing that imminent literary personalities like Mahadevi Verma, Dharmvir Bharti, Sumitranandan Pant, Harivanshrai Bachchan, Suryakant Tripathi Nirala once roamed these streets was always a motivation for a young kid seeking solace in books. |
| Whose criticism shapes your writing the most, and why? |
| I believe in continuous improvement. Nobody, nothing is perfect. If you take criticism constructively, it will only improve you. It doesn’t matter from where the criticism comes. While writing Arsenal of The Gods, I had only one lab rat, my wife. So, I observed her reaction on my theories, twists, character development, pacing, and her reactions, inputs shaped my writing the most. |
| At the industry level, what changes would most effectively help expand readership and make books more accessible across India? |
| A study in England found that the kids there don’t know how to hold a book or turn pages, they were operating it like a Tablet. Yes, we are living in modern age and this is how reading habits are evolving now even in India. But I think as teachers and parents, the best thing we can teach our children is to hold books in their hands and develop their interest in reading. Industry can support in running campaigns at grass root levels especially in elementary schools. Future generations can read stories in digital formats but the joy of holding a book in hand, its addictive smell, the sound of turning pages, the pleasure of gently slipping into an afternoon nap keeping the book on chest, are beautiful experiences which we must gift to our future generations. |
| What do you see as the next big trend shaping the Indian publishing and reading industry? |
| Accepting and adopting the technology. The technology in every field is evolving rapidly, the publishing and reading industry needs to identify the right tech and adopt as fast as possible. By adopting tech, I don’t mean digital formats only, but new printing technologies, cost effectiveness, modern logistics solutions, optimizations, new marketing strategies, identifying new avenues for sales, etcetera will make industry more competitive and relevant. Embracing technology in the right way will define the future. |
| How was your experience with the bookGeeks platform, and what stood out to you about the way bookGeeks engages with books and authors? |
| One of the rarest things in any industry is finding people who maintain utmost professionalism but with a personal touch/care. This is what stood out for me. The bookGeeks platform kept every word, met each timeline, considered additional requests, was always available for a quick chat, and uploaded a detailed and immersive review with the highlights and improvement areas. Simply loved this collaboration. |
You can buy Arsenal of the Gods by Ajeet Pratap Singh using the link below.
₹295.00
Leave a Comment