The last weekend was truly a magical one for me. With reviewing Satin, the first of a trilogy by Payal Dhar, and the release of the last of the Harry Potter films, I truly felt as if I was in a magical world of wizardry and wands, in my head at least. I must say I enjoyed all of it.

The latest fad in the publishing world seems to be young adult novels. So much so that all the major publishers in India have spun off independent branches that handle this genre. Every publisher is trying to plump up their YA list. Within YA, with the magical success of Harry Potter, and in India of The Immortals of Meluha, fantasy rules the roost. Perhaps the reason for this is that YA fantasy, as proven by Harry Potter, is as entertaining to real adults as young adults.
Satin is an entertaining read although disturbingly similar to Harry Potter. Set in a fictional nation, where many practice magic, there is a certain amount of tension between the “mages” (those who practice magic) and the others. Mage Yavi, from the ruling magician family, is left with his grandfather’s inheritance — pieces of satin cloth. When Yavi’s attempts to decipher his mysterious legacy bring about shocking possibilities, he undertakes a quest to solve the mystery.
The landscape of the novel Kuzerazan, the mountain region, and Marik, which is the home of the prefecture of the magical Flame, is interesting. Instead of Hogwarts, Dhar has created the academy at Koda, instead of wands that wield magic we have pieces of satin. Even Keas, an aspiring mage, who comes from the land of Kuzerazan, where magic is a bad word (much like Voldemort), is similar to Potter is his description.
There are several interesting characters in this book, perhaps too many — Fahe, the adolescent prefecture in waiting who is going through bouts of teenage angst and rebellion; Yarik, Fahe’s younger brother who is left with his grandfather’s unsolved secret; Manara, the mysterious inhabitant of Fezar who may be the key to solving the mystery.
I wish that Dhar had kept the book simple and just stuck to resolving the mystery of satin, but we have too many mysterious characters that bring along their own complex storylines.
All in all, the book is mildly entertaining, though it feels like a rip-off of Harry Potter in many ways. That said, I love Harry Potter, and since JK Rowling isn’t writing any more, I am glad that we are producing organically grown versions of this book.
Satin is the first of a trilogy (another publishing fad) and as my magical period comes to the end, I find myself cast in a spell and wanting for more, so I think I will re-read Harry Potter, and I will surely watch out for Dhar’s second novel.

Ira Trivedi is the author of There Is No Love On Wall Street