Shreya Ila Anasuya
Shreya Ila Anasuya is an Indian writer of fiction. She has a BA in English Literature from Jadavpur University and an MA in Anthropology from SOAS, University of London. She is currently a PhD candidate in Cultural History at King's College London, supported by the London Arts and Humanities Partnership. Her body of work examines history, literature, gender and sexuality, music, mythology, and the supernatural, which she has explored through short fiction, research, editing, journalism, teaching and performance. Her work has been recognised with the Otherwise Fellowship, the Toto Award for Creative Writing, and a Sangam House residency. The Poison Palace is her first novel.
THE POISON PALACE
A courtesan (secretly a vishkanya, or mythical 'poison maiden') from an ancient Indian kingdom journeys to Alexander the Great's war camp with her beloved friend, where the duo must try to assassinate the conqueror.
Eka is only a child when she is taken from her mother and brought to the heart of the Magadh Empire. Adopted by the city's foremost courtesan, she is trained in music and dance alongside her childhood friend Ira. But fate puts Eka and Ira on the path of the vishkanya, or poison girl. Initiated into the worship of the snake goddess, the palace commands they are fed a diet of poison and trained in its deadly arts. With Alexander the Great sweeping towards their lands and their feelings for one another deepening, they are sent undercover into his camp.
In Alexander's court Eka must play a dangerous political game, all while trying to protect the woman she loves. Raised to do the bidding of one king, and faced with the terrible ambition of another, Eka must make a choice that will change the world . . .
A stunning blend of historical and speculative fiction, The Poison Palace tells the story of Alexander's invasion of India as it has never been told before.
Publication
US: Penguin Random House (Dutton)
UK: Hachette (Sphere)
Release date: 12 January 2027
