Hiraeth: First Love First Contact

Book excerpt: What supposedly troubles man the most is the fear of the unknown. However, what transcends that is a nightmare, where things are so incredibly frightening that you hope that it was just that – a nightmare – but there’s a part of you which knows that it is a part of your existence. Nikhil, a young guy loaded with responsibilities, and his girlfriend, Saesha, are trapped in this unenviable situation. Eerily, their worst nightmare is essentially the same: A cold-blooded, red-eyed freak chasing them, with a resolute obsession to slay their souls. The two try to pass this as coincidence, until the day things start falling apart. In a bizzare turn of events, Saesha gets abducted and returns with no memory of Nikhil. Weighing the odds of Saesha teaming up with the aliens, Nikhil has to make a choice between his beliefs and the world’s, which is under siege. Biological weapons are unleashed, as a 623-year-old intergalactic rivalry is revived. Governments brainstorm together, there are UN meets and nuclear weapons are aggregated. Eventually, war breaks. The novel depicts Nikhil’s journey as he sets out to save his love, which may also be the key to saving the world.