Dungeon Tales II

Munni finds an old book in her Mamaji’s shop. What does it say? ungeon ales? What could that possibly be? There’s only one way to find out – Munni must learn how to read, and properly. There’s a tiny problem – girls are forbidden to read in her village. But can that little detail stop a protagonist like Munni?
Stories within a story within a story – Munni reads a book about the Badmash Badshah, who has prisoners in his dungeon come tell him stories. And these stories comprise not ungeon ales, but the Badmash Badshah’s Dungeon Tales.

I loved the book. Layered with powerful themes and comprising a range of stories from the heroic to the horrific, Dungeon Tales is a glorious celebration of both rebellion and storytelling. I chuckled as I read tale after tale, rejoicing in triumphs, both tiny and tremendous. And the alliterative titles used to address the Badmash Badshah! I smile even as I think about them – your Wonderful Wickedness, your Awesome Awfulness, your Rudimentary Rottenness … Oh, the possibilities!

From the story of a heroic girl who demands a song in her praise, to the main narrative itself – a girl who teaches herself to read and starts a movement – Dungeon Tales II leaves the reader with the sense of not just possibility, but victory and power. If you think that prisoners coming forward to tell an evil king a story would wield no power at all, Dungeon Tales reminds you of the power of a story. Perfectly in line with the feel of a modern set of fables, the book begins with ‘Once upon a time’, and the blurb ends with ‘happily ever after’. Naturally, all the magic of storytelling lies in between.