Book review: When folklore becomes fear

Yekendra Bahadur Rawal’s ‘Aghortantra’ proves that Nepal’s own myths and rituals can be as haunting as any gothic horror.

Nepali horror has often found itself caught between two impulses: imitating familiar western supernatural fiction or leaning so heavily on folklore that it becomes little more than a catalogue of ghosts and legends. ‘Aghortantra’ attempts something more ambitious.