Book Review 15: Hell! No Saints in Paradise by A.K. Asif.





'Hell! No Saints in Paradise' by A.K. Asif is an urban fantasy novel, set in the year 2015. The protagonist, Ismael, a Pakistani-American student pursuing his PhD, doing his thesis on Hell and Paradise. He believed and tried to prove that both are nothing more than mere human imagination.

One day, a sudden encounter with a girl named Petra at a Cafe in New York changes the course of his life. She advises him to try a hallucinogenic drug called Ayahuasca, and join the Yage Yoga Centre, which will help him to experience and discover an alternate reality unknown to mankind. There, under the influence of hallucinogens, he comes across otherworldly beings and is asked to return back to his hometown, Lahore, and gain the confidence of his estranged father, a prominent extremist in the caliphate. His perilous journey will have life-changing effects not only for him, but also for his homeland as well as the whole world.

Will Ismael be able to win back the trust of his father? Will he be able to find the reality behind the existence of Paradise and Hell? Will he be successful in reaching his goal for the greater good?


'Hell! No Saints in Paradise' is both a satire and an allegory. This philosophical fiction is outstandingly well-written and the touches of sarcasm make it all the more interesting. The plot is well developed and there are unanticipated twists and turns almost in every chapter.

The book is written in a lucid language. The fact that it is fast-paced although everything being vividly described makes the book a page-turner. This urban fantasy has elements of magical realism in it, and I definitely loved it. All the characters are well defined.

The book is definitely recommended to everyone who likes magical realism and fantasies. It's truly a book worth reading!


 About the author : Brought up in Lahore, Pakistan, A.K. Asif has been living in the United States since the age of twenty. He is currently working on his next novel.


My rating : 4 of 5 stars.
Publisher : Harper Collins Publishers.
First Published : August 2017
Pages : 347
Price : ₹599/-
Thanks to Writersmelon and Harper Collins, for providing me with a review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. 

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