Ronit J

Fantasy Author of Absurd Stories

Abandoned by the Gods,
Forgotten by history,

Witness four tales of remarkable individuals who dared to defy norms and become pinnacles of human perseverance despite fate being against them.

‘Abandoned by the Gods’ is a collection of four fantasy shorts set in the godless land of Adeva.

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Welcome to Adeva…

A land abandoned by the Gods themselves. The mortals that were left behind built a rich thousand-year history full of legendary exploits.

But history doesn’t remember everyone. Written by the victors, written for them, history has a bad habit of neglecting many.

This collection features four tales of those hapless souls that history forgot. A girl sold into divine servitude who would threaten to change the face of Adeva’s history, a noble forced into dacoity fuelled by vengeance, a princess in forbidden love compelled to make an impossible choice, and an ordinary woman fighting to survive through a mad god-king’s reign, this collection is an attempt to honour their humanity, to celebrate those who dared to defy norms, dared to thrive despite fate being against them.

Welcome to Adeva. Your faith will not protect you.

Full Cover

I also wrote a whole post about how I made the cover

About Adeva

Inspired by Indian mythology, Adeva is a land full of faith, despite its deities having abandoned it over a thousand years ago.

A red blood-splattered background with a question “What is Adeva?” followed by the answer: Adeva is a land that was abandoned by the Gods a thousand years ago. Despite their disappearance, faith is deeply ingrained with Adeva’s society. Diverse in its culture, Adeva remains divided among kingdoms and empires. Which is why, before they left the Gods declared, ‘Whosoever can unite all of Adeva can claim godhood, power, and more...’ One thousand years, and not a single mortal has accomplished it. Above, Typography for the grimdark fantasy short story collection “Abandoned by the Gods” by Ronit J

A red blood-splattered background with the question “Why did the Gods leave Adeva?” followed by the answer: Nobody knows. Rather, nobody remembers. The most widely accepted theory among theologians is that the Gods erased the reason because it was something incomprehensible to mortal minds. A lesser accepted reason—almost anathema—is that the gods were angered by something mortals did, deeming them irredeemably inutile. This resulted in the Gods abandoning Adeva, never to return. Above, Typography for the grimdark fantasy short story collection “Abandoned by the Gods” by Ronit J

A red blood-splattered background with the question “What Gods does Adeva worship?” followed by the answer: While the Gods that left took their names with them, three deities remained behind in the holy scriptures. Two of these three hold the most number of devotees. They are Jagarakshaka the Protector and Durajaya the Destroyer. The third, Asma the Creator, is no longer worshipped, except in one monastery. The reason for this decline remains a topic of debate among theologians, with different cultures believing different stories that justify the decline in the Creator’s worship. Above, Typography for the grimdark fantasy short story collection “Abandoned by the Gods”

A red blood-splattered background with the question “How many kingdoms rule in Adeva?” followed by the answer: The number of kings, princes, kingdoms, princely states and such are irrelevant as these have come and gone over. the course of Adeva's thousand-year history. This fluctuating number is what makes uniting Adeva a harder task than it seems at first. In addition, the diversity among the many different regions is so stark that Adeva remains divided even on the smallest of cultural distinctions. Above, Typography for the grimdark fantasy short story collection “Abandoned by the Gods”

A red blood-splattered background with the question “Does Adeva have influence from foreign gods or cultures?” followed by the answer: While a few of Adeva’s kingdoms have engaged in foreign trade, Adeva has been a largely self-sustaining continent owing to its rich and fertile lands. This limits Adeva’s dependence on imports. Secondly, Adeva’s belief system is so deeply ingrained in society that anything outside of one’s own community is looked at with suspicion and loathing. This is more true for foreign cultures and gods. It is no wonder that class and caste discrimination is rampant in this land. Above, Typography for the grimdark fantasy short story collection “Abandoned by the Gods” by Ronit J

A red blood-splattered background with the question “Are humans the only species in Adeva?” followed by the answer: It’s complicated. Rakshasas make up for the largest minority group, but whether they are a separate species, or just tribals looked at as ‘inhuman’ is a recent debate that has arisen after King Sangaar married a Rakshasin to forge an alliance with the tribals. If rumours are to be believed, other species do exist outside of Adeva’s borders, with some sailors and explorers claiming to have seen monsters. However, Adeva’s discriminatory society restricts most foreigners to trading hubs. Above, Typography for the grimdark fantasy short story collection “Abandoned by the Gods” by Ronit J

About the Four Short Stories

Set years before my as-yet-untitled trilogy, ‘Abandoned by the Gods’ follows four hapless souls living lives parallel to important historical events. Fated to endure extreme hardships, their perseverance received no remembrance by history’s pages.

A yellow hazy background of a dark room with stone walls, and chains hanging above. Text reads: Servant of God Sold into bonded slavery to a temple, Jagadasi discovers that not everything is as pure as she had believed. She turns to her God for a way to cleanse the temple, but the solution she receives is bloody, with the potential to change the face of Adeva’s history.

A bluish background with a burning field. Text reads: Dacoit, Son of a Noble Bhola’s rich life is uprooted when King Ananda’s conquering forces usurp his domain and kill his father. Forced into dacoity, Bhola’s life is fueled with a singular motive: Kill King Ananda before he ascends to godhood.

A red background with pestle and mortar. Text reads: Bittersweet Chutney An account of an ordinary woman’s life set against the backdrop of one of Adeva’s most significant historical events—the killing of a mad god-king.

You can read the four short stories in any order. Of these four, only one short story (Bittersweet Chutney) gives you a glimpse at the main series and might spoil some of the backstory. However, what it spoils is a commonly known event at the beginning of book 1.

Why read Abandoned by the Gods:

Read Abandoned by the Gods if you like:

Read Abandoned by the Gods short 1 "Servant of God" if you like Felisin Paran from Malazan and/or Bayaz from the First Law

Read Abandoned by the Gods short 2 "The Princess Who Loved Her Maid" if you like Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Read Abandoned by the Gods short 3 "Dacoit, Son of a Noble" if you like Hamlet, Oldboy and Paan Singh Tomar

Read Abandoned by the Gods short 4 "Bittersweet Chutney" if you like Legends & Lattes, The Pianist, Schindler's List, and Pachinko

Praise for Abandoned by the Gods

★★★★★

“… rage, despair, triumph, anguish. But that only scratches the surface of what these short stories are…”
— Jonathan P, SFF Insiders

★★★★★

This was a dark & powerful read

– Lily Shadowlyn, The Faerie Review

★★★★

“… these stories still remain rent-free in my brain!”
— Driti M, Goodreads

★★★★

“… this is mostly cynical and bleak as befits the time but at the same time, the garnish that the last story adds makes this a tasteful palette.”
— Vinay V, Substack

Abandoned by the Gods is now available in ebook, paperback and hardcover editions!

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