Author

Danish Gagai

A 33 year-old literature student who repairs cars for a living, and writer of imaginative sci-fi stories.

The book

Sands of Time

A near-immortal being from a world beyond our own arrives on a primitive Earth and wanders through Earth's greatest epochs exploring humanity—from the Crusades and the House of Wisdom to imperial Japan and the Mughal Empire—adopting legendary identities, falling in love with a mortal, and confronting the cost of outliving all that he loves, a journey that ultimately leads him to the veiled, forbidden land of Aswaraach.

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The themes

What this book is about .

01

A dying world and the last ship to leave it

02

History walked through rather than read about

03

The cost of living far longer than everyone around you

04

Empires observed from the inside

05

Promises kept across several centuries

Behind The Book

About the Author

My name is Danish Gagai, and I write the kind of stories you will one day read to your children before they sleep—and the kind they may one day pass on to their own.

Before there were screens, there were stories.

Stories carried through generations—held in the minds of mothers, whispered to children before they were even born. Stories passed down, shaping wonder, shaping imagination.

I write the kind of stories I hope your children grow up with—whether through books or through that magical place we call cinema.

If you’re here, you’re early.

And if you feel you’re late, like I once did in life, then remember this:

“For what it’s worth, it’s never too late—or in my case, too early—to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change, or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.”

— F. Scott Fitzgerald, via The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Excerpts

Read a little of the book.

Sands of Time, Dedication

To the directors whose stories and character arcs shaped the way I see the world—and myself.
Thank you for raising me through myth, loss, and hope.
Christopher Nolan, Sam Raimi, and Zack Snyder.

Sands of Time, Prologue

From the 11th-century period of the Crusades, to studying during the Golden Age of Islam, he learns from great conquerors such as Salahuddin. He witnesses the regret of death and the mental scarring brought by the Mongol Hulagu Khan, learns the art of battle from another superhuman in imperial Japan, and finally helps establish the Mughal Empire as an ageless entity, assuming the disguises of many Mughal rulers under different alter egos.

Sands of Time, p. 2

“All biological matter has hints of life, the oceans have hints of life, and there are plenty of them. Our forefathers visited nearby stars in search of life or for another home, the journey unfortunately seems to be a one-way ticket,” said Yasmeen

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