Professor Kam Bhui of the University of Oxford has announced the release of his debut young adult novel, The Maharaja’s Bodyguard, a time-twisting adventure that explores courage, trauma, love, and identity.
The novel is set to be published on 28 October 2025, with the ISBN 9781836285113 and priced at £12.99.
Set between 19th-century India and 1960s Britain, The Maharaja’s Bodyguard follows Haroun, a boy caught between two worlds. In modern-day Britain, he faces bullying and the strain of caring for his grieving mother.
But through mysterious powers linked to his ancestors, he is transported to the 1800s, where he becomes the Maharaja’s Bodyguard — a warrior armed with swords, courage, and a sense of duty.
As Haroun embraces his destiny, he must decide whether to wield his inherited magic to right past wrongs or sacrifice it all for love and redemption.
Drawing inspiration from his Punjabi Sikh heritage and his professional work as a psychiatrist and Senior Research Fellow at Wadham College, Bhui weaves a moving narrative about resilience and healing through imagination.
“Fantasy is often a response to trauma,” he explains. “I wanted to explore whether it can also heal. As someone who rarely saw heroes from my heritage, I wanted to create a new kind of hero — one who reflects different histories and values.”
Bhui’s fascination with the opulent lives of Indian Maharajas and unsung stories from history inspired the novel’s vivid settings and themes of belonging and bravery. Beyond its fantasy appeal, The Maharaja’s Bodyguard offers readers a deeply human story of transformation and hope.
