KATHMANDU: The set designed wasn’t less than that of a film. Suddenly there was the hero’s entry — flashing lights and music welcomed the hero. But it was neither the shooting of a film nor the premiere of any movie. It was an event to introduce Kumar Nagarkoti’s Mistika. And theatre director Anup Baral entered the stage just like a hero and read the lines of a poem Wo So Rahi Thi. The lines were from Nagarkoti’s new novel Mistika, which was launched at Attic Bar, Naxal on August 20. Unexpected imageries, pictures and patterns, juxtapositions of the characters and events, surprising elements, personification and animation are some of the features of Nagarkoti’s writings. Bringing similar ideas and imaginations from absurdity and surrealism, Nagarkoti is back with Mistika. The novel deals with the story of a carpenter — who transforms into a woman, conceives a baby and then again transforms into a male. This is Nagarkoti’s first novel. He has penned collection of short stories Fossil, and Mokshanta: Kathmandu Fever among others. “I have written in some other genres — drama and short stories earlier and I wanted to write a novel this time. The readers can raise many questions after reading this novel. There is suspense here,” shared Nagarkoti.