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26 Dec 2025

15-year old Aaryan A Mehta Publishes Debut Fantasy Novel, The Hollow King

Aaryan Arjav Mehta (aged 15), son of Aashna and Arjav Akshay Mehta, a student of Grade 10 at the Antwerp International School in Belgium, reached a meaningful milestone with the publication of his debut English fantasy novel, The Hollow King.

What began as a childhood love for reading—especially stories like Harry Potter—gradually grew into an interest in storytelling and writing. With patience, focus, and quiet dedication, that interest evolved into a project he carefully nurtured and successfully brought to completion.

The Hollow King reflects Aaryan’s imagination and perseverance. It is an interesting and engaging fantasy-adventure fiction story. It is mostly for young children.

The book tells the story of Teegan, who hates endings, and Francis, a boy made of ink and secrets. When an unfinished botruth of the Hollow King before the story rewrites them both.

Aaryan will soon begin preparations for the International Baccalaureate (IB) program and wants to pursue higher studies in English, Economics and Business in the future. He says, “I have always believed in pursuing goals till the end - overcoming any challenges or obstacles along the way. Earlier, it was a challenge in writing was to provide an ending to my stories, but my novel helps address that issue. The process, with all its ups and downs, is much more important than the end result; it’s what develops your qualities and makes you grow as a person.”

His family says that Aaryan’s journey as a young Indian writer on the global stage is a reminder that creativity can begin early and that, with encouragement and commitment, small ideas can grow into something meaningful. Besides the inspiration from Harry Potter, works and poems of Sri Aurobindo has also played a vital role in his development throughout his childhood as a person and writer.

The Hollow King is now available on Amazon:

Kindle edition: https://amzn.in/d/hyI0mLR

Paperback edition: https://amzn.eu/d/9yTNRXh