India, Sept. 13 -- In the summer of 2017, while walking along a sea-facing boulevard in Mumbai, Zeenath Khan began imagining a novel set against one of the most dramatic episodes in Hyderabad's history.

India's 1948 military takeover of the princely state, she felt, had everything a novelist could ask for - lavish settings, wayward characters, political intrigue and high stakes.

That idea eventually became her debut novel, "The Sirens of September", published by Penguin.

The historical novel retells the events surrounding India's takeover and integration of Hyderabad through a mix of real and imagined characters, offering the story largely from the perspective of those on the losing side.

Khan, who divides her time between Hyderabad a...