Friday, 15 November 2024 07:26 pm
Book Review: Throne of the Crescent Moon
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deckardcanineI must have heard of the 2013 Hugo-nominated first (and still only) Saladin Ahmed novel from a list of fantasy recommendations with an eye to diversity. That was certainly my reason to pick it up next. I didn't want Sabaa Tahir to remain the only modern author of Middle Eastern descent I'd read.
The Crescent Moon Kingdom does indeed resemble the Middle East of centuries ago. Most of the story takes place in its capital, Dhamsawaat. There a ghul hunter on the verge of retirement, Adoulla, and his young dervish assistant, Raseed, see an uptick in attacks by tough ghuls, indicating an extraordinarily powerful evil wizard in the vicinity. Fortunately, they meet Zamia, a teen who wants to use her angel-granted powers to avenge her ghul-slaughtered nomadic band. Adoulla also seeks help from his two old comrades, Dawoud and wife Litaz, who mostly do healing nowadays but still have some fight in them.
As the title implies, the ghul maker is after the throne. He's not the only one: Pharaad Az Hammaz, a self-styled Falcon Prince with a Robin Hood-like reputation, has made no secret of his intention. The five focal heroes have mixed feelings about Hammaz; they agree that he could hardly do worse than the current Khalif, and he certainly has impressive skills, but his charity and charisma smack of showboating, and it's hard to break the law without harming more innocents than you help. I too have only so much trust in him, but at least he's fun to read about.
In general, Ahmed is good at writing likable characters who could nonetheless be seen as jerks. Adoulla openly disrespects Raseed's and Zamia's cultural traditions while demanding respect from them. Raseed is quite the religious prig. Zamia has little regard for urban etiquette. Despite the obvious differences between these last two, they don't take long to develop feelings for each other; they're just not sure what to do about it. Of course, the main villain and his right-hand...man?...still have to be total monsters. Legendary ones, in fact.
The story's been described as a swashbuckler. It can go quite a while without action, but the fight scenes are always something, whether they involve swords, spells, lion claws (did I mention that Zamia's blessing lets her shape-shift?), or all of the above. Ahmed's adherence to detail lends a measure of credibility as well as gruesomeness, and the ending, while unlikely to invite a sequel, is not entirely happy.
In any case, I was definitely reading faster toward the end. I cared about the characters. And I wouldn't mind seeing more from Ahmed.
Now I'm going to read Book of Night by Holly Black. My first book by a woman since August.
The Crescent Moon Kingdom does indeed resemble the Middle East of centuries ago. Most of the story takes place in its capital, Dhamsawaat. There a ghul hunter on the verge of retirement, Adoulla, and his young dervish assistant, Raseed, see an uptick in attacks by tough ghuls, indicating an extraordinarily powerful evil wizard in the vicinity. Fortunately, they meet Zamia, a teen who wants to use her angel-granted powers to avenge her ghul-slaughtered nomadic band. Adoulla also seeks help from his two old comrades, Dawoud and wife Litaz, who mostly do healing nowadays but still have some fight in them.
As the title implies, the ghul maker is after the throne. He's not the only one: Pharaad Az Hammaz, a self-styled Falcon Prince with a Robin Hood-like reputation, has made no secret of his intention. The five focal heroes have mixed feelings about Hammaz; they agree that he could hardly do worse than the current Khalif, and he certainly has impressive skills, but his charity and charisma smack of showboating, and it's hard to break the law without harming more innocents than you help. I too have only so much trust in him, but at least he's fun to read about.
In general, Ahmed is good at writing likable characters who could nonetheless be seen as jerks. Adoulla openly disrespects Raseed's and Zamia's cultural traditions while demanding respect from them. Raseed is quite the religious prig. Zamia has little regard for urban etiquette. Despite the obvious differences between these last two, they don't take long to develop feelings for each other; they're just not sure what to do about it. Of course, the main villain and his right-hand...man?...still have to be total monsters. Legendary ones, in fact.
The story's been described as a swashbuckler. It can go quite a while without action, but the fight scenes are always something, whether they involve swords, spells, lion claws (did I mention that Zamia's blessing lets her shape-shift?), or all of the above. Ahmed's adherence to detail lends a measure of credibility as well as gruesomeness, and the ending, while unlikely to invite a sequel, is not entirely happy.
In any case, I was definitely reading faster toward the end. I cared about the characters. And I wouldn't mind seeing more from Ahmed.
Now I'm going to read Book of Night by Holly Black. My first book by a woman since August.