Traditionally Arabian

[mtvessel]

Dec 2017
The Desert of Souls - Howard Andrew Jones – Head of Zeus, 2013
* * *
This is a fantasy set - initially - in the mystical Baghdad of Harun al-Rashid, the wise caliph who appears in the several of the tales of The 1001 Nights, and his wily vizier Jaffar. However, the Caliph himself does not appear - instead the author has rather cleverly selected two minor members of Jaffar's household - Asim, the captain of the Guard, and Dabir, the tutor of Saphirah, Jaffar's pert niece - as his viewpoint characters. While they and their master are wandering around Baghdad in disguise (as you do), a stranger thrusts an ancient tablet into their hands, begs them to look after it, and is then murdered. When the tablet is subsequently stolen from Jaffar's palace, Asim and Dabir are sent to get it back. In the process they uncover dark goings on related to Ubar, the mystical lost city in the desert, that could threaten Baghdad itself.

I am a sucker for Arabian Nights-style swords and sorcery, and the author does a better job than most in conveying an authentically Islamic feel, with feelings of honour and loyalty being strong motivating factors. Asim is a pleasingly straightforward warrior protagonist and his friendship with Dabir is very engaging. Sadly Jones is not imaginative enough to find ways of giving his female characters much agency in the traditionally sexist setting, but otherwise, it's a fun read.