Take a photo of a barcode or cover
sue_ferris's review against another edition
5.0
All the threads tied neatly up in this dazzling and beautifully written story. There are not many near future sci fi stories set in Istanbul and this one is a doozy.
dtasevski's review against another edition
5.0
I've read a few books by Ian McDonald so far, and each one amazed me. this book is no exception.
It took me a quite longer than usual to read a book this size, the culprit being the bare complexity of the atmosphere in the futuristic Istambul and so many details everywhere. That said, this is not a book for those who want a quick or light read. The writing is very readable but dense, with an almost metronomic precision that must be followed carefully to be understood. I'm even thinking about re-reading it again in the near future, just to see what I've missed :)
Set in Istanbul in the near future, The Dervish House centers on a number of people who live or work in a dervish house, somewhere in Istambul. The various threads of the narrative include a search for an archeological legend - a Mellified Man, a financial scam, a terrorist plot and attempts to find funding to develop new technology. In addition, there's an isolated young boy, Can, who with the aid of his toy robots, turns detective. The plot also touches on Turkey's recent political history and its history of race relations.
Apart from Can's adventures, what I enjoyed most about this work is the depiction of Istanbul. The descriptions of the city are more interesting than most of the characters and much of the plot. I'm glad I read the novel, if for no other reason than it's reinforced my desire to travel to Turkey some time soon.
It took me a quite longer than usual to read a book this size, the culprit being the bare complexity of the atmosphere in the futuristic Istambul and so many details everywhere. That said, this is not a book for those who want a quick or light read. The writing is very readable but dense, with an almost metronomic precision that must be followed carefully to be understood. I'm even thinking about re-reading it again in the near future, just to see what I've missed :)
Set in Istanbul in the near future, The Dervish House centers on a number of people who live or work in a dervish house, somewhere in Istambul. The various threads of the narrative include a search for an archeological legend - a Mellified Man, a financial scam, a terrorist plot and attempts to find funding to develop new technology. In addition, there's an isolated young boy, Can, who with the aid of his toy robots, turns detective. The plot also touches on Turkey's recent political history and its history of race relations.
Apart from Can's adventures, what I enjoyed most about this work is the depiction of Istanbul. The descriptions of the city are more interesting than most of the characters and much of the plot. I'm glad I read the novel, if for no other reason than it's reinforced my desire to travel to Turkey some time soon.
kshoes's review against another edition
3.0
It took a while to get into this book, as I had to reconfigure my thought processes for the spelling/in-head pronunciation, using the guide at the front of the book. I was not at all familiar with Istanbul, which further complicated my initial immersion, as did the author's dropping you in the middle of a story, without any further introduction.
Now, after reading this book, I want to visit Istanbul, and see this place, full of history.
Each of the threads of this novel could be expanded into its own novel-length exploration. I felt interested in the characters, and wanted to know more about them.
Now, after reading this book, I want to visit Istanbul, and see this place, full of history.
Each of the threads of this novel could be expanded into its own novel-length exploration. I felt interested in the characters, and wanted to know more about them.
shepgreg's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely stunningly written book.
It is also a book that is now a piece of hauntology. It is a reminder of a future, as imperfect as it is, that is lost.
It was written in 2010 and I don't think this is a book that could have been written many years later as Turkey's lurch towards illiberalism and autocracy undermined the possible future of the book.
It is also a book that is now a piece of hauntology. It is a reminder of a future, as imperfect as it is, that is lost.
It was written in 2010 and I don't think this is a book that could have been written many years later as Turkey's lurch towards illiberalism and autocracy undermined the possible future of the book.
alexandrapierce's review
5.0
I have long been enamoured of Turkey. Actually, strictly speaking I have long been enamoured of the idea of Turkey: the decadence, the luxury, the it’s very different there. Over the last number of years I have come to the realisation that this idea, or dream, of the country is a very European one, and a very colonial one in many regards – it’s a view of “the East” that has existed in “the West” at least since the Romans had their snooty ideas about Egypt and Persia. Despite being well aware of its source, and feeling uncomfortable about that, there is still an allure in those incredibly not-politically-correct views. And that’s the point, of course: the allure comes from the (alleged) exotic nature of somewhere very ‘different’ (from Western Europe), and difference is always attractive. (The point, too, was that by identifying certain things like decadence as traits from over there, the viewer could take the prim moral stance and still enjoy it. But I digress….)
I got to thinking about these sorts of things in reading The Dervish House because it is set in near-future Istanbul: a city in many ways very similar to those of Western Europe, America, and Australia that I am familiar with, but with enough differences – real differences – that it retains an aura of the exotic. The story could, with some changes of course, be set in any city really. But setting it in Istanbul allows McDonald to do many things, not least of which is imbuing his setting with a deep sense of history that the relatively new cities of America and Australia just don’t have. Istanbul is very much a character in this novel; the complexity of the city itself – geographically, historically – is deeply important to the plot and the characters. There is even a character whose main interest in life is mapping the social history of the city, an idea I find very attractive.
The Dervish House is a simultaneously dense and frantic novel. In 472 pages McDonald covers five days in the life of the city, from the point of view of six main characters. An old Greek man, a young Turkish invalid, a successful businesswoman, an ambitious businesswoman, a no-hoper and a stockmarket player: with this cast, McDonald creates a vibrant city. Some of their stories interweave with one another, at one point or another, while others appear tangential; all combine to give a rich, rich view of the near future. Their plots are wonderfully varied: there’s romance, there’s adventure, there’s corporate espionage and shady deals and antiquarian detective work; religious fanaticism, world-weariness, wild success and disappointments. At times the writing is so dense that I had a little trouble following it, but the sheer beauty of it – along with the compelling sense that I needed to know what was going to happen – meant that wasn’t too much of a hassle.
One of the things that fascinated me about this book is that reading it as an SF reader, it’s clearly SF; there are enough references to nanotechnology and other futuristic things to ensure that. However, the date isn’t made clear until about two-thirds of the way through the book, and the technology isn’t really central, so it ought to have broader mainstream appeal, too.
I got to thinking about these sorts of things in reading The Dervish House because it is set in near-future Istanbul: a city in many ways very similar to those of Western Europe, America, and Australia that I am familiar with, but with enough differences – real differences – that it retains an aura of the exotic. The story could, with some changes of course, be set in any city really. But setting it in Istanbul allows McDonald to do many things, not least of which is imbuing his setting with a deep sense of history that the relatively new cities of America and Australia just don’t have. Istanbul is very much a character in this novel; the complexity of the city itself – geographically, historically – is deeply important to the plot and the characters. There is even a character whose main interest in life is mapping the social history of the city, an idea I find very attractive.
The Dervish House is a simultaneously dense and frantic novel. In 472 pages McDonald covers five days in the life of the city, from the point of view of six main characters. An old Greek man, a young Turkish invalid, a successful businesswoman, an ambitious businesswoman, a no-hoper and a stockmarket player: with this cast, McDonald creates a vibrant city. Some of their stories interweave with one another, at one point or another, while others appear tangential; all combine to give a rich, rich view of the near future. Their plots are wonderfully varied: there’s romance, there’s adventure, there’s corporate espionage and shady deals and antiquarian detective work; religious fanaticism, world-weariness, wild success and disappointments. At times the writing is so dense that I had a little trouble following it, but the sheer beauty of it – along with the compelling sense that I needed to know what was going to happen – meant that wasn’t too much of a hassle.
One of the things that fascinated me about this book is that reading it as an SF reader, it’s clearly SF; there are enough references to nanotechnology and other futuristic things to ensure that. However, the date isn’t made clear until about two-thirds of the way through the book, and the technology isn’t really central, so it ought to have broader mainstream appeal, too.
kelsyer's review against another edition
4.0
It is a good book, just not one for me.
It spoke about things I'm interested in and it has mysticism, mythology, technology revolution and many more and still, I'm left standing here for a few hours now (well, I did sleep), thinking about not what a great book this is and how much I enjoyed it, rather 'What should I read next?' And that's not the me I was before. Just picked up a book and started it.
It spoke about things I'm interested in and it has mysticism, mythology, technology revolution and many more and still, I'm left standing here for a few hours now (well, I did sleep), thinking about not what a great book this is and how much I enjoyed it, rather 'What should I read next?' And that's not the me I was before. Just picked up a book and started it.
meornithorynque's review against another edition
5.0
This is exactly why I love science-fiction. This book have learned me a lot, and I ended it why tears from it's beauty.
And maybe I was craving for honey and Turkish patries...
And maybe I was craving for honey and Turkish patries...
616sgheller's review against another edition
4.0
It took me quite a while to get into it, but I'm so glad I stuck with it.
pendleton's review against another edition
4.0
Phew...I started this book in February and was side-tracked on it for various reasons. This is a marvelous book with much detail and thought but it is definitely a labor of love to get through. If I were to have given this my full attention it very well could have been a 5 star read but simply because it took me 7 months and was put down in favor of many other books it has to be a 4-star read.