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A review by echotechne
Engraved on the Eye by Saladin Ahmed
4.0
I didn't realise this was a book of short stories when I originally picked it up (prompted by one of the many authors on Twitter), so I was a little surprised when the first chapter turned out to be the first story. Regardless, this is an excellent read. Fast-paced, punchy, enjoyable. The mythology is broadly Arabic and Islamic, which really does make a nice change from the usual fantasy fare I seem to end up reading. The magic systems the author uses are interesting, even if occasionally it does feel as though there are nods towards certain tropes and genres that are a bit too obvious. (There's a definite D&D party going on in the last story for instance.)
The story ideas themselves are fairly original, though a couple suffer from being crammed into the short story format. Mostly, they focus on ghul hunters and magical monsters (though there's a couple of dervishes and super-heroes thrown in for good measure), and a recurring theme of good people in unlikely packages. The language is fluid, the world-building rich, and the characters' voices have depth enough to make them likeable, even when they're not necesarily nice people.
Overall, it's a great intro to Ahmed's writing, and I very much look forward to getting his first full length novel when it's released in my area.
The story ideas themselves are fairly original, though a couple suffer from being crammed into the short story format. Mostly, they focus on ghul hunters and magical monsters (though there's a couple of dervishes and super-heroes thrown in for good measure), and a recurring theme of good people in unlikely packages. The language is fluid, the world-building rich, and the characters' voices have depth enough to make them likeable, even when they're not necesarily nice people.
Overall, it's a great intro to Ahmed's writing, and I very much look forward to getting his first full length novel when it's released in my area.