Throne of the Crescent Moon

by Saladin Ahmed

Overview

Locus Award for Best First Novel winner
Hugo Award for Best Novel finalist
Nebula Award for Best Novel finalist
David Gemmell Morningstar Award finalist

"Ahmed is a master storyteller in the grand epic tradition." —N. K. Jemisin

The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, home to djenn and ghuls, holy warriors and heretics, are at the boiling point of a power struggle between the iron- fisted Khalif and the mysterious master thief known as the Falcon Prince. In the midst of this brewing rebellion a series of brutal supernatural murders strikes at the heart of the Kingdoms. It is up to a handful of heroes to learn the truth behind these killings.

Doctor Adoulla Makhslood, "the last real ghul hunter in the great city of Dhamsawaat," just wants a quiet cup of tea. Three score and more years old, he has grown weary of hunting monsters and saving lives, and is more than ready to retire from his dangerous and demanding vocation. But when an old flame's family is murdered, Adoulla is drawn back to the hunter's path.

Raseed bas Raseed, Adoulla's young assistant, is a hidebound holy warrior whose prowess is matched only by his piety. But even as Raseed's sword is tested by ghuls and manjackals, his soul is tested when he and Adoulla cross paths with the tribeswoman Zamia.

Zamia Badawi, Protector of the Band, has been gifted with the near- mythical power of the lion-shape, but shunned by her people for daring to take up a man's title. She lives only to avenge her father's death. Until she learns that Adoulla and his allies also hunt her father's killer. Until she meets Raseed.

When they learn that the murders and the Falcon Prince's brewing revolution are connected, the companions must race against time-and struggle against their own misgivings-to save the life of a vicious despot. In so doing they discover a plot for the Throne of the Crescent Moon that threatens to turn Dhamsawaat, and the world itself, into a blood-soaked ruin.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780756407780
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	12/31/2012
Series:	Crescent Moon Kingdoms , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	370,454
Product dimensions:	4.17(w) x 6.75(h) x 0.95(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Saladin Ahmed was born in Detroit and raised in a working-class, Arab American enclave in Dearborn, Michigan. His short stories have been nominated for the Nebula and Campbell awards, and have appeared in Year’s Best Fantasy and numerous magazines, anthologies, and podcasts, as well as being translated into five foreign languages. Throne of the Crescent Moon won a Locus Award for Best First Novel and was a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, and David Gemmell Morningstar awards. Find him on Twitter at @saladinahmed.

What People are Saying About This

Kevin J. Anderson

"Throne of the Crescent Moon is colorful, magical, exciting, and moving. Saladin Ahmed delivers a beautiful story of a demon hunter in an Arabian Nights setting. An excellent first novel!"

N. K. Jemisin

"Ahmed is a master storyteller in the grand epic tradition. Swashbuckling adventure, awesome mystery, a bit of horror, and all of it written beautifully. A real treat!"

Walter Jon Williams

"Readers yearning for the adventures of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser will delight in the arrival of Adoulla and Raseed. In addition to these two marvelous characters, Saladin Ahmed has given us the wonderful, colorful city of Dhamsawaat, ghuls and demons and manjackals, and the ferocious tribeswoman Zamia, who gives new meaning to the words 'wild girl.'"

Scott Lynch

"A genuinely brisk, bold, and colorful diversion.... Flashing swords, leaping bandits, holy magic, bloodthirsty monsters, and sumptuous cuisine... what more do you want me to do, draw you a map? Read this thing."

Elizabeth Bear

"This promising debut offers a glimpse of a dusty and wonderful fantasy city through the eyes of three engaging, unconventional protagonists."

Editorial Reviews

"A genuinely brisk, bold, and colorful diversion.... Flashing swords, leaping bandits, holy magic, bloodthirsty monsters, and sumptuous cuisine... What more do you want me to do, draw you a map? Read this thing." —Scott Lynch, New York Times-bestselling author of The Lies of Locke Lamora

"Swashbuckling adventure, awesome mystery, a bit of horror, and all of it written beautifully. A real treat!" —N. K. Jemisin, Hugo Award-winning author of The Fifth Season

“Ahmed’s debut masterfully paints a world both bright and terrible.” —Publishers Weekly (starred)
 
“The Arabian Nights theme dominates, and in language, style and approach.... Equally impressive are characters who struggle not only against their opponents but against their own misgivings and desires.” —Kirkus (starred)
 
“The maturity and wisdom of Ahmed’s older protagonists are a delightful contrast to the brave impulsiveness of their younger companions.” —Library Journal (starred)
 
“I love the way Saladin Ahmed creates his story, lovingly portraying his characters and his settings, bringing them all to vivid life.” —Rick Riordan, #1 New York Times-bestselling author the Percy Jackson series

"This promising debut offers a glimpse of a dusty and wonderful fantasy city through the eyes of three engaging, unconventional protagonists." —Elizabeth Bear, Hugo Award-winning author of Karen Memory

“An exciting and classic fantasy plot, monstrous ghuls, and a marvelously-described world.... You should absolutely read it for its world-weary, sarcastic hero, Doctor Adoulla Makhslood, who is fat and old and out-of-shape and ready to retire and yet unable to do so because of his sense of duty; he is utterly wonderful because he is not like any other hero in an epic fantasy novel.”—Kate Elliott, author of Cold Magic

“Shapeshifters and ghul hunters! Magic potions and various flavors of ghul! Evil khalifs and sort-of-maybe-noble thief-princes! And an old, cantankerous protagonist with an old, cantankerous love story. Loved it.” —Chuck Wendig, author of Blackbirds

"Throne of the Crescent Moon is colorful, magical, exciting, and moving. Saladin Ahmed delivers a beautiful story of a demon hunter in an Arabian Nights setting. An excellent first novel!" —Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times-bestselling author of The Dark Between the Stars

“Ahmed is not your typical fantasy writer, and this is no ordinary debut novel. With deft plotting, painstaking characterization, and fluid prose, Ahmed brings us a riveting adventure, complete with stunning magics and compelling intrigue. A thoroughly enjoyable read from one of the genre’s rising stars.” —David B. Coe, Crawford award-winning author of The Dark-Eye’s War

“Ahmed's writing is deft and graceful, and his characters move through a world of real stakes and significant consequences, much to their cost. Combine this with glorious setting and his careful mastery of craft, and you have a lovely fantasy read on your hands.” —Jay Lake, award-winning author of Green

“[Ahmed] writes prose that's colorful and evocative, but he's equally influenced by sword-and-sorcery tales and Dungeons & Dragons, and his work is bursting with zany antics, witty banter and grotesque monsters.” —Wired
 
“A fun, fast-moving story where good is good, evil is evil, but there’s still room for political turmoil and intrigue alongside spells, swordplay, and undead monsters.” —AV Club
 
"Ahmed spins a seriously engaging adventure tale.... One of the many pleasures of Throne of the Crescent Moon—aside from Ahmed's skill at making his monster fights feel positively cinematic—are all the realistic little details of life in a city riddled with magic." —io9
 
“Extraordinary... Chances are very good that you’ll find Throne of the Crescent Moon to be one of the best novels you read this year.” —B&N Explorations
 
“The vivid world of the Crescent Moon Kingdoms is rich with allusions to Middle Eastern folklore and culture.... Ahmed uses this setting to deliver a well-crafted, fast-paced adventure with a highly entertaining cast of characters, each with a distinctive voice.” —Tor.com
 
“A delight in every imaginable way.” —The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
 
“There’s a wonderful soul to Throne of the Crescent Moon and, with all the skill and eloquence he showed in his short fiction, Ahmed has brought to life a wonderful cast of characters and introduced readers to a thrilling and interesting new world to explore.” —Aidan Moher, A Dribble of Ink

From the Publisher

"There's a wonderful soul to Throne of the Crescent Moon and, with all the skill and eloquence he showed in his short fiction, Ahmed has brought to life a wonderful cast of characters and introduced readers to a thrilling and interesting new world to explore."

A Dribble of Ink

"Throne of the Crescent Moon is the best fantasy swashbuckler of the year so far.... If you love smart escapism, don't miss out on this book."

io9.com

"A genuinely brisk, bold, and colorful diversion.... Flashing swords, leaping bandits, holy magic, bloodthirsty monsters, and sumptuous cuisine... what more do you want me to do, draw you a map? Read this thing."

Scott Lynch

"Ahmed is a master storyteller in the grand epic tradition. Swashbuckling adventure, awesome mystery, a bit of horror, and all of it written beautifully. A real treat!"

N. K. Jemisin

"This promising debut offers a glimpse of a dusty and wonderful fantasy city through the eyes of three engaging, unconventional protagonists."

Elizabeth Bear

"Throne of the Crescent Moon is colorful, magical, exciting, and moving. Saladin Ahmed delivers a beautiful story of a demon hunter in an Arabian Nights setting. An excellent first novel!"

Kevin J. Anderson

"Readers yearning for the adventures of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser will delight in the arrival of Adoulla and Raseed. In addition to these two marvelous characters, Saladin Ahmed has given us the wonderful, colorful city of Dhamsawaat, ghuls and demons and manjackals, and the ferocious tribeswoman Zamia, who gives new meaning to the words 'wild girl.'"

Walter Jon Williams

"Bottom line: If you’re a fantasy fan – and it doesn’t matter if you’re a fan of paranormal fantasy, epic fantasy, dark fantasy, etc. – chances are very good that you’ll find Throne of the Crescent Moon to be one of the best novels you read this year."

B&N Explorations

Ahmed’s debut masterfully paints a world both bright and terrible. Doctor Adoulla Makhslood is a professional destroyer of ghuls, clawed creatures whose hissing sounds like “a thousand serpents rasping with a man’s hatred.” He’s almost ready to retire when an unheard-of number of the monsters all but wipe out an entire clan of the Badawi people. Hunting the sorcerer who raised the ghuls, Adoulla and his religiously uptight swordsman apprentice, Raseed, are aided by the lone Badawi survivor, a girl named Zamia who can transform into a lion. They soon discover that the mysterious figure plans to cast an ancient sacrificial spell powerful enough to wreck the world. Unobtrusive hints of backstory contribute to the sense that this novel is part of a larger ongoing tale, and the Arab-influenced setting is full of vibrant description, characters, and religious expressions that will delight readers weary of pseudo-European epics. Agent: Donald Maass Literary Agency. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Throne of the Crescent Moon is a delight in every imaginable way.

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction

When the niece of a woman once dear to him is murdered by a demon, Doctor Adoulla Makhslood, the last of the true ghul (ghoul) hunters, leaves his precious retirement to track down the killers. Enlisting the help of old adventuring friends—the mage Dawoud and his alchemist wife Litaz, as well as his assistant, the passionately fanatic young dervish Raseed bas Raseed—Adoulla scours the great city of Dhamsawaat for clues to the identity of the infamous Orshado, the ghul of ghuls, who threatens to destroy the world. Also joining the hunt is Zamia, a young tribeswoman gifted with the ability to take the form of a lioness, who seeks revenge for the massacre of her entire tribe. VERDICT Set in a quasi-Middle Eastern city and populated with the supernatural creatures of Arab folklore, this long-awaited debut by a finalist for the Nebula and Campbell awards brings The Arabian Nights to sensuous life. The maturity and wisdom of Ahmed's older protagonists are a delightful contrast to the brave impulsiveness of their younger companions. This trilogy launch will delight fantasy lovers who enjoy flawed but honorable protagonists and a touch of the exotic.

Library Journal

Doctor Adoulla is an older man who is an accomplished but weary ghul hunter. At his side is a young dervish filled with religious zeal and energy. Joining them is Zamia, a shape-shifter who is passionately seeking revenge for the murder of her Bedouin tribe by ghuls that were created by the evil magician Adoulla is seeking. Phil Gigante’s narration is fast and rich as the three come together in their mission to save their kingdom—but not without dramatic clashes between them. Gigante’s artful presentation gives the characters dimension and delivers the suspense in the brisk action sequences. He’s equally adroit with the humor that lightens the mood and with the story’s political intrigue. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2012 - AudioFile

Distinctive Middle Eastern fantasy from newcomer Ahmed. In Dhamsawaat, chief city of the Crescent Moon Kingdoms, Doctor Adoulla Makhslood has devoted his life to hunting and destroying ghuls, constructs brewed from bones, sand and bugs and animated by the vile blood-magic of evil sorcerers. Now fat, old and weary, Adoulla endeavors to ignore the power struggle developing between the cruel, despotic, aloof Khalif and the elusive, magic-powered Robin Hood-style thief who calls himself the Falcon Prince. But when the family of his old flame-turned-brothel keeper Miri is slaughtered by ghuls, Adoulla sets aside his teacup, summons his young assistant, Raseed, a deadly but naive warrior dervish steeped in the religion of his sect, and by the will of God steels himself for another battle. Tracking the ghuls into the desert, Adoulla and Raseed come upon a young girl, Zamia, whose entire family have also been slaughtered by the ghuls. Zamia, a shapeshifter who can take the form of a huge golden lioness with silver claws, proves more than adept at killing ghuls, but her femininity and forwardness deeply trouble the pious and traditional Raseed. Equally disturbing to Adoulla is the sheer sorcerous power necessary to create such terrible ghuls, and indications that the Falcon Prince is somehow involved. Adoulla, while no fan of the vicious Khalif, refuses to endorse a disastrous civil war. As you might expect, the Arabian Nights theme dominates, and in language, style and approach, Ahmed carries it off with only minor slips into American vernacular. Equally impressive are characters who struggle not only against their opponents but against their own misgivings and desires, and accept that victory may be achieved only at great personal cost. An arresting, sumptuous and thoroughly satisfying debut.

Kirkus Reviews