MPoC Reviews: Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed
This is definitely the kind of book that blurbs are always calling “a romp.”
A lot of the time I find the term offputting, since it seems to suggest a certain amount of energy output involved in reading it, when I might be in the mood for a more soothing form of escapism. I lucked out here, because this book was much better than most throwaway fantasy romps.
Throne of the Crescent Moon starts out fairly action-y, in your Massive Fantasy Metropolis of Dhamsawwaat, and paints a rather provocative portrait of Doctor Adoulla Makhslood, Ghul Hunter as your elderly, hedonistic protagonist. He’ll make you smirk, and comes dangerously close to the precipice of Dirty Old Man Trope Ravine without falling into it. I’d say the saving grace for our not-so-humble protagonist is his interpersonal engagements with everyone from his long lost love, his stiff-necked protege, two dear old friends, and even a renegade Prince of Thieves.
Something I very much appreciated about this book was how little information about the characters, the magic system, the political intrigue, and the villain was revealed while still keeping me fully engaged and emotionally invested in what was happening. During the scary parts, revealing less made me imagine the horror more (perhaps a little too viscerally; good job, Mr. Ahmed!), the deftly simple character sketches it made me crave backstories and in-depth internal monologues, and the glimpses of court etiquette (and breaches thereof) made me want to know all about the history, trade routes, and proper table settings of the Khalif’s court and country. Are these City-States? Nations? I must know the possible diplomatic repercussions of these events!!! Either way, I hope it’s clear that my further interest in this world and its inhabitants was piqued, to say the least.
My favorite POV character was Litaz, an elderly Alchemist/Healer and long time friend of The Doctor, whose intriguingly hinted-at past as a spoiled noblewoman from The Soo Republic contrasted remarkably with her current circumstances and location. I am absolutely 100% smitten and would read ten novels about her life, adventures, affairs, travels, and recipes.
One of the most surprising and interesting aspects of this work for me was the attention to detail and reality of conflicts between generations. Raseed, Adoulla’s young apprentice, is an internally conflicted and obnoxiously preachy religious fighter, and Zamia’s fervent and almost religious commitment to her people and traditions comes off much the same. The older characters are quite understandably frustrated by this, but they also lack the patience and empathy the younger characters probably deserve. The younger characters, on their parts, certainly should be extending more respect and consideration toward their elders, and the entire mess is a surprisingly compelling dance between very flawed characters who share a rather important goal: Saving The World, of course!
From what and whom, I’m not even going to tell you, because I was just so impressed by how unsettling it was. I’m not even sure I could describe it properly, but let me just say small amounts of gore deployed effectively were enough to convince me that this evil certainly needs to be stopped.
You can read an excerpt here at SaladinAhmed.com
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After the sour taste Jay Lake’s “Green” left in my brain, I should read this one again :)
