Fantasy Finds: Ahmed Salah Al-Mahdi
I recommend anything by Ahmed Salah Al-Mahdi, a bright new talent in the Arab World. His books provide great suspense, enchanting world building, satisfying storylines, and compelling characters.See here for his website, and here and here for two interviews with him.
His first book available in English is Reem: Into the Unknown. Review available here. Also available in Arabic wherever you get your books (including ebook at Kotobi, paperback at Neelwafurat, and Audiobook at Storytel).
My mini-review of Malaz, a futuristic novel
In this book, the plot was unpredictable in the beginning. It surprised me more than once! Eventually it was clear where the story was going, but the beginning set up space for multiple possible directions. In a sequel, it would be fun to see another possible direction explored (for example, the protagonist’s personal relationships, or the politics of various groups of people within Malaz or outside of it, or a journey through different parts of this world). The protagonist character learns, grows, and succeeds. In a sequel, it would be fun to see this character develop even more, as well as the character Jihad. I enjoyed the imaginary, futuristic Egypt. In a sequel, I would like to read even more about the landscape.
At the end of this book, I want more! I hope to see a sequel some day! However, I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in an imaginative, fun story. It includes adventure, revenge, coming-of-age, and a hint of romance!
[Update: The prequel (الشتاء الأسود / Black Winter ) is now available, although I have yet to read it.]
