Pashazade (Arabesk)

Jon Courtenay Grimwood is not well known in the USA, I was recommended this book by a fan from Australia. After reading this one and his "Stamping Butterflies", I'm going to read all of his books. Pashazade is a complex, detailed mystery that is comparable in scope to Ian McDonald's River of Gods. The foreign culture and setting are exquisitely portrayed, the characters have depth, and the plot is rich in intrigue and twists. An excellent, challenging book.

Pashazade has been on my in-pile for a good year and a half. I've picked it up a dozen times, read the first page repeatedly, but never launched into it. Now the time was right, and after a good start Thursday night, spent all afternoon baking in the sun and devouring this dense, lyrical, intricate and most unusual book. Pashazade is nominally sf - it's set in an alternate universe in 2106 or so, one in which President Wilson, rather than intervening in World War I, negotiated a settlement that left the old empires intact. The setting, al-Iskandriah under 21st Century Ottoman rule, is the star of the book as Los Angeles in the 40s starred in classic noir. And sun-baked, redolent, languid noir it is. Pashazade reminded me of a blend of first-season Veronica Mars and Chinatown - the hero with a personal stake in a killing rooted in local politics, intrigue and corruption. Add a post-cyberpunk, quite broken reluctant hero, an utterly annoyance-free precocious kid and a lovely billionaire's daughter, and you've got ultramodern noir at its finest. But more than just a fine example of a genre updated - I've fallen in love with al-Iskanriah in a way I have with very, very few story settings: the Rome of the early Falco novels, the city of Amber, the Federation, the beach in front of Troy - it's a very short list of places for a lifetime of reading. Al-Iskandriah is that vivid, that intriguing, that layered and nuanced and real. And Grimwood can turn a phrase, too - there are a lot of subtle gems of prose, nothing too garish for someone who does *not* like an obtrusive or mannered style. At last year's ComiCon, I was given an Advance Reading Copy of the sequel, Effendi. I'm headed back to the Ottoman Empire's greatest free port...

Abetted by his Aunt Nafisa, who he never knew existed, Ashraf el-Mansur comes to the Mediterranean port city of El Iskandryia having escaped from an American prison. Lady Nafisa explains to her nephew that her brother married American Sally Welham and though divorced five days later, he is a legitimate offspring of an Emir. Aunt Nafisa introduces Ashraf to her niece nine year old Hani and his future wife Zara daughter of wealth; both hate him because the fuss made over him interferes with their respective lives. However, before his aunt can complete arrangements for his entrance into the elite of Ottoman society, she is killed. As a newcomer and the sole heir to her fortune, the police suspect Ashraf murdered his aunt. Based on his American experience with Chinese employers, Ashraf knows he must prove his innocence or be railroaded into prison or worse. His only help comes from two females who loath him. PASHAZADE is a fabulous futuristic amateur sleuth tale built on an alternate historical foundation to include Germany winning World War I and the Ottoman Empire thriving in the early twenty-first century. The who-done-it is cleverly handled so that mystery buffs have a solid investigative tale with some intriguing police procedural elements. The cast is terrific. Ashraf also known as ZeeZee struggles with what he has learned about his patriarchal ancestry (his mother could not provide two consistent responses as her version of the truth kept wavering) and with his aunt's death. Hani and Zara add depth to Ashraf's character. However, the star is the city of El Iskandryia where fundamentalist Islamic and western hedonists share a troubled past and shop at Wal-Mart. Harriet Klausner

This was my first foray into the world of cyberpunk, and it really shook me. My husband and I drank in the strange visions, the dark and different world, and eagerly anticipated the release of each following book, Effendi and Fellahin. From there I've delved into Gibson (they say I should have started there, but I assure you if this is unfamiliar territory to you as it was for me, this is a fine place to begin.) I can't recommend this book highly enough. Disturbing, dark, engrossing, challenging... I am constantly recommending Mr. Grimwood's books to my friends.

Superb, atmospheric, dark and yet hopeful; the whole of this trilogy is a romp through an alternative present/near future. The setting is outside the Euro/American cultural confines we are used to so there is an exoticism about the story that gives it a delicious edge. The plot is complex and full of twists; the characters likewise. Highly recommended for anyone who likes alternative history scenarios or who is interested in Arabic/Middle-Eastern cultures. I couldn't put these books down.