Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

Throne of the Crescent Moon is a refreshingly different book in so many ways. For a start, its setting is a mythical Arabia rather than a version of medieval Europe. The hero is not a young, handsome variation of the Eternal Champion. He is, instead, an old, fat man called Doctor Adoulla Makhslood who is the last, real ghul hunter in Dhamsawaat, a bustling city that totters on the brink of a civil war between the Khalif and a mysterious man known only as The Falcon Prince. Adoulla, rather than a thirst for adventure, has grown tired of the life that God has given him. All he really wants to do is drink cardamom tea, eat pastries and watch the world go by.

Once ghul hunters like Adoulla were as plentiful as the very monsters they fought, but no longer. Unfortunately, for the good Doctor, God still has work for him to do.

“Adoulla and his friends had dispatched enough fiendish creatures over the decades to make him suspect that the old threats were starting to regain a foothold on God’s great earth. Yet He had not deigned to raise scores of new ghul hunters. Instead, for reasons known only to He Who Holds All The Answers, God had seen fit to pile trouble onto the stooped shoulders of a few old folks. One day – one day very soon – Adoulla feared his spine would snap under the strain.”

Adoulla is aided by a young man called Raseed bas Raseed, a five-foot tall, young dervish warrior, armed with a curved, fork-tipped sword and a zealot’s heart. Still in training and full of desire to serve God, Raseed is the antithesis of Adoulla’s world-weariness. But, as Raseed spends more time with Adoulla, his faith is put under considerable strain as he starts to see the world is not as simple as the scriptures teach.

Religion is central to these characters’ lives but it feels very natural within Throne of the Crescent Moon and not over-powering or preachy in any way – no matter what faith the reader may or may not have. It provides the moral code for Adoulla and Raseed to live by and one that provides as many problems as it does comfort. Raseed, in particular, is constantly conflicted between his beliefs and the realities of being a young, fit man.

One day, Raseed brings a young boy to Adoulla who has watched his parents killed by ghuls. After hearing the boy’s tale, Adoulla realises God has one last mission for him. As tired as he is, he cannot allow any ghuls to remain at large so, once more, he must find the energy to hunt down the evil forces of the Treacherous Angel. Adoulla and Raseed are soon joined in their quest, by a shape-changing girl called Zamia, the last of a desert-dwelling tribe, and Adoulla’s good friends, a magus called Dawoud, and Litaz, a healer. As the dangers mount around our intrepid band, our heroes find themselves in a race against time to save the life of a vicious despot before Dhamsawaat, and the world itself, is turned into a blood-soaked ruin.

Saladin Ahmed has created a colourful and vibrant world to set a classic tale of swords and sorcery. As he breaks all the conventions we have come to expect, he brings, with his writing, a freshness that has long been missing from the genre. His characters are not cookie-cutter hero types but real people who feel fear and doubt as they find themselves in situations they would give anything not to be in. Using magic has consequences for his characters, whether it be of a physical, mental or financial cost and it is no guarantee even then that they will survive. Often they face choices between the lesser of two evils and make as many wrong decisions as right but that’s what makes Adoulla and his crew so captivating. It’s impossible to find a favourite character within Throne of the Crescent Moon as everyone is fully developed and, by the end, we have shared so much together with them.

The pace of the book slows dramatically during the middle section as each of our heroes search various corners of Dhamsawaat looking for clues leading to the identity of the man responsible for the ghul attacks. This only strengthens the feeling of frustration that surrounds Adoulla and his friends. It also gives Ahmed the perfect opportunity to show the city from its throne rooms to its darkest alleyways. We meet Khalifs, brothel keepers, alkhemists and the Humble Students – men charged with chastising any they feel do not walk the path of God. The writing is so vivid that one can almost smell the streets and feel the bustle of its people. Dhamsawaat is almost a character in its own right and Ahmed handles it perfectly, revealing the city bit by bit as each new area is ventured to. He knows how to reveal just enough detail to make the city feel real without overplaying his hand and suffocating the book with the cleverness of his world-building. Dhamsawaat is a wonderful place to visit and promises to provide an endless source of adventure for Adoulla in the future.

Throne of the Crescent Moon is a slim volume in comparison to most fantasy books these days, but that’s because there isn’t an ounce of fat in it. For a debut author, Ahmed has written the perfect introduction to an intriguing world with truely original characters in a tale that is impossible to put down. Adoulla may be hoping for a quiet life but, I for one, hope many more ghuls and monsters cross his path for years to come.

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