Throne of the Crescent Moon (The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, #1)

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Throne of the Crescent Moon (The Crescent Moon Kingdoms #1)

by Saladin Ahmed (Goodreads Author)

3.58 of 5 stars 3.58 · rating details · 2,404 ratings · 588 reviews

From Saladin Ahmed, finalist for the Nebula and Campbell Awards, comes one of the year’s most anticipated fantasy debuts: THRONE OF THE CRESCENT MOON, a fantasy adventure with all the magic of The Arabian Nights.

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 th...more

Hardcover, 274 pages

Published February 7th 2012 by DAW

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Jun 12, 2013 StoryTellerShannon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-scifi, books-reviewed

This debut novel inspired by “One Thousand and One Nights” is a fantasy setting which is refreshingly in a non Anglo-French environment. The tale focuses on several different viewpoints but most notably on an old ghul hunter (one of the last of his kind in the area) named Adoulla who is unusually loving and faithful towards his capitol city but sometimes poor at expressing his feelings towards the people he cares about. He has a few close people to him who all end up appearing in his life in dif...more This debut novel inspired by “One Thousand and One Nights” is a fantasy setting which is refreshingly in a non Anglo-French environment. The tale focuses on several different viewpoints but most notably on an old ghul hunter (one of the last of his kind in the area) named Adoulla who is unusually loving and faithful towards his capitol city but sometimes poor at expressing his feelings towards the people he cares about. He has a few close people to him who all end up appearing in his life in different roles during the unfolding of this tale.

As Adoulla's ghul hunting continues he eventually discovers something larger and more sinister (not much of a surprise in a fantasy tale, right?) and along the way picks up some more allies. It's a good tale but the best part is the Arabian flavor simply because I hardly see it well done. This is an exception. Magic is on the uncommon to rare side and is usually temporarily or permanently taxing. The division between the nobility/royalty and the commoners was spot on. I hate it when those debut fantasy novels have the nobility hanging out with the commoners and befriending them just because they're super nice people. Puke. Adoulla's flawed love relationship was more appealing than the one of his assistant, Raseed. I would say the love interest of Raseed was the weakest supporting character as he was very much the archetype.

I have listed more extensive details about the novel in the spoiler section below. Unlike another novel I read recently this series leaves enough things open or kept mysterious enough for me to want to pick up the next book.

WRITING STYLE/PROSE/WORD FLOW: B plus; WORLD FOCUSES: B plus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B to B plus; STORY/PLOTTING: B; WHEN READ: March to April 2012 (revised review end of June 2012); OVERALL GRADE: B plus.

** SPOILERS **

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May 09, 2013 Ceridwen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: daddy-drinks-because-you-cry, fantasy, grrrrl-power, nebula-2012, reviewed, zombies

Cross-posted on Readerling

I am going to begin somewhat uncharitably by making fun of the cover for this book. Now, I know covers ain't content, and usually authors have close to zero say in cover choice, so I'm not making fun of Ahmed here. However:

The cover for Crescent Moon, which has very cartoony looking D&D people looking boss

The cover for Crescent Moon, which has very cartoony looking D&D people looking boss

Seriously.

I showed this cover to my husband and asked, "Where's the Disney singing sidekick?" At which point he retorted, "Is that Mel Brooks?" But snarking hipsterism aside, the cover is kinda perfect, because Throne of the Crescent Moon feels like...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Riku Sayuj rated it 3 of 5 stars

After promising Saladin that I’ll be reviewing the book within a week of its coming out, I stand ashamed that it took me this long to get to it. Probably the reason was that in spite of all the acclaim I had heard heaped on it, I knew in my heart that ‘Throne of the Crescent Moon’ is still an out and out ‘Sword And Sorcery’ fantasy genre novel and I had made a conscious decision to stay away from genre novels. But now that I have just finished reading it, I have to admit that I am reminded of wh...more After promising Saladin that I’ll be reviewing the book within a week of its coming out, I stand ashamed that it took me this long to get to it. Probably the reason was that in spite of all the acclaim I had heard heaped on it, I knew in my heart that ‘Throne of the Crescent Moon’ is still an out and out ‘Sword And Sorcery’ fantasy genre novel and I had made a conscious decision to stay away from genre novels. But now that I have just finished reading it, I have to admit that I am reminded of why I love the fantasy genre above all others. It is because authors like Saladin can bring alive characters and situations and bathe them in all the fantastic magic imaginable and still make them all appear so real and so part of our world. The world-weariness of the fat old codger with the big belly, Doctor Adoulla Makhslood and the internal conflicts of the scrawny zealot, Raseed and the other quirks of every character speaks directly to us and the characters come alive in vivid detail, especially since the author takes care to not spare us the coarser details as well.

There is a level of perfection in Ahmed’s style and narration that you can feel in every page. A tight, well polished reserve in the choice of words and in the slow construction of the plot. The plot is in reality not of central importance in the book. Ahmed spends more than three-quarters of the book developing his characters, making us inhabiting the heads of various characters as they travel about the city of Dhamsawaat, using these quiet spaces to put in vast details about the inner life of these characters and the outer complexity of the fictional city and its teeming complex life.

Unfortunately, this strength of the book is also its weakness. The final climax can only be called anti-climactic in its lack of devoted pages as well as the lack of action, not to mention the lack of any real feeling of conclusion. There is no explanation provided for the existence of the evil they are battling or for the reason of its existence. I do not want to go into plot details here, but the fact that this is the first in the series should not be an excuse for so little to happen in the book. The characters are developed and primed for a series and the world-building is detailed and complete but the sense of anticipation or of denouement that would draw one back to a series or make one wait eagerly for the next edition is sadly lacking.

But then, as Ahmed makes clear in the last musings of Adoulla, this book was perhaps not intended to be an epic with world-changing climaxes and thundering, sky-splitting battles. Maybe the world-weariness and resignation of Adoulla is also the premise of the book - To remind us that no matter what you achieve, life still goes on with all the challenges still there, undiminished and after the night celebrating your greatest achievement, the next day again dawns and you have to trudge on.

If you are a fantasy fan who has been mourning the superficiality that permeates the genre and is on the lookout for a reflective and quiet but rich and satisfying read, this might be worth picking up. Don’t let the religious overtones and the constant allusions to God and the ‘Avenging Angel’ put you off too much, those are just a part of the magic world the characters inhabit and the book is not trying to convey any religious messages. The invocations from the Holy Book etc., serve as spells in Ahmed’s world and all are weapons of God in a drawn out struggle against the forces of evil which might reach an epic conclusion in some future book in the series. In fact, these religious allusions help in adding texture and credibility to the deeply arabic experience that Ahmed is trying to create. This adds to the rich Arabian atmosphere and the originality with which a glorious Muslim kingdom is painted along with the language, the addresses and the mannerisms will all provide for an authentic 12th Century Arabian Nights like experience.

For a debut author, Saladin Ahmed shows exceptional mastery of his craft and his book is unlikely to disappoint any serious reader who is looking for a bit more than a few swords slashing and spells misfiring. If nothing else, this book was a tuition class in plot and character development by Ahmed, maybe as a practical example to aid the people he helps through his Novel Critiques ad commentaries. This series and the world that Ahmed has created definitely has the potential to develop into something amazing. The groundwork has been lain in this first book and here is hoping that Saladin Ahmed manages to build a grand castle on it soon.(less)

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Jan 25, 2013 Eric rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fantasy fans looking for strangely something familiar... yet totally different

Recommended to Eric by: Library

Shelves: fantasy

This book is what happens when you take a Dungeons & Dragons campaign and The Arabian Nights: Tales from a Thousand and One Nights and put them in a blender.

Its cast has the familiar feel of a D&D adventuring party. There's party leader Adoulla, the world-weary but determined ghul-hunter; his assistant Raseed bas Raseed, a fanatically devout dervish; Zamia, the wild tribeswoman that can take the shape of a lioness; aged-beyond-his-years wizard Dawoud; his alchemist wife Litaz; and the e...more

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Jul 06, 2012 A.E. Marling added it

Not your father's sword and sorcery:

In the stories of Conan, the mages were always the villains, with their jars filled with pickled human remains and frenetic incantations. Good and evil were as distinct as the different sides of Conan's sword. He might have had the help from a few two-dimensional babes (described exclusively by their bust), but the ol' sword and fists were responsible for most of the plot progression.

The Throne of the Crescent Moon has its evil sorcerer, but also its good ones...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Derrick rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, fantasy, disappointment

Thanks be to God, who allows authors to finally run the *&)(^%$ out of worthless words.

This book could have been 20% shorter if the author hadn't made his characters "bless", "thank", "praise", "be damned" or some such "God" for EVERY PHRACKING THING THEY DO!!!!!!!!!!!

Does the young hothead think a thought? Praise God he can think.

Does the old fat magician like a particular food? Thank God he can taste it.

And on and on and on.

I went into this book thinking I was going to get a rousing middle...more

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May 27, 2013 Evgeny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

An old ghoul-hunter, most probably last of his kind, is asked to investigate a killings of his friend's grandnephew family. Little does he know he is about to face the most dangerous enemy he ever faced, and he is definitely past his prime physically. To add to his problems, a revolution is brewing in the city. The current Khalif managed to alienate almost all people except for the wealthiest of merchants with high taxes. A self-proclaimed seemingly impossible to catch the Prince of Thieves lead...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Moonglum rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, swords-and-sorcery

This book takes a fun, swashbuckling, swords and sorcery style tale, and then makes it 5 star with some excellent world building, thoughtful and relevant political and cultural discourse, moral ambiguities, and most of all great characters. The world is an Arabian Nights style fantasy world with fantastical riffs on Middle Eastern and North African cultures, take that, and then add in a Josh Whedon level of character development-- a strict, pseudo-fundamentalist style law abiding dervish, the ol...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Yune rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was enthusiastic about acquiring this Arab-flavored sword and sorcery, then found the beginning a bit sluggish: the last ghul-hunter in the city is taking tea. Not quite the page-turning experience I was expecting.

But this ended up being an aspect that I appreciated about the book: several of the characters are nearing or have reached retirement, and their young protégés are clearly portrayed as a bit rash and naïve. And there's a romance that came to an abrupt halt when the ghul-hunting caree...more

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Apr 13, 2012 Vernieda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, poc-author, characters-of-color

This was an okay read but to be honest, I probably wouldn't have finished it if it hadn't been for the setting which is fresh and new in the fantasy genre. (Sadly, because it shouldn't be considered fresh and new.) It is old school adventure fantasy -- meaning the focus is on the adventure and not so much on the characters. They are given personalities but it's not really deep exploration or characterization.

I liked the fact that three of the major characters were old! I liked Adoulla -- he did...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Rogan Hamby rated it 3 of 5 stars

Have you ever read a book and wanted it to be better than it was? No, not just in a “I’m spending my precious time on this” way but for external reasons as well? I’ve spent six months reading The Throne of the Crescent Moon. It is true I don’t get a lot of time to read but I also found this book easy to put down and interrupt with … well, most things.

Now, I must admit my bias. I have a deep affection for mythic Arabian settings so this book appealed to me. I was also glad to have a book that wa...more Have you ever read a book and wanted it to be better than it was? No, not just in a “I’m spending my precious time on this” way but for external reasons as well? I’ve spent six months reading The Throne of the Crescent Moon. It is true I don’t get a lot of time to read but I also found this book easy to put down and interrupt with … well, most things.

Now, I must admit my bias. I have a deep affection for mythic Arabian settings so this book appealed to me. I was also glad to have a book that wasn’t marketed as part of a trilogy or longer series. Additionally, this book was on several best of the year lists for 2012 so my hopes were high. Icarus found out what happens when things fly too high.

The failings of Throne of the Crescent Moon are damning and easily enumerated. One, the characters are flat - they do not grow or change or surprise you. The dervish's growth is a farce - you know what will happen to him in vague strokes within the first few pages of the book and by the time the bedouin girl is introduced you can guess the exact ending (and you will be right). Two, the plot is thin; the twists have nothing to surprise you much less go “wow I would have never thought of that.”

And it’s third sin is that it isn't a world, The Throne of the Crescent Moon is really a great Dungeons and Dragons campaign setting and if the author hasn’t played plenty of D&D in his life I would be shocked. I won’t list the details here but players of D&D will recognize the subtle conventions he obeys and the structures he fits things into. That is not a sin in and of itself - The Gentleman Bastard books show how you can take a gaming campaign and tell compelling stories in it. But, when you supply that kind of structure you are telling stories as you do in a game and the writer takes the place of the Dungeon Master. It’s a dangerous gamble because not only does the writer get to stack the deck but there aren’t really any players to make choices. To make the story that comes out of it compelling the writer has to be gifted enough to create that illusion.

And that is where this failed.

The characters are likeable to but too flat with no surprises and as a reader you never feel so invested that you cheer for them or feel as if their failures harm you. The structure is that of a classic adventure and that’s not a great thing for a novel. The threat is massive but fits into too small a story’s space. The book is too small. The book I was thrilled to see as a stand alone novel was resolved in half the space it should have been. It felt like we jumped from the prelude with the foot soldiers straight to killing the big bad without any twists in the plot. The challenges along the way are ... not significant. I bought into the grandeur of the kingdom and that made the adventure too small. The resolution feels like a deus ex machina.

Perhaps the frustration is that the writer does know his craft. His sense of language is good and engaging. There are elements of the world’s construction that are forced and others that draw you in. The characters are too flat (is that the third time I’ve mentioned that?) but likeable and while not unique are not cliches either. There was enough good here that I want to read more in this world and I want to read more from this writer. There was enough good that I want to see him grow and be there to read his work as it improves. Did this debut novel blow me away? No, but it was a throw away enjoyable read in the end if disappointing because there at times hints of it’s greater potential. Heck, it was better than Steinbeck’s first book, Cup of Gold!

Finally, there is something compelling about a writer with the cojones to just throw out there “here is my pseudo Muslim world of good versus evil and the good guys are good because they are the faithful of God.” Maybe that’s what I find hard to define but I like so far about the author’s attitude: he has audacity and a voice and sometimes those are the hardest things for an author to have.(less)

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Jan 29, 2013 Kate rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, families, fantasy, fiction, international-interest, medieval-fantasy, religion, romance-romantic, islam

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I wanted to read this book from the second I heard about it, because several bloggers I respected kept raving about how wonderful it was. It seemed like it would be a nice change--a medieval fantasy in which the pseudo-Middle-Eastern setting was the main focus of the story, not just an exotic sidetrack.

I think that was the problem: in this case, the setting was the main focus of the story--to the point where the characters and plot were used to show off the setting, rather than vice versa. Dhams...more

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Mar 10, 2012 Nathan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: author-male, high-fantasy, read-2012, rated-3-star

I am going to go ahead and admit that this book did not live up to my expectations, but that is more on ignorance from me going into it. I was expecting something different, a unique setting coming from a different perspective from most fantasy.

What I got was a fairly run of the mill, though very tightly written, fantasy book that was enjoyable, but didn't rock my world or challenge my way of thinking.

The Good? For one thing, more fantasy authors need to take a page from Ahmed on the book lengt...more I am going to go ahead and admit that this book did not live up to my expectations, but that is more on ignorance from me going into it. I was expecting something different, a unique setting coming from a different perspective from most fantasy.

What I got was a fairly run of the mill, though very tightly written, fantasy book that was enjoyable, but didn't rock my world or challenge my way of thinking.

The Good? For one thing, more fantasy authors need to take a page from Ahmed on the book length. This was a quick read, never slogged, didn't have pages upon pages of descriptions, and yet never felt rushed either. Just like a groan if I see a movie is two hours long these days, I enjoy these quick reads sometimes.

I also loved the main character. An elderly, overweight vulgar man with a heart of gold. He did not have hidden depths, but that was ok for this story. I still felt his pain when he lost something important, knew he cared for those under his care, and believed that while he had regrets, they were not from past evils, only normal human choices.

I also enjoyed the lighter tone. Lord knows I have read my share of GRIMDARK, and the prologue gave the impression that this may be one of them. But while this wasn't a kids story, Ahmed wasn't one to dwell on the blood and violence.

There were some enjoyable secondary characters as well, a husband/wife team that help out being the best.

The Bad? For one the world building. Not much there at all. Part of that allows for the quick pace I enjoyed, but perhaps it was taken too far. The magic system seems completely made up, is it based on faith or something separate? Does it have limitations or is it unlimited in use? Who knows, certainly not the reader after it ends.

I also did not enjoy the two "sidekicks," for lack of better word. The main characters apprentice could have been interesting, torn between his faith and the world that is actually in front of him. But it never really clicked, and I never really felt his tension(to see this aspect work better, read God's War by Hurley). The main female protagonist is only a set piece. She gets rescued, does a rescue, and follows around the hero, and has a very minor love side story.

That may seem like a lot of bad , but I really did enjoy this book. It is my fault, I was hoping for the NEXT GREAT DEBUT from a fantasy author, and instead got a enjoyable but fairly forgettable read. (less)

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Mar 09, 2012 Lisa Grabenstetter rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ahmed's strength is in action sequences. You don't see that often in fantasy, I've staggered through some painfully slow, confusing, and awkward fight scenes in otherwise brilliant novels. Ahmed's masterful at packing spare but essential detail next to perfect pacing – he got me looking forward to fights, which for a person who usually dozes off during explosions in movies is a real feat.

The in-between-fight-scenes often became bogged down in reiterations of the characters' feelings – I'm pretty...more

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Apr 22, 2013 John rated it 4 of 5 stars

First off, my usual caveat that I save 5 stars for life/mind-transforming books. Also, I listened to the audiobook version of this, which is why I may shy away from writing place and character names.

There is so much to love about Throne of the Crescent Moon.

Setting: The setting is refreshingly non-European: I felt that it was inspired largely by the Baghdad of 10-12 centuries ago, when it was the center of a great Islamic empire, and a seat of cosmopolitan learning and commerce and culture. (I...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Robert rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

To have lived, fought and loved. Essentially that's what Throne of the Crescent Moon comes down to, a tale of lives lived fully, battles fought tirelessly and those loved wholly. It makes for an impressive read, at times. Unfortunately when it's not being impressive its downright oppressive. God's Peace unto you, In God's Name, God's Praises and so on and so on and so...you get the drift.

Speaking of oppressive, why does everyone need to prove themselves to everyone else that they are so god fear...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Bill Blume rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I debated a lot on whether to rate this as three or four stars. In the end, I had to go with four. Saladin Ahmed definitely deserves it for the work performed here.

What really makes me like this book is that Ahmed offers something a little different with it. It's not merely the window dressing of an Arabian-style city, but rather that he offers readers a grown up and sometimes violent fairy tale. A reader can easily complain about the limited explanations for how magic works in this reality, and...more I debated a lot on whether to rate this as three or four stars. In the end, I had to go with four. Saladin Ahmed definitely deserves it for the work performed here.

What really makes me like this book is that Ahmed offers something a little different with it. It's not merely the window dressing of an Arabian-style city, but rather that he offers readers a grown up and sometimes violent fairy tale. A reader can easily complain about the limited explanations for how magic works in this reality, and at first, this bothered me. A little more than a third of the way through the book, I realized that Ahmed's handling of the magic and the story itself resembles the magic often found in fairy tales. In fairy tales, we are not given precise details about how wizards and witches perform their craft. They simply speak a fancy set of words and cool stuff happens that moves the plot. Ahmed does, at least, make it clear that these magics exact a price on the user, but that's about as far as he goes with that. Once I recognized and accepted this, I found I enjoyed this book a lot.

For an epic fantasy novel, Ahmed provides a lean story. No sooner would I see something that seemed unnecessary to the book than he would turn around and surprise me by putting it to good use. Everything within this book serves a purpose, and that is good writing.

If I must pick a gripe with this novel, then it would be the prologue. This scene just felt so unnecessarily violent to me. Ahmed does somewhat make good on this later by having three prologues (one for the start of each act of this story) which lead up to an important moment within the final battle. I'm still not convinced this works well for the story, though. The first prologue cuts a very fine line between establishing how bad the "Big Bad" is and "torture porn." I do think these scenes help establish why Orshado changes only certain people into what amounts to zombies, but I don't know that it excuses the way the book starts. In the end, the prologue left a bad taste in my mouth, and I'm not sure I would have read the book beyond that if it wasn't for it being June's book of the month for the "Fantasy Book Club" here on Goodreads.

This paragraph is a big spoiler, by the way, so if you don't want to know important info about the final battle, then skip to the next paragraph.[spoilers removed]

What Ahmed definitely makes good on is providing a larger than life adventure with some entertaining characters. He also manages to take what is clearly the first book in a larger story and makes it a tale that stands on its own and doesn't leave me feeling cheated. There are plot threads which will clearly carry over into the next book, but even those storylines are provided a bit of closure for the reader. That is no small task. For that alone, Ahmed deserves praise. The challenge for his second book will be to let that story expand as it clearly must, revealing more of the world and perhaps expanding the cast, and to still maintain control of the overall tale.u(less)

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Sep 23, 2012 Adam rated it 2 of 5 stars

I've read a number of Saladin Ahmed's essays on genre fiction. In fact the reason I bumped this book to the top of my lengthy book queue was his Big Idea essay (for John Scalzi's Whatever). I really like the things Saladin Ahmed has to say about the genre.

Too bad I didn't much care for his actual genre writing. The action is dull with no engaging set pieces, and barely serviceable choreography. The whole setting was, in general, a little thin. Adoullah is, apparently, the last ghul hunter, and...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Ithlilian marked it as did-not-finish

Shelves: fantasy

I gave this book a really good try. I couldn't instantly get into it since the characters didn't seem to be doing anything profound and they weren't immediately likable to me, but I gave it another shot. I found my attention wandering all over the place because I couldn't find anything of substance here to grab hold of. The old man character says some religious words to a few creatures which kills them, he has a bit of an attitude, and is a bit grumpy I guess. Put next to his apprentice he seems...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Charlotte rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bookskype

This is good summer fantasy -- highly enjoyable and not too deep. I thought the Middle Eastern setting in particular was well done. I liked that the author used character tropes and phrasing to mimic a bit _One Thousand and One Nights_. I can't really speak to the authenticity but it felt more true to form than just painting European-style characters and plots onto a dessert setting. The main character was fantastic and very different from most fantasy heros. I thought his struggles with aging w...more

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Jun 17, 2013 Amir Fallah rated it 2 of 5 stars

I tried so hard. The author's religious background really shines through this book. This could easily have been four stars had Saladin taken the time to take the "Islam" out of the book, it is after all fantasy. As someone from a Middle-East background, I know what's it's like to hear "God this", "God that", "praise be this" and "praise be that". But if you are asking me to suspend my beliefs and actively participate in a fantasy world, why litter the book with pseudo-Islamic catch phrases? Thos...more

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Jun 12, 2013 Maria rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf-fantasy

I expected more of this book, since it was on several lists of "Best SF-Fantasy Books" for 2012. Maybe my expectations were raised by reading "Alif the Unseen," which was a much better book. I found "Throne of the Crescent Moon" to be annoying in a couple of ways.

First of all, the characters were all deeply disatisfied with their lives and were continually complaining about being "too old for this" or "too good for this" or whining about something else. Half the time, they were whining about how...more I expected more of this book, since it was on several lists of "Best SF-Fantasy Books" for 2012. Maybe my expectations were raised by reading "Alif the Unseen," which was a much better book. I found "Throne of the Crescent Moon" to be annoying in a couple of ways.

First of all, the characters were all deeply disatisfied with their lives and were continually complaining about being "too old for this" or "too good for this" or whining about something else. Half the time, they were whining about how much they disliked their partners. This makes for a very unpleasant read. You want to take each character aside, give them a good shake and say, "Lighten up! You wouldn't be living there, doing this job, if you didn't find some part of it fun or at least interesting!"

Secondly, it suffered from the sorcery intertia problem. In fantasy novels, it can be tricky to balance the swords vs. sorcery elements. If you have lots of swords (i.e., lots of action), it can make for a fun read, but it raises the inevitable question: why not just write a historical novel set in Medieval or Renaissance times--in other words, what makes this book a fantasy vs. historical novel? On the other hand, if you have mostly sorcery, it can be difficult to sustain the reader's interest, because sorcery is harder to dramatize than swordplay. So balancing the sword (or action) quotient with the sorcery quotient is important.

"Crescent Moon" suffers from too much sorcery (and not very original sorcery, at that). The author struggles to make the sorcery seem like a real threat--or to explain how it even works--and his irritating characters make the threat seem even less imminent.

What the author does get right is his world-building. A book that uses Middle Eastern myth is novel enough to sustain some interest, even with its other flaws. Unfortunately, the author succumbs to the current fashion for dark fantasy, in which all of your characters are supposed to be tortured and unhappy. It just doesn't work in this context.(less)

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Jun 11, 2013 Tom Lloyd rated it 4 of 5 stars

Highly entertaining slice of non-trad fantasy - well written and annoyingly smooth in its prose for a first novel, the pages just flew past and I enjoyed every one of them. Kinda like Rothfuss in how easy it was to read, but one that left a better memory of the book in my head so I'm more likely to read the following books!

It pretty much does what it says on the tin, aging ghul hunter and comrades hunt baddies, and does it well in an eastern setting we don't get to see too often in fantasy, give...more

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May 10, 2013 Anthony Emmel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-sword-and-sorcery

Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed, DAW Books, ISBN-10: 0756407788.

I picked this book up, well, not a whim, but I was going through a book store trying to find something that was interesting but not derivative of Tolkien or Moorcock or anything else. This one caught my eye. Even as a kid, I've loved "Arabic" fantasy such as the film The 7 Voyages of Sinbad and in D&D the second gazetteer of the Known World, The Emirates of Ylarum. I was never nonplussed by the inclusion of Azeem...more Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed, DAW Books, ISBN-10: 0756407788.

I picked this book up, well, not a whim, but I was going through a book store trying to find something that was interesting but not derivative of Tolkien or Moorcock or anything else. This one caught my eye. Even as a kid, I've loved "Arabic" fantasy such as the film The 7 Voyages of Sinbad and in D&D the second gazetteer of the Known World, The Emirates of Ylarum. I was never nonplussed by the inclusion of Azeem in Kevin Costner's Robin Hood: The Prince of Thieves. As a budding historian, I read the Qu'ran in 1992 or so, well before 9-11 and gloried in Francisco Gabrielli's Arab Historians of the Crusades. In fact, when I went through my crisis of faith while in the Army during the winter of 1988-89, al-Islam was one religion I seriously considered; it even made the "short list" along with Roman Catholicism, Greek Orthodoxy, and Judaism. So, when I saw this novel and read the cover and thumbed through it, it went in the basket.

A little background as well. The author is a native of Detroit which is always a plus for me; friends thinks it's strange that a 6th generation Texan such as myself would love Detroit so much, but there it is! Ahmed has written several well-received short stories, a collection of which is sitting in my Kindle, waiting for more leisure time. This is his first novel, but it is nominated for both the Nebula and Hugo awards. The author's website is located at: http://www.saladinahmed.com/wordpress/

Some more random thoughts before I delve into it, though. My campaign world of Erda/Kith-Kanan has (of course!) a semi-Middle Eastern area in it named "the Land of the Five Prophets." It is built around the ruins of the ancient Aegyptian Kingdom and religion, a false worship that centered around Shaitan in his aspects of Set and Anubis. The Five Prophets arose at the same time and led the way of the people back to the worship of the One, called the Merciful and Compassionate and never specifically named by them. The players that I've had in Erda over the past 26 years have never directly dealt with the area, but it is in my copious notes and backstory. So, yes, I will tend to look at this novel through "gamer" eyes.

Rasheed the Dervish appears to be a standard 1E monk that uses a double-forked sword. The young female shapeshifter, I can see as a DragonQuest shape-changer as a lion rather than a tiger. There is an alchemist and a healer. the ghul hunter's magics are low key and fit the setting; not sure how I would classify him; maybe as a DragonQuest Namer or possibly a Star Mage. The "Ancient Egypt" of the world is "Kemet." I chuckled because I've read Kmt, the journal of ancient Egyptian archaelogy since the late 1990's; Kmt is the ancient hieroglyphic name of Egypt. I must call mine K'm't now!

The novel centers on Doctor Abdoulla Makhslood, the last of the ghul hunters. Ghuls are apparently magical creations similar to golems made through necromancy that binds elements and death beetles (scarabs?) into a living form; they are slightly different from the haunted "vampires" that haunt charnel houses in Middle Eastern folklore. Accompanied by his protege, Rasheed the Dervish, Abdoulla uncovers a plot that threats the jewel of the lands, the great city Dhamsawaat, his home. Of course, the ghul hunters and his other practitioner friends are somewhere near the bottom of the social totem pole and are seen as charlatans and hedge wizards by the social elite. It's hard not to give any of the plot away, because it does some really neat twists and turns. The atmosphere is evocative and believable. It is also derived from tales such as Sinbad and the like. This is definitely not Tolkien-derived.

I give this book 5 polar bears. It is more than worth the time to read. It is the first of a trilogy and, to be perfectly honest, I've not had more anticipation for a series release since I read Harry Turtledove's Videssos Cycle in high school.
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May 10, 2013 Glee rated it 2 of 5 stars

Loved the characters. Didn't love the story, such as it was. Good writing, good dialog. But it was a chore to finish. Sort of zombie or vampire hunter, but with eastern sensibilities. Don't like zombies, don't like vampires, and now, I don't like ghuls, and I don't like manjackals.

Loved the idea that the protagonist was a sixty-ish, overweight, ready-to-retire ghul hunter. Loved it when he visited old friends and with affectionate exchanges such as "You may look like the son of the bear who scre...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Mark rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, hugo-nominee

Sometimes you read a book and it feels like someone's homebrew Dungeons and Dragons setting. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it means there is a certain ceiling to the enjoyment that you'll get out of it. This is one of those books.

At the very least, it isn't Yet Another European Analogue Fantasy, opting instead to take its inspiration from Arabian Nights sort of stuff. It's very Middle East, right down to the ruler (who is corrupt, of course, surrounded by sycophantic advisers) being na...more Sometimes you read a book and it feels like someone's homebrew Dungeons and Dragons setting. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it means there is a certain ceiling to the enjoyment that you'll get out of it. This is one of those books.

At the very least, it isn't Yet Another European Analogue Fantasy, opting instead to take its inspiration from Arabian Nights sort of stuff. It's very Middle East, right down to the ruler (who is corrupt, of course, surrounded by sycophantic advisers) being named the Khalif. Scimitars, desert tribesmen, open-air bazaars, stories of genies, the noble thief usurper, opulent palaces. These are the things that are there.

The main character is Adoulla, an old ghul hunter - a dying breed, of course - who must find who is responsible for the murder of the family of an old lover. Here is one atypical thing about this book, because the fantasy hero you expect is not an overweight middle-aged guy. His companions are a bit more typical: there's the naive and pious religious warrior Raseed, young and full of adolescent confusion when his travels intersect with a cute young chick, that being Zamia, the desert tribesman whose entire family was murdered and is hell-bent on vengeance. Also, she can turn into a lion-girl. Well, you don't see that every day. Plus she knows deep down she needs to reproduce to carry on the tribe. There is no reproduction in this book, which takes place over the span of a week or so. Not every fantasy story has to be an epic, world-spanning conflict, after all.

On the prose, it is prose. There is nothing awful about it and nothing remarkable. It's there. It moves the plot along, but it does not sparkle. I didn't feel the heat of the desert or hear the din of the crowds. The characters, at least, spoke like they were in this setting and not just modern people dropped into the world, so that's something Ahmed has over Brandon Sanderson, at least.

That this book was deemed one of the five best of the year for a Hugo Awards nomination either says something about the SF/F genre last year or about the Hugo nomination process. I suspect it says more about the latter. A nice read but there is nothing superlative about it at all.(less)

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Apr 07, 2013 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf-book-discussion

High fantasy debut based in Middle Eastern lore…

Dearborn’s own Saladin Ahmed’s fantasy debut introduces the “last real ghul hunter of Dhamsawaat,” Dr. Adoulla Makhslood—an aging, overweight, boisterous man who is growing weary of his calling. He is also an honorable and gifted servant of God, and when the love of his life requests his aid for her family he is pulled back into the hunt. But he and his friends find that the murder of a marsh family is only a small part in a larger, more terrible...more

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Apr 05, 2013 Marcos rated it 4 of 5 stars

In recent months I had been reading books by China Miéville, Iain M. Banks and George R.R. Martin and I was expecting more of the same: convoluted plots, with hundreds of characters to keep track of. But I found that this was not like that at all. This is a straightforward adventure, that goes from beginning to end without unnecessary digressions or the introduction of secondary characters that ultimately play no part in the plot. In a way, it reads like classic fantasy stories by Robert E. Howa...more In recent months I had been reading books by China Miéville, Iain M. Banks and George R.R. Martin and I was expecting more of the same: convoluted plots, with hundreds of characters to keep track of. But I found that this was not like that at all. This is a straightforward adventure, that goes from beginning to end without unnecessary digressions or the introduction of secondary characters that ultimately play no part in the plot. In a way, it reads like classic fantasy stories by Robert E. Howard or Fritz Leiber and in fact, the city of Dhamsawaat echoes in many ways Leiber's city of Lankhmar.

On the other hand, this is not another Fahfrd & Mouser clone. Apart from the quite obvious Middle Eastern-inspired setting, the main character in the book is a 60 year-old ghul hunter named Adoulla, who would be all too happy to retire and finally marrying the love of his life, the clever owner of a brothel. It really is the best character in the book, and the chapters which we spend seeing the world through his eyes are probably the most enjoyable of the book. Equally interesting are the old couple of magus and alkhemist that once accompanied Adoulla, and that are forced out of retirement by the powerful forces that threaten Dhamsawaat.

The only complaints I have are minor, but they bothered me nonetheless. One comes precisely from what I said was one of the book's virtues: it is extremely short (Amazon places the page count at around 300), which in a world of 1000+ Songs of Ice and Fire is commendable, but on the other hand I feel that the story, and even the meticulous world-building may have benefited from a few pages more. The final confrontation between the protagonists and the big bad came to me as specially rushed, and the death of this powerful ghul master and his creepy second comes as "too easy". Another (minor) criticism that I could make is that I'm not sure whether the technique of telling the story through the viewpoints of different characters is something that fits this particular book. Changing the character on each chapter might be fine in an epic that spans a whole continent and dozens of characters like George R.R. Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire", but using it in the context of a handful of characters living under the same roof is a bit overkill. Perhaps a third or first-person (Adoulla's?) narrative would have been better.

In the end, though, these criticisms are minor. This is an enjoyable book, and I, for one, am looking forward to the next two installments of the Crescent Moon Kingdoms trilogy.(less)

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Feb 17, 2013 Alicia rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'd give this book a 3.6, it wasn't bad, I did manage to finish reading it in less than 2 days, but it was disappointing. The story itself was pretty interesting and it was like a lot of other fantasy books I've read (and I mean that in a good way). But in the end it was like my reaction to the Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke; I was expecting so much more. I mostly got this book in the POV of the older main characters, when I was expecting more POV from the younger characters. Also, since there was...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Tim Hicks rated it 3 of 5 stars

First fantasy novel, and it shows. But there are plenty of good ideas here, and I expect good things from this author.

As others have noted, the plot is a bit slow at times. Mouw Awa is as much annoying as threatening. The main bad guy makes almost a cameo appearance, and for all his much-described power he is dealt with pretty quickly in the end.

Raseed and Zamia are just annoying. Must be pure! Must avenge! Must this! Must that! Blasphemy! Betrayal! Pause to make puppy eyes at each other. Ugh....more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Sci-fi and Heroic...: * Throne of the Crescent Moon	16	37	15 hours, 29 min ago
Sci-fi and Heroic...: May 2013 Bonus Contemporary Novel Nominees	7	25	May 12, 2013 03:43pm
FantasyItaliano: Premio Nebula 2013, chi sarà il vincitore	1	6	Apr 26, 2013 01:01pm
THRONE OF THE CRE...: Ghul hunter? Dervish? Alkhemist? Magus? Bandit? Tribes(wo)man?	24	52	Apr 13, 2013 11:38am
THRONE OF THE CRE...: Questions? Anyone? Bueller? (HERE BE SPOILERS!)	56	72	Apr 13, 2013 11:32am
THRONE OF THE CRE...: THE CRESCENT MOON KINGDOMS, BOOKS II & III	10	154	Mar 13, 2013 05:24pm
Fantasy Book Club: * Throne of the Crescent Moon - Finished reading (SPOILER WARNING)	24	176	Sep 17, 2012 09:03am

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About Saladin Ahmed

Saladin Ahmed was born in Detroit and raised in a working-class, Arab American enclave in Dearborn, MI.

His short stories have been nominated for the Nebula and Campbell awards, and have appeared in Year's Best Fantasy and numerous other magazines, anthologies, and podcasts, as well as being translated into five foreign languages. He is represented by Jennifer Jackson of the Donald Maass Literary A...more

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Books by Saladin Ahmed

Where Virtue Lives (included in Engraved on the Eye Anthology)

Book Three Saladin (The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, #3)

Book Two Saladin (The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, #2)

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“Ahhh, God's balls! The Horrible Halt!" Adoulla pronounced the Dhamsawaati term for the complete standstill of traffic with a familiar disgust.” — 1 person liked it

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Throne of the Crescent Moon (The Crescent Moon Kingdoms #1)

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