What do you think?
Rate this book
The Amulets of Sihr
Mukhtar is a young blacksmith, facing everyday struggles to support himself and his widowed mother.
Life is brutal and harsh, even harsher while the empire only looks after its own, and the rest of the people are left to fend for themselves.
In an impulsive moment Mukhtar frees four slaves from their captors. Little does he know how this would shape his destiny.
As the turmoil unfolds, his mother unveils her most guarded secret - an ancient and powerful amulet once belonging to his long-lost father. The Amulet sets Mukhtar on a path to unraveling a grim and dark part of his bloodline.
Now, at the crossroads of good and evil, he must face his life's greatest trials in order to save the empire from annihilation.
Enter the realm of the Unseen. Prepare to face the evil beyond the veil...
Life is brutal and harsh, even harsher while the empire only looks after its own, and the rest of the people are left to fend for themselves.
In an impulsive moment Mukhtar frees four slaves from their captors. Little does he know how this would shape his destiny.
As the turmoil unfolds, his mother unveils her most guarded secret - an ancient and powerful amulet once belonging to his long-lost father. The Amulet sets Mukhtar on a path to unraveling a grim and dark part of his bloodline.
Now, at the crossroads of good and evil, he must face his life's greatest trials in order to save the empire from annihilation.
Enter the realm of the Unseen. Prepare to face the evil beyond the veil...
- GenresFantasy
496 pages, Hardcover
First published July 29, 2018
11 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
AbuBilaal Yakub
16 books11 followersI am a Kenyan born, Canadian author, scribbling short stories, songs, and poems since I was 12 years old. After earning an apprenticeship with Mercedes Benz, I studied Mechatronics Engineering for two years before specializing as a Diagnostics Technician for the global luxury vehicle manufacturer.
With a love for graphic design, film-making, animation, and music, I channeled my creativity into pen and paper and began writing my first novel. After nearly ten years of working on the manuscript, I finally made my debut with The Amulets of Sihr, an Epic Fantasy combining fact and fiction, controversy and concurrence, embedding some of my own personal experiences with the occult and unseen into a stunningly immersive anecdote.
I am also a student of Islamic Eschatology, Epistemology, and Theoretical Sciences, ever open to constructive criticisms, intellectual discussions or just a fancy chat!
With a love for graphic design, film-making, animation, and music, I channeled my creativity into pen and paper and began writing my first novel. After nearly ten years of working on the manuscript, I finally made my debut with The Amulets of Sihr, an Epic Fantasy combining fact and fiction, controversy and concurrence, embedding some of my own personal experiences with the occult and unseen into a stunningly immersive anecdote.
I am also a student of Islamic Eschatology, Epistemology, and Theoretical Sciences, ever open to constructive criticisms, intellectual discussions or just a fancy chat!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 12, 2020
Laban stood briskly, cleared his throat, and went to the wooden box, returning with a small leather pouch. From the pouch, he removed the four amulets. They gleamed in the candlelight. Fiery red. Icy blue. Emerald green. Citrine yellow. Each one glowing from within, mesmerizing and mystically alluring. “These are the Four Elements of Power,” he held each one up to show them. “The Elements of Creation. Fire. Water. Earth. Air. Each element with its unique strengths and weaknesses. With the blood of Zafar, the Rituals will be complete. The Four will awaken, and their elements will guide us, protect us, enlighten us, and one day, destroy us. This is our sacrifice for the betterment of mankind. For the greater good. From this hour henceforth, we are sworn to this Order and its Creed. Together we will build a better tomorrow. We will bring peace and prosperity, order and unity. We will build a New World."
I am not much of a hardcore fantasy genre reader. Knowing this, I still went ahead and requested to read this book while it was still available on NetGalley because I was intrigued by the storyline and was curious to see how the author was going to tackle the theme of the fight between good and evil in this fantasy novel based in a middle age Arab world. The evil that needs to be thwarted here is not any fictional, mythical creature or person but it is the DEVIL (Shaytaan, Iblis, Lucifer, etc) himself or the Dark Prince as he is called in this book and his human followers. The cities mentioned might be fictitious but the culture and belief systems described are definitely not.
Twenty years ago, a group of rulers join forces and just about manage to defeat the forces of Dark Prince before the Unseen Veil that exists between the worlds of men and Jinns is broken by him and the powers of the Jinns used to unleash total destruction on mankind. A young blacksmith Harun Zafar, a son of a sorcerer whose discovery and possession of the four elemental Amulets which the Dark Prince seeks and his knowledge of the black arts/magic play a pivotal role in this victory for mankind . Now twenty years later, Harun's son Mukhtar and his selfless act of freeing a few slaves unleashes a chain of events that finds him onto this same path of war against the dark forces. The question is will Mukhtar succeed in using the powers, knowledge and weapons left to him by his father to fight the evil or will he, like his grandfather and father, succumb to the Dark Prince's and his followers machinations?
The world building, plot and the characters are strong, complex and well developed. The author's meticulous research comes through in his writing and descriptions of the world he has created...of both human and the Jinns. There were many a scenes that gave me the chills, especially if I read them late in the night. The ending hints at a sequel and I do hope there will be a book 2 coming out soon because this story and journey has just started!
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher BooksGoSocial and the author for the e-Arc of the book. The book was published on 29 July, 2018.
Rating: 4.5⭐
I am not much of a hardcore fantasy genre reader. Knowing this, I still went ahead and requested to read this book while it was still available on NetGalley because I was intrigued by the storyline and was curious to see how the author was going to tackle the theme of the fight between good and evil in this fantasy novel based in a middle age Arab world. The evil that needs to be thwarted here is not any fictional, mythical creature or person but it is the DEVIL (Shaytaan, Iblis, Lucifer, etc) himself or the Dark Prince as he is called in this book and his human followers. The cities mentioned might be fictitious but the culture and belief systems described are definitely not.
Twenty years ago, a group of rulers join forces and just about manage to defeat the forces of Dark Prince before the Unseen Veil that exists between the worlds of men and Jinns is broken by him and the powers of the Jinns used to unleash total destruction on mankind. A young blacksmith Harun Zafar, a son of a sorcerer whose discovery and possession of the four elemental Amulets which the Dark Prince seeks and his knowledge of the black arts/magic play a pivotal role in this victory for mankind . Now twenty years later, Harun's son Mukhtar and his selfless act of freeing a few slaves unleashes a chain of events that finds him onto this same path of war against the dark forces. The question is will Mukhtar succeed in using the powers, knowledge and weapons left to him by his father to fight the evil or will he, like his grandfather and father, succumb to the Dark Prince's and his followers machinations?
The world building, plot and the characters are strong, complex and well developed. The author's meticulous research comes through in his writing and descriptions of the world he has created...of both human and the Jinns. There were many a scenes that gave me the chills, especially if I read them late in the night. The ending hints at a sequel and I do hope there will be a book 2 coming out soon because this story and journey has just started!
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher BooksGoSocial and the author for the e-Arc of the book. The book was published on 29 July, 2018.
Rating: 4.5⭐
July 31, 2020
I started reading this book with no intend of liking it a bit but ended up loving it. Never read Arab inspired fantasy before and this one was worth it. From strong worldbuilding to complex character developments, this book stands on its own in this religiously inspired fantasy.
This is about the quest of a boy named Mukhtar, son of a sorcerer, to bring the world full of chaos to peace and eliminate the society of injustice. The book is about the veil between the Human realm and the Djinn realm and how some tries to pass through this viel from a world where creation is made of mud of clay to a world where creation is made of smokeless fire. With many elements of pre-middle east, this book stands on its own and will give you an idea of the Jinns and their powers in the real life.
When reading the book, the reader is hinted towards a much greater game and I am very surprised such a new author could pull it off so perfectly. The twist at the end of the book and the female characters written were exceptional. The author beautifully and in depth describes about Djinns and Humans clash. Author definitely did a good vs evil work and succeeded in it. Also this book deserves a sequel as the story hints toward it.
Go for it if you are interested for a fun ride.
Some quotes:
"Stare at the stars, and allow your thoughts to disperse among them. Across any realm. Beyond any horizon. In a complex paradox, limitless iterations of infinite populations strive to achieve the illusion that has been created for them, and very few ever realize that they are nothing but pawns in a much larger and stranger game"
.
"Freedom is illusion. A sympathy for emotion. A mask of delusion".
This is about the quest of a boy named Mukhtar, son of a sorcerer, to bring the world full of chaos to peace and eliminate the society of injustice. The book is about the veil between the Human realm and the Djinn realm and how some tries to pass through this viel from a world where creation is made of mud of clay to a world where creation is made of smokeless fire. With many elements of pre-middle east, this book stands on its own and will give you an idea of the Jinns and their powers in the real life.
When reading the book, the reader is hinted towards a much greater game and I am very surprised such a new author could pull it off so perfectly. The twist at the end of the book and the female characters written were exceptional. The author beautifully and in depth describes about Djinns and Humans clash. Author definitely did a good vs evil work and succeeded in it. Also this book deserves a sequel as the story hints toward it.
Go for it if you are interested for a fun ride.
Some quotes:
"Stare at the stars, and allow your thoughts to disperse among them. Across any realm. Beyond any horizon. In a complex paradox, limitless iterations of infinite populations strive to achieve the illusion that has been created for them, and very few ever realize that they are nothing but pawns in a much larger and stranger game"
.
"Freedom is illusion. A sympathy for emotion. A mask of delusion".
January 3, 2019
Publishing Date: July 2018
Publisher: Books Go Social
ISBN: 9781999387020
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.8/5
Publisher’s Description: As the world plunges into darkness, how will mankind survive the purge? Mukhtar is a young blacksmith, facing everyday struggles to support himself and his widowed mother. Life is brutal and harsh, even harsher while governing body of the empire looks only after its own, and the rest of the people are left to fend for themselves.
Review: Really not much to say here. As with all good novels, the author covers all the bases. Story line, character development, world building and movement all interleave to create a fantastic synergism. Thankfully, the story doesn’t end here and I await the next like a patient grass viper.
Publisher: Books Go Social
ISBN: 9781999387020
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.8/5
Publisher’s Description: As the world plunges into darkness, how will mankind survive the purge? Mukhtar is a young blacksmith, facing everyday struggles to support himself and his widowed mother. Life is brutal and harsh, even harsher while governing body of the empire looks only after its own, and the rest of the people are left to fend for themselves.
Review: Really not much to say here. As with all good novels, the author covers all the bases. Story line, character development, world building and movement all interleave to create a fantastic synergism. Thankfully, the story doesn’t end here and I await the next like a patient grass viper.
September 19, 2018
A well-crafted fantasy by an exceptional storyteller...
Author Abu Bilaal Yakub weaves an outstanding and noteworthy fantasy tale that will easily captivate the reader’s attention from the beginning. The author paints a compelling story of fact and fiction, controversy and concurrence, embedding some of his own experiences with the occult in a very vivid and convincing way. In addition, the characters are drawn with great credibility and conviction. It’s an exceptional debut novel that will keep you engaged from the first page to the last.
The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘An impulsive leap of faith coerces Mukhtar to free four slaves from their captors. Little does he know how remarkably this would shape his destiny. As the turmoil within him unfolds, his mother unveils her most guarded secret - an ancient and powerful Amulet. Once belonging to his long-lost father, the Amulet sets Mukhtar upon a path unraveling a grim and dark past of his bloodline. Now, at the crossroads of good and evil, he must face his life's greatest trials and tribulations in order to save the empire from the brink of annihilation.’
Now, if that’s not enough to get your whet your appetite, I don’t know what will. But if you want to find out what happens, you’ll just have to turn the pages for yourself! However, I will say it was well worth the read. It’s my first time reading this author and I must say I was very impressed.
Captivating and commendable, this work had me immersed from the beginning. It’s an impressive metaphysical drama interwoven with true-life history. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. There are plenty of attention-grabbing moments in this page turner that will take the reader on a truly compelling and fascinating journey!
It’s one of those books that come along occasionally that makes you want to read it non-stop until you get to the end. I’m giving nothing further away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery and enjoyment for the reader.
If this book is anything to go by, I’ll certainly be looking forward to reading more from Abu Bilaal Yakub in the future. It also has a distinctly cinematic feel to it and I could easily see it being adapted for the Silver Screen. A well-deserved five stars from me.
Author Abu Bilaal Yakub weaves an outstanding and noteworthy fantasy tale that will easily captivate the reader’s attention from the beginning. The author paints a compelling story of fact and fiction, controversy and concurrence, embedding some of his own experiences with the occult in a very vivid and convincing way. In addition, the characters are drawn with great credibility and conviction. It’s an exceptional debut novel that will keep you engaged from the first page to the last.
The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘An impulsive leap of faith coerces Mukhtar to free four slaves from their captors. Little does he know how remarkably this would shape his destiny. As the turmoil within him unfolds, his mother unveils her most guarded secret - an ancient and powerful Amulet. Once belonging to his long-lost father, the Amulet sets Mukhtar upon a path unraveling a grim and dark past of his bloodline. Now, at the crossroads of good and evil, he must face his life's greatest trials and tribulations in order to save the empire from the brink of annihilation.’
Now, if that’s not enough to get your whet your appetite, I don’t know what will. But if you want to find out what happens, you’ll just have to turn the pages for yourself! However, I will say it was well worth the read. It’s my first time reading this author and I must say I was very impressed.
Captivating and commendable, this work had me immersed from the beginning. It’s an impressive metaphysical drama interwoven with true-life history. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. There are plenty of attention-grabbing moments in this page turner that will take the reader on a truly compelling and fascinating journey!
It’s one of those books that come along occasionally that makes you want to read it non-stop until you get to the end. I’m giving nothing further away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery and enjoyment for the reader.
If this book is anything to go by, I’ll certainly be looking forward to reading more from Abu Bilaal Yakub in the future. It also has a distinctly cinematic feel to it and I could easily see it being adapted for the Silver Screen. A well-deserved five stars from me.
September 18, 2018
For the reader to understand what is going on in the present setting, there's some background story involved as well that is revealed throughout the book. Scenes from the novel that I found pretty interesting were the feast that was hosted, and where Sheikh Ruwaid and a certain entity are talking. There were times were Mukhtar trends very murky and possibly dangerous waters; and I was surprised at his stamina in some instances. As Mukhtar continues his journey, he slowly starts finding out more about his past and about some of the things a family member of his was involved in. One character that seemed to be quite resourceful was Mukhtar's brother - Zaki. I found the illustrations in the book really visually appealing. Mik'ail doesn't seem like the most likable of characters at times, though there are very rare instances of kindness that are shown. Rauf was also one of those characters that came across as unlikable at first, but he turns out to be quite alright. I also ended up loving the description of the royal palace. I got a copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 30, 2019
The Amulets of Sihr is a story of a world turned to chaos. The story is one of survival. It's brutal and bleak sometimes. The characters are engaging and dynamic. They face many challenges ahead. It's a good read overall. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
July 24, 2020
Wow-what have I just read?! I finished this book today and couldn’t hold myself to tell the world about this movie in a book. Oh yes! You read it right! This book is nothing short of watching a well-depicted, adrenaline pumping, heroic tale of action and adventure movie trapped in a bundle of pages which promises to keep you off-balance with its intricate mysteries laid so adeptly that in the end, the revelation hits you like a freight train, summoning tears of eureka moments.
The Plot was peculiar and the premise was stranger still. If you love ghouls, jinns, and the supernatural and wish to unearth the esoteric knowledge surrounding them, then this book is definitely your last best bet. The Author meticulously constructed a historical world of wars-set in deserts fought with ancient and medieval weapons-that came alive in your vivid imagination, as detail-oriented as it should be that nothing was amiss. I was having an eye out for some loopholes to appear but to my sheer disappointment, I couldn’t find any. The story was well-crafted and flawlessly connected which is no less than a feat for a debut author and so, is really applaudable. The story stood alone and was a breath of fresh air, unique and identified solely with its writer.
I loved the cover and the intentionally placed images at the beginning of every chapter. They aided me to mentally picture every sentence that miraculously morphed into a real-time scenario.
The Characters were rich and powerful. The transformation of Main Character, ‘Mukhtar,’ from an ordinary boy to a man of consequence, deeply moved me. His journey imparted strong life lessons and introduced me to a new and true philosophy of life. The Love for heroes came naturally, it was hatred for the villains I struggled with till the end.
I admired the writing style greatly. It was natural, eloquent, and free-flowing. The Author’s articulations were archaic, classified with the classics or the epoch back in time for which the story was intended. The beauty of intermingling prose and poetry arrested me from the start.
The only issue I had, was with the slow pace of the book in the first quarter and a portion in the middle. A lot of readers may find it less engaging but if you bear with patience and read on you have surely undertaken a journey which you will never regret or forget for that matter.
The Plot was peculiar and the premise was stranger still. If you love ghouls, jinns, and the supernatural and wish to unearth the esoteric knowledge surrounding them, then this book is definitely your last best bet. The Author meticulously constructed a historical world of wars-set in deserts fought with ancient and medieval weapons-that came alive in your vivid imagination, as detail-oriented as it should be that nothing was amiss. I was having an eye out for some loopholes to appear but to my sheer disappointment, I couldn’t find any. The story was well-crafted and flawlessly connected which is no less than a feat for a debut author and so, is really applaudable. The story stood alone and was a breath of fresh air, unique and identified solely with its writer.
I loved the cover and the intentionally placed images at the beginning of every chapter. They aided me to mentally picture every sentence that miraculously morphed into a real-time scenario.
The Characters were rich and powerful. The transformation of Main Character, ‘Mukhtar,’ from an ordinary boy to a man of consequence, deeply moved me. His journey imparted strong life lessons and introduced me to a new and true philosophy of life. The Love for heroes came naturally, it was hatred for the villains I struggled with till the end.
I admired the writing style greatly. It was natural, eloquent, and free-flowing. The Author’s articulations were archaic, classified with the classics or the epoch back in time for which the story was intended. The beauty of intermingling prose and poetry arrested me from the start.
The only issue I had, was with the slow pace of the book in the first quarter and a portion in the middle. A lot of readers may find it less engaging but if you bear with patience and read on you have surely undertaken a journey which you will never regret or forget for that matter.
April 13, 2024
It was good. Not spectacular though
January 30, 2019
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for release of this book for review.
I don't really want to give to much on this book because I really feel like the synopsis does this for you on this book and I feel like there would be some spoilers but I do want to say I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.
When I first started readying I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy the book. Not because of author issues but because it wasn't something that was grabbing but I stuck with it and found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next.
I am not sure if this is a stand alone but I the way it ended I would there is going to be a book 2 but if there is - I will move onto to the next book.
I don't really want to give to much on this book because I really feel like the synopsis does this for you on this book and I feel like there would be some spoilers but I do want to say I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.
When I first started readying I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy the book. Not because of author issues but because it wasn't something that was grabbing but I stuck with it and found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next.
I am not sure if this is a stand alone but I the way it ended I would there is going to be a book 2 but if there is - I will move onto to the next book.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews