2023 fantasy, first of a planned trilogy. Back in the day, Amina
al-Sirafi was a pirate captain, a terror of the waves. Now she just
wants to raise her daughter and see the rest of her family prosper.
But the mother of an old crewmate comes to her with a generous offer
for one last job…
"You seem to have the singular accomplishment of making an enemy not
only of every other pirate cartel, but of merchants and sultans from
Sofala to Malabar. Why, the emir of Hormuz still has a bounty on
your head for the horses you stole—"
"I did not steal anything. I recovered merchandise for a client."
"And the incident at the customshouse in Basrah?"
"Fires start all the time. Nothing to do with me."
"And I don't imagine you were the one who poisoned the feast at
the trade talks in Mombasa to rob the attendees while they were
stuck at the latrines?"
"Never been to Mombasa. Is it nice?"
It's a romp, first of all. The setting is the 12th century, around the
shores of the Indian Ocean, and there are ports of verying degrees of
wealth and safety, not to mention supernatural creatures and
influences galore. Of course, none of that should matter when it's
just a matter of tracking down the Frank who kidnapped the old
crewmate's daughter… right?
Of course, complications pile on complications, and the old gang has
to be sought out for advice, and introduced by showing us what they've
been up to lately.
"Pharmaceuticals."
Pharmaceuticals. I choked. "I did not think you had any… training in
that."
"Oh, I don't. But it is largely the same principle as poisoning, no?
Just in reverse." Dalila winked. "The ladies here love me. So many
terrible husbands dying in their sleep. It must be something in the
water."
God preserve me. "I am, ah, happy you are finding your place in the
world."
But although magic is a common component of the life of the mind here,
that doesn't mean Amina is prepared to go up against something that
can casually kill people, at a distance, with no obvious
countermeasure. She and the crew get in over their heads, and then
have to try to get out again.
Pacing is inconsistent, though: the first half is mostly slow and
carefuly hunting for information and people, and the second is
faster-moving fantastical action (reminding me of the
largely-forgotten not-Warhammer book A Spell of Empire, which
similarly does a fine job of weaving real-world legendry into
something like a cohesive mythos). It's all enjoyable, but in quite
different ways.
Tinbu cackled in delight. "Oh, this is wonderful!" He pulled Majed
and me into a hug, making an unsuccessful grab for Dalila. "The gang
all back together… we should rob something!"
Dalila's eyes lit up. "That big jahazi headed for Kilwa looked promising.
"No," I said firmly. "We are not robbing anyone. We are not
smuggling. We are not criminals anymore. Or at least… not all of us
are. Not on this trip anyway.
I'm not looking for great depth here, but I do like the research into
the historical setting before the functional magic has been placed tn
top of it. And it's good to see a story set in Islamic culture where
women aren't just plot tokens. Mostly, though, I didn't notice how
long the book was until I was runnning up against the end of it. Great
fun. I haven't read Charkraborty's Daevabad series but I find myself
distinctly tempted.