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The Bird King
New from the award-winning author of Alif the Unseen and writer of the Ms. Marvel series, G. Willow Wilson
Set in 1491 during the reign of the last sultanate in the Iberian peninsula, The Bird King is the story of Fatima, the only remaining Circassian concubine to the sultan, and her dearest friend Hassan, the palace mapmaker.
Hassan has a secret--he can draw maps of places he's never seen and bend the shape of reality. When representatives of the newly formed Spanish monarchy arrive to negotiate the sultan's surrender, Fatima befriends one of the women, not realizing that she will see Hassan's gift as sorcery and a threat to Christian Spanish rule. With their freedoms at stake, what will Fatima risk to save Hassan and escape the palace walls?
As Fatima and Hassan traverse Spain with the help of a clever jinn to find safety, The Bird King asks us to consider what love is and the price of freedom at a time when the West and the Muslim world were not yet separate.
Set in 1491 during the reign of the last sultanate in the Iberian peninsula, The Bird King is the story of Fatima, the only remaining Circassian concubine to the sultan, and her dearest friend Hassan, the palace mapmaker.
Hassan has a secret--he can draw maps of places he's never seen and bend the shape of reality. When representatives of the newly formed Spanish monarchy arrive to negotiate the sultan's surrender, Fatima befriends one of the women, not realizing that she will see Hassan's gift as sorcery and a threat to Christian Spanish rule. With their freedoms at stake, what will Fatima risk to save Hassan and escape the palace walls?
As Fatima and Hassan traverse Spain with the help of a clever jinn to find safety, The Bird King asks us to consider what love is and the price of freedom at a time when the West and the Muslim world were not yet separate.
403 pages, Hardcover
First published March 12, 2019
About the author
G. Willow Wilson
454 books3,214 followersHugo, World Fantasy and American Book Award-winning author of novels and comics, including THE BIRD KING, INVISIBLE KINGDOM, and ALIF THE UNSEEN. Co-creator of Ms Marvel. Honorary doctor of letters, Rutgers University. I accidentally started a dutch baby baking cult during quarantine. Not very active on here right now, but often found on Twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,666 reviews
March 12, 2019
“The real struggle on this earth is not between those who want peace and those who want war. It’s between those who want peace and those who want justice. If justice is what you want, then you may often be right, but you will rarely be happy.”
3½ stars. I have lots of positive things to say about The Bird King, but I am going to get what will surely be the main problem for many people out of the way first: this book is SO SLOW. I honestly considered not finishing it, which I hate to do for arcs. In the end, I was glad I persevered, but I think a lot of people won't make it through.
This is the first novel I've read by G. Willow Wilson and her writing is gorgeous. I made so many highlights of beautiful passages and witty remarks. The history and mythology is wonderful, too. It is set in the 15th century, during the reign of the last sultanate in Iberia, and just before the Emirate of Granada was conquered during the Granada war. This was a time of superstition and holy wars; the Spanish Inquisition was in full force, spreading Catholicism around Europe with the threat of torture and death.
Into this comes Fatima, a Circassian concubine to the sultan. When the Inquisition declares her beloved friend Hassan a "sorcerer", the two go on the run. Hassan is, in fact, a gay cartographer with a unique gift for shaping reality with the maps he draws.
I've just loosely described the plot of the first 100 pages. What follows is a very long journey across the countryside with lots of close-calls and near-captures. Lots of walking around, navigating, and cartography discussions, plus the occasional gutting and eating of a rabbit. It quickly grew tiresome and dull. The story picked up in places, usually when Luz appeared. She is a fantastic villain, and the dynamic of hatred and respect between her and Fatima makes for some of the book's strongest moments. Likewise the friendship and platonic love between Fatima and Hassan is a highlight.
“These treaties are made for polities, not people. Lives are ground up beneath the wheels of peace.”
Behind this - though it does get buried in the slog at times - is the pursuit of an island often found in mythology. An island of Mount Qaf and the King of Birds, Simorgh, from Attar's mystic poem The Conference of the Birds. Of course, it's all just fiction, though, right? But if anyone can bring this island into being, Hassan can.
The interesting thing about this island - as is noted in the text - is that it appears in some form in many different kinds of mythologies. It is Qaf in Middle Eastern mythology, Antillia to the Christians of Iberia, Avalon in Arthurian mythology, Shambhala to Hindus and Buddhists, and Atlantis to Ancient Greeks.
You can read any number of things into this, but I saw it as a comment on the religious conflict in the novel-- how so many people are fighting and killing one another over details and semantics when really it is all rooted in the same belief. Is the island Qaf or Antillia? This is a pointless question; they are ultimately the same thing.
“Nothing is so frightening or evil that it doesn’t come from the same thing that made the stars.”
A thought-provoking read for those who appreciate a very slow burn literary fantasy.
CW: Torture; slavery; attempted rape.
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November 19, 2018
Set in 1491 Grenada, most of this novel reads like a devoted historical novel where the Muslim world is mixed with the Christian at a time when the Spanish Inquisition is running strong and the last Emirate is about to fall.
Fatima, the last concubine, and her friend Hassan, a mapmaker with the ability to open up doors to the Other, transforms this novel from a strict historical to an outright fantasy. But it happens slowly. The historicity of the world is rich and lush and it introduces the world of the Jinn and magic in pure magical realism style, later becoming an outright adventure to find the Bird King.
The old world has died. The only course now is survival. Perhaps happiness. But mostly, it's just finding a place to survive, and if it is with the help of the Jinn and all the creatures under Allah, so be it. Allah made all.
I liked the message at the end of the book.
I also happened to like G. Willow Wilson's Alif the Unseen a lot more. But that being said, there's a lot to love right here.
Fatima, the last concubine, and her friend Hassan, a mapmaker with the ability to open up doors to the Other, transforms this novel from a strict historical to an outright fantasy. But it happens slowly. The historicity of the world is rich and lush and it introduces the world of the Jinn and magic in pure magical realism style, later becoming an outright adventure to find the Bird King.
The old world has died. The only course now is survival. Perhaps happiness. But mostly, it's just finding a place to survive, and if it is with the help of the Jinn and all the creatures under Allah, so be it. Allah made all.
I liked the message at the end of the book.
I also happened to like G. Willow Wilson's Alif the Unseen a lot more. But that being said, there's a lot to love right here.
March 16, 2019
Plot: 3/5 Characters: 4/5. Writing: 5/5
The Bird King was a historical fantasy book set in 1491 in Granada, the last emirate of Muslim Spain. There were many things I liked about it, however, there were also many things I disliked- that's why I gave it three stars.
It was about Fatima, a Circassian concubine who fled from the palace of Granada with her childhood friend, Hassan, who could make magical maps that altered the layout of places in real life. They were escaping from the Spanish Inquisition who wanted Hassan dead as they claimed he was a sorcerer. They went on a sprawling journey through Spain with the help of the jinn and people they met along the way to seek refuge in Mount Qaf, a mythical place which they had read about in a poem called The Conference of the Birds that was supposedly ruled by The Bird King.
I liked the way Fatima pursued the hope of a better life and took her life into her own hands. She definitely came a long way in the book as she went from a sheltered girl to a fierce woman who knew her own worth. However, she was a bit annoying at times and the entire book was from her perspective so that did frustrate me slightly.
The plot of the book was very, very slow-paced and although the writing was simply gorgeous there were lots of things that happened that just felt a bit unnecessary and could have easily been missed out without affecting the understanding of the story and characters. Also, many parts of the book were really confusing and even when I reread the same bit again and again I still had no idea what was going on! The magic was barely explained and the ending happened so quickly I barely understood what was happening.
I loved the message of the book though. It was a message of tolerance. Whether you're searching for Mount Qaf or Avalon or Antillia, it's all the same, we all just want to have peaceful, safe lives no matter which name you give it. The book showed people from all corners of the world who were completely different living in peace without any hate and that's the kind of world we have to try to create. We're all humans- no matter what we believe or look like- and that's what matters most.
Thank you to Grove Press and G. Willow Wilson for providing me with an e-arc of this book via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
| BLOG |
The Bird King was a historical fantasy book set in 1491 in Granada, the last emirate of Muslim Spain. There were many things I liked about it, however, there were also many things I disliked- that's why I gave it three stars.
It was about Fatima, a Circassian concubine who fled from the palace of Granada with her childhood friend, Hassan, who could make magical maps that altered the layout of places in real life. They were escaping from the Spanish Inquisition who wanted Hassan dead as they claimed he was a sorcerer. They went on a sprawling journey through Spain with the help of the jinn and people they met along the way to seek refuge in Mount Qaf, a mythical place which they had read about in a poem called The Conference of the Birds that was supposedly ruled by The Bird King.
I liked the way Fatima pursued the hope of a better life and took her life into her own hands. She definitely came a long way in the book as she went from a sheltered girl to a fierce woman who knew her own worth. However, she was a bit annoying at times and the entire book was from her perspective so that did frustrate me slightly.
The plot of the book was very, very slow-paced and although the writing was simply gorgeous there were lots of things that happened that just felt a bit unnecessary and could have easily been missed out without affecting the understanding of the story and characters. Also, many parts of the book were really confusing and even when I reread the same bit again and again I still had no idea what was going on! The magic was barely explained and the ending happened so quickly I barely understood what was happening.
I loved the message of the book though. It was a message of tolerance. Whether you're searching for Mount Qaf or Avalon or Antillia, it's all the same, we all just want to have peaceful, safe lives no matter which name you give it. The book showed people from all corners of the world who were completely different living in peace without any hate and that's the kind of world we have to try to create. We're all humans- no matter what we believe or look like- and that's what matters most.
Thank you to Grove Press and G. Willow Wilson for providing me with an e-arc of this book via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
| BLOG |
July 8, 2019
I was a huge fan of Wilson’s 2012 debut novel “Alif the Unseen.” I loved her heady concoction of Middle Eastern fantasy and modern hacker culture woven into a truly unique and spell-binding tale. I have been waiting for seven years for her second novel, and here it is at last!
It started out in a promising fashion. Set in Granada in 1491, Fatima is a concubine in the court of the sultan. She is a “possession,” and has little freedom, but manages to befriend the royal mapmaker. Hassan has an unusual gift - he is able to alter reality with the detailed maps he draws. Hassan and Fatima become good friends and find comfort in each other’s company but word of Hassan’s gift travels to the court of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. The emissaries of the Spanish Inquisition are sent to Granada to learn more about this Muslim sorcerer who could be a threat to Christian rule. Fearing for Hassan’s life, Fatima urges him to flee with her - and flee they do, along with a few unusual characters to guide their way. One of the characters is a recycled protagonist from “Alif.”
Here’s the thing - I love Wilson’s imagination, but the storyline became increasingly random and unmoored. It felt very much like she was making it all up on the fly, and had no idea herself where she was going with her story. The longer it went on, the muddier and more convoluted the plot became.
A 3 for me - a ton of potential, interesting characters and some good world-building, but an ultimately aimless and strangely un-affecting epic journey. I liked it, but didn’t love it. Here’s hoping her next book is back to “Alif” level storytelling.
Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for an ARC of this novel. My review, however, is based on the hardcover edition.
It started out in a promising fashion. Set in Granada in 1491, Fatima is a concubine in the court of the sultan. She is a “possession,” and has little freedom, but manages to befriend the royal mapmaker. Hassan has an unusual gift - he is able to alter reality with the detailed maps he draws. Hassan and Fatima become good friends and find comfort in each other’s company but word of Hassan’s gift travels to the court of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. The emissaries of the Spanish Inquisition are sent to Granada to learn more about this Muslim sorcerer who could be a threat to Christian rule. Fearing for Hassan’s life, Fatima urges him to flee with her - and flee they do, along with a few unusual characters to guide their way. One of the characters is a recycled protagonist from “Alif.”
Here’s the thing - I love Wilson’s imagination, but the storyline became increasingly random and unmoored. It felt very much like she was making it all up on the fly, and had no idea herself where she was going with her story. The longer it went on, the muddier and more convoluted the plot became.
A 3 for me - a ton of potential, interesting characters and some good world-building, but an ultimately aimless and strangely un-affecting epic journey. I liked it, but didn’t love it. Here’s hoping her next book is back to “Alif” level storytelling.
Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for an ARC of this novel. My review, however, is based on the hardcover edition.
March 21, 2019
I really enjoyed the early chapters of this fantasy historical novel which is set in the Alhambra during the dying days of the Sultan of Granada's rule. In 1491, Granada was under siege with no supplies getting in and it's people slowly starving as Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain close in in their quest to force Granada to capitulate. Representatives have arrived at the palace to negotiate terms when Fatima, the Sultan's favourite concubine discovers that amongst their number is an Inquisitor who wants to arrest her best friend, Hassan, the palace mapmaker. Hassan has a very special skill, which is the ability to draw maps of places he hasn't seen and to draw paths and doors that weren't there before. In the eyes of the Inquisition, this makes him a sorcerer so Fatima knows she must help Hassan escape if she is to save his life.
Once they escape the palace, with the help if a jinn, they have a long journey to the coast where they must once again escape the soldiers and Inquisitor hot on their tails. Eventually they get there and using his special skill Hassan is able to evade their pursuers and take them to a mythical island, home of the legendary Bird King, but also one that is common in mythology in many cultures and religions. Although well written with beautiful descriptions, I found this more fantasy based section of the book quite slow and not nearly as interesting as the more historical section at the beginning. However, I note that many other reviewers enjoyed the philosophical nature of this section and recommend that readers make up their own minds. 3.5★
With thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic Grove for a digital arc to read
Once they escape the palace, with the help if a jinn, they have a long journey to the coast where they must once again escape the soldiers and Inquisitor hot on their tails. Eventually they get there and using his special skill Hassan is able to evade their pursuers and take them to a mythical island, home of the legendary Bird King, but also one that is common in mythology in many cultures and religions. Although well written with beautiful descriptions, I found this more fantasy based section of the book quite slow and not nearly as interesting as the more historical section at the beginning. However, I note that many other reviewers enjoyed the philosophical nature of this section and recommend that readers make up their own minds. 3.5★
With thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic Grove for a digital arc to read
March 19, 2019
Set in 1491 during the reign of the last sultanate in the Iberian peninsula, this novel tells the story of Fatima, the concubine to the sultan, and her friend Hassan, the palace mapmaker. With the enemy at the gate, Fa and Hassan attempt an escape with the help of a jinn.
Wilson blends fantasy and magic with history, morphing into an epic adventure, and I love that the story is told through two characters who have never been free until now.
Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy through Edelweiss. It came out March 12.
Wilson blends fantasy and magic with history, morphing into an epic adventure, and I love that the story is told through two characters who have never been free until now.
Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy through Edelweiss. It came out March 12.
March 23, 2019
There are few recent books that I have looked forward to reading as much as I looked forward to reading The Bird King. And there are even fewer books that I have anticipated that have been as disappointing to me as this one was. It was not a complete disaster. There are redeeming qualities. But there are also a lot of wasted opportunities.
But first, let me explain why I looked forward to this book so much. Two reasons, really. The first is that I really liked G. Willow Wilson's first two (non graphic novel) books. The Butterfly Mosque was one of the best stories of religious conversion I have ever read, and it almost singlehandedly gave me a new appreciation for Islam. And Alif the Unseen was an original, fast-paced urban fantasy that used an Arab/Gulf state setting for a nuanced, and just plain fun, first novel. I'm a fan, and I pre-ordered this books long before it actually came out.
But also, I am a big fan of Farid ud-Din Attar's long Sufi poem, "The Conference of the Birds." I have read this many times, and I taught it in my World Literature course for 11 years. It is a wonderful poem, full of big ideas and thought-provoking allegory. When I heard that an author I greatly admired planned to write a book using this poem as a model, I imagined an enormous set of possibilities, most of which excited me.
So, what went wrong? Well, a few things (at least in my opinion).
In the first place, the book tries to do too much and does not do any of it very well. It is, among other things, a historical novel about the fall of Grenada to the recently unified Spain during the re-conquista (around 1490); a story of the treachery of the Spanish Inquisition; a narrative about the inclusive nature of the pre-re-conquista Muslim world in Spain shown through the eyes of a homosexual (but deeply pious) map maker and a runaway concubine; a fantasy novel about the jinn; and a religious allegory based on "Conference of the Birds."
That is a tall order, but the only thing that I thought it did well was the first thing. It did a good job--in a sort of "Things Fall Apart" narrative--of showing the last days and the fall of the Muslim Sultanate of Grenada to the fairly barbaric forces of Ferdinand and Isabella. This takes up about a third of the book, and it is really quite good.
The second third is a sort of bizarre quest story in which Hassan (the gay mapmaker) and Fatama (the concubine) try to outrun the forces of the Inquisition, which always seem to find them, so we get a fairly cliched set of near-misses and daring escapes. Two of the main plot drivers just don't make sense in the context of the narrative: 1) why a full army of the Inquisition is, at no small expense, chasing one gay man and a concubine of the former Sultan all the way to the ends of the earth; and two, why the aforementioned flee-ers are seeking the "Bird King."
I pause here for a wee bit of pedantry. The "Conference of the Birds" is indeed about a group of birds that seek the Bird King. But this makes sense because, well, they are birds and want a king. The way the allegory works, though, the quest for the Bird King only makes sense for the birds--without spoiling anything, I think it is safe to say that the searchers and the searchee have to belong to the same species--or at least the same broad class of animals (mammal, fish, bird, etc.) in order for the allegory to make sense.
In The Bird King, however, the humans possess the first half of the poem, and, even though they don't know how it ends, they decide to go and find the Bird King. And because Hassan's maps have a special world-warping power, they think they can find it.
The last third really didn't work for me, and I am not going to say much because there is no way to do so without spoilers. So I will just say that it attempts to create a religious allegory, but the religion allegorized is fairly weak sauce--the sort of thing that some have called "Benign Whateverism"--a sort of non-doctrainaire universal acceptance that makes few demands on its believers but sort of feels good. I don't actually object to Benign Whateverism. It is probably the best way to describe my religion. But it just doesn't end up producing good literature.
So, the final third of the book strains to create allegorical complexity something that really isn't deep enough to sustain a complex allegory, and what we end up with is something like a cross between The Swiss Family Robinson and the "Island of Misfit Toys" scene in Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. I kept hoping that the author would pull out of the morass at the very end and either recenter the story in its historical context, or provide a set of ideas worthy of the considerable allegorical attention that she creates.
But, alas, the whole thing--for me at least--collapses under the weight of thick description of thin ideas, and I leave the book without having been changed in any substantial way, which, I think, is tragic.
But first, let me explain why I looked forward to this book so much. Two reasons, really. The first is that I really liked G. Willow Wilson's first two (non graphic novel) books. The Butterfly Mosque was one of the best stories of religious conversion I have ever read, and it almost singlehandedly gave me a new appreciation for Islam. And Alif the Unseen was an original, fast-paced urban fantasy that used an Arab/Gulf state setting for a nuanced, and just plain fun, first novel. I'm a fan, and I pre-ordered this books long before it actually came out.
But also, I am a big fan of Farid ud-Din Attar's long Sufi poem, "The Conference of the Birds." I have read this many times, and I taught it in my World Literature course for 11 years. It is a wonderful poem, full of big ideas and thought-provoking allegory. When I heard that an author I greatly admired planned to write a book using this poem as a model, I imagined an enormous set of possibilities, most of which excited me.
So, what went wrong? Well, a few things (at least in my opinion).
In the first place, the book tries to do too much and does not do any of it very well. It is, among other things, a historical novel about the fall of Grenada to the recently unified Spain during the re-conquista (around 1490); a story of the treachery of the Spanish Inquisition; a narrative about the inclusive nature of the pre-re-conquista Muslim world in Spain shown through the eyes of a homosexual (but deeply pious) map maker and a runaway concubine; a fantasy novel about the jinn; and a religious allegory based on "Conference of the Birds."
That is a tall order, but the only thing that I thought it did well was the first thing. It did a good job--in a sort of "Things Fall Apart" narrative--of showing the last days and the fall of the Muslim Sultanate of Grenada to the fairly barbaric forces of Ferdinand and Isabella. This takes up about a third of the book, and it is really quite good.
The second third is a sort of bizarre quest story in which Hassan (the gay mapmaker) and Fatama (the concubine) try to outrun the forces of the Inquisition, which always seem to find them, so we get a fairly cliched set of near-misses and daring escapes. Two of the main plot drivers just don't make sense in the context of the narrative: 1) why a full army of the Inquisition is, at no small expense, chasing one gay man and a concubine of the former Sultan all the way to the ends of the earth; and two, why the aforementioned flee-ers are seeking the "Bird King."
I pause here for a wee bit of pedantry. The "Conference of the Birds" is indeed about a group of birds that seek the Bird King. But this makes sense because, well, they are birds and want a king. The way the allegory works, though, the quest for the Bird King only makes sense for the birds--without spoiling anything, I think it is safe to say that the searchers and the searchee have to belong to the same species--or at least the same broad class of animals (mammal, fish, bird, etc.) in order for the allegory to make sense.
In The Bird King, however, the humans possess the first half of the poem, and, even though they don't know how it ends, they decide to go and find the Bird King. And because Hassan's maps have a special world-warping power, they think they can find it.
The last third really didn't work for me, and I am not going to say much because there is no way to do so without spoilers. So I will just say that it attempts to create a religious allegory, but the religion allegorized is fairly weak sauce--the sort of thing that some have called "Benign Whateverism"--a sort of non-doctrainaire universal acceptance that makes few demands on its believers but sort of feels good. I don't actually object to Benign Whateverism. It is probably the best way to describe my religion. But it just doesn't end up producing good literature.
So, the final third of the book strains to create allegorical complexity something that really isn't deep enough to sustain a complex allegory, and what we end up with is something like a cross between The Swiss Family Robinson and the "Island of Misfit Toys" scene in Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. I kept hoping that the author would pull out of the morass at the very end and either recenter the story in its historical context, or provide a set of ideas worthy of the considerable allegorical attention that she creates.
But, alas, the whole thing--for me at least--collapses under the weight of thick description of thin ideas, and I leave the book without having been changed in any substantial way, which, I think, is tragic.
November 9, 2018
I received a free e-copy of The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson from NetGalley for my honest review.
Thank you G. Willow Wilson for this beautiful and enchanting novel, written with rich history. The writing is absolutely magical and rich with emotion. The kind of writing that makes you go back and re-read parts of it just for the sheer joy.
Fatima is the last sultan’s concubine in a kingdom falling down to the Spanish Inquisition. Her friend, Hassan, is in danger for his crafting ability of drawing maps. Hassan's maps can open secret passages for places he has never even seen. Fatima runs away with him and a Jinn. A story of love, friendship and culture.
Thank you G. Willow Wilson for this beautiful and enchanting novel, written with rich history. The writing is absolutely magical and rich with emotion. The kind of writing that makes you go back and re-read parts of it just for the sheer joy.
Fatima is the last sultan’s concubine in a kingdom falling down to the Spanish Inquisition. Her friend, Hassan, is in danger for his crafting ability of drawing maps. Hassan's maps can open secret passages for places he has never even seen. Fatima runs away with him and a Jinn. A story of love, friendship and culture.
November 19, 2019
A few lulls but for the most part an excellent read. It felt like I was reading a Guy Gavriel Kay book; which is a huge compliment! There is a lot of Muslim culture here that most Westerners are not likely to be familiar with. I loved learning about the culture and seeing the world from the Muslim viewpoint. And while this is Earth during the 13th century; it has all the magical aspects of the stories we know from that time. Use of 'magic', secret islands, famous swords, etc. You can decide for yourself if you think it's "fantasy" enough; but this quote by a character really struck me as all the proof I need:
"You’ve transported us into open water without a damned idea where we're pointed, all by cutting through a fucking rope. That’s magic.”
Jinn & Lore
Certainly the best characters in The Bird King are the jinn. I loved how the jinn told little stories and gave out puzzles and clues that would confuse me until I'd have an ah-ha moment later on. The most interesting part with the lore used here was learning new stories that sound like some I know but have a spin or different take than I have heard before. I don't want to spoil them all as they are so fun to discover throughout the story! I will say there is a reference to a mysterious misty island (steeped in religion) that I immediately identified as a version of Avalon.
The Ladies
I really appreciate how strong and smart the women are in The Bird King. Anyone who thinks this story will be oppressive to women because it's viewpoint is from Muslims many will potentially be surprised to learn that the women encountered, and those whom are a part of the lead story, are all fierce. Our leading lady and her friend are all at once adorable and admirable. How can you not love a character who is sarcastically told this early on (she's technically a slave) because she's acting out and embarrassing her owner(s):
"What will the foreigners think if we can’t even manage our slave girls? Pretend to be meek and obedient for once in your life. It will be good for practice."
Quotable!
This is by far the most quotable book I've read in 2019. G. Willow Wilson has taken so many social issues and brought them done to perfect one-line descriptions. Additional it's done with intelligent wit and sarcasm. A few of my favourites (besides the ones shared above):
- "If justice is what you want, then you may often be right, but you will rarely be happy."
- "Happiness she decided, comes only in pauses brother regularly, nor predictably."
Overall
Wilson has given us a true gem. I know many will argue this doesn't belong on fantasy shelves and is more 'magical realism'. For me it's like The Night Circus, The Bird King is so well written and put together from a literary standpoint that it belongs in every genre it might qualify for in order to get more people seeing and reading it. The social connections and empathy that are made in The Bird King between today's reality and that of the 13th century are astonishing. Wilson does an incredible job of making this a very relatable story regardless of your cultural or religious background. It breaks my heart that we (humanity) are not further along than we were back then.
Now after reading this rave review you may wonder why I only gave this 4-stars. The reason, there was a large-ish section that dragged for me. I'm not sure if it was just me on that day (I was grumpy) or that the section was actually a bit dull. For now I'm leaving this at 4-stars but I could easily see me re-reading it in the future and bumped it up to five.
To read this and more of my reviews visit my blog at Epic Reading
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
"You’ve transported us into open water without a damned idea where we're pointed, all by cutting through a fucking rope. That’s magic.”
Jinn & Lore
Certainly the best characters in The Bird King are the jinn. I loved how the jinn told little stories and gave out puzzles and clues that would confuse me until I'd have an ah-ha moment later on. The most interesting part with the lore used here was learning new stories that sound like some I know but have a spin or different take than I have heard before. I don't want to spoil them all as they are so fun to discover throughout the story! I will say there is a reference to a mysterious misty island (steeped in religion) that I immediately identified as a version of Avalon.
The Ladies
I really appreciate how strong and smart the women are in The Bird King. Anyone who thinks this story will be oppressive to women because it's viewpoint is from Muslims many will potentially be surprised to learn that the women encountered, and those whom are a part of the lead story, are all fierce. Our leading lady and her friend are all at once adorable and admirable. How can you not love a character who is sarcastically told this early on (she's technically a slave) because she's acting out and embarrassing her owner(s):
"What will the foreigners think if we can’t even manage our slave girls? Pretend to be meek and obedient for once in your life. It will be good for practice."
Quotable!
This is by far the most quotable book I've read in 2019. G. Willow Wilson has taken so many social issues and brought them done to perfect one-line descriptions. Additional it's done with intelligent wit and sarcasm. A few of my favourites (besides the ones shared above):
- "If justice is what you want, then you may often be right, but you will rarely be happy."
- "Happiness she decided, comes only in pauses brother regularly, nor predictably."
Overall
Wilson has given us a true gem. I know many will argue this doesn't belong on fantasy shelves and is more 'magical realism'. For me it's like The Night Circus, The Bird King is so well written and put together from a literary standpoint that it belongs in every genre it might qualify for in order to get more people seeing and reading it. The social connections and empathy that are made in The Bird King between today's reality and that of the 13th century are astonishing. Wilson does an incredible job of making this a very relatable story regardless of your cultural or religious background. It breaks my heart that we (humanity) are not further along than we were back then.
Now after reading this rave review you may wonder why I only gave this 4-stars. The reason, there was a large-ish section that dragged for me. I'm not sure if it was just me on that day (I was grumpy) or that the section was actually a bit dull. For now I'm leaving this at 4-stars but I could easily see me re-reading it in the future and bumped it up to five.
To read this and more of my reviews visit my blog at Epic Reading
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
February 26, 2019
“Lies are for those who are afraid or ashamed of what they are, and I am neither.”
The Bird King tells us the story of Fatima, a royal concubine and Hassan a cartographer in the Muslim palace in Granada, Spain.
It is a setting filled with vivid detail where we learn about a time when Catholics take back the territory that Muslims conquered in the Iberian Peninsula, more specifically, the regions of Spain and Portugal. It tells us about the Spanish Inquisition, the radical persecution that they made to those they considered heretics.
I confess I usually avoid books with religious themes because I'm always afraid that in a clash of beliefs, one religion will be portrayed as "evil" and another as "good". However, the author knew how to balance it and I was glad.
This is a story that's read almost like a fairytale. It presents historical elements and blends with magical realism. This is the kind of novel you might have a hard time understanding, as it uses a lot of metaphors and symbolism and open interpretations. You will be thoroughly confused in some passages trying to decipher the meaning behind and failing or you can just go with the wind and let yourself be swayed by beautiful, lyrical prose as I did. The author delivers a rich description of the world she created, creating a unique atmosphere, and beautiful imagery that's almost poetic. I absolutely loved it.
As for the characters, we have two main: Fatima and Hassan, although I think Fatima gets more protagonism. Even though Fatima seems at first, a bratty girl, you feel for her. This is a story that supposedly does not have romance, but it has love: Her loyalty, her love for her best friend Hassan got my sympathy.
Fatima's undying love for Hassan is unrequited because Hassan absolutely loves her but not in a romantic way (he is gay). Both Fatima and Hassan are overprotective with each other and if needed would die for one another.
Hassan, persecuted because of his sexual orientation and ability to create magical maps that bend reality struggles to find someone willing to love him. Fatima struggles to let Hassan "go".
They embark on a journey to save their lives and to find freedom. They decide that only a mythical Island, where a mythical king lives, aka, the King of Birds is the only place they will be safe from Inquisition, so the book becomes a VERY slow journey to reach the island where Fatima and Hassan go through many obstacles and learn many things. In my opinion, the journey took too long, it dragged through most part of the book and it made me lose interest several times. However, through the book, I got attached to the characters and it made me go on.
Besides Fatima and Hassan, we have three other characters that are relevant:
Luz, a Spanish Lady in Waiting/Diplomat envoy from the Spanish Queen is the villain that commands armies against them. Her relationship with Fatima is something very complicated and complex.
Vikram is a Djinn that is fond of Fatima and he has the best quotes. As a Djinn, he was supposed to be a fickle, trickster creature driven by impulses and desires and yet he becomes the voice of reason and honesty many times and never fails to be loyal to Fatima. I wouldn't mind reading a spin-off of his past, because he's that great.
And finally, we have Gwennec, a Breton monk that is not yet a priest but dreams to become one. He becomes someone crucial in the lives of Hassan and Fatima and I absolutely loved him. I would have liked to see so much more of him and his complicated feelings for a certain character.
The end was rushed and a bit confusing. I confess I was slightly disappointed. It was bittersweet and it left some questions lingering.
Nevertheless, in the end, I felt a pang of nostalgia in a way that a book did not make feel for a long, long time. I was so sad with the death of a certain character and it was hard to say goodbye to characters that I saw growing and maturing through the story and I felt so proud of them.
In conclusion, this book might not be for everyone and some might perhaps find it boring because this book requires patience and there are parts where you might get lost (not in a good way).
BUT if you enjoy Historical, Magical Realism and Fantasy genres with beautiful prose, slow narrative, and interesting characters, you will most likely enjoy this. I certainly did!
TW: attempted rape.
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (Thank you!).
The Bird King tells us the story of Fatima, a royal concubine and Hassan a cartographer in the Muslim palace in Granada, Spain.
It is a setting filled with vivid detail where we learn about a time when Catholics take back the territory that Muslims conquered in the Iberian Peninsula, more specifically, the regions of Spain and Portugal. It tells us about the Spanish Inquisition, the radical persecution that they made to those they considered heretics.
I confess I usually avoid books with religious themes because I'm always afraid that in a clash of beliefs, one religion will be portrayed as "evil" and another as "good". However, the author knew how to balance it and I was glad.
This is a story that's read almost like a fairytale. It presents historical elements and blends with magical realism. This is the kind of novel you might have a hard time understanding, as it uses a lot of metaphors and symbolism and open interpretations. You will be thoroughly confused in some passages trying to decipher the meaning behind and failing or you can just go with the wind and let yourself be swayed by beautiful, lyrical prose as I did. The author delivers a rich description of the world she created, creating a unique atmosphere, and beautiful imagery that's almost poetic. I absolutely loved it.
As for the characters, we have two main: Fatima and Hassan, although I think Fatima gets more protagonism. Even though Fatima seems at first, a bratty girl, you feel for her. This is a story that supposedly does not have romance, but it has love: Her loyalty, her love for her best friend Hassan got my sympathy.
Fatima's undying love for Hassan is unrequited because Hassan absolutely loves her but not in a romantic way (he is gay). Both Fatima and Hassan are overprotective with each other and if needed would die for one another.
Hassan, persecuted because of his sexual orientation and ability to create magical maps that bend reality struggles to find someone willing to love him. Fatima struggles to let Hassan "go".
They embark on a journey to save their lives and to find freedom. They decide that only a mythical Island, where a mythical king lives, aka, the King of Birds is the only place they will be safe from Inquisition, so the book becomes a VERY slow journey to reach the island where Fatima and Hassan go through many obstacles and learn many things. In my opinion, the journey took too long, it dragged through most part of the book and it made me lose interest several times. However, through the book, I got attached to the characters and it made me go on.
Besides Fatima and Hassan, we have three other characters that are relevant:
Luz, a Spanish Lady in Waiting/Diplomat envoy from the Spanish Queen is the villain that commands armies against them. Her relationship with Fatima is something very complicated and complex.
Vikram is a Djinn that is fond of Fatima and he has the best quotes. As a Djinn, he was supposed to be a fickle, trickster creature driven by impulses and desires and yet he becomes the voice of reason and honesty many times and never fails to be loyal to Fatima. I wouldn't mind reading a spin-off of his past, because he's that great.
And finally, we have Gwennec, a Breton monk that is not yet a priest but dreams to become one. He becomes someone crucial in the lives of Hassan and Fatima and I absolutely loved him. I would have liked to see so much more of him and his complicated feelings for a certain character.
The end was rushed and a bit confusing. I confess I was slightly disappointed. It was bittersweet and it left some questions lingering.
Nevertheless, in the end, I felt a pang of nostalgia in a way that a book did not make feel for a long, long time. I was so sad with the death of a certain character and it was hard to say goodbye to characters that I saw growing and maturing through the story and I felt so proud of them.
In conclusion, this book might not be for everyone and some might perhaps find it boring because this book requires patience and there are parts where you might get lost (not in a good way).
BUT if you enjoy Historical, Magical Realism and Fantasy genres with beautiful prose, slow narrative, and interesting characters, you will most likely enjoy this. I certainly did!
TW: attempted rape.
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (Thank you!).
March 24, 2019
All the stories poems are true!
I gave this book my full attention until the 80% mark after which I mostly skimmed because having called out who the Bird King was in the first couple of chapters I felt very meh about the entire thing being revealed. The fact that it got really preachy really quickly didn’t help either:
“Fear only God,” murmured Vikram, pulling her onward. “Not man, nor beast, nor jinn, nor death: fear only God and you will be safe.”
The things I liked about The Bird King :
▪ the writing, particularly in its depiction of life at the palace, which makes me keep an eye out for G. Willow Wilson’s future releases.
▪ the relationship between Lady Aisha and Fatima.
▪ Fatima’s immediate fascination with Luz, which was intriguing and had a lot of potential for Fatima’s character development, yet it was left unexplored by the author.
▪ Hassan’s uncanny abilities, his map-making and synesthesia, which I found captivating yet they were, sadly, underdeveloped or used only for the sake of furthering the plot. I wanted more of THAT, whatever he was doing!
Things I didn’t like about The Bird King :
▪ the plot. Although I prefer a well-written, character-driven story to one that is fast-paced, there isn’t much of a story here, just a cluster of elements.
▪ the historical setting is taken for granted. I do know my European history, but there were things in here that needed more explaining for people who are unfamiliar with the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition. Who’s fighting against whom and why? What are the stakes? It’s not clearly stated. If it’s done after Chapter 20, which is where I stopped paying attention, it’s already too late, because I also stopped caring.
▪ Fatima’s feminism is forced and inconsistent. Which leads me to:
▪ Fatima’s crying, fainting, collapsing, snapping at people trying to help her, throwing things, being carried around, because - you guessed it - more fainting!
▪ Fatima & Hassan’s relationship, which also brings into question how the gay character was handled: poorly!
▪ Vikram. I just couldn’t with him…
Overall, this book has a very intriguing premise, but it just wasn’t for me!
*Thanks to NetGalley & Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.*
~~~
March 23rd:
Le wild goose chase!
I gave this book my full attention until the 80% mark after which I mostly skimmed because having called out who the Bird King was in the first couple of chapters I felt very meh about the entire thing being revealed. The fact that it got really preachy really quickly didn’t help either:
“Fear only God,” murmured Vikram, pulling her onward. “Not man, nor beast, nor jinn, nor death: fear only God and you will be safe.”
The things I liked about The Bird King :
▪ the writing, particularly in its depiction of life at the palace, which makes me keep an eye out for G. Willow Wilson’s future releases.
▪ the relationship between Lady Aisha and Fatima.
▪ Fatima’s immediate fascination with Luz, which was intriguing and had a lot of potential for Fatima’s character development, yet it was left unexplored by the author.
▪ Hassan’s uncanny abilities, his map-making and synesthesia, which I found captivating yet they were, sadly, underdeveloped or used only for the sake of furthering the plot. I wanted more of THAT, whatever he was doing!
Things I didn’t like about The Bird King :
▪ the plot. Although I prefer a well-written, character-driven story to one that is fast-paced, there isn’t much of a story here, just a cluster of elements.
▪ the historical setting is taken for granted. I do know my European history, but there were things in here that needed more explaining for people who are unfamiliar with the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition. Who’s fighting against whom and why? What are the stakes? It’s not clearly stated. If it’s done after Chapter 20, which is where I stopped paying attention, it’s already too late, because I also stopped caring.
▪ Fatima’s feminism is forced and inconsistent. Which leads me to:
▪ Fatima’s crying, fainting, collapsing, snapping at people trying to help her, throwing things, being carried around, because - you guessed it - more fainting!
▪ Fatima & Hassan’s relationship, which also brings into question how the gay character was handled: poorly!
▪ Vikram. I just couldn’t with him…
Overall, this book has a very intriguing premise, but it just wasn’t for me!
*Thanks to NetGalley & Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.*
~~~
March 23rd:
Le wild goose chase!
March 20, 2019
This book gripped me. A rich blend of historical fiction, magical realism, and religious philosophy, it is both gorgeous and profound. The characters are all flawed and endearing in a way that is relatable and beautifully true to life. I think my favorites among these are Vikram the jinn and Gwennec the monk.
"The Bird King", set in the last days of the last emirate of Muslim Spain, follows two unconventional best friends-- Fatima, who is concubine to the sultan of said emirate, and Hassan, a mapmaker with an extraordinary gift.
When a group representing the newly-formed monarchy of Christian Spain arrives at the palace to negotiate terms of the emirate's surrender, they stumble upon Hassan's abilities. They demand that Hassan be turned over to the Spanish Inquisition on charges of sorcery. Desperate to save her beloved friend from the torture of the Inquisition, Fatima hurries to warn him, and together they make a dangerous escape.
This is the story of their search for safety, their search for a fabled isle where they will not be hunted by those who claim to speak on behalf of God, yet hate them simply for being as God made them.
The book's underlying themes of love without motive, of accepting others as and where they are, were needed both at the point in history in which the story takes place and today. Discussions of whether Hassan's gift is of the devil or of God, of how cultural stories can be shared in common with "enemies," and of what it means to have faith are poignant.
This isn't a quick read, it's a book a reader should take their time with. Reading this felt like wading for pleasure, moving slowly through water while watching ripples spread around you. I highlighted many passages and have gone back several times to re-read those sections. I can say with confidence that this is a book I will choose to read again.
Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
"The Bird King", set in the last days of the last emirate of Muslim Spain, follows two unconventional best friends-- Fatima, who is concubine to the sultan of said emirate, and Hassan, a mapmaker with an extraordinary gift.
When a group representing the newly-formed monarchy of Christian Spain arrives at the palace to negotiate terms of the emirate's surrender, they stumble upon Hassan's abilities. They demand that Hassan be turned over to the Spanish Inquisition on charges of sorcery. Desperate to save her beloved friend from the torture of the Inquisition, Fatima hurries to warn him, and together they make a dangerous escape.
This is the story of their search for safety, their search for a fabled isle where they will not be hunted by those who claim to speak on behalf of God, yet hate them simply for being as God made them.
The book's underlying themes of love without motive, of accepting others as and where they are, were needed both at the point in history in which the story takes place and today. Discussions of whether Hassan's gift is of the devil or of God, of how cultural stories can be shared in common with "enemies," and of what it means to have faith are poignant.
This isn't a quick read, it's a book a reader should take their time with. Reading this felt like wading for pleasure, moving slowly through water while watching ripples spread around you. I highlighted many passages and have gone back several times to re-read those sections. I can say with confidence that this is a book I will choose to read again.
Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
January 21, 2019
***Note: I received a copy curtesy of Netgalley and Grove Atlantic/Grove Press in exchange for an honest review.
A Circassian concubine in Alhambra, at the time of the last sultan, learnes of a threat to her gay friend and decides that they must run away in order to save him.
The writing is beautiful and lyrical, and the story is a mix between historical fiction, fantasy and magical realism. The first part, taking place in Alhambra and the desert, I found very good and greatly enjoyed it, but the second part I didn’t like that much, maybe because it felt rushed and possibly also because of too much magical realism.
3-3.5★
I’ll finish with some quotes I liked:
And my favourite:
A Circassian concubine in Alhambra, at the time of the last sultan, learnes of a threat to her gay friend and decides that they must run away in order to save him.
The writing is beautiful and lyrical, and the story is a mix between historical fiction, fantasy and magical realism. The first part, taking place in Alhambra and the desert, I found very good and greatly enjoyed it, but the second part I didn’t like that much, maybe because it felt rushed and possibly also because of too much magical realism.
3-3.5★
I’ll finish with some quotes I liked:
She could not envision a God who demanded such particularity of belief, whose mercy and forgiveness were confined to such a precise segment of humankind. Nor, if it came to that, could she fathom hell, which seemed a somewhat contradictory place: you could be sent there for behaving in the right way but believing in the wrong God, or for believing in the right God but behaving in the wrong way. And that, in turn, threw heaven into disarray, since those who both believed and behaved rightly were invited to indulge in the very pleasures for which those who behaved wrongly had been sent to hell.
“The real struggle on this earth is not between those who want peace and those who want war. It’s between those who want peace and those who want justice. If justice is what you want, then you may often be right, but you will rarely be happy.”
“If I were a man, you’d call me a hero. Instead, you want to argue with me because I’ve reversed the order in which honor demands we must die.”
And my favourite:
“Once a story leaves the hands of its author, it belongs to the reader. And the reader may see any number of things, conflicting things, contradictory things. The author goes silent. If what he intended mattered so very much, there would be no need for inquisitions and schisms and wars. But he is silent, silent. The author of the poem is silent, the author of the world is silent. We are left with no intentions but our own.”
April 22, 2019
A lovely novel about a friendship, flight from the Spanish Inquisition, and the search for a mythical land of safety.
I’m a huge fan of G. Willow Wilson’s Kamala Khan, so I was pretty excited to read this book. The writing is wonderful. There are numerous beautiful passages throughout the book, and I particularly liked the interactions between Fatima, the sultan’s concubine and unwilling slave, and Hassan, the sultan’s mapmaker. Hassan is more than a conventional mapmaker: he's able to create doors and find passages to other locations. When the King and Queen of Spain's representatives arrive at Alhambra to lay down the terms for the sultan's surrender, Fatima accidentally brings Hassan's skill to the attention of an Inquisitor. As he's seen as a sorcerer and to be apprehended for questioning, Fatima convinces Hassan they must leave. They end up getting the help of a djinn, Vikram, whom I loved for his cantankerousness and dangerous behaviour, and race, barely ahead of the Inquisitor, towards a safe space.
I loved the deep and loving friendship between Fatima and Hassan. It was beautifully described, and though the two have words occasionally, it forms the basis for their all choices on their journey. I really liked the story of the birds the two created between them, and how this was source of strength and warmth. Speaking of birds, I loved the artwork on the book's cover. G. Willlow Wilson's text was elegant and conjured beautiful imagery in my head--this book was a treat!
I’m a huge fan of G. Willow Wilson’s Kamala Khan, so I was pretty excited to read this book. The writing is wonderful. There are numerous beautiful passages throughout the book, and I particularly liked the interactions between Fatima, the sultan’s concubine and unwilling slave, and Hassan, the sultan’s mapmaker. Hassan is more than a conventional mapmaker: he's able to create doors and find passages to other locations. When the King and Queen of Spain's representatives arrive at Alhambra to lay down the terms for the sultan's surrender, Fatima accidentally brings Hassan's skill to the attention of an Inquisitor. As he's seen as a sorcerer and to be apprehended for questioning, Fatima convinces Hassan they must leave. They end up getting the help of a djinn, Vikram, whom I loved for his cantankerousness and dangerous behaviour, and race, barely ahead of the Inquisitor, towards a safe space.
I loved the deep and loving friendship between Fatima and Hassan. It was beautifully described, and though the two have words occasionally, it forms the basis for their all choices on their journey. I really liked the story of the birds the two created between them, and how this was source of strength and warmth. Speaking of birds, I loved the artwork on the book's cover. G. Willlow Wilson's text was elegant and conjured beautiful imagery in my head--this book was a treat!
October 23, 2022
Thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review
What a book. Wonderful prose, great characters, interesting setting...what else could a reader want?
What a book. Wonderful prose, great characters, interesting setting...what else could a reader want?
August 17, 2023
I should have DNF’d this. Sadly, I stuck it out.
In the final days of 1491, the Islamic fortress of Alhambra was approaching the end of a long siege waged by Catholic monarchs Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella. In an effort to negotiate a surrender, a contingent of emissaries are sent into Alhambra, including a mysterious woman named Luz. This charming woman downplays her familial relation to the monarchs, emphasizing her piety and desire for peace instead.
For now at least, Emir Muhammed XII shares his home with his favorite concubine, Fatima, and his royal cartographer Hassan, both of whom grew up together and are best friends. But Hassan doesn't just create maps of the known world; he has the God-given gift of mapping places that didn't exist before he drew them. Hassan's and Fatima's sheltered life in the palace leads them to play right into Luz's hands. They tell her about Hassan's gift, which confirms something Luz suspected of these foreign occupiers: they are practitioners of arcana, and it's her duty to rid the country of such evil.
If the book had stayed in that swim lane, it probably would've been a good Hist Fic with just the right touch of magical realism. Unfortunately, the book goes downhill when these two decide to escape before Hassan is captured. A dog that Fatima sometimes takes care of (but wasn't allowed to have officially) comes with them With no idea where to go, Hassan and Fatima decide now is the time to discover the ending of a story they heard as children, The Conference of the Birds. Hassan just has to draw a map to wherever that might be.
Okkkaaaay... we're moving from Hist Fic into some kind of weird fairytale thing. Once we make it to the coast this story REALLY goes off the rails. I spent the last third or so of the book wondering how we got to this totally weird point, considering how promising the story seemed at first. This is a pretty crappy recap, but the book was worse with long stretches of boredom and an unsatisfying ending, too.
What a mess... but the cover is pretty.
In the final days of 1491, the Islamic fortress of Alhambra was approaching the end of a long siege waged by Catholic monarchs Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella. In an effort to negotiate a surrender, a contingent of emissaries are sent into Alhambra, including a mysterious woman named Luz. This charming woman downplays her familial relation to the monarchs, emphasizing her piety and desire for peace instead.
For now at least, Emir Muhammed XII shares his home with his favorite concubine, Fatima, and his royal cartographer Hassan, both of whom grew up together and are best friends. But Hassan doesn't just create maps of the known world; he has the God-given gift of mapping places that didn't exist before he drew them. Hassan's and Fatima's sheltered life in the palace leads them to play right into Luz's hands. They tell her about Hassan's gift, which confirms something Luz suspected of these foreign occupiers: they are practitioners of arcana, and it's her duty to rid the country of such evil.
If the book had stayed in that swim lane, it probably would've been a good Hist Fic with just the right touch of magical realism. Unfortunately, the book goes downhill when these two decide to escape before Hassan is captured. A dog that Fatima sometimes takes care of (but wasn't allowed to have officially) comes with them With no idea where to go, Hassan and Fatima decide now is the time to discover the ending of a story they heard as children, The Conference of the Birds. Hassan just has to draw a map to wherever that might be.
Okkkaaaay... we're moving from Hist Fic into some kind of weird fairytale thing. Once we make it to the coast this story REALLY goes off the rails. I spent the last third or so of the book wondering how we got to this totally weird point, considering how promising the story seemed at first. This is a pretty crappy recap, but the book was worse with long stretches of boredom and an unsatisfying ending, too.
What a mess... but the cover is pretty.
April 18, 2020
Al-Andalus is a gilded vision imprinted into the minds of many Muslim children, myself included. It is a dream of glory days long past, the Golden Age of the Islamic Empire, a time of prosperity and tolerance. The Bird King begins not in the midst of this glory age, but at the door of its downfall: the year is 1491. Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand have laid siege to Granada, the last remaining stronghold of the great empire of Muslim Spain, tenuously held by the sultan and his retinue.
Against the backdrop of this landscape we are introduced to the novel's protagonist and only POV character, Fatima, the sultan's Circassian concubine, who has lived in the harem all her life. Fatima, though endowed with all the comforts of a beloved mistress, is keenly aware that she is still nothing more than a slave, and she deeply resents this. She is an intriguingly complex heroine; stubborn and sheltered, furiously angry and furiously loving, honest and straightforward. She is desperate for freedom, even as the narrative continues to probe at this desire and interrogate its true worth; when Fatima eventually leaves the palace and its comforts, she reflects on her newfound freedom: "[Fatima] was free, and though freedom was neither happiness nor safety, though it was in fact a crueler and lonelier thing than she could have imagined, it was real, just as the ship was real, and like the ship, it was hers.
Fatima's only true friend in the palace is Hassan, the royal mapmaker, who has a strange ability: he can draw maps of places he's never seen and alter reality with his drawings. Their friendship, though frowned upon, is allowed to continue because Hassan is gay. In fact, Fatima states outright that Hassan's lack of interest in her body is one of the reasons she loves him so deeply; Fatima, who is beautiful enough to turn heads, has always despised that her sexual allure seems to have become her defining trait. Hassan, too, is an endearing character, somewhat hapless, relatively happy-go-lucky, and charming.
The deep spiritual love Fatima and Hassan have for one another is the blazing emotional core of The Bird King. As this review states, their love is almost tragic, and its depiction functions as a way for Wilson to interrogate the basic notion of love itself: "They love one another on a deep, spiritual level, but their sexualities are incompatible. To find true fulfillment, they have to learn to share one another more generously with others, which is no easy task for people who were taught that love is possession. Like freedom, love is a far more delicate and difficult proposition than it initially appears.
It is this shared love that instigates the inciting incident: when a coterie of Spaniards arrive to negotiate with the sultan, they bring with them a lay sister called Luz, sent as an agent of the queen. When Luz discovers Hassan's ability, she is convinced that he is a sorcerer communing with the devil, and becomes determined to torture him until he confesses, prompting Fatima and Hassan to flee the palace with the help of Lady Aisha, the sultan's mother (and a fascinating character in her own right), and Vikram, a jinn beholden to Lady Aisha.
Thus begins Hassan and Fatima's journey to the legendary Qaf, where they hope to find the titular Bird King. Though I normally don't enjoy journey narratives, I found myself riveted by Hassan and Fatima traipsing across the Spanish countryside, desperate to get to the ocean. This is because these characters, and their dynamic, is absolutely delightful. Alongside them is Vikram, a jinn who is at times a dog and at times a man and at times neither of these things, who has a long-suffering, dry sense of humor, and whose presence livened the narrative considerably, even if he was occasionally utilized as a deus ex machina.
Other characters who color the narrative are Gwennec and Luz. Gwennec is a grumpy fisherman-turned-monk whom Hassan and Fatima stumble into, literally, and he finds himself caught along on their journey of escape. Luz is much more interesting; she is a fascinating depiction of a female villain. From the get-go, it is clear that her affability is a shroud for a crueler, keener nature; she is driven by a fanatical belief in her God and her church, and it drives her to cruelty. Her nature only grows worse when she is overtaken by a strange, eldritch evil that Hassan and Fatima accidentally set loose during their harried escape from the palace. It's true that the narrative is undecided on what exactly this eldritch evil is or what its goals are, but it becomes clear that this is not the point, as this being, and its attachment to Luz, serves only as a metaphor for the nature and function of evil itself.
After much back and forth, our ragtag team does indeed manage to find the legendary Qaf, and here is where the narrative began to grow murky, though no less enchanting. The Bird King is actually a retelling of an esoteric 12th-century poem by a Persian mystic, called The Conference of the Birds, which, in the book, is a poem known by Hassan and Fatima, though they do not know how it ends. It is, to the best of my understanding, a metaphor for humans seeking God, and is, I believe, part of a larger tradition of Islamic mysticism, or Sufism, that has always fascinated me but that I am unfamiliar with (mainly because my tiny Muslim corner of the world believes Sufism to be heretical). The poem deals in large part with aspects of the metaphysical, the sorts of things difficult to wrap one's brain around. In the latter part of the novel, The Bird King attempts to tackle these metaphysical conundrums, and everything makes much more sense when you refer back to The Conference of the Birds. Devoid of that context, the narrative becomes a bit muddled and difficult to follow (at least for me, who is totally unfamiliar with the philosophy of metaphysics), but there is a sense of something grander at play, a feel of awe that eclipses the reader with its potential.
The Bird King is a novel that is greater than the sum of its parts. Read entirely straight, it is simply a moving, often hilarious romp featuring endearingly complex and sometimes comical characters, a tale of deep friendship and a desperation for freedom, with a dash of magical realism. But if you care to look past that, you see a novel begs to be dissected and compared against the inspiration it is meant to be retelling, a novel that wants to interrogate the nature of faith and divinity, of love and freedom, of the human condition and humanity's relationship to God. It feels like a book that is beyond anything that I could ever hope to fully understand, and I loved it.
I loved it not just because I loved the characters, or Hassan and Fatima's deep love for one another, or because I found it funny and fun, though all those reasons are valid too. But mainly I loved it because I connected to it on such a deep emotional level that I can barely even articulate it. I so rarely read books that pull heavily from Islamic history and tradition, and perhaps this is part of why so many reviewers found the narrative slow and distant, because so many aspects of it are unfamiliar to Western readers. For me, The Bird King felt like coming home.
Against the backdrop of this landscape we are introduced to the novel's protagonist and only POV character, Fatima, the sultan's Circassian concubine, who has lived in the harem all her life. Fatima, though endowed with all the comforts of a beloved mistress, is keenly aware that she is still nothing more than a slave, and she deeply resents this. She is an intriguingly complex heroine; stubborn and sheltered, furiously angry and furiously loving, honest and straightforward. She is desperate for freedom, even as the narrative continues to probe at this desire and interrogate its true worth; when Fatima eventually leaves the palace and its comforts, she reflects on her newfound freedom: "[Fatima] was free, and though freedom was neither happiness nor safety, though it was in fact a crueler and lonelier thing than she could have imagined, it was real, just as the ship was real, and like the ship, it was hers.
Fatima's only true friend in the palace is Hassan, the royal mapmaker, who has a strange ability: he can draw maps of places he's never seen and alter reality with his drawings. Their friendship, though frowned upon, is allowed to continue because Hassan is gay. In fact, Fatima states outright that Hassan's lack of interest in her body is one of the reasons she loves him so deeply; Fatima, who is beautiful enough to turn heads, has always despised that her sexual allure seems to have become her defining trait. Hassan, too, is an endearing character, somewhat hapless, relatively happy-go-lucky, and charming.
The deep spiritual love Fatima and Hassan have for one another is the blazing emotional core of The Bird King. As this review states, their love is almost tragic, and its depiction functions as a way for Wilson to interrogate the basic notion of love itself: "They love one another on a deep, spiritual level, but their sexualities are incompatible. To find true fulfillment, they have to learn to share one another more generously with others, which is no easy task for people who were taught that love is possession. Like freedom, love is a far more delicate and difficult proposition than it initially appears.
It is this shared love that instigates the inciting incident: when a coterie of Spaniards arrive to negotiate with the sultan, they bring with them a lay sister called Luz, sent as an agent of the queen. When Luz discovers Hassan's ability, she is convinced that he is a sorcerer communing with the devil, and becomes determined to torture him until he confesses, prompting Fatima and Hassan to flee the palace with the help of Lady Aisha, the sultan's mother (and a fascinating character in her own right), and Vikram, a jinn beholden to Lady Aisha.
Thus begins Hassan and Fatima's journey to the legendary Qaf, where they hope to find the titular Bird King. Though I normally don't enjoy journey narratives, I found myself riveted by Hassan and Fatima traipsing across the Spanish countryside, desperate to get to the ocean. This is because these characters, and their dynamic, is absolutely delightful. Alongside them is Vikram, a jinn who is at times a dog and at times a man and at times neither of these things, who has a long-suffering, dry sense of humor, and whose presence livened the narrative considerably, even if he was occasionally utilized as a deus ex machina.
Other characters who color the narrative are Gwennec and Luz. Gwennec is a grumpy fisherman-turned-monk whom Hassan and Fatima stumble into, literally, and he finds himself caught along on their journey of escape. Luz is much more interesting; she is a fascinating depiction of a female villain. From the get-go, it is clear that her affability is a shroud for a crueler, keener nature; she is driven by a fanatical belief in her God and her church, and it drives her to cruelty. Her nature only grows worse when she is overtaken by a strange, eldritch evil that Hassan and Fatima accidentally set loose during their harried escape from the palace. It's true that the narrative is undecided on what exactly this eldritch evil is or what its goals are, but it becomes clear that this is not the point, as this being, and its attachment to Luz, serves only as a metaphor for the nature and function of evil itself.
After much back and forth, our ragtag team does indeed manage to find the legendary Qaf, and here is where the narrative began to grow murky, though no less enchanting. The Bird King is actually a retelling of an esoteric 12th-century poem by a Persian mystic, called The Conference of the Birds, which, in the book, is a poem known by Hassan and Fatima, though they do not know how it ends. It is, to the best of my understanding, a metaphor for humans seeking God, and is, I believe, part of a larger tradition of Islamic mysticism, or Sufism, that has always fascinated me but that I am unfamiliar with (mainly because my tiny Muslim corner of the world believes Sufism to be heretical). The poem deals in large part with aspects of the metaphysical, the sorts of things difficult to wrap one's brain around. In the latter part of the novel, The Bird King attempts to tackle these metaphysical conundrums, and everything makes much more sense when you refer back to The Conference of the Birds. Devoid of that context, the narrative becomes a bit muddled and difficult to follow (at least for me, who is totally unfamiliar with the philosophy of metaphysics), but there is a sense of something grander at play, a feel of awe that eclipses the reader with its potential.
The Bird King is a novel that is greater than the sum of its parts. Read entirely straight, it is simply a moving, often hilarious romp featuring endearingly complex and sometimes comical characters, a tale of deep friendship and a desperation for freedom, with a dash of magical realism. But if you care to look past that, you see a novel begs to be dissected and compared against the inspiration it is meant to be retelling, a novel that wants to interrogate the nature of faith and divinity, of love and freedom, of the human condition and humanity's relationship to God. It feels like a book that is beyond anything that I could ever hope to fully understand, and I loved it.
I loved it not just because I loved the characters, or Hassan and Fatima's deep love for one another, or because I found it funny and fun, though all those reasons are valid too. But mainly I loved it because I connected to it on such a deep emotional level that I can barely even articulate it. I so rarely read books that pull heavily from Islamic history and tradition, and perhaps this is part of why so many reviewers found the narrative slow and distant, because so many aspects of it are unfamiliar to Western readers. For me, The Bird King felt like coming home.
Read
December 20, 2018Mini review:
DNF
Trigger warning: Mention of war. Up till the point I read.
I received this E-ARC via Grove Atlantic and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I was really looking forward to reading this! I've read and enjoyed Ms. Marvel. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy it.
I really enjoyed the friendship between the two main characters! However as I read on I started to lose interest. I didn't much care for the historical aspect or the war. I didn't care about the plot.
Overall this was a personal thing. I still recommend.
DNF
Trigger warning: Mention of war. Up till the point I read.
I received this E-ARC via Grove Atlantic and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I was really looking forward to reading this! I've read and enjoyed Ms. Marvel. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy it.
I really enjoyed the friendship between the two main characters! However as I read on I started to lose interest. I didn't much care for the historical aspect or the war. I didn't care about the plot.
Overall this was a personal thing. I still recommend.
May 12, 2023
I loved the depiction of al Andaluz as a surprisingly progressive place, with room for improvement, but way better than the inquisition!
December 6, 2019
I am kind of bored reading fantasy books set in pseudo-European medieval setting. I've tried to diversify my reads (and authors) this year. So far, I've read 12 of non-pseudo Euro medieval setting out of the total 19 fantasy novels/novella/graphic novels. Yet, I feel I still need to challenge myself to read more and then this book came along.
G. Willow Wilson has dazzled me since I read Alif the Unseen. She scored high in everything I want: characters, plots, worldbuilding (!) and dialogues. The scores remain high with this book. The setting was Granada, during the last days of the sultanate in Spain, when Isabella and Ferdinand were close in completing the reconquista. It was lush, it was magical. There were similarities with Alif the Unseen, especially on the 'unseen' parts, even though this is not a prequel.
The main character was Fatima, a favored concubine of the sultan, who was a good example of a strong female character without having to know martial arts or swing a sword or even using the so-called feminine 'wiles'. Her assertiveness and resoluteness made me care for her. I also adored her relationship with her gay best friend who's a magical cartographer. They loved each other but also capable in breaking each other's hearts. Who said such relationship only applies to straight characters? Their tale of survival and escape from the Inquisition - while seeking this mythical island of The Bird King - was fascinating in each page till the very end, leaving me wanting more.
Thanks Netgalley and Grove Press for the opportunity to be immersed in this enchanting book.
G. Willow Wilson has dazzled me since I read Alif the Unseen. She scored high in everything I want: characters, plots, worldbuilding (!) and dialogues. The scores remain high with this book. The setting was Granada, during the last days of the sultanate in Spain, when Isabella and Ferdinand were close in completing the reconquista. It was lush, it was magical. There were similarities with Alif the Unseen, especially on the 'unseen' parts, even though this is not a prequel.
The main character was Fatima, a favored concubine of the sultan, who was a good example of a strong female character without having to know martial arts or swing a sword or even using the so-called feminine 'wiles'. Her assertiveness and resoluteness made me care for her. I also adored her relationship with her gay best friend who's a magical cartographer. They loved each other but also capable in breaking each other's hearts. Who said such relationship only applies to straight characters? Their tale of survival and escape from the Inquisition - while seeking this mythical island of The Bird King - was fascinating in each page till the very end, leaving me wanting more.
Thanks Netgalley and Grove Press for the opportunity to be immersed in this enchanting book.
June 13, 2020
I do enjoy a good magic realist novel, many are among my favourite books of all time – One Hundred Years of Solitude, Senor Vivo and the Cocoa Lords, the Alchemist and the Enchantress of Florence (and does the Last Unicorn count?). The Bird King does by definition tick all the MR boxes. It bends time and reality, has elements of the supernatural or mystic and hybridised animal-human characters. Nevertheless, there are a number of aspects that simply don’t work.
Set in the late 1400s in Moorish Spain. Our heroine, Fatima, concubine to the last Sultan of Grenada must make a clandestine escape from the Palace once her friend, the mapmaker Hassan is condemned for rumours of sorcery by the inquisition. They are assisted and accompanied by a jinn, dog-human, Vikram to flee from persecution. It is an adventure story. It is weird, as is a lot of MR literature, but in this case I found it very uphill and downright mundane in parts – something MR novels should never be. I also found the sexualised behaviour (and tension) between some of the characters quite perverse and just not believable – especially as it plays out between the Vikram the jinn, Fatima, the monk and Hassan who is homosexual.
Parts of this book were engaging and I found myself propelled to read on to find out what happens – but these bursts were short lived, much of the time the story just really, really dragged and I noticed my attention drifting. The last third of the novel was just ridiculous, and unfortunately any integrity the novel did have was not redeemed before the end.
Set in the late 1400s in Moorish Spain. Our heroine, Fatima, concubine to the last Sultan of Grenada must make a clandestine escape from the Palace once her friend, the mapmaker Hassan is condemned for rumours of sorcery by the inquisition. They are assisted and accompanied by a jinn, dog-human, Vikram to flee from persecution. It is an adventure story. It is weird, as is a lot of MR literature, but in this case I found it very uphill and downright mundane in parts – something MR novels should never be. I also found the sexualised behaviour (and tension) between some of the characters quite perverse and just not believable – especially as it plays out between the Vikram the jinn, Fatima, the monk and Hassan who is homosexual.
Parts of this book were engaging and I found myself propelled to read on to find out what happens – but these bursts were short lived, much of the time the story just really, really dragged and I noticed my attention drifting. The last third of the novel was just ridiculous, and unfortunately any integrity the novel did have was not redeemed before the end.
March 12, 2019
Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
This was a heart-achingly beautiful book. I was drawn to this title because of the lovely cover and because there is a character who can draw magic maps. Ye all know how this Captain loves maps of any kind (Arrr!). And while I loved how the maps worked, turns out that they were the least awesome part of the book for me. Because the two main characters, Fatima and Hassan, were the beacons of love and delight in this tale.
Reading this book is like watching a blossom unfold before yer eyes. It takes forever to get to the end point and yet the journey of the blooming is part of the magic. It progresses slowly and subtly and there is a sense of wonder when it be over.
This book starts the voyage in the form of a historical fiction tale. It is set in 1491 in the Iberian peninsula. The last Muslim stronghold, Grenada, is poised to fall to an Aragonese and Castilian force led by Ferdinand and Isabella of what would become known as Spain. Fatima is a slave living in the Alhambra palace during the siege. She is a concubine to the Sultan and a companion of the Sultan’s mother. Fatima is pampered and spoiled but cannot forget that her position is tenuous and she is not free. Her only friend is Hassan, the maker of the magic maps.
The historical fiction part starts to slowly morph into fantastical elements with the introduction of Hassan and his maps. Hassan’s maps are a thing of wonder because they be of places he has never visited. While his skill is utilized, he is not a treasured member of the Court because his magic makes people uneasy. Worse yet, he is gay in a society where that should equal death. But desperate times cause his nature to be an open secret. Fatima often sneaks out of the harem to spend time with her friend. Hassan makes maps so Fatima can visit off-limit places within the palace. One of the other games they share is making up endings to an unfinished tale called The Bird King.
However with the siege in full force, starvation mounting, and surrender on the horizon, both Hassan and Fatima’s lives are irrevocably changed. For a delegation has arrived at the palace to discuss the terms of the treaty to end the war with the Sultan on the losing side. One of these terms is that Hassan must be turned over to the Christian delegation and the Inquisition for being a sorcerer.
And this be where the book truly starts to grow. The magic elements sprout with the addition of a jinn named Vikram. As Hassan and Fatima flee for their lives, the magic elements continue to develop until the reader doesn’t know what is real and what isn’t. I won’t spoil any details for ye here but I am so glad that I was given a chance to read this wonderful book and see the story fully bloom.
So lastly . . .
Thank ye Grove Press!
Side note: the book also introduced me to a type of bird I had never heard of – hoopoes. Arrr!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
This was a heart-achingly beautiful book. I was drawn to this title because of the lovely cover and because there is a character who can draw magic maps. Ye all know how this Captain loves maps of any kind (Arrr!). And while I loved how the maps worked, turns out that they were the least awesome part of the book for me. Because the two main characters, Fatima and Hassan, were the beacons of love and delight in this tale.
Reading this book is like watching a blossom unfold before yer eyes. It takes forever to get to the end point and yet the journey of the blooming is part of the magic. It progresses slowly and subtly and there is a sense of wonder when it be over.
This book starts the voyage in the form of a historical fiction tale. It is set in 1491 in the Iberian peninsula. The last Muslim stronghold, Grenada, is poised to fall to an Aragonese and Castilian force led by Ferdinand and Isabella of what would become known as Spain. Fatima is a slave living in the Alhambra palace during the siege. She is a concubine to the Sultan and a companion of the Sultan’s mother. Fatima is pampered and spoiled but cannot forget that her position is tenuous and she is not free. Her only friend is Hassan, the maker of the magic maps.
The historical fiction part starts to slowly morph into fantastical elements with the introduction of Hassan and his maps. Hassan’s maps are a thing of wonder because they be of places he has never visited. While his skill is utilized, he is not a treasured member of the Court because his magic makes people uneasy. Worse yet, he is gay in a society where that should equal death. But desperate times cause his nature to be an open secret. Fatima often sneaks out of the harem to spend time with her friend. Hassan makes maps so Fatima can visit off-limit places within the palace. One of the other games they share is making up endings to an unfinished tale called The Bird King.
However with the siege in full force, starvation mounting, and surrender on the horizon, both Hassan and Fatima’s lives are irrevocably changed. For a delegation has arrived at the palace to discuss the terms of the treaty to end the war with the Sultan on the losing side. One of these terms is that Hassan must be turned over to the Christian delegation and the Inquisition for being a sorcerer.
And this be where the book truly starts to grow. The magic elements sprout with the addition of a jinn named Vikram. As Hassan and Fatima flee for their lives, the magic elements continue to develop until the reader doesn’t know what is real and what isn’t. I won’t spoil any details for ye here but I am so glad that I was given a chance to read this wonderful book and see the story fully bloom.
So lastly . . .
Thank ye Grove Press!
Side note: the book also introduced me to a type of bird I had never heard of – hoopoes. Arrr!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
December 31, 2018
A compelling story from a harem slave’s point of view. This is the historical moment when Isabel and Fredrick unite Spain and finish extraditing both the Moors (Muslims) and Jews. Due to a poor background in history I was unaware that these acts occurred during the same time period, and with the aid of, the Inquisition.
Fatima dreams of freedom despite being the favorite of the sultan’s court. Her friend Hassan, a mapmaker, has the uncanny ability to add to known maps and make new rooms and islands appear. Together they attempt to run from the sultan and the Inquest to a place known only in an old unfinished tale.
3.5 stars rounded up. Actually would easily have been 4.5 stars except that the plot got a bit lost in the middle. But this doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the story. It was beautifully written and the main characters were memorable.
Fatima dreams of freedom despite being the favorite of the sultan’s court. Her friend Hassan, a mapmaker, has the uncanny ability to add to known maps and make new rooms and islands appear. Together they attempt to run from the sultan and the Inquest to a place known only in an old unfinished tale.
3.5 stars rounded up. Actually would easily have been 4.5 stars except that the plot got a bit lost in the middle. But this doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the story. It was beautifully written and the main characters were memorable.
December 18, 2018
Big thanks to Bookish First for providing me with an advanced copy.
I do not like DNFing books that I get sent for review. It feels disrespectful to me for someone to go out of their way to send me a copy and then for me not to take the time to finish it. However, I am in no mood to force myself to finish something that I am not feeling. I feel another serious bout of depression coming on, and so I don't think it would be good for my health to do anything that brings me down these days. I'm truly sorry.
On to my review.
I didn't dislike this book. I just could not for the life of me get into it. It's very beautifully written, but it is very detailed and rich in setting. I prefer things that are faster paced and start off with a bang. If you love slow burn books, you will probably love this book. I can tell great things, magical things, are about to happen, I just currently do not have the patience to wait for them to come.
I can also tell you that I think this book is very different from anything I've ever read before. It feels like a historical fiction book, ripe with queens and politics and ladies in waiting, but it also feels much more than that. It feels like it has an undercurrent of magical realism tying the whole thing together. It's a shame I couldn't get over the bored feelings I was experiencing while reading it to get to the meat and potatoes of the book. As it stands, I'm unable to tell you if the pace picks up or if the story has a doozy of an ending. This is definitely not the book to try and read while you're feeling slumpy.
I do not like DNFing books that I get sent for review. It feels disrespectful to me for someone to go out of their way to send me a copy and then for me not to take the time to finish it. However, I am in no mood to force myself to finish something that I am not feeling. I feel another serious bout of depression coming on, and so I don't think it would be good for my health to do anything that brings me down these days. I'm truly sorry.
On to my review.
I didn't dislike this book. I just could not for the life of me get into it. It's very beautifully written, but it is very detailed and rich in setting. I prefer things that are faster paced and start off with a bang. If you love slow burn books, you will probably love this book. I can tell great things, magical things, are about to happen, I just currently do not have the patience to wait for them to come.
I can also tell you that I think this book is very different from anything I've ever read before. It feels like a historical fiction book, ripe with queens and politics and ladies in waiting, but it also feels much more than that. It feels like it has an undercurrent of magical realism tying the whole thing together. It's a shame I couldn't get over the bored feelings I was experiencing while reading it to get to the meat and potatoes of the book. As it stands, I'm unable to tell you if the pace picks up or if the story has a doozy of an ending. This is definitely not the book to try and read while you're feeling slumpy.
April 2, 2019
Oh wow! 4.5 stars for this marvelous blend of historical fiction and magic realism.
More once I get my thoughts organized.
ETA 4/2/2019---
Sometimes it helps to sit back and actually think about what you've just read. When I first finished this I was basking in a warm glow of having read an intelligent, intriguing book. Now, several days later, I realize that the book didn't stir me emotionally. I liked Fatima and Hassan well enough, but there was something that kept me from relating to them as real people. I often felt that the author gave them 'message' dialogue; had them say things to make a point. Not constantly, of course, or I would have thrown the book against the wall; but just often enough to take me realize they were characters, not real people.
The author manages to cram a number of themes into the book--love, faith, fate--and has the skill to make them serve the story.
It was an intelligently written, intriguing story. Lovely prose, interesting characters, but it failed to thrill me. Final rating--a solid 4 stars.
More once I get my thoughts organized.
ETA 4/2/2019---
Sometimes it helps to sit back and actually think about what you've just read. When I first finished this I was basking in a warm glow of having read an intelligent, intriguing book. Now, several days later, I realize that the book didn't stir me emotionally. I liked Fatima and Hassan well enough, but there was something that kept me from relating to them as real people. I often felt that the author gave them 'message' dialogue; had them say things to make a point. Not constantly, of course, or I would have thrown the book against the wall; but just often enough to take me realize they were characters, not real people.
The author manages to cram a number of themes into the book--love, faith, fate--and has the skill to make them serve the story.
It was an intelligently written, intriguing story. Lovely prose, interesting characters, but it failed to thrill me. Final rating--a solid 4 stars.
August 24, 2021
I have some qualms with this book, but let me start with something that I didn't ever have a qualm with: G. Willow Wilson's writing. Her writing is just beautiful, and flows quite nicely from moment to moment. Many of the more pivotal character scenes in The Bird King work because Wilson's writing does. The standout moments stand out precisely because Wilson writes them with such a deft hand.
That being said, my main issue with this book is that structurally, it didn't really hold up--especially when it came to story and character. First, the story: it needed a stronger arc. Most of this book is just Fatima and Hassan trying to get to a place and encountering various obstacles on their way to said place. That's it. As a plot, it didn't make for very interesting reading. I wanted there to be something more than simply trying to get from point A to point B.
I would've forgiven this book its less-than-enthralling plot if that plot had allowed for some interesting or complex character exploration moments, but I didn't get that either. That's not to say that The Bird King is entirely devoid of character development. In fact, as I mentioned earlier, there are some great scenes where Fatima tries to contend with the world that she's been thrust in, and to understand who she is and who she wants to be moving forward. The issue is that oftentimes these moments felt too circumscribed to Important Scenes rather than developed more organically throughout the course of the novel. The biggest example of this is Hassan and Fatima's friendship. Throughout the novel, we're told again and again how much Hassan and Fatima love each other, how much they mean to each other. And it's not that I didn't believe that, but that I never got to see it play out. With the exception of the first scene in the book, we never really see Hassan and Fatima actually being friends rather than speaking of how much they value their friendship. At a certain point, I started to get irritated with the number of scenes where they talked about how deeply they love each other. Like yes, I understand you love each other; what I want is for you to show me how that plays out in your interactions. I just never felt like I got a sense of what their dynamic was like because all I got were declarations of their never-ending love for each other.
Essentially, it was a problem of telling rather than showing--or more accurately, only telling and very rarely showing.
That being said, my main issue with this book is that structurally, it didn't really hold up--especially when it came to story and character. First, the story: it needed a stronger arc. Most of this book is just Fatima and Hassan trying to get to a place and encountering various obstacles on their way to said place. That's it. As a plot, it didn't make for very interesting reading. I wanted there to be something more than simply trying to get from point A to point B.
I would've forgiven this book its less-than-enthralling plot if that plot had allowed for some interesting or complex character exploration moments, but I didn't get that either. That's not to say that The Bird King is entirely devoid of character development. In fact, as I mentioned earlier, there are some great scenes where Fatima tries to contend with the world that she's been thrust in, and to understand who she is and who she wants to be moving forward. The issue is that oftentimes these moments felt too circumscribed to Important Scenes rather than developed more organically throughout the course of the novel. The biggest example of this is Hassan and Fatima's friendship. Throughout the novel, we're told again and again how much Hassan and Fatima love each other, how much they mean to each other. And it's not that I didn't believe that, but that I never got to see it play out. With the exception of the first scene in the book, we never really see Hassan and Fatima actually being friends rather than speaking of how much they value their friendship. At a certain point, I started to get irritated with the number of scenes where they talked about how deeply they love each other. Like yes, I understand you love each other; what I want is for you to show me how that plays out in your interactions. I just never felt like I got a sense of what their dynamic was like because all I got were declarations of their never-ending love for each other.
Essentially, it was a problem of telling rather than showing--or more accurately, only telling and very rarely showing.
January 17, 2019
Enjoyed it a lot!
March 23, 2019
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.
Content Warning: Death, Slavery, Harem, Torture, Violence, Attempted Rape, Alcoholism, Religious Persecution/War, Adult Content
This review may contain spoilers!
I’m not really sure what I just read. I’ve read books that have simply floored me, and left me with a similar initial sentiment. They were books that called for me to mull them over for a period of time after turning the final page because there was so much to digest. The Bird King, however, doesn’t relate. I literally don’t know what I read. I've had time to ruminate on it, yet, little has become more clear.
Despite my previous statement, this book had a strong start. The first quarter of it drew me in like a sponge with the world building and coherency. Fatima, a young, beautiful girl, is the last Circassian concubine to the last sultan of Granada in the Iberian peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal). She is long friends with the royal and uncanny cartographer, Hassan. It’s no secret that his map-making skills are more than ordinary ink on parchment, which ultimately, is the reason for the start of their long quest. Set in 1491, during the Spanish Reconquista, the sultan informs Fatima that their country is on the brink of ruin. With armies from Castile and Aragon pressing in, supplies being cut off, and money running out, the small Muslim empire soon would become extinct. Shortly after this information is divulged, Christian visitors under a banner of peace arrive at the palace, for reasons not fully disclosed.
Fatima soon becomes warm acquaintances with Luz, an emissary, so-to-speak from the newly-formed country of Spain.
Shortly after, Fatima discovers that Luz is actually from the Inquisition, which marks the fall of security for her and her special map-making friend. Deemed a sorcerer for his abilities, Fatima helps Hassan flee beneath the palace to escape the Inquisition.
A lot happens after this point. The book itself feels like it’s split into three parts--the beginning, a long voyage, and the mystical war in the end. It also starts off feeling like a historical fiction, then completely transforms into fantasy story as it nears the end. Personally, I thought it felt disjointed. The more the plot progressed, the less it also made sense.
I really enjoy reading about folklore and fairy tales from different cultures. With doing this, however, I’m more susceptible to be ignorant to intimate details when it comes to unfamiliar lore--which is what happened in this instance. After completing this book, I ended up looking up some of the different aspects represented.
According to legend, Roc is a giant eagle, referred to here as the bird king that only lands on Mount Qaf, which is where Fatima and Hassan travel to. Roc is often seen in sailor folklore, in particular, Sinbad the Sailor’s tale. Mount Qaf is the highest mountain in Arabic tradition and referred to as the farthest point of the Earth, assumed to be the North Pole. Jinn, and other odd...things...appear, and aren’t ever really explained.
I understand that not everything about folklore will be thoroughly dissected in a book, and I don’t necessarily want it to be. But, these things do require some sort of explanation as to how they fit into the story. This mote? This...thing...that flees from underground and preys upon one of the characters is a missed opportunity, I believe. I never fully understood what it was.
Another area that I had difficulty with were some inconsistencies that presented themselves. Both of them resided with the character of the Monk, Gwennec. First was the vernacular. About halfway through the story, Fatima and Hassan are thrown together with a Christian monk. This monk, however amiable a person at first, sort of ruined the sense of setting for me. His vernacular, and ridiculous use of vulgarity, were not only totally unnecessary, but entirely contradictory. I don’t know whether this was to prove a point, but I found the way he spoke--general vulgarity and using the Lord’s name in vain many a times--to completely derail the setting and his sense of station. Which leads me to my second point--what his character was trying to prove. I don’t fully understand what Gwennec’s point or representation was. Certainly, the Inquisition during this time was supposed to be for good, but wasn’t exactly good. Violence to win over territory and people to Christianity wasn’t a good technique. To say it plainly, Gwennec’s character, and much of this book, heavily focused on pushing boundaries.
The relentless push of feminism in general just gets old. Don’t mistake me, I get that Fatima would want to be out of a harem--I have no issues with that. It’s the want and desire to completely replace men in any position as “women must conquer all” that strikes me as simply unfeminine. It’s a message that is being broadcasted loud and clear, and one that I don’t agree with. This message becomes most ridiculous when towards the end of the book, Fatmina is designated as “the Bird King,” which--why? Not only that, but how? It’s never explained clearly. Why can’t she just be queen of the birds? I don’t know.
In the end, some “redemption” is exemplified, but even then, the purpose and message behind it felt hostile. This probably just wasn’t a book for me. I really do enjoy reading about different cultures, religions, and lore, but I still need a meaning, and a wholesome one at that. Also, the segmented way in which the story reads and feels makes it more difficult to read as coherence becomes less apparent and purpose less defined throughout.
I think many people who enjoyed The City of Brass would like this one.
Vulgarity: Moderate.
Sexual content: The main character is a concubine, so yes. Also, attempted rape, and additional adult scenes.
Violence: Moderate.
My Rating: ★★1/2
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All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.
Content Warning: Death, Slavery, Harem, Torture, Violence, Attempted Rape, Alcoholism, Religious Persecution/War, Adult Content
This review may contain spoilers!
”Long ago, all the birds of the world began to forget their history and their language because they had been leaderless for so long. So a brave few sought out the king of the birds, a king in hiding--the wisest and greatest of all kings, living on the island of Qaf in the Dark Sea beneath the shadow of a great mountain. Waiting for those with the courage to seek him.”
I’m not really sure what I just read. I’ve read books that have simply floored me, and left me with a similar initial sentiment. They were books that called for me to mull them over for a period of time after turning the final page because there was so much to digest. The Bird King, however, doesn’t relate. I literally don’t know what I read. I've had time to ruminate on it, yet, little has become more clear.
She was the last reminder of a time of prosperity, when pretty girls could be had from Italian slave merchants for unearthly sums; there had been no money and no victories since.
Despite my previous statement, this book had a strong start. The first quarter of it drew me in like a sponge with the world building and coherency. Fatima, a young, beautiful girl, is the last Circassian concubine to the last sultan of Granada in the Iberian peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal). She is long friends with the royal and uncanny cartographer, Hassan. It’s no secret that his map-making skills are more than ordinary ink on parchment, which ultimately, is the reason for the start of their long quest. Set in 1491, during the Spanish Reconquista, the sultan informs Fatima that their country is on the brink of ruin. With armies from Castile and Aragon pressing in, supplies being cut off, and money running out, the small Muslim empire soon would become extinct. Shortly after this information is divulged, Christian visitors under a banner of peace arrive at the palace, for reasons not fully disclosed.
Fatima soon becomes warm acquaintances with Luz, an emissary, so-to-speak from the newly-formed country of Spain.
”She’s very clever, this Queen Isabella of Spain--or if she isn’t, there are very clever people advising her. I assumed the general was their hawk--that they went their military man to bully our military men. But they know us better than we know ourselves, it seems. They know my son does not love his viziers or his generals. The people he loves are here, in the harem. They sent their dove to the men. The hawk, they have sent to us.”
Shortly after, Fatima discovers that Luz is actually from the Inquisition, which marks the fall of security for her and her special map-making friend. Deemed a sorcerer for his abilities, Fatima helps Hassan flee beneath the palace to escape the Inquisition.
A lot happens after this point. The book itself feels like it’s split into three parts--the beginning, a long voyage, and the mystical war in the end. It also starts off feeling like a historical fiction, then completely transforms into fantasy story as it nears the end. Personally, I thought it felt disjointed. The more the plot progressed, the less it also made sense.
I really enjoy reading about folklore and fairy tales from different cultures. With doing this, however, I’m more susceptible to be ignorant to intimate details when it comes to unfamiliar lore--which is what happened in this instance. After completing this book, I ended up looking up some of the different aspects represented.
"As I've told you, no one living has ever set foot on that island. It's a story they tell in church to seagoing people who need to believe there's something left once they've lost sight of land."
According to legend, Roc is a giant eagle, referred to here as the bird king that only lands on Mount Qaf, which is where Fatima and Hassan travel to. Roc is often seen in sailor folklore, in particular, Sinbad the Sailor’s tale. Mount Qaf is the highest mountain in Arabic tradition and referred to as the farthest point of the Earth, assumed to be the North Pole. Jinn, and other odd...things...appear, and aren’t ever really explained.
If you run from this thing, you’ll set it loose. It will lodge in your bloodstream like a splinter and you’ll carry it all your days. It’s too big for that, thought Fatima, half to herself. It’s small said the dog-man. It’s very small. It began as a mote in the eye of the Deceiver. Keep your back straight and don’t look away.
I understand that not everything about folklore will be thoroughly dissected in a book, and I don’t necessarily want it to be. But, these things do require some sort of explanation as to how they fit into the story. This mote? This...thing...that flees from underground and preys upon one of the characters is a missed opportunity, I believe. I never fully understood what it was.
Another area that I had difficulty with were some inconsistencies that presented themselves. Both of them resided with the character of the Monk, Gwennec. First was the vernacular. About halfway through the story, Fatima and Hassan are thrown together with a Christian monk. This monk, however amiable a person at first, sort of ruined the sense of setting for me. His vernacular, and ridiculous use of vulgarity, were not only totally unnecessary, but entirely contradictory. I don’t know whether this was to prove a point, but I found the way he spoke--general vulgarity and using the Lord’s name in vain many a times--to completely derail the setting and his sense of station. Which leads me to my second point--what his character was trying to prove. I don’t fully understand what Gwennec’s point or representation was. Certainly, the Inquisition during this time was supposed to be for good, but wasn’t exactly good. Violence to win over territory and people to Christianity wasn’t a good technique. To say it plainly, Gwennec’s character, and much of this book, heavily focused on pushing boundaries.
”You’re always so angry,” he said. “I don’t understand. You have pretty clothes, entertainments, food when others go hungry. You have the love of a sultan. What else could you possibly want?” Fatima licked the dry, taut line of her lips.
“To be sultan,” she said.
The relentless push of feminism in general just gets old. Don’t mistake me, I get that Fatima would want to be out of a harem--I have no issues with that. It’s the want and desire to completely replace men in any position as “women must conquer all” that strikes me as simply unfeminine. It’s a message that is being broadcasted loud and clear, and one that I don’t agree with. This message becomes most ridiculous when towards the end of the book, Fatmina is designated as “the Bird King,” which--why? Not only that, but how? It’s never explained clearly. Why can’t she just be queen of the birds? I don’t know.
In the end, some “redemption” is exemplified, but even then, the purpose and message behind it felt hostile. This probably just wasn’t a book for me. I really do enjoy reading about different cultures, religions, and lore, but I still need a meaning, and a wholesome one at that. Also, the segmented way in which the story reads and feels makes it more difficult to read as coherence becomes less apparent and purpose less defined throughout.
I think many people who enjoyed The City of Brass would like this one.
Vulgarity: Moderate.
Sexual content: The main character is a concubine, so yes. Also, attempted rape, and additional adult scenes.
Violence: Moderate.
My Rating: ★★1/2
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January 28, 2019
I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to NetGalley and Grove Press!
The Bird King is a historical magical realism fantasy set during the last days of the Reconquista. In the beginning of the book, there is an element of despair and melancholy as the combined forces of Castile and Aragon start to close in on Granada.
The book stars Fatima, a slave in the sultan’s harem and her dearest friend, Hassan, a mapmaker who can create maps of places he’s never seen and open secret passages. Fatima dreams of freedom, having been born and lived her entire life as a slave. She acknowledges that relatively speaking, she’s privileged compared to most freeborn women. She’s given the best food, fine clothing, and even an education. And yet, she is at best a bird trapped in a gilded cage.
In Granada, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabela send emissaries to negotiate a surrender treaty with the sultan. This is the last stronghold of Al-Andalus, Muslim Spain, now on its last legs. An air of melancholy permeates the atmosphere in these chapters. There is the sense of waiting for the city to fall and the upheaval sure to come after. The Inquisition is talked about in hushed, fearful whispers, seemingly far away but close by.
The arrival of the emissaries throws everything into chaos. Suddenly, Hassan is a wanted man, branded by the Inquisition as a sorcerer, even as she befriends Luz, a former baronesa turned lay-sister.
The Bird King contains fantastical elements although it mostly stays grounded in reality for the first two-thirds of the novel. It is in the last third that it really becomes solidly fantastical. I really enjoyed it this way as the author had a way of vividly painting a picture of what Granada may have looked like just as it was about to fall. I have enjoyed reading historical accounts about the Reconquista so this part, the historical fiction part intrigued me a lot and I personally enjoyed it more than the fantasy parts. However, I will stress that the fantastical parts are still enjoyable.
The characters were also wonderfully characterized. They each have their own quirks and personalities. Fatima is more than a bit stubborn and hard-headed – a fact which can tend to get her in trouble. Still, she is loyal and steadfast in her friendship with Hassan. Honestly, it’s such a wonderful friendship, founded on platonic, friendly love as Hassan is homosexual, and according to Fatima, the only one who doesn’t look at her lustfully. So their friendship was truly a partnership founded on the respect two people have for each other, their love and willingness to save each other.
The plot does move quickly although the lush, gorgeous prose can trick you into reading slower. This is truly a beautifully written book with a distinct literary feel. Combined with the themes of sacrifice, freedom, and love, it makes for a truly spellbinding read.
Overall, I highly recommend The Bird King for fans of historical fiction, magical realism, and literary fiction with fantasy elements. It’s a lovely book about a slave’s flight to freedom and a friendship she would give everything up for.
This review is also on The Bookworm Daydreamer
The Bird King is a historical magical realism fantasy set during the last days of the Reconquista. In the beginning of the book, there is an element of despair and melancholy as the combined forces of Castile and Aragon start to close in on Granada.
The book stars Fatima, a slave in the sultan’s harem and her dearest friend, Hassan, a mapmaker who can create maps of places he’s never seen and open secret passages. Fatima dreams of freedom, having been born and lived her entire life as a slave. She acknowledges that relatively speaking, she’s privileged compared to most freeborn women. She’s given the best food, fine clothing, and even an education. And yet, she is at best a bird trapped in a gilded cage.
In Granada, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabela send emissaries to negotiate a surrender treaty with the sultan. This is the last stronghold of Al-Andalus, Muslim Spain, now on its last legs. An air of melancholy permeates the atmosphere in these chapters. There is the sense of waiting for the city to fall and the upheaval sure to come after. The Inquisition is talked about in hushed, fearful whispers, seemingly far away but close by.
The arrival of the emissaries throws everything into chaos. Suddenly, Hassan is a wanted man, branded by the Inquisition as a sorcerer, even as she befriends Luz, a former baronesa turned lay-sister.
The Bird King contains fantastical elements although it mostly stays grounded in reality for the first two-thirds of the novel. It is in the last third that it really becomes solidly fantastical. I really enjoyed it this way as the author had a way of vividly painting a picture of what Granada may have looked like just as it was about to fall. I have enjoyed reading historical accounts about the Reconquista so this part, the historical fiction part intrigued me a lot and I personally enjoyed it more than the fantasy parts. However, I will stress that the fantastical parts are still enjoyable.
The characters were also wonderfully characterized. They each have their own quirks and personalities. Fatima is more than a bit stubborn and hard-headed – a fact which can tend to get her in trouble. Still, she is loyal and steadfast in her friendship with Hassan. Honestly, it’s such a wonderful friendship, founded on platonic, friendly love as Hassan is homosexual, and according to Fatima, the only one who doesn’t look at her lustfully. So their friendship was truly a partnership founded on the respect two people have for each other, their love and willingness to save each other.
The plot does move quickly although the lush, gorgeous prose can trick you into reading slower. This is truly a beautifully written book with a distinct literary feel. Combined with the themes of sacrifice, freedom, and love, it makes for a truly spellbinding read.
Overall, I highly recommend The Bird King for fans of historical fiction, magical realism, and literary fiction with fantasy elements. It’s a lovely book about a slave’s flight to freedom and a friendship she would give everything up for.
This review is also on The Bookworm Daydreamer
January 29, 2019
2.5/5
Trigger Warnings : slavery, attempt of rape, animal cruelty, torture
I reviewed this book on my blog : The realm of books
This one was unfortunately not for me, I was really into it for the first 30% or so, while we still are in Granada and things sounded almost more like historical fiction with a touch of magic.
However it then went into Fabulism territory and I really wasn’t here for that. I just really don’t enjoy reading Fabulism/Magical realism, there’s something about it that really annoy me, I can’t really explain. I guess I need my fantasy to have some kind of rules and logic, and it’s not what you get with Fabulism. A lot of things don’t make sense, are never explained, happen suddenly but with a MC not being surprised at all even though this is all new to them too.
So yeah, that’s something that doesn’t work for me, but if you like Magical realism or Fabulism then you might really like this book, because that’s my main gripe with it, I wasn’t aware that’s what it was (my bad I guess, but I read it as an ARC 2 months in advance so there wasn’t that many reviews yet)
Let’s dive into the book itself :
I really liked our main character, Fatima, but as a whole I really thought the characters were not developed enough. I barely understood the other main character Hassan, and even by the end his actions and what he said sometimes made no sense to me, mostly because I didn’t know him, even after 400+ pages… And don’t even get me started on the other few characters, I could not tell you their way of thinking at all and I couldn’t pinpoint their personalities really. This is definitely not a book with character development… Unfortunately because I think it would have been much more interesting if it had been.
Some things about the interactions between the characters still don’t make sense to me also. For instance two characters are mad at each others for a big part of the book and I do not understand why. The original reason seemed pretty trivial especially as they had such a strong and old friendship ? and it just never get resolved and I still don’t know why no one says anything especially as the reasons don’t make sense ?? I was, and am still, SO confused. Feels to me as if it was just put there so the author could talk about love and friendships later on.
Another example : at one point Fatima is scared because they might be killed and so… Hassan tells her he is now dating that other guy, so that should help her be less afraid… like, he literally says that and I ??? Like, how are those things related in ANY way?
There were a lot of decisions and things happening that never made sense to me. A non spoilery one to give you an idea : One of the character gets a horse and that horse actually helps him get out of a difficult situation. But he decides to call the horse Stupid, but for no reason at all, like, this horse doesn’t sound stupid and even if he was a little… I mean, just give that horse a normal name ? It’s so weird too because that horse is then called multiple times through the story and it’s so out of place to have him be called Stupid, when that’s really not the tone of the book. If we had been in a kind of comedy like My lady Jane or a Terry Pratchett then I guess why not, but that’s really not it.
Some things are never explained : a couple of times we get dialogues like “they looked at each others and they knew” or “Fatima knew what it meant” …. But the reader doesn’t know ! It’s so frustrating to read lines like that and be like “?! But, please tell us ??”. Like, ok now I know the characters know something but it would be good if at some point I would know too and… I finished the book and I don’t.
The main thing that confused me, and that’s really all about the Fabulism part and so you might not see a problem with it but… As you probably already know the story is all about Fatima and Hassan trying to escape the inquisition. And they have heard many years ago the beginning of a tale about the Bird king… so they decide to find it. But ok first… Really ? It’s a tale from an old book, why do you put your life on the line for it ? But then many things happen, Hassan doesn’t believe in it so much but Fatima always does and I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY. There’s no ground for it, there’s no reason you should put all your hopes on a fairytale you haven’t even heard the end of. The whole world isn’t magic, she only knows that Hassan have some magic in him but that’s it, it’s not a fantasy world, it’s our world with a hint of magic. So why is she so sure ? I need more, I need to understand why characters do things and not just read about them doing the things. This way it seems to me the author is just making characters do what she needs them to do because that’s where she wants the story to go, but there’s never any ground for it, and no reason behind the decisions of the characters.
Finally, there were the Jinn characters that just popped up whenever it was convenient for the MCs to get saved… It’s, again, a problem I have with Magical realism as a whole but… I need more explanation. I still don’t even know what they look like. Does Vikram look like a human ? Like a dog ? I don’t get it. And that Cat-lady Jinn that pops up to save a character and then just disappear again and is never even mentioned again… What was up with that ? How can they come into Fatima’s dream like that and why isn’t she more surprised ?? So. Many. Questions.
And then there’s all the other inconsistencies : they are never sea sick even though it’s their first time on a boat (I mean it could happen but it’s weird that it’s not mentioned at all), they are never described as hungry even though they never eat and we know they don’t have any food for at least a day if not 2, a character gets tortured with some kind of blades under his fingernails but then it’s never mentioned again : that character seem to be using their hands just fine during the hours and days after it happened….
So, to sum up, it wasn’t an enjoyable read, even though I really wanted to love this story… I was so happy when I got approved for an arc ! But yeah, really not a kind of story for me and I’ll be more careful in the future. I did like Fatima, and all the part of the story that were grounded in reality and that sounded more like an historical novel. As for everything else, it really wasn’t my kind of read and I do think we need more explanations for a lot of things because as you can see from this review, I’m left pretty confused and with a lot of questions…
Note to maybe edit something in the ARC : there’s no tides in the Mediterranean sea (or it’s not actually visible to the eye because it’s so small). So a couple of scenes here don’t work.
Trigger Warnings : slavery, attempt of rape, animal cruelty, torture
I reviewed this book on my blog : The realm of books
This one was unfortunately not for me, I was really into it for the first 30% or so, while we still are in Granada and things sounded almost more like historical fiction with a touch of magic.
However it then went into Fabulism territory and I really wasn’t here for that. I just really don’t enjoy reading Fabulism/Magical realism, there’s something about it that really annoy me, I can’t really explain. I guess I need my fantasy to have some kind of rules and logic, and it’s not what you get with Fabulism. A lot of things don’t make sense, are never explained, happen suddenly but with a MC not being surprised at all even though this is all new to them too.
So yeah, that’s something that doesn’t work for me, but if you like Magical realism or Fabulism then you might really like this book, because that’s my main gripe with it, I wasn’t aware that’s what it was (my bad I guess, but I read it as an ARC 2 months in advance so there wasn’t that many reviews yet)
Let’s dive into the book itself :
I really liked our main character, Fatima, but as a whole I really thought the characters were not developed enough. I barely understood the other main character Hassan, and even by the end his actions and what he said sometimes made no sense to me, mostly because I didn’t know him, even after 400+ pages… And don’t even get me started on the other few characters, I could not tell you their way of thinking at all and I couldn’t pinpoint their personalities really. This is definitely not a book with character development… Unfortunately because I think it would have been much more interesting if it had been.
Some things about the interactions between the characters still don’t make sense to me also. For instance two characters are mad at each others for a big part of the book and I do not understand why. The original reason seemed pretty trivial especially as they had such a strong and old friendship ? and it just never get resolved and I still don’t know why no one says anything especially as the reasons don’t make sense ?? I was, and am still, SO confused. Feels to me as if it was just put there so the author could talk about love and friendships later on.
Another example : at one point Fatima is scared because they might be killed and so… Hassan tells her he is now dating that other guy, so that should help her be less afraid… like, he literally says that and I ??? Like, how are those things related in ANY way?
There were a lot of decisions and things happening that never made sense to me. A non spoilery one to give you an idea : One of the character gets a horse and that horse actually helps him get out of a difficult situation. But he decides to call the horse Stupid, but for no reason at all, like, this horse doesn’t sound stupid and even if he was a little… I mean, just give that horse a normal name ? It’s so weird too because that horse is then called multiple times through the story and it’s so out of place to have him be called Stupid, when that’s really not the tone of the book. If we had been in a kind of comedy like My lady Jane or a Terry Pratchett then I guess why not, but that’s really not it.
Some things are never explained : a couple of times we get dialogues like “they looked at each others and they knew” or “Fatima knew what it meant” …. But the reader doesn’t know ! It’s so frustrating to read lines like that and be like “?! But, please tell us ??”. Like, ok now I know the characters know something but it would be good if at some point I would know too and… I finished the book and I don’t.
The main thing that confused me, and that’s really all about the Fabulism part and so you might not see a problem with it but… As you probably already know the story is all about Fatima and Hassan trying to escape the inquisition. And they have heard many years ago the beginning of a tale about the Bird king… so they decide to find it. But ok first… Really ? It’s a tale from an old book, why do you put your life on the line for it ? But then many things happen, Hassan doesn’t believe in it so much but Fatima always does and I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY. There’s no ground for it, there’s no reason you should put all your hopes on a fairytale you haven’t even heard the end of. The whole world isn’t magic, she only knows that Hassan have some magic in him but that’s it, it’s not a fantasy world, it’s our world with a hint of magic. So why is she so sure ? I need more, I need to understand why characters do things and not just read about them doing the things. This way it seems to me the author is just making characters do what she needs them to do because that’s where she wants the story to go, but there’s never any ground for it, and no reason behind the decisions of the characters.
Finally, there were the Jinn characters that just popped up whenever it was convenient for the MCs to get saved… It’s, again, a problem I have with Magical realism as a whole but… I need more explanation. I still don’t even know what they look like. Does Vikram look like a human ? Like a dog ? I don’t get it. And that Cat-lady Jinn that pops up to save a character and then just disappear again and is never even mentioned again… What was up with that ? How can they come into Fatima’s dream like that and why isn’t she more surprised ?? So. Many. Questions.
And then there’s all the other inconsistencies : they are never sea sick even though it’s their first time on a boat (I mean it could happen but it’s weird that it’s not mentioned at all), they are never described as hungry even though they never eat and we know they don’t have any food for at least a day if not 2, a character gets tortured with some kind of blades under his fingernails but then it’s never mentioned again : that character seem to be using their hands just fine during the hours and days after it happened….
So, to sum up, it wasn’t an enjoyable read, even though I really wanted to love this story… I was so happy when I got approved for an arc ! But yeah, really not a kind of story for me and I’ll be more careful in the future. I did like Fatima, and all the part of the story that were grounded in reality and that sounded more like an historical novel. As for everything else, it really wasn’t my kind of read and I do think we need more explanations for a lot of things because as you can see from this review, I’m left pretty confused and with a lot of questions…
Note to maybe edit something in the ARC : there’s no tides in the Mediterranean sea (or it’s not actually visible to the eye because it’s so small). So a couple of scenes here don’t work.
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