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ambrose_7's review
3.0
Overall: I was dissatisfied. I liked around half the stories and was okay/didn’t like the other half of the stories. I didn’t LOVE any of the stories. If you look at it like a grade, in school 50% would be an F. I wouldn’t say it was that bad, but I’m slightly confused about why it has such good reviews. I think it was okay, but nothing better. The plots were kinda of shaky, everything was just mediocre. I did love that Middle Eastern culture aspect of it. I got to learn some stuff about that, maybe that’s why people rave about this book? I don’t know, because for me that doesn’t make it stand up on its own. Great stories do, and I didn’t see that.
Where Virtue Lives
This was the debut of the book, and it wasn’t bad. It was told by switching between the perspectives of an old monster hunter and a young man wishing to be his apprentice. They go through an adventure and the old man takes him on in the end. It wasn’t powerful in any way just a quick fun read with lots of world-building stacked atop that was impressively accessible. However, Ushra, a side character, wasn’t very reliable. I don’t think she was realistic but was more written to make a point. That means that taking someone’s life should not be something taken lightly. I think she could have written better though.
3.5/5
Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela
This one read like a fairytale, there was a rising action. And then the shocking reveal that leads to an important decision being made. In this case, the main character made the right decision and lived happily ever after. After a grisly surgery was performed. The thing that put me off in this one was that god was mentioned in every other sentence. It was such a focus of this one it took away from the story for me.
3/5
Judgment of Swords and Souls
This was good actually. It was set in some sort of religious covenant that was called “The Lodge of God.” Now I know I complained about God being too much a focus of the last story, but the reason it worked in this one was because it was a part of the story. It was essential to the plot and therefore didn’t take away but just was. The story went over sticking to one’s morals, religion (duh), revenge, and starting over. The climax was much better than I thought it would be and for that, I give this a 4/5 stars. My favorite story in the collection.
Doctor Diablo Goes Through the Motions
Weak as heck, I didn’t like this one very much. It’s about what a meeting of “Super-criminals” looks like and I guess it’s trying to convey that you can get a bad roll of the dice and that there not so different from the "League of Justice". But it’s just not ever justified like the author just doesn’t explain why the main character and the other one who seem like normal people are part of the super-criminals. Not well made. 1.5/5 stars.
General Akmed’s Revenge
This one tackled racism and the conflict between America and Middle Eastern countries. But not in the best way. More like it would be tacked in a juvenile book. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s just not interesting to what I think this book's target audience is. The ending held a genie who gave him one wish. It was open-ended between “princess,” “DESTRRROY AMERRRICA,” and “A NEEEEW CAR.” You don’t know which one happened because they slipped out of his mouth, I think it would have been better if America just got destroyed, that’s an interesting ending.
2/5 stars.
Mister Hadj’s Sunset Ride
This was better than the last two for sure. It’s about a bounty hunter who learns some life lessons from an old man he travels with for a year. It still didn’t knock me out of the park but I enjoyed the ending scene. The zombie was a nice add-in. The suspense wasn’t built in until the very end so it didn’t feel as unique—average at the end of the day.
3/5 stars.
The Faithful Soldier, Prompted
Another story that I just didn’t like too much because of the execution. This one had the plot to make it interesting. It just had some parts that annoyed me enough to take away from what could have been there chiefly, 1: his “retscans” and “prompts” are never really explained. Are they in his head? Are they on a device? World-building without explanation only works when it’s a novel.. and you get to learn why stuff is the way it is eventually. And 2: If he had this religious awakening to get out of prison, why does he not listen to the prompt at the end of the story?
2.5/5 stars.
Iron Eyes and the Watered Down World
Well, it ended on a pretty good note. This one is pretty good. The MC was pretty intolerable but besides that, it was a pretty good conclusion, action-packed with lots of death. A thief smashing giant and a toad-demon.
3.5/5 stars.
Where Virtue Lives
This was the debut of the book, and it wasn’t bad. It was told by switching between the perspectives of an old monster hunter and a young man wishing to be his apprentice. They go through an adventure and the old man takes him on in the end. It wasn’t powerful in any way just a quick fun read with lots of world-building stacked atop that was impressively accessible. However, Ushra, a side character, wasn’t very reliable. I don’t think she was realistic but was more written to make a point. That means that taking someone’s life should not be something taken lightly. I think she could have written better though.
3.5/5
Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela
This one read like a fairytale, there was a rising action. And then the shocking reveal that leads to an important decision being made. In this case, the main character made the right decision and lived happily ever after. After a grisly surgery was performed. The thing that put me off in this one was that god was mentioned in every other sentence. It was such a focus of this one it took away from the story for me.
3/5
Judgment of Swords and Souls
This was good actually. It was set in some sort of religious covenant that was called “The Lodge of God.” Now I know I complained about God being too much a focus of the last story, but the reason it worked in this one was because it was a part of the story. It was essential to the plot and therefore didn’t take away but just was. The story went over sticking to one’s morals, religion (duh), revenge, and starting over. The climax was much better than I thought it would be and for that, I give this a 4/5 stars. My favorite story in the collection.
Doctor Diablo Goes Through the Motions
Weak as heck, I didn’t like this one very much. It’s about what a meeting of “Super-criminals” looks like and I guess it’s trying to convey that you can get a bad roll of the dice and that there not so different from the "League of Justice". But it’s just not ever justified like the author just doesn’t explain why the main character and the other one who seem like normal people are part of the super-criminals. Not well made. 1.5/5 stars.
General Akmed’s Revenge
This one tackled racism and the conflict between America and Middle Eastern countries. But not in the best way. More like it would be tacked in a juvenile book. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s just not interesting to what I think this book's target audience is. The ending held a genie who gave him one wish. It was open-ended between “princess,” “DESTRRROY AMERRRICA,” and “A NEEEEW CAR.” You don’t know which one happened because they slipped out of his mouth, I think it would have been better if America just got destroyed, that’s an interesting ending.
2/5 stars.
Mister Hadj’s Sunset Ride
This was better than the last two for sure. It’s about a bounty hunter who learns some life lessons from an old man he travels with for a year. It still didn’t knock me out of the park but I enjoyed the ending scene. The zombie was a nice add-in. The suspense wasn’t built in until the very end so it didn’t feel as unique—average at the end of the day.
3/5 stars.
The Faithful Soldier, Prompted
Another story that I just didn’t like too much because of the execution. This one had the plot to make it interesting. It just had some parts that annoyed me enough to take away from what could have been there chiefly, 1: his “retscans” and “prompts” are never really explained. Are they in his head? Are they on a device? World-building without explanation only works when it’s a novel.. and you get to learn why stuff is the way it is eventually. And 2: If he had this religious awakening to get out of prison, why does he not listen to the prompt at the end of the story?
2.5/5 stars.
Iron Eyes and the Watered Down World
Well, it ended on a pretty good note. This one is pretty good. The MC was pretty intolerable but besides that, it was a pretty good conclusion, action-packed with lots of death. A thief smashing giant and a toad-demon.
3.5/5 stars.
songwind's review
4.0
This collection of short stories offers a departure from the usual science fiction and fantasy fare. Saladin Ahmed brings his unusual (for sf/f) viewpoint as a practicing Muslim and Arab American to the party and serves up a delicious buffet of refreshing stories.
The stories vary pretty widely. There is the story of the first case in which the characters Adoulla Makhslood and Raseed (from Throne of the Crescent Moon) work together. Another story set in the Crescent Moon Kingdoms deals with the internal politics of the Lodge of Dervishes. At the other end of the spectrum, we have the story of a cybernetically augmented Lebanese soldier trying to keep his wife alive in a post-war world. There is also a historical fantasy set during the Abbasid Caliphate. One story is set in a secondary world and gives just enough detail about it to be intriguing.
My personal favorite is "Mister Hadj's Sunset Ride." It's a Western starring people you don't see often in Western stories. Mister Hadj and the narrator (O'Connor) are working as bounty hunters on the trail of some seriously bad men. Mr Hadj, an immigrant from the same area as O'Connor's Pa, has a knack for making things happen when he sings. How it all plays out is more than I care to share here.
I find Ahmed's prose to be competent and easy to read, but lacking that special something I'm looking for to push a book into 5 territory.
The stories vary pretty widely. There is the story of the first case in which the characters Adoulla Makhslood and Raseed (from Throne of the Crescent Moon) work together. Another story set in the Crescent Moon Kingdoms deals with the internal politics of the Lodge of Dervishes. At the other end of the spectrum, we have the story of a cybernetically augmented Lebanese soldier trying to keep his wife alive in a post-war world. There is also a historical fantasy set during the Abbasid Caliphate. One story is set in a secondary world and gives just enough detail about it to be intriguing.
My personal favorite is "Mister Hadj's Sunset Ride." It's a Western starring people you don't see often in Western stories. Mister Hadj and the narrator (O'Connor) are working as bounty hunters on the trail of some seriously bad men. Mr Hadj, an immigrant from the same area as O'Connor's Pa, has a knack for making things happen when he sings. How it all plays out is more than I care to share here.
I find Ahmed's prose to be competent and easy to read, but lacking that special something I'm looking for to push a book into 5 territory.
mwplante's review against another edition
3.0
After reading the author's novel and his Zok Iron Eyes short-form work online, I was craving a bit more. Engraved on the Eye satisfied that craving and left me stoked for book two of the Crescent Moon Kingdoms.
I reviewed this collection's Zok story ("Iron Eyes and the Watered Down World") and Saladin's other online Zok story ("Amethyst, Shadow, and Light") elsewhere. Other tales in this collection:
"Where Virtue Lives": This Crescent Moon Kingdoms tale details the first meeting of young Dervish warrior-monk Raseed and his mentor, the aging Ghul Hunter Adoulla. It's a fun story for those craving more of the Crescent Moon series, but it doesn't add a whole lot to the mythology or to the relationships of the main characters. Raseed is roughly as skeptical of Adoulla at the beginning of the first Crescent Moon book as he is at the beginning of this prequel tale. Still, fun stuff. I especially liked the knot magic.
"Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela": This is probably my favorite story of the collection. It is written in a less genre-laden style than the rest of Saladin Ahmed's work, which was interesting to experience. Furthermore, the story manages to keep you guessing in a very satisfying way.
"Judgement of Swords and Souls": The better and more illuminating of the two Crescent Moon Kingdoms stories in this collection. An important piece of the world is filled in by this tale of the Dervish warrior-monks. Saladin Ahmed also takes this opportunity to remind us that he can write women surprisingly well for a Fantasy author.
"Doctor Diablo Goes Through the Motions": A fun, comedic vignette in the life of a supervillain, interweaving themes of social justice.
"General Akmed's Revenge?": An episode in the life of a struggling Arab immigrant actor in 1980s Hollywood, with a supernatural twist. Short, satisfying, and clever.
"Mister Hadj's Sunset Ride": This story had a lot of potential, glimpsing the adventures of a gun-slinging Muslim mystic bounty-hunter in the Old West from the point of view of his assimilated Arab-American partner. However, the story felt a bit cut-off and not nearly as fleshed out as the premise deserved. Furthermore, the action sequence was a bit clipped and unsatisfying. I did love the premise thought, and would be interested in revisiting it in a longer form.
"The Faithful Soldier, Prompted": This story lobs us another fascinating premise. Here, we find the future Middle East has been ravaged in a high-tech war over the Islamic proscription of loan interest (riba). Our main character is a cybernetically enhanced ex-soldier whose battle cry is "God is greater than credit!", on a journey to save his beloved from a bioengineered plague, at the prompting of his supposedly deactivated retinal communication device. Basically, it's in the vein of the best old-school apocalyptic Scifi, but with Saladin Ahmed's signature Islamic twist. So go read it!
I reviewed this collection's Zok story ("Iron Eyes and the Watered Down World") and Saladin's other online Zok story ("Amethyst, Shadow, and Light") elsewhere. Other tales in this collection:
"Where Virtue Lives": This Crescent Moon Kingdoms tale details the first meeting of young Dervish warrior-monk Raseed and his mentor, the aging Ghul Hunter Adoulla. It's a fun story for those craving more of the Crescent Moon series, but it doesn't add a whole lot to the mythology or to the relationships of the main characters. Raseed is roughly as skeptical of Adoulla at the beginning of the first Crescent Moon book as he is at the beginning of this prequel tale. Still, fun stuff. I especially liked the knot magic.
"Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela": This is probably my favorite story of the collection. It is written in a less genre-laden style than the rest of Saladin Ahmed's work, which was interesting to experience. Furthermore, the story manages to keep you guessing in a very satisfying way.
"Judgement of Swords and Souls": The better and more illuminating of the two Crescent Moon Kingdoms stories in this collection. An important piece of the world is filled in by this tale of the Dervish warrior-monks. Saladin Ahmed also takes this opportunity to remind us that he can write women surprisingly well for a Fantasy author.
"Doctor Diablo Goes Through the Motions": A fun, comedic vignette in the life of a supervillain, interweaving themes of social justice.
"General Akmed's Revenge?": An episode in the life of a struggling Arab immigrant actor in 1980s Hollywood, with a supernatural twist. Short, satisfying, and clever.
"Mister Hadj's Sunset Ride": This story had a lot of potential, glimpsing the adventures of a gun-slinging Muslim mystic bounty-hunter in the Old West from the point of view of his assimilated Arab-American partner. However, the story felt a bit cut-off and not nearly as fleshed out as the premise deserved. Furthermore, the action sequence was a bit clipped and unsatisfying. I did love the premise thought, and would be interested in revisiting it in a longer form.
"The Faithful Soldier, Prompted": This story lobs us another fascinating premise. Here, we find the future Middle East has been ravaged in a high-tech war over the Islamic proscription of loan interest (riba). Our main character is a cybernetically enhanced ex-soldier whose battle cry is "God is greater than credit!", on a journey to save his beloved from a bioengineered plague, at the prompting of his supposedly deactivated retinal communication device. Basically, it's in the vein of the best old-school apocalyptic Scifi, but with Saladin Ahmed's signature Islamic twist. So go read it!
ravenboi13's review
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
stephenmeansme's review
3.0
This was an interesting but not amazing collection, which I got either for free or for very cheap (like $0.99) on Kindle. The better-than-average stories, I think, were the ones that evoked the outsider experience: "General Akmed's Revenge," "Mister Hadj's Sunset Ride," (both about first- or second-generation Arab immigrants to America, in different ways), "Doctor Diablo Goes Through the Motions" (the title character is implied Latino; also I wanted a bit more). "Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela" was maybe the best of the lot for sheer Islamic-fantasy weirdness. The two "Crescent Moon" stories, "Judgment of Swords and Souls" and "Where Virtue Lives," had a fun Arabic-Islamic flavor but structurally were pretty standard fantasy tropes. And finally "Iron Eyes and the Watered-Down World" was pretty standard East Asian-inflected fantasy.
So, overall: competently written, the style carries you along but doesn't really grab you (except for a few choice moments). But it's a quick read and free on Amazon, so why not? 2.5 stars, rounded up.
So, overall: competently written, the style carries you along but doesn't really grab you (except for a few choice moments). But it's a quick read and free on Amazon, so why not? 2.5 stars, rounded up.
ericbuscemi's review
4.0
I was very impressed by this short story collection from the author of [b:Throne of the Crescent Moon|11487807|Throne of the Crescent Moon (The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, #1)|Saladin Ahmed|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1344256189s/11487807.jpg|14520797]. Only two of the eight short stories were set in the fantasy world of the novel, the first of which being the story of how Doctor Adoulla Mahkslood and Raseed bas Raseed, the two protagonists of the novel, first meet. In addition to being a great short story, it is an excellent introduction to the Crescent Moon universe.
The other stories were as engaging as they were varied. But I did have favorites, namely 'Doctor Diablo Goes Through the Motions', a modern super villain story slightly reminiscent of Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, but without the singing; 'Mister Hadj's Sunset Ride', a weird western; and 'Iron Eyes and the Watered Down World', a fantasy I would be hard pressed to describe other than mention there were rabbitmen warriors in it, and it lives up to how awesome that sounds.
I would love to see more written in all three of these different worlds, as they were so unique and fleshed out, despite their brevity -- and it seems a shame to invent such colorful worlds for such scant use.
The other stories were as engaging as they were varied. But I did have favorites, namely 'Doctor Diablo Goes Through the Motions', a modern super villain story slightly reminiscent of Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, but without the singing; 'Mister Hadj's Sunset Ride', a weird western; and 'Iron Eyes and the Watered Down World', a fantasy I would be hard pressed to describe other than mention there were rabbitmen warriors in it, and it lives up to how awesome that sounds.
I would love to see more written in all three of these different worlds, as they were so unique and fleshed out, despite their brevity -- and it seems a shame to invent such colorful worlds for such scant use.
twowhoodles's review
5.0
Fantastic series of short stories, well worth savoring. Nearly all stories left me wanting to hear more about the characters, but satisfied with where we were left.
qalminator's review
4.0
Very enjoyable old-west tale of how the (unnamed) narrator survived an encounter with the undead, despite his youth and stupidity. Nice to see some Islamic representation in an old-west tale, but I was inordinately entertained that most people Mr. Hadj ran into probably thought he was "Mr. Hodge" instead.
Recommended.
Merged review:
Very enjoyable old-west tale of how the (unnamed) narrator survived an encounter with the undead, despite his youth and stupidity. Nice to see some Islamic representation in an old-west tale, but I was inordinately entertained that most people Mr. Hadj ran into probably thought he was "Mr. Hodge" instead.
Recommended.
Recommended.
Merged review:
Very enjoyable old-west tale of how the (unnamed) narrator survived an encounter with the undead, despite his youth and stupidity. Nice to see some Islamic representation in an old-west tale, but I was inordinately entertained that most people Mr. Hadj ran into probably thought he was "Mr. Hodge" instead.
Recommended.
jeffkevlar's review
4.0
I really liked this collection of short stories. Honestly, the only reason I didn't give it a five out of five is that the short story is not my favourite. I will always prefer full novels and the development of characters, settings and themes that can be achieved there.
That being said, each one of the stories in this collection was fun to read. Doctor Diablo Goes Through the Motions was a funny and fun look at the inner workings of an evil association of supervillians. I loved the Arabic/ 1001 nights feel of Where Virtue Lives and Judgement of Sword and Souls. And the mystical western was great.
This is the first I've read of Saladin Ahmed but it wont be my last.
That being said, each one of the stories in this collection was fun to read. Doctor Diablo Goes Through the Motions was a funny and fun look at the inner workings of an evil association of supervillians. I loved the Arabic/ 1001 nights feel of Where Virtue Lives and Judgement of Sword and Souls. And the mystical western was great.
This is the first I've read of Saladin Ahmed but it wont be my last.
kodermike's review
4.0
Saladin Ahmed's "Engraved on the Eye" offers a nice sampling of Ahmed's short fiction. Collected in this volume are three short stories set in the same world as his first novel, The Crescent Throne, as well as a western, sci-fi, bunnies with swords, and an urban fantasy. Readers unfamiliar with the Crescent Throne will find the stories a good starting point, while fans of Saladin Adhmed's will enjoy the additional background on a certain ghul hunter and his blue clothed dhervish.
Tying the eight stories of this volume are two themes existing fans will find familiar: the fantastical, told with a heavy Middle Eastern influence. If Bradbury had been Arabic and living in middle America, this is what his first story collection might have looked like, ghul's, djenn, and demons included.
Tying the eight stories of this volume are two themes existing fans will find familiar: the fantastical, told with a heavy Middle Eastern influence. If Bradbury had been Arabic and living in middle America, this is what his first story collection might have looked like, ghul's, djenn, and demons included.