Nahri, Banu
Nahida, is the last surviving member of a race of healers, long thought
extinct. Darayavahoush is a 1,400-year-old magical warrior, remembered, cursed,
and feared. Prince Alizayd al Qahtani (Ali) is the king’s second son, religious,
empathic, and ultimately dispensable. In a world dominated by magical and racial
tribalism, these three all seek justice for the oppressed classes (shafit) and
races (daevas). This is book one of three, nothing is resolved, though the
adventure is dramatic.
Nahri is a
poor orphan and thief of Cairo, reminiscent of Disney’s Aladdin. The story
diverges as soon as she summons her djinn, Dara. He leads her on a quest to the
magical City of Brass, where he promises that she will be safe. Their journey
is hindered by the marauding ifrit and other magical beings while being helped
by Dara’s magical powers. For example, some of their travels employ a flying
carpet (Aladdin again). Between her healing powers and his strength, they
arrive, but their troubles only get more complex, even though both are revered for
their power in the present, and remembrance of past glory.
Ali has
removed himself from the palace politics, attending the Citadel (military
academy) and dedicating himself to an ascetic religious life. He gets involved
with a rebel, terrorist group working to free the shafit underclass. When Nahri
and Dara arrive, he is drawn to the girl and sympathetic to the djinn. All this
exacerbated the tension between him and his father and his brother.
The three
main characters were regularly in jeopardy, but there was so much magic, I
found it hard to be concerned. Dara, particularly, regularly showed whatever
new power might be convenient. Both Nahri and the reader had no idea what to
expect next, as Dara called upon new powers, and other characters conveniently
were resurrected.
Nahri develops
strong feelings for both male figures.
The City of Brass by S A Chakraborty is a broad-ranging
fantasy from the slums of Cairo to the magical, ancient City of Brass. A
complex culture based on the Middle East and drawing on all the area’s history.
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