Arabesk trilogy
Encyclopedia
The Arabesk trilogy
is a sequence of alternate history
novels by the British
author Jon Courtenay Grimwood
.
Starting with the 2001 novel Pashazade and continuing with Effendi (2002) and Felaheen (2003), the point of divergence
is in 1915, with Woodrow Wilson
brokering an earlier peace so that World War I
never expanded outside of the Balkans
; the books are set in a liberal
Islam
ic Ottoman
North Africa
in the 21st century, mainly centering on Alexandria
(referred to as El Iskandriyah).
The central character, Raf, is an enigma throughout. Genetically enhanced in dozens of ways, frequently wired on various drugs, occasionally accompanied by the hallucinatory
fox
Tiriganiaq, and strongly conscientious in everything he does, Raf's past is as much a mystery as his future.
.jpg)
ISBN 0-7434-6833-3 (shortlisted for the 2002 Arthur C. Clarke Award
, BSFA award
for Best Novel and John W. Campbell Memorial Award
)
The first book centres around the arrival in Alexandria of Bey
Ashraf al-Mansur, claimed to be the son of the Emir
of Tunis
. Shortly after his arrival, though, Raf's tendency to do exactly what he thinks is right leads to unexpected consequences. Between caring for his niece, Hani, and attempting to understand Zara — the girl he was to marry — Raf ends up suspected of his Aunt Nafisa's murder, running from the police as he tries desperately to work out who really killed her.
The main story is intercut with out-of-order flashbacks to Raf's past as a schoolboy in Swiss and Scottish boarding schools and as 'ZeeZee', a low-ranking agent of Hu San — an influential Triad in Seattle.
.jpg)
ISBN 0-671-77369-0 (shortlisted for the BSFA award
for Best Novel)
The second book opens with the discovery of a body near the mansion of billionaire Hamzah Effendi, Zara's father. As the new Chief of Detectives, Raf is obliged to investigate — uncovering a past as a child soldier under the infamous Colonel Abad that Hamzah would rather forget. Meanwhile, as agents from Berlin
, Washington
and Paris
battle diplomatically for influence over North Africa's most influential port, its nominal ruler (the young Khedive
) is sent on holiday by the Governor General Koenig Pasha
— whose cryptic notes Raf is left struggling to understand. The whole city hangs in the balance, and this time it'll take more than Raf to save it.
This novel includes a second narrative dealing with the young Hamzah's actions as a prepubescent soldier, surviving famine and desert to carry out his lethal mission for the mysterious Abad.
.jpg)
ISBN 0-671-77370-4 (winner of the BSFA award
for Best Novel and shortlisted for the British Fantasy Award
)
The third book starts with the near-death of the Emir of Tunis — forcing Raf to investigate the biggest mystery of all, his own origins. As the nine-year-old Hani races to get to the Emir's banquet, Raf is forced underground to discover the truth about his father. Kashif Pasha, the Emir's other son, is intent on removing any threat Raf might pose to his own claim to the throne, but could get more than he bargained for if Raf's Djinn-like abilities are as real as Hani thinks.
Frequent flashbacks tell the story of Sally Welham, Raf's mother, from New York
to Tunis
via Thailand
as she sets out to get what she wants, no matter the cost.
Trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
is a sequence of alternate history
Alternate history (fiction)
Alternate history or alternative history is a genre of fiction consisting of stories that are set in worlds in which history has diverged from the actual history of the world. It can be variously seen as a sub-genre of literary fiction, science fiction, and historical fiction; different alternate...
novels by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author Jon Courtenay Grimwood
Jon Courtenay Grimwood
Jon Courtenay Grimwood is a British science fiction and fantasy author.He was born in Valletta, Malta, grew up in Britain, Southeast Asia and Norway in the 1960s and 1970s. He studied at Kingston College, then worked in publishing and as a freelance writer for magazines and newspapers including The...
.
Starting with the 2001 novel Pashazade and continuing with Effendi (2002) and Felaheen (2003), the point of divergence
Point of divergence
In discussion of counterfactual history, a divergence point , also referred to as a departure point or point of divergence , is a historical event with two possible postulated outcomes...
is in 1915, with Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
brokering an earlier peace so that World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
never expanded outside of the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
; the books are set in a liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
in the 21st century, mainly centering on Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
(referred to as El Iskandriyah).
The central character, Raf, is an enigma throughout. Genetically enhanced in dozens of ways, frequently wired on various drugs, occasionally accompanied by the hallucinatory
Hallucination
A hallucination, in the broadest sense of the word, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid,...
fox
Arctic fox
The arctic fox , also known as the white fox, polar fox or snow fox, is a small fox native to Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. The Greek word alopex, means a fox and Vulpes is the Latin version...
Tiriganiaq, and strongly conscientious in everything he does, Raf's past is as much a mystery as his future.
Pashazade
Arthur C. Clarke Award
The Arthur C. Clarke Award is a British award given for the best science fiction novel first published in the United Kingdom during the previous year. The award was established with a grant from Arthur C. Clarke and the first prize was awarded in 1987...
, BSFA award
BSFA award
The BSFA Awards are literary awards presented annually since 1970 by the British Science Fiction Association to honor works in the genre of science fiction. Nominees and winners are chosen based on a vote of BSFA members...
for Best Novel and John W. Campbell Memorial Award
John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
The John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel for best science fiction novel was created in 1973 by writers and critics Harry Harrison and Brian W. Aldiss to honor Campbell's name...
)
The first book centres around the arrival in Alexandria of Bey
Bey
Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
Ashraf al-Mansur, claimed to be the son of the Emir
Emir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
of Tunis
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
. Shortly after his arrival, though, Raf's tendency to do exactly what he thinks is right leads to unexpected consequences. Between caring for his niece, Hani, and attempting to understand Zara — the girl he was to marry — Raf ends up suspected of his Aunt Nafisa's murder, running from the police as he tries desperately to work out who really killed her.
The main story is intercut with out-of-order flashbacks to Raf's past as a schoolboy in Swiss and Scottish boarding schools and as 'ZeeZee', a low-ranking agent of Hu San — an influential Triad in Seattle.
Effendi
BSFA award
The BSFA Awards are literary awards presented annually since 1970 by the British Science Fiction Association to honor works in the genre of science fiction. Nominees and winners are chosen based on a vote of BSFA members...
for Best Novel)
The second book opens with the discovery of a body near the mansion of billionaire Hamzah Effendi, Zara's father. As the new Chief of Detectives, Raf is obliged to investigate — uncovering a past as a child soldier under the infamous Colonel Abad that Hamzah would rather forget. Meanwhile, as agents from Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
battle diplomatically for influence over North Africa's most influential port, its nominal ruler (the young Khedive
Khedive
The term Khedive is a title largely equivalent to the English word viceroy. It was first used, without official recognition, by Muhammad Ali Pasha , the Wāli of Egypt and Sudan, and vassal of the Ottoman Empire...
) is sent on holiday by the Governor General Koenig Pasha
Pasha
Pasha or pascha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, Pasha, in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of Lord, and was also one of the highest titles in...
— whose cryptic notes Raf is left struggling to understand. The whole city hangs in the balance, and this time it'll take more than Raf to save it.
This novel includes a second narrative dealing with the young Hamzah's actions as a prepubescent soldier, surviving famine and desert to carry out his lethal mission for the mysterious Abad.
Felaheen
BSFA award
The BSFA Awards are literary awards presented annually since 1970 by the British Science Fiction Association to honor works in the genre of science fiction. Nominees and winners are chosen based on a vote of BSFA members...
for Best Novel and shortlisted for the British Fantasy Award
British Fantasy Award
The British Fantasy Awards are administered annually by the British Fantasy Society and were first awarded in 1971. The membership of the BFS vote to determine recommendations, short-lists and winners of the awards...
)
The third book starts with the near-death of the Emir of Tunis — forcing Raf to investigate the biggest mystery of all, his own origins. As the nine-year-old Hani races to get to the Emir's banquet, Raf is forced underground to discover the truth about his father. Kashif Pasha, the Emir's other son, is intent on removing any threat Raf might pose to his own claim to the throne, but could get more than he bargained for if Raf's Djinn-like abilities are as real as Hani thinks.
Frequent flashbacks tell the story of Sally Welham, Raf's mother, from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
via Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
as she sets out to get what she wants, no matter the cost.