First of all, I want to say that if this book receives the same mini-series treatment that Khoury's book "The Last Templar" did, I will be one of the happiest people on the planet.
This book drew me in from the first page and I found myself sneaking in reading breaks wherever I could - even at work and while I was supposed to being doing schoolwork - because I desperately wanted to know what was going to happen and the way that current-day issues and the potential timeline change were interwoven was truly amazing to read.
I will say, I liked some of the narrators more than others, but I feel like that is something that happens with every novel with more than one narrator/point of view, but there was never a perspective I hated.
I will say, this book has been compared to "The Man in the High Castle" and that does this book a huge disservice because "The Man in the High Castle" is less science fiction and more speculative fiction while this novel tends towards science fiction at points. I'm a fan of science fiction over speculative fiction, so I liked this book more than I liked "The Man in the High Castle".
Something I really appreciated about this book was how Khoury normalized Ottoman/Arabic/Islamic cultural values and day to day practices. I know the three have overlaps but are distinct in their own ways, but in a world that perhaps isn't as educated as it should be, normalizing all of those things truly makes the reader pause and think for a bit.
All in all, this is a contender for my favorite book of the year, and I am so glad I was able to read this book before the publishing date.
This book drew me in from the first page and I found myself sneaking in reading breaks wherever I could - even at work and while I was supposed to being doing schoolwork - because I desperately wanted to know what was going to happen and the way that current-day issues and the potential timeline change were interwoven was truly amazing to read.
I will say, I liked some of the narrators more than others, but I feel like that is something that happens with every novel with more than one narrator/point of view, but there was never a perspective I hated.
I will say, this book has been compared to "The Man in the High Castle" and that does this book a huge disservice because "The Man in the High Castle" is less science fiction and more speculative fiction while this novel tends towards science fiction at points. I'm a fan of science fiction over speculative fiction, so I liked this book more than I liked "The Man in the High Castle".
Something I really appreciated about this book was how Khoury normalized Ottoman/Arabic/Islamic cultural values and day to day practices. I know the three have overlaps but are distinct in their own ways, but in a world that perhaps isn't as educated as it should be, normalizing all of those things truly makes the reader pause and think for a bit.
All in all, this is a contender for my favorite book of the year, and I am so glad I was able to read this book before the publishing date.