This is an action packed time travelling adventure story that deals with what the world have been like if the Ottoman empire had won a pivotal battle in Vienna in 1683. It is interesting to read how a Muslim rule would have impacted the world. They would have controlled Europe and America would have apparently evolved into a fundamentalist Christian country with no minorities.
Then in 2017 a tattooed man drops into a hospital apparently from nowhere badly in need of medical care. Ramazan Hekim is a member of his medical team and after helping to save his life spends time discovering the mystery of the tattoos, a very rare thing in this time. It turns out that it is the secret of time travel and when he confides in his wife, Nisreen, she immediately want to go back in time and change things allowing for more freedom. His brother, Kamal, a member of an elite police unit gets involved. They must decide if they go back to correct history changed by the tattooed man or allow things to say the same.
I got confused with all the dates because they jumped around time a lot and some of the dates were in Arabic times so I was not always sure when and where they were. It wasn't consistent. I am also not familiar with Ottoman history at all apparently and a lot of events and people had no context for me. I felt lost many times. Also, I found Nisreen very unlikable. She was shrill and so convinced that she was right in everything that she got them in trouble time and time again. As the only woman, basically, in the book she was not really well written and there were times I just wanted to slap her.
Still as an action paced novel that is pure escapism then this kept the pages turning. I did learn a lot about Ottoman history that was interesting.
Then in 2017 a tattooed man drops into a hospital apparently from nowhere badly in need of medical care. Ramazan Hekim is a member of his medical team and after helping to save his life spends time discovering the mystery of the tattoos, a very rare thing in this time. It turns out that it is the secret of time travel and when he confides in his wife, Nisreen, she immediately want to go back in time and change things allowing for more freedom. His brother, Kamal, a member of an elite police unit gets involved. They must decide if they go back to correct history changed by the tattooed man or allow things to say the same.
I got confused with all the dates because they jumped around time a lot and some of the dates were in Arabic times so I was not always sure when and where they were. It wasn't consistent. I am also not familiar with Ottoman history at all apparently and a lot of events and people had no context for me. I felt lost many times. Also, I found Nisreen very unlikable. She was shrill and so convinced that she was right in everything that she got them in trouble time and time again. As the only woman, basically, in the book she was not really well written and there were times I just wanted to slap her.
Still as an action paced novel that is pure escapism then this kept the pages turning. I did learn a lot about Ottoman history that was interesting.