Every Rising Sun

May 1, 2023

DEBUT Ahmed, who studied medieval Islamic history, does not pander to a Western audience in her debut novel, which includes many Arabic and Muslim terms. Shaherazade, of One Thousand and One Nights, famously told riveting tales to her ruthless husband, leaving a cliffhanger every evening to ensure her survival for another day. Ahmed retells this medieval Persian tale from Shaherazade's first-person point of view. Shaherazade, the Vizier's daughter, diverts her new husband, the Malik, with stories to save her life and insists on accompanying him on his crusades in order to advise him and use her guidance for the good of her kingdom--but she puts herself in peril by falling in love with one of the Malik's soldiers. Using her wits and storytelling to influence those in power and shape important events, Shaherazade also is atoning for her past misdeeds. Stories within stories, fables and adventures involving magic and angels and demons; these tales that Shaherazade tells throughout Ahmed's novel have a fairy-tale feel. VERDICT With imaginative creativity and embellishment of its 12th-century Persia setting, this novel is a striking testament to the power of stories.--Sonia Reppe

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 22, 2023
Ahmed debuts with a vibrant spin on the Arabian classic One Thousand and One Nights, foregrounding the political stratagems of Shaherazade, wife of the fumbling and murderous leader Seljuk Malik Shahryar. Shahryar, who killed his wife Fataneh after discovering her infidelity, beheads a new bride each day out of continued rage. Shaherazade hopes that by marrying Shahryar, she can put a stop to the “mad Malik, with a pile of dead girls at his feet.” As in the original, Shaherazade avoids the fate of the Malik’s previous brides by weaving an extraordinary series of serpentine tales, always careful to end on a cliffhanger. Djinns and magicians, psychic parrots, and other worlds unfold in her narration. In between the stories, a new romance buds—and it’s as much a threat to Shaherazade’s life as the possibility that Shahryar will grow bored with her stories. Ahmed is a shrewd observer of how Shaherazade navigates the strict gender roles and political uncertainty of her time. When the Seljuks go to war, supporting Sultan Saladin during the Crusades, Western readers familiar with the story of Richard the Lionheart will gain a new perspective on the battles over Jerusalem. Ahmed brings new life to Shaherazade’s thrilling tales.

June 15, 2023
Shaherazade forges a path for herself against the turbulent, violent backdrop of the Third Crusade and the 12th-century Persian Empire in crisis. Storytelling is at the heart of this debut novel, with Shaherazade spinning tales and writing verses for her loved ones to help make sense of their often mystifying world. It is poetry she turns to when she stumbles upon the reigning Malik's beloved wife engaging in adultery. Shaherazade's revelatory lines result in the woman's execution and then the swift, brutal murders of the Malik's next three young brides. She is appalled that this man she grew up with has become unrecognizably evil: "Three thousand lives or three, to take even a single life unjustly is to murder all of mankind. Can a soul stained so dark be redeemed?" She atones by offering herself for the position of the Malik's wife herself, and so begins her perilous journey into the lion's den. Night after night, Shaherazade whispers stories of daring and magic to her dangerous husband, always promising more detail the next night, thus prolonging her own life for another day. Ahmed revives the ancient tales of One Thousand and One Nights through Shaherazade, who is able to harness her storytelling to effect political change. She spins webs to protect her loved ones and ensnare her enemies at once, drawing the reader ever closer as the boundary between her life and stories begins to blur. Constantly probing her faith and moral judgment, she is profoundly aware of the gray area between right and wrong and the unfathomable role of chance: "I once thought opportunities were ever arising, but now, older, I realize how thinly the door to destiny opens, how quickly it shuts." Readers will love Shaherazade, who is acutely sensitive to nuance--social, political, and romantic--and refuses to lose her empathy. Ahmed flawlessly weaves together countless threads to create a stunning tapestry revealing the bonds that tie people together and the deceptions that tear them apart. "In fifty years, in a century, in a millennium, who will remember her life, let alone her death, all that preceded it and all that followed?" the narrator asks. Here, Ahmed gives us the voice echoing through eras, Shaherazade's honeyed stories dripped onto the page. A gorgeous novel that rejoices in the legacy of the woman who tells tales.

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Starred review from May 15, 2023
This beautifully rendered reimagining of The Arabian Nights finds 19-year-old Shaherazade infatuated with Shahryar, Seljuk Malik of Kerman. When Shaherazade twice finds Shahryar's beloved wife, Fataneh, in the act of adultery, she leaves an anonymous note. When it is discovered, Shahryar, in a rage, has Fataneh beheaded. Driven half mad with anger, he begins marrying virgins, and, the morning after the wedding night, has them beheaded too. Riddled with guilt, Shaherazade volunteers to be his next wife, assuring her father that she will survive by telling the Malik a story each evening but leaving its conclusion for the next night. The ruse works. Meanwhile, Shahryar leads an army to assist the great Sultan Saladin in his war against the Crusaders, and Shaherazade goes along to provide counsel. Then, in Palestine, Shahryar learns that his kingdom is under attack. To receive Saladin's permission to release Shahryar's army, Shaherazade tells him a story, and permission is given. In the midst of this, Shaherazade finds herself falling in love with one of the Malik's emirs. There is much more to this extremely plot-rich novel, but suffice it to say that the exceptionally well-realized characters and Shaherazade's enchanting stories are major reasons for its success.

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