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The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra
Pursued by a powerful jinn master and a mysterious sect of occultists, Fada sets out across the lush and unforgiving ancient Arabian Peninsula on a quest to rescue his son. Legend has it that the sacrifice of a calamitous child, a child born under the Serpent-Neck star, can bring about the end of the world. Born under the Serpent-Neck star himself, jinn master Behas has sought out and killed many calamitous children to avert the destruction they portend. His next target is a boy named Dileel, the newborn son of a date farmer outside the great city of Erum. However, his plans are foisted when an occultist apprentice interferes to save the boy, and in the resulting confusion, Dileel is abducted by an unknown force. Determined to rescue his son, the humble date farmer Fada must leave behind everything he knows, enlisting powerful allies and risking his life on an unforgettable journey.
381 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 17, 2020
35 people are currently reading
1325 people want to read
About the author
A. Ali Hasan Ali
1 book31 followersA transport planner by trade, A. Ali Hasan Ali began writing as a hobby during his youth to help him learn English. His first novel, The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra, an epic historical fantasy, is inspired by the folklore and ancient history of Arabia. He lives in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, where he is working on his next book.
- 2020 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards Winner.
- 2020 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards Winner.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
April 19, 2021
This is a tale that has span centuries. It has been passed down through generations regarding Arabia’s pre-Islamic ancient history. It isn’t a tale I’ve ever heard of before, nor is any part of it familiar, so the story was quite a hard read for me, plus, there were words used I’ve never encountered and didn’t understand what they meant so I spent time having to use Google whilst reading too.
The book opens with a man described as the worst of mankind, Behas, on his way to kill a child that has been born under a serpent star. The baby, Dileel, is just eight days old when Behas arrives at the family’s home. He orders one of his Jinni who can take the shape of a snake to enter the home and kill the child. The snake kills the mother first before heading for the baby. However, the snake is killed by another intruder who has come to save the child, an apprentice occultist.
The father of the child, Fad, wrestles with Behas and thinks he has killed him, before confronting the occultist who tells him that he needs to take the child to keep him safe, and rides off heading for the city of Erum.
Behas has not been killed and uses more of his Jinni to give chase, whilst Fad also chases them, wanting his son back. This is the tale of that chase over rugged, desert landscape.
What I found about The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra, is that just like the title the book is very wordy, sometimes overly wordy. The story has been written by a debut novelist who I felt spent a lot of time telling us what was happening or was going to happen rather than letting the plot naturally show us. It is however rich in vocabulary from the time period which gave the book an authentic historical feel.
It took me quite a while to get through the book but this is on me as I never felt fully engaged with it. I like learning about cultures and traditions from other countries so I expected to rush through it, not crawl as I did, I could only read 2-3 chapters at a time before I had to put the book down as my head would be whirling with so much detail. It was an intriguing book with a decent plot, but I just couldn’t fully get into it or appreciate it, unfortunately.
The book opens with a man described as the worst of mankind, Behas, on his way to kill a child that has been born under a serpent star. The baby, Dileel, is just eight days old when Behas arrives at the family’s home. He orders one of his Jinni who can take the shape of a snake to enter the home and kill the child. The snake kills the mother first before heading for the baby. However, the snake is killed by another intruder who has come to save the child, an apprentice occultist.
The father of the child, Fad, wrestles with Behas and thinks he has killed him, before confronting the occultist who tells him that he needs to take the child to keep him safe, and rides off heading for the city of Erum.
Behas has not been killed and uses more of his Jinni to give chase, whilst Fad also chases them, wanting his son back. This is the tale of that chase over rugged, desert landscape.
What I found about The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra, is that just like the title the book is very wordy, sometimes overly wordy. The story has been written by a debut novelist who I felt spent a lot of time telling us what was happening or was going to happen rather than letting the plot naturally show us. It is however rich in vocabulary from the time period which gave the book an authentic historical feel.
It took me quite a while to get through the book but this is on me as I never felt fully engaged with it. I like learning about cultures and traditions from other countries so I expected to rush through it, not crawl as I did, I could only read 2-3 chapters at a time before I had to put the book down as my head would be whirling with so much detail. It was an intriguing book with a decent plot, but I just couldn’t fully get into it or appreciate it, unfortunately.
September 20, 2020
Thanks to the author for reaching out requesting a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Guardians of Erum is a story inspired by pre-Islamic Arabian culture and history. I love this era and setting, so I was excited to read a new jinn story!
What I loved: the setting and history the author worked into the book. I definitely felt like I learned a lot about pre-Islamic Arabian culture, which was great. I also thought the story was fascinating and definitely kept me asking questions. What is all this about a calamitous newborn? It was really unique and left me curious!
What I didn’t love: I occasionally felt like there were information drops, which took away from the plot. While the author does a great job of giving you a full and complete picture of the intricacies of the culture, it often comes in paragraphs mid-plot that can sometimes feel like tangents and often distract from the story. I frequently had to go back before the info-drop to remind myself what I’d just read.
Overall rating: 3/5 stars. If you’re looking for a book that entertains while also educates, I recommend! It’s definitely an interesting story!
The Guardians of Erum is a story inspired by pre-Islamic Arabian culture and history. I love this era and setting, so I was excited to read a new jinn story!
What I loved: the setting and history the author worked into the book. I definitely felt like I learned a lot about pre-Islamic Arabian culture, which was great. I also thought the story was fascinating and definitely kept me asking questions. What is all this about a calamitous newborn? It was really unique and left me curious!
What I didn’t love: I occasionally felt like there were information drops, which took away from the plot. While the author does a great job of giving you a full and complete picture of the intricacies of the culture, it often comes in paragraphs mid-plot that can sometimes feel like tangents and often distract from the story. I frequently had to go back before the info-drop to remind myself what I’d just read.
Overall rating: 3/5 stars. If you’re looking for a book that entertains while also educates, I recommend! It’s definitely an interesting story!
July 3, 2020
Inspired by pre-Islamic Arabian history and traditions, A. Ali Hasan Ali’s “The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra” offers readers a fresh take on an tried and true premise, following an unassuming date farmer’s journey (Fada) across the ancient Arabian landscape in a quest to save his kidnapped son from malevolent forces. Throw in a battle for the fate of the planet and you have all the makings of a modern classic.
Steeped in folklore and unraveling almost like a historic text, “The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child” is every bit the action-laced adventure one might expect from the title. But while Ali’s novel is full of intense, imagery laden scenes that perfectly translate the epic scope and nature of his narrative, at its heart, the Abu Dhabi-based author’s story is about a father’s love for his son, a concept with universal appeal that easily resonates across genres and readers from all walks of life.
Eschewing many of ‘Americanized’ tropes regarding the ancient Middle-East (face it, there’s an entire generation out there whose introduction to the area came by way of Disney’s Aladdin), Ali’s novel will undoubtedly provide Western readers with a refreshing, vivid glimpse of an oft-underrepresented time and place.
While the Ali’s overall writing bears some of the hallmarks of a first-author (disproportionately descriptive, underdeveloped dialogue and an over reliance on redundant sentence structure), the novel ultimately succeeds in spite of these minor limitations. The fact that English is not the author’s first language makes the work all the more impressive, as Ali’s prose is on par with many of the U.S.’s self-published authors.
In short, A. Ali Hasan Ali’s “The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra” is a well-written, timeless ‘good vs. evil’ story that is sure to resonate with a wide variety of readers.
Steeped in folklore and unraveling almost like a historic text, “The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child” is every bit the action-laced adventure one might expect from the title. But while Ali’s novel is full of intense, imagery laden scenes that perfectly translate the epic scope and nature of his narrative, at its heart, the Abu Dhabi-based author’s story is about a father’s love for his son, a concept with universal appeal that easily resonates across genres and readers from all walks of life.
Eschewing many of ‘Americanized’ tropes regarding the ancient Middle-East (face it, there’s an entire generation out there whose introduction to the area came by way of Disney’s Aladdin), Ali’s novel will undoubtedly provide Western readers with a refreshing, vivid glimpse of an oft-underrepresented time and place.
While the Ali’s overall writing bears some of the hallmarks of a first-author (disproportionately descriptive, underdeveloped dialogue and an over reliance on redundant sentence structure), the novel ultimately succeeds in spite of these minor limitations. The fact that English is not the author’s first language makes the work all the more impressive, as Ali’s prose is on par with many of the U.S.’s self-published authors.
In short, A. Ali Hasan Ali’s “The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra” is a well-written, timeless ‘good vs. evil’ story that is sure to resonate with a wide variety of readers.
August 17, 2020
An epic historical fantasy inspired by the folklore and ancient history of Arabia...
The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra by A. Ali Hasan Ali is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn settings and characters. The author weaves an enchanting and suspenseful tale that will captivate the reader’s attention from the start. Skillfully constructed, this epic historical fantasy, inspired by the folklore and ancient history of Arabia, will have you turning the pages from beginning to end. There’s plenty of imagery in the writing style that makes you feel you are right there in the story, and that’s something I look for in a good book.
This was a captivating read that had me mesmerized from the beginning. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. What makes this story even more extraordinary is that A. Ali Hasan Ali began writing as a hobby during his youth to help him learn English. This is his debut novel.
There were plenty of intriguing moments that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the novel in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much.
It’s one of those stories that come along occasionally that makes you want to read it non-stop until you get to the end. I’m giving nothing further away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery and enjoyment for the reader. Highly recommended and a well-deserved five stars from me.
The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra by A. Ali Hasan Ali is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn settings and characters. The author weaves an enchanting and suspenseful tale that will captivate the reader’s attention from the start. Skillfully constructed, this epic historical fantasy, inspired by the folklore and ancient history of Arabia, will have you turning the pages from beginning to end. There’s plenty of imagery in the writing style that makes you feel you are right there in the story, and that’s something I look for in a good book.
This was a captivating read that had me mesmerized from the beginning. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. What makes this story even more extraordinary is that A. Ali Hasan Ali began writing as a hobby during his youth to help him learn English. This is his debut novel.
There were plenty of intriguing moments that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the novel in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much.
It’s one of those stories that come along occasionally that makes you want to read it non-stop until you get to the end. I’m giving nothing further away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery and enjoyment for the reader. Highly recommended and a well-deserved five stars from me.
September 9, 2020
This is a story that is told, as I suspect is in Arabic tradition, and the author, who is doing the telling, every now and again inserts himself to add explanations, thus to tell the difference between a jinn and a jinni, and to explain what each is. The very simple part of the plot is a baby is born under the serpent star, which is apparently not auspicious, other than for jinns. The baby is kidnapped in order to be sacrificed to placate some grand jinn, but Fad, a poor farmer and the child's father wants his child back. What eventuates is a grand chase across Eastern Yemen and maybe Oman, and ends on the Island of Socotra. We get some truly fascinating descriptions of the land, ways of life, and the behaviour of these jinns.
The writing is fluid and very easy to read, the characters are well-described, the story flows well, the difficulties faced by the various characters are mind-boggling, and although there is to be a further story, this one ends properly. I found this story to be exceptionally entertaining.
The writing is fluid and very easy to read, the characters are well-described, the story flows well, the difficulties faced by the various characters are mind-boggling, and although there is to be a further story, this one ends properly. I found this story to be exceptionally entertaining.
September 28, 2020
What a gem!
Highly recommended for fiction/fantasy fans out there with a taste for pre-Islamic mythology.
I’m surprised this book hasn’t gotten more recognition, especially in the Gulf area where the events are centered and such books are definitely lacking!
I only hope there are more to come :))
Highly recommended for fiction/fantasy fans out there with a taste for pre-Islamic mythology.
I’m surprised this book hasn’t gotten more recognition, especially in the Gulf area where the events are centered and such books are definitely lacking!
I only hope there are more to come :))
July 6, 2020
A new creative voice in the literary world of epic mythologies and folktales.
The Guardians of Erum takes inspiration from Arabian myths/folktales and paints a story of desert adventures, the determination of a father, and the dangers of magical, calamitous beings. A. Ali Hasan Ali’s craft with the English language is highly skilled and reminds me of an older generation of novels with a more classical vocabulary, something not always seen in today’s newer books of fantasy. Hasan Ali will intrigue you with his use of jinn or “genies”—the mystical beings who serve saher or sorcerers.
There is a lot of world-building and lore to be found, and though I wish certain elements had more focus than others, it leaves me with the hope that the author will return to this world and bring us another story—one that focuses more on the sorcerers and their relationship with the powerful jinn. At first, I was a little confused about what was happening in the beginning, but the rest of the story straightens out the first act and then wrap it up in a fulfilling conclusion. (No spoilers here!) If you are looking for a new mythology-based novel that carries its own unique story, read The Guardians of Erum And The Calamitous Child of Socotra!
The Guardians of Erum takes inspiration from Arabian myths/folktales and paints a story of desert adventures, the determination of a father, and the dangers of magical, calamitous beings. A. Ali Hasan Ali’s craft with the English language is highly skilled and reminds me of an older generation of novels with a more classical vocabulary, something not always seen in today’s newer books of fantasy. Hasan Ali will intrigue you with his use of jinn or “genies”—the mystical beings who serve saher or sorcerers.
There is a lot of world-building and lore to be found, and though I wish certain elements had more focus than others, it leaves me with the hope that the author will return to this world and bring us another story—one that focuses more on the sorcerers and their relationship with the powerful jinn. At first, I was a little confused about what was happening in the beginning, but the rest of the story straightens out the first act and then wrap it up in a fulfilling conclusion. (No spoilers here!) If you are looking for a new mythology-based novel that carries its own unique story, read The Guardians of Erum And The Calamitous Child of Socotra!
June 22, 2021
A fresh new take on an era rarely explored, A. Ali Hasan Ali’s novel The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra had a very unique way of grabbing the reader’s attention, and keeping it throughout the entire novel. I felt that during my time reading, what really spoke out to me were the descriptions of the world of Pre-Islamic Arabia. The locations, the people, and especially the mysterious jinni were explained in high detail, all in the effort to make me feel immersed in the story. Every scene showcasing Fad in the search for his child felt more like an experience, rather than just a description. Ali showed that he wanted Western readers to learn as they enjoyed the experience, as I can say that I can take away several ancient traditions and terminologies as a result of the book.
Now, the book does have its shortcomings. The biggest one would have to be the seemingly random moments when Ali will explain more to a scenario as he is writing it, almost as if he is trying to tell the audience how they should feel, or giving them information that he couldn’t insert into the story organically. This is done either with out-of-place information dumps, or points where he tells the audience something that contradicts what happened in the story, but would be the factually correct information . While none of these moments took away from my overall enjoyment, they were still quite noticeable.
Honestly, if you can get past the few hurdles this book has set up, and you’re craving a fantasy adventure novel with a unique setting, I can’t recommend The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra enough. My overall rating for it is 4/5 stars, not a masterpiece by any means but this is a story that could easily be expanded upon. I hope to see more books from Ali in the future from this time period, with a whole new cast of characters to make things better.
Now, the book does have its shortcomings. The biggest one would have to be the seemingly random moments when Ali will explain more to a scenario as he is writing it, almost as if he is trying to tell the audience how they should feel, or giving them information that he couldn’t insert into the story organically. This is done either with out-of-place information dumps, or points where he tells the audience something that contradicts what happened in the story, but would be the factually correct information . While none of these moments took away from my overall enjoyment, they were still quite noticeable.
Honestly, if you can get past the few hurdles this book has set up, and you’re craving a fantasy adventure novel with a unique setting, I can’t recommend The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra enough. My overall rating for it is 4/5 stars, not a masterpiece by any means but this is a story that could easily be expanded upon. I hope to see more books from Ali in the future from this time period, with a whole new cast of characters to make things better.
July 25, 2020
The plot of "Guardians of erum" revolves around the time of pre-Islamic era. I can't say there is one protagonist! How I felt, all characters have its own depth in this story and importance as well. From Dileel to Behas and fada, the story undoubtedly consists royality with perfection! All characters and sub characters are well introduced and defined. They all are developed with time in this story. The way author has bloomed a completely virtual and fantasy world with unexpected rules and cultures, is outstanding. Author A.Ali.Hasan.Al 's work and dedication towards this book has impressed me a lot.
His writing style has come class to appreciate! But I must say words and sentences are really hard for me, that causes my reading speed slow. But It's actually learnable and really good for vocabulary skill. Many unknown words with unfamiliar concepts are there as well. Narrations are so good and story lines are so perfect. It was a huge read! I realllly want to have a paperback of this book. There are maps, family tree has been attached with it. That's a genius decision indeed. I will recommend this book to everybody who love fantasy, fiction, mythology and experimental read.
His writing style has come class to appreciate! But I must say words and sentences are really hard for me, that causes my reading speed slow. But It's actually learnable and really good for vocabulary skill. Many unknown words with unfamiliar concepts are there as well. Narrations are so good and story lines are so perfect. It was a huge read! I realllly want to have a paperback of this book. There are maps, family tree has been attached with it. That's a genius decision indeed. I will recommend this book to everybody who love fantasy, fiction, mythology and experimental read.
July 24, 2020
With the quest of a date farmer for his kidnapped son at its heart, The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra takes readers on an unforgettable and exciting journey across the ancient Arab. Inspired by a folklore, this book is rich in its narrative and culture. The world building is not only vivid and intriguing but exciting and adventurous as well. It will keep your heart racing and your mind full of wonder. The character arcs are detailed and interesting. Author Hasan Ali, seems to have a very distinct and unique tone for his craft. It increases the enjoyment derived from reading the book by manifold.
Also, it has a gorgeous book map!!!
December 31, 2023
وبما أن الكاتب عربي، فأنا أحب أن أكتب افكاري باللغتين العربية والإنجليزية، بدلاً من اللغة الإنجليزية الحصرية المعتادة. لذا، سأبدأ باللغة العربية وأضيف النسخة الإنجليزية بعد ذلك.
Since the author is Arabic, I like to write my thoughts in both Arabic and English, instead of the usual exclusive English. So, I will be starting with Arabic and adding the English version afterwards.
───────────────────
على الرغم من أن لغتي الأم هي اللغة العربية، إلا أنني نادراً ما أقرأ بها. أود تغيير ذلك بالطبع، ولكن من الصعب علي العثورعلى مؤلفين يكتبون حبكات أرغب في قرائتها. هذا دون أن أنسى أن محاولتي الأولى في هذا التوجه الجديد، انتهت بشكل سيء .
حراس إروم وطفل سقطرى الكارثي على عكس ما سبق ذكره، يحتويان على الكثير من الأشياء الجيدة، والتي كان من الممكن أن تكون رائعة. ولكن هناك أكثر من شيء لا يساعد في الوصول إلى ذلك على الإطلاق.
يقدم الكاتب الجزيرة العربية بإحدى الطرق الأكثر أصالة التي قرأت عنها حتى الآن، والذي يعكس خلفيته بسهولة. لا يكتب فقط لأولئك الذين لديهم خلفية، ولكن بدلاً من ذلك، يقضي وقتًا كافيًا في شرح المصطلحات وحس التسمية والاستخدامات وإذا لزم الأمر, معنى المصطلح كذلك.
هذا في حد ذاته، هو رائع. ومع ذلك، فإنه يقدم أيضا الجانب الأول من الكتاب الذي يحتاج إلى طن من العمل.
الكتاب مكتوب في الضمير الغائب (third pov) ولكنه ايضا مكتوب بالضمير المخاطب (second pov) عندما يريد الكاتب شرح شيء ما أو اتخاذ نهج اقرب للراوي في سرد القصة. ما يجعلها تفشل في التنفيذ هنا، هو أن الكاتب يدمج الأنماط في نفس اللحظة أو الفقرة وهذا الشيء لا يمنح الفاصل المطلوب لاستخدام هذا النوع من سرد القصص بشكل كامل، وتنتهي فقط على أنها مربكة أو متناقضة بالنسبة لي كقارئ.
ترك صفحة قبل كل فصل أو فقرة منفصلة يتم قطعها عن بقية القصة لإضافة الضمير المخاطب, يجعل القصة أكثر تماسكا في رأيي المتواضع.
إن الكتاب يطغى عليه العجلة في الأحداث، ومن المنطقي تمامًا نظرًا لما يحدث فيه بالفعل. على الرغم من ذلك، هناك اوقات ابطأ لشرح نوع من الكيانات المختلفة في العالم للشخصيات، وما يترتب عليها.
بسبب وجود الجن والمنظمات والحراس والجماعات السرية في القصة، فإن ذلك يعني من أنها قد تعمل على قواعد مختلفة وما شابه ذلك. والذي مرة أخرى، لا يهمل الكاتب ذكره كلما دعت الحاجة.
هناك عدد من الشخصيات التي لا تنسى في الكتاب ، وبما أن معظمها ينتمي إلى أحد الكيانات المذكورة أعلاه ، فقد أعطى الكاتب نفسه فرصة كبيرة لتقديم معلومات أساسية لبناء العالم الذي تصوره وحاول أن يجعلني أهتم بنضالاتهم. نوعا ما نجح نجاح باهر، لأنني أردت حقا أن أرى كيف انتهى كل شيء لشخصيات مختارة وقبل كل شيء أردت معرفة المزيد عن العالم أيضا.
وهو ما يقودني إلى الجانب الثاني الذي لم يعجبني في الكتاب، وهو "الشرير" الرئيسي المفترض.
سأحاول عدم ذكر أي أسماء لتجنب حرق الاحداث ( اريد ان انوه انه اسمه هو الكلمة الأولى حرفيًا في الكتاب)، ولكن خلاصة الموضوع هي أنه لا معنى له.
في البداية، نتعرف على هدفه الفظيع، وسعيه الدؤوب لتحقيق النجاح فيه. قبل أن يتم وضعه إلى الجانب إلى حد ما بطريقة تتعارض مع الجملة الأولى التي تعرفنا عليه فيها. ويوجد أكثر من حدث جعلني أتساءل عن سبب وجود أي منها أصلا إذا كانت هذه هي الطريقة التي سينتهي بها الأمر في النهاية؟
أكثر ما يزعجني هو عدم وجود دافع فعلي لأي من أفعاله. محاولات التفسير غامضة جدًا لدرجة أنها لا تتطابق مع مثابرته للنجاح في الهدف، ثم في النهاية, ينتهي هذا الصراع بطريقة عادية بشكل لا يصدق، لدرجة أنني خاب أملي جدا انه كان خصمًا على الإطلاق.
إذا كان هنالك أي شيء، فإن "عادي جدا" هي الجملة المثالية للاستخدام عند وصف غالبية أحداث الكتاب (أيضًا الجانب الثالث الذي لم يعجبني ), لسبب وحيد وهو أن الكاتب بنفسه ، يحب أن يحرق الاحداث لقرائه قبل أن تبدأ. مثلا:
“And that was the last time that Zufar and Bessel ever saw each other” chapter 17.
“But they met with a terrible fate on their journey south. In fact, they never made it together to Qairon Heriti!” chapter 20.
سأرافقهم في هذه الرحلة، فلماذا أحتاج إلى معرفة نتيجتها قبل أن تبدأ بالضبط؟ لقد قمت بحساب 4-5 مرات حيث يقوم الكاتب بذلك على مدار الكتاب وهذا بالنسبة لي يقتل الحماس.
في البداية، كنت معجبة جدًا به وكنت آمل أن يستمر على هذا النحو لبقية الكتاب. ولكن كلما قرأت أكثر، أخرجتني هذه الجوانب الثلاثة من القصة أكثر فأكثر وفي النهاية تركتني أشعر بالإحباط وخيبة الأمل بشكل كبير. أعترف أنني قد أكون قاسية بعض الشيء نظرًا لأنه أول كتاب له ومنشور مستقل من دون دار النشر والإنجليزية ليست لغته الأم.
لكنني ما زلت أعتقد حقا أنه كان يمكن أن يكون كتابا رائعا، وربما مع
تدقيق قوي يمكن أن يصل إلى تلك الروعة.
───────────────────
Even though my mother tongue is Arabic, I rarely read in it. I would love to change that of course, but it is also difficult to find authors who write premises I actually want to read about. That is without forgetting that my first try into this new approach, ended abysmally.
The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra unlike the before mentioned, has a lot of good things in it, that could have had the potential to be great. But there are more than a few things in it that doesn’t help whatsoever in reaching that status.
The author presents Arabia in one of the more authentic ways I have read about so far, which is easily attributed to his background. He doesn’t only write for those familiar with the setting however, but instead, spends an adequate time explaining the terminology, the naming sense, usages and if need be, the meaning of the term as well.
This in itself, is plain wonderful. That being said, it also presents the first aspect of the book that needs a ton of work.
The book is written in third person, but it is also written in second person when the author wants to explain something or take a more narrator approach to the tale. What makes it fail in execution here, is because the author tends to merge the styles in the same instance or paragraph. It doesn’t give it the breakage it needs to fully use this form of storytelling, and just comes off as confusing or jarring to me as a reader.
Leaving a page before each chapter or a separate paragraph that’s broken off from the rest of the narrative to add the second person point of view, makes for a much more cohesive story in my humble opinion.
The pacing of the book is more on the urgent side, and it makes total sense given what is actually happening in it. Though, there are slower instances here and there as well to sort of explain the different entities in the world to the characters, and the course of action.
Given that there are djinn, orders, guardians, and secret societies in the mix, it will technically mean that they operate on different rules and the like. Which again, the author doesn’t neglect mentioning whenever the need arises.
There are more than a few memorable characters in the book, and since most belong to one of the before mentioned entities, it gave the author quite a huge chance to offer background information, build up the world he envisioned and try to get me to care about their struggles. For the most part he succeeded, as I really wanted to see how everything ended for select characters and above all else learn more about the world as well.
Which brings me to the second issue I had with the book, its supposed main “antagonist”.
I’ll try not to mention any names to avoid spoilers (his name is literally the first word in the book by the way), but the point is, he makes no sense.
At first, we’re presented with this awful goal of his, and his relentless pursuit to succeed in it. Before that is somewhat shifted to the side in a way that contradicts the first sentence he’s presented as and then there are more than a few instances where it makes me question why any of this happened in the first place if that is how it’s going to go in the end?
What irks me the most is the lack of an actual motive for any of his actions. The attempts at an explanation is still so vague that it doesn’t match the lengths he’s going to, to succeed and then by the end, this mini “conflict” ends in an incredibly anticlimactic way that I’m disappointed he was an antagonist at all.
And if anything, Anticlimactic is the perfect word to use when describing the majority of the book’s events (also issue number three and the biggest one in the book), for the sole reason that the author himself, loves to spoil it for his readers before it even begins. Such as:
“And that was the last time that Zufar and Bessel ever saw each other” chapter 17.
“But they met with a terrible fate on their journey south. In fact, they never made it together to Qairon Heriti!” chapter 20.
I mean, I’m going to be accompanying them on said journey, why exactly do I need to know its outcome before it even starts? I’ve counted 4-5 times where the author does this over the course of the book and it just removes the tension for me.
At the beginning, I was very impressed and had hoped that it’ll continue as such for the remainder of the book. But the more I read, these technicalities took me out of the story a lot more than attach me to it and by the end left me both incredibly frustrated and disappointed.
I do admit that I may be a bit harsh given that it’s a debut novel, an indie work and written by a non-native speaker. But I still truly believe that it could have been a wonderful book, and maybe with heavy editing it could easily get there.
Since the author is Arabic, I like to write my thoughts in both Arabic and English, instead of the usual exclusive English. So, I will be starting with Arabic and adding the English version afterwards.
───────────────────
على الرغم من أن لغتي الأم هي اللغة العربية، إلا أنني نادراً ما أقرأ بها. أود تغيير ذلك بالطبع، ولكن من الصعب علي العثورعلى مؤلفين يكتبون حبكات أرغب في قرائتها. هذا دون أن أنسى أن محاولتي الأولى في هذا التوجه الجديد، انتهت بشكل سيء .
حراس إروم وطفل سقطرى الكارثي على عكس ما سبق ذكره، يحتويان على الكثير من الأشياء الجيدة، والتي كان من الممكن أن تكون رائعة. ولكن هناك أكثر من شيء لا يساعد في الوصول إلى ذلك على الإطلاق.
يقدم الكاتب الجزيرة العربية بإحدى الطرق الأكثر أصالة التي قرأت عنها حتى الآن، والذي يعكس خلفيته بسهولة. لا يكتب فقط لأولئك الذين لديهم خلفية، ولكن بدلاً من ذلك، يقضي وقتًا كافيًا في شرح المصطلحات وحس التسمية والاستخدامات وإذا لزم الأمر, معنى المصطلح كذلك.
هذا في حد ذاته، هو رائع. ومع ذلك، فإنه يقدم أيضا الجانب الأول من الكتاب الذي يحتاج إلى طن من العمل.
الكتاب مكتوب في الضمير الغائب (third pov) ولكنه ايضا مكتوب بالضمير المخاطب (second pov) عندما يريد الكاتب شرح شيء ما أو اتخاذ نهج اقرب للراوي في سرد القصة. ما يجعلها تفشل في التنفيذ هنا، هو أن الكاتب يدمج الأنماط في نفس اللحظة أو الفقرة وهذا الشيء لا يمنح الفاصل المطلوب لاستخدام هذا النوع من سرد القصص بشكل كامل، وتنتهي فقط على أنها مربكة أو متناقضة بالنسبة لي كقارئ.
ترك صفحة قبل كل فصل أو فقرة منفصلة يتم قطعها عن بقية القصة لإضافة الضمير المخاطب, يجعل القصة أكثر تماسكا في رأيي المتواضع.
إن الكتاب يطغى عليه العجلة في الأحداث، ومن المنطقي تمامًا نظرًا لما يحدث فيه بالفعل. على الرغم من ذلك، هناك اوقات ابطأ لشرح نوع من الكيانات المختلفة في العالم للشخصيات، وما يترتب عليها.
بسبب وجود الجن والمنظمات والحراس والجماعات السرية في القصة، فإن ذلك يعني من أنها قد تعمل على قواعد مختلفة وما شابه ذلك. والذي مرة أخرى، لا يهمل الكاتب ذكره كلما دعت الحاجة.
هناك عدد من الشخصيات التي لا تنسى في الكتاب ، وبما أن معظمها ينتمي إلى أحد الكيانات المذكورة أعلاه ، فقد أعطى الكاتب نفسه فرصة كبيرة لتقديم معلومات أساسية لبناء العالم الذي تصوره وحاول أن يجعلني أهتم بنضالاتهم. نوعا ما نجح نجاح باهر، لأنني أردت حقا أن أرى كيف انتهى كل شيء لشخصيات مختارة وقبل كل شيء أردت معرفة المزيد عن العالم أيضا.
وهو ما يقودني إلى الجانب الثاني الذي لم يعجبني في الكتاب، وهو "الشرير" الرئيسي المفترض.
سأحاول عدم ذكر أي أسماء لتجنب حرق الاحداث ( اريد ان انوه انه اسمه هو الكلمة الأولى حرفيًا في الكتاب)، ولكن خلاصة الموضوع هي أنه لا معنى له.
في البداية، نتعرف على هدفه الفظيع، وسعيه الدؤوب لتحقيق النجاح فيه. قبل أن يتم وضعه إلى الجانب إلى حد ما بطريقة تتعارض مع الجملة الأولى التي تعرفنا عليه فيها. ويوجد أكثر من حدث جعلني أتساءل عن سبب وجود أي منها أصلا إذا كانت هذه هي الطريقة التي سينتهي بها الأمر في النهاية؟
أكثر ما يزعجني هو عدم وجود دافع فعلي لأي من أفعاله. محاولات التفسير غامضة جدًا لدرجة أنها لا تتطابق مع مثابرته للنجاح في الهدف، ثم في النهاية, ينتهي هذا الصراع بطريقة عادية بشكل لا يصدق، لدرجة أنني خاب أملي جدا انه كان خصمًا على الإطلاق.
إذا كان هنالك أي شيء، فإن "عادي جدا" هي الجملة المثالية للاستخدام عند وصف غالبية أحداث الكتاب (أيضًا الجانب الثالث الذي لم يعجبني ), لسبب وحيد وهو أن الكاتب بنفسه ، يحب أن يحرق الاحداث لقرائه قبل أن تبدأ. مثلا:
“And that was the last time that Zufar and Bessel ever saw each other” chapter 17.
“But they met with a terrible fate on their journey south. In fact, they never made it together to Qairon Heriti!” chapter 20.
سأرافقهم في هذه الرحلة، فلماذا أحتاج إلى معرفة نتيجتها قبل أن تبدأ بالضبط؟ لقد قمت بحساب 4-5 مرات حيث يقوم الكاتب بذلك على مدار الكتاب وهذا بالنسبة لي يقتل الحماس.
في البداية، كنت معجبة جدًا به وكنت آمل أن يستمر على هذا النحو لبقية الكتاب. ولكن كلما قرأت أكثر، أخرجتني هذه الجوانب الثلاثة من القصة أكثر فأكثر وفي النهاية تركتني أشعر بالإحباط وخيبة الأمل بشكل كبير. أعترف أنني قد أكون قاسية بعض الشيء نظرًا لأنه أول كتاب له ومنشور مستقل من دون دار النشر والإنجليزية ليست لغته الأم.
لكنني ما زلت أعتقد حقا أنه كان يمكن أن يكون كتابا رائعا، وربما مع
تدقيق قوي يمكن أن يصل إلى تلك الروعة.
───────────────────
Even though my mother tongue is Arabic, I rarely read in it. I would love to change that of course, but it is also difficult to find authors who write premises I actually want to read about. That is without forgetting that my first try into this new approach, ended abysmally.
The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra unlike the before mentioned, has a lot of good things in it, that could have had the potential to be great. But there are more than a few things in it that doesn’t help whatsoever in reaching that status.
The author presents Arabia in one of the more authentic ways I have read about so far, which is easily attributed to his background. He doesn’t only write for those familiar with the setting however, but instead, spends an adequate time explaining the terminology, the naming sense, usages and if need be, the meaning of the term as well.
This in itself, is plain wonderful. That being said, it also presents the first aspect of the book that needs a ton of work.
The book is written in third person, but it is also written in second person when the author wants to explain something or take a more narrator approach to the tale. What makes it fail in execution here, is because the author tends to merge the styles in the same instance or paragraph. It doesn’t give it the breakage it needs to fully use this form of storytelling, and just comes off as confusing or jarring to me as a reader.
Leaving a page before each chapter or a separate paragraph that’s broken off from the rest of the narrative to add the second person point of view, makes for a much more cohesive story in my humble opinion.
The pacing of the book is more on the urgent side, and it makes total sense given what is actually happening in it. Though, there are slower instances here and there as well to sort of explain the different entities in the world to the characters, and the course of action.
Given that there are djinn, orders, guardians, and secret societies in the mix, it will technically mean that they operate on different rules and the like. Which again, the author doesn’t neglect mentioning whenever the need arises.
There are more than a few memorable characters in the book, and since most belong to one of the before mentioned entities, it gave the author quite a huge chance to offer background information, build up the world he envisioned and try to get me to care about their struggles. For the most part he succeeded, as I really wanted to see how everything ended for select characters and above all else learn more about the world as well.
Which brings me to the second issue I had with the book, its supposed main “antagonist”.
I’ll try not to mention any names to avoid spoilers (his name is literally the first word in the book by the way), but the point is, he makes no sense.
At first, we’re presented with this awful goal of his, and his relentless pursuit to succeed in it. Before that is somewhat shifted to the side in a way that contradicts the first sentence he’s presented as and then there are more than a few instances where it makes me question why any of this happened in the first place if that is how it’s going to go in the end?
What irks me the most is the lack of an actual motive for any of his actions. The attempts at an explanation is still so vague that it doesn’t match the lengths he’s going to, to succeed and then by the end, this mini “conflict” ends in an incredibly anticlimactic way that I’m disappointed he was an antagonist at all.
And if anything, Anticlimactic is the perfect word to use when describing the majority of the book’s events (also issue number three and the biggest one in the book), for the sole reason that the author himself, loves to spoil it for his readers before it even begins. Such as:
“And that was the last time that Zufar and Bessel ever saw each other” chapter 17.
“But they met with a terrible fate on their journey south. In fact, they never made it together to Qairon Heriti!” chapter 20.
I mean, I’m going to be accompanying them on said journey, why exactly do I need to know its outcome before it even starts? I’ve counted 4-5 times where the author does this over the course of the book and it just removes the tension for me.
At the beginning, I was very impressed and had hoped that it’ll continue as such for the remainder of the book. But the more I read, these technicalities took me out of the story a lot more than attach me to it and by the end left me both incredibly frustrated and disappointed.
I do admit that I may be a bit harsh given that it’s a debut novel, an indie work and written by a non-native speaker. But I still truly believe that it could have been a wonderful book, and maybe with heavy editing it could easily get there.
August 3, 2020
Can’t begin to describe how much I enjoyed reading this book. Very nicely written, and reads like 1001 nights. Perfect storytelling that just draws you in. Love that it’s based on pre-Islamic Arab folklore. Count me in as a die-hard fan. I foresee wonderful stories to come by the writer.
July 31, 2020
“The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra” follows young date farmer Fada. Fada was overjoyed when his wife, Nada, gave birth to their first child: a son named Dileel. When Dileel is only eight days old, however, he is targeted by the most powerful jinn master in all of Arabia. The jinn master, Behas, claims that Fada’s son will be used as a sacrifice to bring about the end of the world, because he was born under the Serpent-Neck Star. As a result, Behas sets out to kill the child. Occultist Arkin knows all about Behas’ plans, however, and together with his young apprentice, Yam, he sets out to stop the jinn master. Both have their plans foiled, however, when the child is kidnapped by an unseen hand. Over the next several days Behas, Arkin, Yam, and Fada will be forced to journey across the land and face danger after danger if they want to save the child and stop an ancient evil from being unleashed across the land. If they succeed, the world will be saved. If they do not, however, it could mean the end for them all.
Ali’s “The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra” is an authentic, suspenseful tale that takes readers on a journey through ancient Arabian history and legend. The author’s use of relevant terminology gives the book credibility, while his ability to utilize this terminology without making the reading tedious or confusing for readers gives the book enjoyability. In the opening chapters, for example, the author makes an effort to include explanations for different kinds of jinni conjured by Behas. There are so many different types of these entities, and they each have their own purposes and meanings, so it is helpful and fun for readers to be able to really understand what Behas is doing and why.
This is a book that allows readers to learn while they join Fada and the rest of the characters on their journeys. There are countless legends and myths about Jinn and it is quite apparent that the author put in a lot of effort into researching the history of his subject, and in making sure that all uses of relevant cultural material were applied accurately. It can be easy for authors to lose themselves in these kinds of monumental stories and forget about little things such as the historical and cultural authenticity, but this is definitely not the case with “The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra!”
While some of the pacing felt a little choppy in some places toward the middle and end of the book, the imagery and language used by the author helped keep the reader grounded and in tune with the story. There is also just enough of an air of suspense that keeps you wanting to turn the pages. The rising action in the book, in particularly, is written well. The tension and urgency of the story build at a consistent, yet frenzied level that helps to convey the emotions the characters are feeling in the actual story, such as fear and uncertainty. Amidst all the chaos, however, the author also manages to include wonderful depictions of faith, friendship, and love between the characters. Considering the state of our current world and society, it is nice to read books where the characters have drastic differences and yet still manage to come together to defeat a greater evil. The most important aspect of this is in the way that the characters seem to try and consider things from others’ points of view, such as when El Kashef strives to understand why the tribe leader in Wadi Teyq told one of his elders to stand down when Prince Leith delivers a brutal punishment to several of the community members.
“The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra” is an enchanting novel that I would recommend to any readers who are interested in fantasy and the supernatural. I would also recommend it to those who have a passion for reading books that allow them to learn more about the world’s history and cultures. This novel is not a quick and easy read, but it is not meant to be. Instead, Ali’s book deserves extensive attention and concentration. This is a story that should be treated with care not only by the author, but by the reader, as well. This will allow readers to be truly immersed within the ancient Arabian world. Tighten your saddles and fill you water skins because this journey is only just beginning!
Ali’s “The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra” is an authentic, suspenseful tale that takes readers on a journey through ancient Arabian history and legend. The author’s use of relevant terminology gives the book credibility, while his ability to utilize this terminology without making the reading tedious or confusing for readers gives the book enjoyability. In the opening chapters, for example, the author makes an effort to include explanations for different kinds of jinni conjured by Behas. There are so many different types of these entities, and they each have their own purposes and meanings, so it is helpful and fun for readers to be able to really understand what Behas is doing and why.
This is a book that allows readers to learn while they join Fada and the rest of the characters on their journeys. There are countless legends and myths about Jinn and it is quite apparent that the author put in a lot of effort into researching the history of his subject, and in making sure that all uses of relevant cultural material were applied accurately. It can be easy for authors to lose themselves in these kinds of monumental stories and forget about little things such as the historical and cultural authenticity, but this is definitely not the case with “The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra!”
While some of the pacing felt a little choppy in some places toward the middle and end of the book, the imagery and language used by the author helped keep the reader grounded and in tune with the story. There is also just enough of an air of suspense that keeps you wanting to turn the pages. The rising action in the book, in particularly, is written well. The tension and urgency of the story build at a consistent, yet frenzied level that helps to convey the emotions the characters are feeling in the actual story, such as fear and uncertainty. Amidst all the chaos, however, the author also manages to include wonderful depictions of faith, friendship, and love between the characters. Considering the state of our current world and society, it is nice to read books where the characters have drastic differences and yet still manage to come together to defeat a greater evil. The most important aspect of this is in the way that the characters seem to try and consider things from others’ points of view, such as when El Kashef strives to understand why the tribe leader in Wadi Teyq told one of his elders to stand down when Prince Leith delivers a brutal punishment to several of the community members.
“The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra” is an enchanting novel that I would recommend to any readers who are interested in fantasy and the supernatural. I would also recommend it to those who have a passion for reading books that allow them to learn more about the world’s history and cultures. This novel is not a quick and easy read, but it is not meant to be. Instead, Ali’s book deserves extensive attention and concentration. This is a story that should be treated with care not only by the author, but by the reader, as well. This will allow readers to be truly immersed within the ancient Arabian world. Tighten your saddles and fill you water skins because this journey is only just beginning!
June 21, 2022
It's been 99 years since I started reading this book, but we are finally here now. Good grief.
As someone who is used to devouring a book in a day or a day and a half, this was.... a struggle.
Now let me preface this by saying, if you know me you know how long I have been searching for a good Arab fantasy book. Like really. I pray everyday for it to happen and I really thought this would be it. Actually, I thought the steaming pile of nonsense that city of brass was, would be it but I digress. I love this era and setting and was just so happy that somebody who seems knowledgeable decided to write a fiction book about it.
So here comes this book along. And I'm starting to get my hopes up again, despite the barely there blurb/synopsis. Like come on! Fantasy, Arabs, pre-islamic mythology, DJIINNI's, own voices. What can go wrong? A lot. sadly a lot.
This book was a slow read and dragged out at times. I'm used to things being much faster paced, but I thought this was a me-problem. The author uses a different style than I'm used to, no need to drag his good name through the mud right? Wrong. This was very poorly written. Like....so so so so so poorly. I gave the author a free pass because: debut novel, own voices and self-pub. Like maybe this was just a not-so good translation...or the authors attempt at writing in a non-native language. I can give a pass, albeit begrudgingly, for that. But the overuse of tell and not show, good grief. The author would tell us something, then have his characters repeat it...the same information. The overuse of exclamation marks, to drive home some kind of point that we could already read between the lines, the author already told us AND had a character tell us as well... Unforgivable. Annoying. And almost made me DNF it, so many times.
The author threw in random bits of information at odd times, for instance when he would introduce a new character he would say his name, the name meaning and then randomly throw in some encyclopaedia facts about naming customs in ancient Arabia.
Odd pacing and often confusing narrative structures like flashbacks inside of flashbacks. Oftentimes the author would instead of use forewarning throw in a sentence like: and that was the last time any of them ever saw him again. When the scene where that person who would leave hadn't even happened yet and would literally be the NEXT scene...like? spoiler alert? Just show me, stop telling me stuff.
I still rated this 4 stars despite its many shortcomings, because I do think this book deserves to be read. The author has a lot of knowledge on pre-islamic arabia and manages to thoroughly immerse us in the world. He offers many descriptions on the landscape but also the traditions and culture of the time. There is a lot of amazing world-building going on and it left me wanting to know more.
But the most amazing feat is that the author weaved an enchanting and enthralling tale full of plot-twists and tension. Despite the slow pace and the tell-not-showing going on I was still wanting to read on to know what happens because of all of the tension and suspense.
One other note I do have to tell is that a lot of the conflict at the climax was resolved off-screen, which is a major pet-peeve of mine. And some of it even was only explained AFTER the climax by ways of a conversation. And some of the conflict resolution happened wayyyy to conveniently for my tastes.
So would I recommend this book? Yes, absolutely!
Would I read it again: Heck no.
As someone who is used to devouring a book in a day or a day and a half, this was.... a struggle.
Now let me preface this by saying, if you know me you know how long I have been searching for a good Arab fantasy book. Like really. I pray everyday for it to happen and I really thought this would be it. Actually, I thought the steaming pile of nonsense that city of brass was, would be it but I digress. I love this era and setting and was just so happy that somebody who seems knowledgeable decided to write a fiction book about it.
So here comes this book along. And I'm starting to get my hopes up again, despite the barely there blurb/synopsis. Like come on! Fantasy, Arabs, pre-islamic mythology, DJIINNI's, own voices. What can go wrong? A lot. sadly a lot.
This book was a slow read and dragged out at times. I'm used to things being much faster paced, but I thought this was a me-problem. The author uses a different style than I'm used to, no need to drag his good name through the mud right? Wrong. This was very poorly written. Like....so so so so so poorly. I gave the author a free pass because: debut novel, own voices and self-pub. Like maybe this was just a not-so good translation...or the authors attempt at writing in a non-native language. I can give a pass, albeit begrudgingly, for that. But the overuse of tell and not show, good grief. The author would tell us something, then have his characters repeat it...the same information. The overuse of exclamation marks, to drive home some kind of point that we could already read between the lines, the author already told us AND had a character tell us as well... Unforgivable. Annoying. And almost made me DNF it, so many times.
The author threw in random bits of information at odd times, for instance when he would introduce a new character he would say his name, the name meaning and then randomly throw in some encyclopaedia facts about naming customs in ancient Arabia.
Odd pacing and often confusing narrative structures like flashbacks inside of flashbacks. Oftentimes the author would instead of use forewarning throw in a sentence like: and that was the last time any of them ever saw him again. When the scene where that person who would leave hadn't even happened yet and would literally be the NEXT scene...like? spoiler alert? Just show me, stop telling me stuff.
I still rated this 4 stars despite its many shortcomings, because I do think this book deserves to be read. The author has a lot of knowledge on pre-islamic arabia and manages to thoroughly immerse us in the world. He offers many descriptions on the landscape but also the traditions and culture of the time. There is a lot of amazing world-building going on and it left me wanting to know more.
But the most amazing feat is that the author weaved an enchanting and enthralling tale full of plot-twists and tension. Despite the slow pace and the tell-not-showing going on I was still wanting to read on to know what happens because of all of the tension and suspense.
One other note I do have to tell is that a lot of the conflict at the climax was resolved off-screen, which is a major pet-peeve of mine. And some of it even was only explained AFTER the climax by ways of a conversation. And some of the conflict resolution happened wayyyy to conveniently for my tastes.
So would I recommend this book? Yes, absolutely!
Would I read it again: Heck no.
July 25, 2020
This epic tale is set in pre-Islamic Arabia and primarily follows a date farmer, Fada (mainly known as Fad in the story), who journeys to find his newborn son, Dileel. Dileel has been kidnapped as he was born under the Serpent-Neck star which presages death and destruction. In his quest to find his son before he is sacrificed, Fad traverses through hostile and unknown terrain and encounters occultists, mythical beings, jinn masters, seers and healers, some of whom help Fad and others who try to hinder his voyage.
‘Epic’ is certainly the word for this book. It is in three parts; each part concerned with a geographical element of Fad’s journey and I found this to be an absorbing, profound and, at times, quite staggering read. Ali certainly has a fairly limitless depth to his imagination and story-telling. The plot, although simply following Fad’s retrieval of his son, has so many little side-narratives and interesting, well-drawn characters that it shows a complexity and continuity that many writers do not possess even after writing several novels. I did feel as if I was reading a well-honed classic in the tradition of Arabian Nights, you can imagine elements of Guardians being told at bedtimes the world over; it contains that folkloric, fairy story aspect that works so well when spoken and/or dramatised. There is some beautiful imagery in Ali’s writing, almost to poetry in some passages. The metaphor involving the hourglass at the beginning of Chapter 8 and the description of the Gray Palace at the start of Chapter 29 stand out in this respect for me. Each time I picked The Guardians up, I really was immersed into the culture, the age and the story. All of which I found fascinating and I put the book down knowing I had received an education.
However, I did find the first few chapters a little dense. We are ‘told’ far too much at times. Ali is a writer who clearly thinks very carefully about the reader’s reaction and feels that he must make sure we are aware of all the plot nuances, which is very considerate but did occasionally make for some lengthy descriptive writing and dialogue. Personally, I thought Part 3, ‘Socotra’, was the stronger. The writing was sharper, lighter and more concise than the previous two parts and resultingly, the narrative picked up speed. I felt Ali found more confidence as a writer and had some fun with the characters and the plot despite the majority of this section heading towards the conclusion.
For a writer whose first language is not English, this book is a breath-taking achievement. Technically, the writing and editing were near faultless; my one gripe would be the overuse of exclamation marks. They weakened the effect of the foregoing passages to which they were attached. Although parts of Fad’s quest are shot through with little pockets of humour, the exclamation marks were not required.
Overall, I thought this was a remarkable book that I will remain thinking about for some while. It is not a light read by any means, it is an investment and one I would highly recommend making.
‘Epic’ is certainly the word for this book. It is in three parts; each part concerned with a geographical element of Fad’s journey and I found this to be an absorbing, profound and, at times, quite staggering read. Ali certainly has a fairly limitless depth to his imagination and story-telling. The plot, although simply following Fad’s retrieval of his son, has so many little side-narratives and interesting, well-drawn characters that it shows a complexity and continuity that many writers do not possess even after writing several novels. I did feel as if I was reading a well-honed classic in the tradition of Arabian Nights, you can imagine elements of Guardians being told at bedtimes the world over; it contains that folkloric, fairy story aspect that works so well when spoken and/or dramatised. There is some beautiful imagery in Ali’s writing, almost to poetry in some passages. The metaphor involving the hourglass at the beginning of Chapter 8 and the description of the Gray Palace at the start of Chapter 29 stand out in this respect for me. Each time I picked The Guardians up, I really was immersed into the culture, the age and the story. All of which I found fascinating and I put the book down knowing I had received an education.
However, I did find the first few chapters a little dense. We are ‘told’ far too much at times. Ali is a writer who clearly thinks very carefully about the reader’s reaction and feels that he must make sure we are aware of all the plot nuances, which is very considerate but did occasionally make for some lengthy descriptive writing and dialogue. Personally, I thought Part 3, ‘Socotra’, was the stronger. The writing was sharper, lighter and more concise than the previous two parts and resultingly, the narrative picked up speed. I felt Ali found more confidence as a writer and had some fun with the characters and the plot despite the majority of this section heading towards the conclusion.
For a writer whose first language is not English, this book is a breath-taking achievement. Technically, the writing and editing were near faultless; my one gripe would be the overuse of exclamation marks. They weakened the effect of the foregoing passages to which they were attached. Although parts of Fad’s quest are shot through with little pockets of humour, the exclamation marks were not required.
Overall, I thought this was a remarkable book that I will remain thinking about for some while. It is not a light read by any means, it is an investment and one I would highly recommend making.
July 14, 2020
Legend and lore mingle with adventure and mystery in this story of daring rescue and self-discovery. Yam, a common porter, accepts an offer to help a occultist save a child who may or may not be used to summon a great evil; a mission that must be completed before Behas, a powerful jinn master, reaches the child first.
I enjoyed this story as it is filled with the sorts of stories that I was never exposed to as a child. Arabian tales are filled with magic, mysticism, and symbolism, and bring a delightful change of focus to the modern fantasy stories popular today. Yam is a relatable character filled with wonder and excitement, along with a healthy dose of fear, and is the underdog you simply want to root for.
The book is well written and well edited, with no discernible typographical or syntax errors. The language is written quite plainly, which lends to an easily read story. The terminology that is native to the Arabic stories is explained quickly and woven into the story so that it mostly doesn’t feel like it’s being explained to the reader.
The only issue I have with this story is the pacing. I feel that that the book opens with an exciting scene, and then spends far too long giving the reader the backstory and history of everything that came before that scene. The story becomes mired in ensuring the reader has every single detail of every setting, every hierarchy of power, every move each character makes, that the reading becomes cumbersome at times. Much of this can be sprinkled throughout the story or removed all together.
This is s a fine book, one that does (eventually) get to a very adventurous and entertaining place. Readers who enjoy fantasy but are looking for something a bit different, or are seeking stories from a different cultural background, will certainly enjoy this book. It is a rich and vibrant story from an author who clearly loves story telling. Worth the read.
I enjoyed this story as it is filled with the sorts of stories that I was never exposed to as a child. Arabian tales are filled with magic, mysticism, and symbolism, and bring a delightful change of focus to the modern fantasy stories popular today. Yam is a relatable character filled with wonder and excitement, along with a healthy dose of fear, and is the underdog you simply want to root for.
The book is well written and well edited, with no discernible typographical or syntax errors. The language is written quite plainly, which lends to an easily read story. The terminology that is native to the Arabic stories is explained quickly and woven into the story so that it mostly doesn’t feel like it’s being explained to the reader.
The only issue I have with this story is the pacing. I feel that that the book opens with an exciting scene, and then spends far too long giving the reader the backstory and history of everything that came before that scene. The story becomes mired in ensuring the reader has every single detail of every setting, every hierarchy of power, every move each character makes, that the reading becomes cumbersome at times. Much of this can be sprinkled throughout the story or removed all together.
This is s a fine book, one that does (eventually) get to a very adventurous and entertaining place. Readers who enjoy fantasy but are looking for something a bit different, or are seeking stories from a different cultural background, will certainly enjoy this book. It is a rich and vibrant story from an author who clearly loves story telling. Worth the read.
July 21, 2020
Suffice it to say, it has been quite some time since I have read a truly thrilling page-turner, and author Ali Hasan Ali’s book is a certain page-turner. It contains a multitude of elements that makes it absolutely fun yet nail-biting to read.
Set in pre-Islamic Arabia, the story revolved around a father’s quest, so grand that by the end of it, you will breathe a relief when Fad finds and holds the child Dil, the child that altered the course and fate of an entire region. The story has every exotic element that you would expect from a story set in such times and more and exceeds expectations in transporting one to the real sets of the story.
However, what really struck me in this story, in a very deep sense, was the beauty with which the author described the love of a parent, in this case, specifically, the father. For starters, it is known that most literature describing Arabic culture describes the father-child relationship as a very rigid one, where open displays of emotional affection are quite less. Fad, and even, in all honesty, Aad, and for that matter, all the male characters on this story were complete opposites of the stereotyped Arabic man that is known outside. Further, the extent a father would go, although set more than a thousand years ago, seems very relatable, in an incredibly touching form.
I can say without a doubt that I will be ready for the author’s next book. As indicated, learning more about Yam, a person I believe has much courage, righteousness and history of much mystery, would be amazing. Further, given the author’s skill of writing and putting across his story to a reader, it would be an understatement that I am simply waiting for his next book.
Do give this book a read, you are bound to sit down glued to it until you turn the last page. And more importantly, you are bound to end dizzy imagining a far-off fantasy story that seems almost too true. Too true.
Set in pre-Islamic Arabia, the story revolved around a father’s quest, so grand that by the end of it, you will breathe a relief when Fad finds and holds the child Dil, the child that altered the course and fate of an entire region. The story has every exotic element that you would expect from a story set in such times and more and exceeds expectations in transporting one to the real sets of the story.
However, what really struck me in this story, in a very deep sense, was the beauty with which the author described the love of a parent, in this case, specifically, the father. For starters, it is known that most literature describing Arabic culture describes the father-child relationship as a very rigid one, where open displays of emotional affection are quite less. Fad, and even, in all honesty, Aad, and for that matter, all the male characters on this story were complete opposites of the stereotyped Arabic man that is known outside. Further, the extent a father would go, although set more than a thousand years ago, seems very relatable, in an incredibly touching form.
I can say without a doubt that I will be ready for the author’s next book. As indicated, learning more about Yam, a person I believe has much courage, righteousness and history of much mystery, would be amazing. Further, given the author’s skill of writing and putting across his story to a reader, it would be an understatement that I am simply waiting for his next book.
Do give this book a read, you are bound to sit down glued to it until you turn the last page. And more importantly, you are bound to end dizzy imagining a far-off fantasy story that seems almost too true. Too true.
July 29, 2020
• Behas, the saher, or better known as the master of Jinn kills children born under a special star called calamitous children. Not only that, he himself justifies his actions with the belief that he was bound to protect humanity from the evils of the jinnic realm, something that he found hard to explain. He had tried on many occasions, but he had failed to convince people that he's one of the guardians of erum. One day his all-knowing jinni informed him that a "New evil is born". Soon Saher and his jinni are behind this new born, Dileel, a poor villager. It's been ages since Dileel is trying to get rid of them. There comes the point when he hit a low period in life and no longer cares whether there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Did he thrive regardless of adversities or did he succumb to the darkness within and outside?
• The story itself is a trememndous amount of fun to read because right from the start, the reader is captivated. You are submerged into a world full of dark magic and glory of past times. You get to see the world as it was seen by other people, ranging from caliphs to commoners whose lives take many turns. This book is huge, which means it will probably take you a long time to finish it all, but due to it's vast size, you will probably not remember everything about this story, so you'll enjoy reading it again in the future. Therefore, I advice you to read a few chapters at a time so that it stays with you. It takes a special type of talent to write so well about history without ever boring the readers. Author's effortless ability to straddle different times in history and yet be able to retain an ongoing flow through and create characters as he goes along is simply marvellous. A great effort indeed. Could not put it down over the 4 days it took me to read it from the day it arrived. The writing is not too heavy and is easy to understand. I'd highly recommend this if you like reading historical fiction.
• The story itself is a trememndous amount of fun to read because right from the start, the reader is captivated. You are submerged into a world full of dark magic and glory of past times. You get to see the world as it was seen by other people, ranging from caliphs to commoners whose lives take many turns. This book is huge, which means it will probably take you a long time to finish it all, but due to it's vast size, you will probably not remember everything about this story, so you'll enjoy reading it again in the future. Therefore, I advice you to read a few chapters at a time so that it stays with you. It takes a special type of talent to write so well about history without ever boring the readers. Author's effortless ability to straddle different times in history and yet be able to retain an ongoing flow through and create characters as he goes along is simply marvellous. A great effort indeed. Could not put it down over the 4 days it took me to read it from the day it arrived. The writing is not too heavy and is easy to understand. I'd highly recommend this if you like reading historical fiction.
Read
August 27, 2020This book is a big roller-coaster ride, which you will definitely enjoy to the fullest. The plot of revolves around the time of Pre-Islamic era. It is a book of unique concept, talking about Jinnism. It has very well portrayed father-son relationship, an unbreakable one.
All the characters perfectly carved, have its importance and depth in this story. All characters and sub-characters are well developed with time in this story.
The way author has presented a completely virtual tour and fantasy world with unconventional rules, traditions and cultures.
Behas the saher is worst of mankind character. He is a manipulator of all weak minded, master of all sorcery, an alchemist, and lord of the jinnic kingdom. He is killing all the newborn babies which are born under a very rare star. His jinni tells him that a new child is again born under that star. Jinni leads him to the child's residence. Behas order his snake jinni to kill the victims but this time the plan doesn't go as per his wish . A young boy appears out of nowhere and kills the snake.
That young boy needed to save the child. He start running but he losses that child. Read the book to find out answers to all your questions.
Author A.Ali.Hasan.Al 's work , research, dedicationm wrirting style has impressed me a lot. This book is the author's debut book and he has done amazing job. His writing style is very classy and at greatest level. The choice of words is exceptional. I must say few of the ords and sentences are really hard for me, But its a great oppotunity to learn new words and enhance vocabulary skill. Many unknown words with unfamiliar concepts are there as well.
Narrations are very interestaing and storyline is prefectly designed. The book has maps, family tree attached to it. You will love those graphics.
It was a great experimental read. I will recommend this book to everyone who loves to read about fantasy, fiction, mythology.
All the characters perfectly carved, have its importance and depth in this story. All characters and sub-characters are well developed with time in this story.
The way author has presented a completely virtual tour and fantasy world with unconventional rules, traditions and cultures.
Behas the saher is worst of mankind character. He is a manipulator of all weak minded, master of all sorcery, an alchemist, and lord of the jinnic kingdom. He is killing all the newborn babies which are born under a very rare star. His jinni tells him that a new child is again born under that star. Jinni leads him to the child's residence. Behas order his snake jinni to kill the victims but this time the plan doesn't go as per his wish . A young boy appears out of nowhere and kills the snake.
That young boy needed to save the child. He start running but he losses that child. Read the book to find out answers to all your questions.
Author A.Ali.Hasan.Al 's work , research, dedicationm wrirting style has impressed me a lot. This book is the author's debut book and he has done amazing job. His writing style is very classy and at greatest level. The choice of words is exceptional. I must say few of the ords and sentences are really hard for me, But its a great oppotunity to learn new words and enhance vocabulary skill. Many unknown words with unfamiliar concepts are there as well.
Narrations are very interestaing and storyline is prefectly designed. The book has maps, family tree attached to it. You will love those graphics.
It was a great experimental read. I will recommend this book to everyone who loves to read about fantasy, fiction, mythology.
August 2, 2020
𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤:-
📚ⓉⒾⓉⓁⒺ:- The Guardians Of Erum
🖋️ⒶⓊⓉⒽⓄⓇ:- A. Ali Hasan Ali
🗞️ⓅⓊⒷⓁⒾⓈⒽⒺⓇ:- Kindle
🔤ⓁⒶⓃⒼⓊⒶⒼⒺ:- English
📖ⒻⓄⓇⓂⒶⓉ:- Ebook
𝑺𝒚𝒏𝒐𝒑𝒔𝒊𝒔:-
This book based on pre Islamic ancient history of Arabia which is divided into 56 chapters with 3 parts.
.
Behas , who is the master of jinns and called himself as the guardians of Erum but no one believes him. He tried hard to make everyone feel that he is a survivor of jinns .
.
He killed children who are born under a special star & proudly saying that too because according to him this can save jinns lives & for him those who born under that star are called as "evil".
.
Behas found a new target for him as Dileel who is a son of date farmer Fad.
.
❔❓Is he able to succeed in his intentions?
❔❓How Dileel live saved from this unknown terror?
❔❓What is the real intention of Behas behind this ?
𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 :-
👉 The cover of the book well suited with the plot and blend with beautiful Arabic theme to attract each reader's attention towards it .
👉 The plot of the book is based on pre Islamic history along with some frictional touch with fantasy.
👉The writing style is simple but it's written in such a manner that it will glued you till the last page.
👉 Language is little bit critical and it's depth is so productive that you need great exposure to understand it but you can enjoy while read it for sure.
👉The pre Islamic Arabic history and it's description is quite significant.
👉 The narration is wonderful and well paced book as well.
👉 Although the book a huge one of 358 pages but it will hold your breaths till the last.
𝑴𝒚 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 :-
Cover :- 4.3/5
Title :- 4.1/5
Plot :- 4.6/5
Writing :- 4.4/5
Language :- 4.2/5
Narration :- 4.6/5
Climax :- 4.5/5
ᴏᴠᴇʀᴀʟʟ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ :- 🌟🌟🌟🌟
𝒐𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒐𝒏 :- A book based on pre Islamic & Arabic history with fantasy touch make a remarkable read
📚ⓉⒾⓉⓁⒺ:- The Guardians Of Erum
🖋️ⒶⓊⓉⒽⓄⓇ:- A. Ali Hasan Ali
🗞️ⓅⓊⒷⓁⒾⓈⒽⒺⓇ:- Kindle
🔤ⓁⒶⓃⒼⓊⒶⒼⒺ:- English
📖ⒻⓄⓇⓂⒶⓉ:- Ebook
𝑺𝒚𝒏𝒐𝒑𝒔𝒊𝒔:-
This book based on pre Islamic ancient history of Arabia which is divided into 56 chapters with 3 parts.
.
Behas , who is the master of jinns and called himself as the guardians of Erum but no one believes him. He tried hard to make everyone feel that he is a survivor of jinns .
.
He killed children who are born under a special star & proudly saying that too because according to him this can save jinns lives & for him those who born under that star are called as "evil".
.
Behas found a new target for him as Dileel who is a son of date farmer Fad.
.
❔❓Is he able to succeed in his intentions?
❔❓How Dileel live saved from this unknown terror?
❔❓What is the real intention of Behas behind this ?
𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 :-
👉 The cover of the book well suited with the plot and blend with beautiful Arabic theme to attract each reader's attention towards it .
👉 The plot of the book is based on pre Islamic history along with some frictional touch with fantasy.
👉The writing style is simple but it's written in such a manner that it will glued you till the last page.
👉 Language is little bit critical and it's depth is so productive that you need great exposure to understand it but you can enjoy while read it for sure.
👉The pre Islamic Arabic history and it's description is quite significant.
👉 The narration is wonderful and well paced book as well.
👉 Although the book a huge one of 358 pages but it will hold your breaths till the last.
𝑴𝒚 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 :-
Cover :- 4.3/5
Title :- 4.1/5
Plot :- 4.6/5
Writing :- 4.4/5
Language :- 4.2/5
Narration :- 4.6/5
Climax :- 4.5/5
ᴏᴠᴇʀᴀʟʟ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ :- 🌟🌟🌟🌟
𝒐𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒐𝒏 :- A book based on pre Islamic & Arabic history with fantasy touch make a remarkable read
July 25, 2020
" The Guardians of Erum AND THE Calamitous Child of Socotra " to be honest I was pretty intimidated by the title itself.
Anything I have ever known about the arabian culture and its folklore was limited to Aladdin, so guardians of erum was another surprising roller coaster ride for me, I actually tried to read and learn more about the arabian history, tales and traditions because from the starting itself the book gave that feel of the classic novels ,set in pre Islamic arab, I wanted to be prepared for the exciting journey I was about to go on to.
Though the author couldn't completely dwell into classic style and lacked a bit on that part but I can understand, the old writing style is pretty difficult in itself but it did not effect the story and it's essence a lot in my perspective .
This is the story of Fada a humble farmer. whose new born son dileel is in danger a evil power is behind his son to sacrifice him . There was bad luck since the day his son was born but still he never let it overshine. Just eight days after dileel was born he was abducted while his father was fighting behas. Yam a common porter helps an occultist to save the child.
Took me pretty long to finish this book but
This was such an enthralling tale , every new chapter unfolded another part of the history of arab and I kept getting more and more dwelled into the story. At points even you would be confused of whats good and what's evil.
The history of arab is so rich filled with mystery, ancestry and legends with so much detailing makes it all worth while. The detailing might be a little exceeding for people who are accustomed to such stories it could have been croped a bit otherwise it was mind blowing journey.
Anything I have ever known about the arabian culture and its folklore was limited to Aladdin, so guardians of erum was another surprising roller coaster ride for me, I actually tried to read and learn more about the arabian history, tales and traditions because from the starting itself the book gave that feel of the classic novels ,set in pre Islamic arab, I wanted to be prepared for the exciting journey I was about to go on to.
Though the author couldn't completely dwell into classic style and lacked a bit on that part but I can understand, the old writing style is pretty difficult in itself but it did not effect the story and it's essence a lot in my perspective .
This is the story of Fada a humble farmer. whose new born son dileel is in danger a evil power is behind his son to sacrifice him . There was bad luck since the day his son was born but still he never let it overshine. Just eight days after dileel was born he was abducted while his father was fighting behas. Yam a common porter helps an occultist to save the child.
Took me pretty long to finish this book but
This was such an enthralling tale , every new chapter unfolded another part of the history of arab and I kept getting more and more dwelled into the story. At points even you would be confused of whats good and what's evil.
The history of arab is so rich filled with mystery, ancestry and legends with so much detailing makes it all worth while. The detailing might be a little exceeding for people who are accustomed to such stories it could have been croped a bit otherwise it was mind blowing journey.
July 28, 2020
I simply loved this story. This story is set in pre Islamic Arabia. The famous 'Arabian Nights' has already introduced us to the world of magic and jinns and this story is also based on one such world. Behas, a powerful jinn master, is set out to kill a child who's born under a special star. Fad, a simple date farmer is trying to save his son, Dileel from the two intruders in his house. Yam, a simple porter, accompanies Arkin an occultist as his student and ends up with the task of saving the child being assigned to him by the son of Prime Sheikh of Erum. Amidst all these the child mysteriously disappears and it seems like an unknown force has kidnapped the baby. What is this force? Will the child be saved from the grips of those who want to kill him? Read on to find out! I especially loved the character of Fad. The story beautifully portrays that a simple farmer can go to any extent to save his son. The story is so detailed that it'll make you feel as if you're witnessing everything with your own eyes. Also one important aspect of the story telling is that the story is presented in layers. It starts from an incident and later goes on to explain the preceeding ones thus bringing the story in a full circle. The unexpected twists and turns and the suspense element kept me glued to the story till the end.
The theme of the story very nice. The storyline is strong indeed. The plot is intricately woven with careful addition of twists and turns throughout. The language and vocabulary is not very easy but nevertheless excellent. Characterisation is appreciable; unique attributes of each character has been carved out wonderfully. Narration is wonderful.
Overall this is really a wonderful book.
Highly recommended!!
The theme of the story very nice. The storyline is strong indeed. The plot is intricately woven with careful addition of twists and turns throughout. The language and vocabulary is not very easy but nevertheless excellent. Characterisation is appreciable; unique attributes of each character has been carved out wonderfully. Narration is wonderful.
Overall this is really a wonderful book.
Highly recommended!!
August 2, 2020
Book: The Guardians of Erum
Author: A. Ali Hassan Ali
Book length: 358 pages
Genre: Historic Fiction
.
.
One Islamic concept that has entered into western mythology is that of the jinn or genies. Their world exists parallel to that of the human world.
This fictional book is one of those who discuss about Jinnah, demons and evil. The protagonist named Behas, a Jinnah, the master king who death blows to children who are born under Serpent-Neck star being a possie too. They called'em as Calamitous children and by killing they destroy the presage they carry.
The story takes a turn when it comes to Dileel, he was a son of date farmer, poor villagers who was left alone and nobody cares. Being depressed sometimes he was low pitched. It was the time when he would be killed, the Behas came to ruin his life when he got to know about this new born child.
What will happen to Dileel? Will he be saved from his death? Or will the Jinnah, behes will put an end to another calamitous child? Is there any thing like calamitous child?
There's another protagonist named Fada, who plays a important role in the whole story. What did he do? Who is he? What turns does he bring?
You must be wondering all these questions, grab now to unfold the mystery lying beneath!!
This book is little bit vast but can be grasped easily and the characters were identified very well with its narration and their roles in the plot. The language author used was too good that can captivate the reader's mind. I'd recommend everyone's out there who loves reading fictional books with such great content, mystery, suspense, truths and many more!
Author: A. Ali Hassan Ali
Book length: 358 pages
Genre: Historic Fiction
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One Islamic concept that has entered into western mythology is that of the jinn or genies. Their world exists parallel to that of the human world.
This fictional book is one of those who discuss about Jinnah, demons and evil. The protagonist named Behas, a Jinnah, the master king who death blows to children who are born under Serpent-Neck star being a possie too. They called'em as Calamitous children and by killing they destroy the presage they carry.
The story takes a turn when it comes to Dileel, he was a son of date farmer, poor villagers who was left alone and nobody cares. Being depressed sometimes he was low pitched. It was the time when he would be killed, the Behas came to ruin his life when he got to know about this new born child.
What will happen to Dileel? Will he be saved from his death? Or will the Jinnah, behes will put an end to another calamitous child? Is there any thing like calamitous child?
There's another protagonist named Fada, who plays a important role in the whole story. What did he do? Who is he? What turns does he bring?
You must be wondering all these questions, grab now to unfold the mystery lying beneath!!
This book is little bit vast but can be grasped easily and the characters were identified very well with its narration and their roles in the plot. The language author used was too good that can captivate the reader's mind. I'd recommend everyone's out there who loves reading fictional books with such great content, mystery, suspense, truths and many more!
November 5, 2020
The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra by A.Ali Hasan Ali is a fantasy adventure novel.
Pursued by a powerful jinn master and a mysterious sect of occultists, Fada sets out across the lush and unforgiving ancient Arabian Peninsula on a quest to rescue his son.Legend has it that the sacrifice of a calamitous child, a child born under the Serpent-Neck star, can bring about the end of the world. Born under the Serpent-Neck star himself, jinn master Behas has sought out and killed many calamitous children to avert the destruction they portend. His next target is a boy named Dileel, the newborn son of a date farmer outside the great city of Erum. However, his plans are foisted when an occultist apprentice interferes to save the boy, and in the resulting confusion, Dileel is abducted by an unknown force. Determined to rescue his son, the humble date farmer Fada must leave behind everything he knows, enlisting powerful allies and risking his life on an unforgettable journey.
I really like such stories which have a backdrop of middle eastern region . The vastness of the desert adds a mysterious atmosphere always to the overall story . The folklore quality in the narration is everything I felt. This is a historical fantasy story with very interesting plot and constant flow of twists . There is also a map included. The characters are very intriguing , have diverse personalities and everything has a nice gripping pace l. Definitely the narration from the very start is very unique and mentionable. If you like books with suspense filled plot that carries adventure, you shall check this book out !
Pursued by a powerful jinn master and a mysterious sect of occultists, Fada sets out across the lush and unforgiving ancient Arabian Peninsula on a quest to rescue his son.Legend has it that the sacrifice of a calamitous child, a child born under the Serpent-Neck star, can bring about the end of the world. Born under the Serpent-Neck star himself, jinn master Behas has sought out and killed many calamitous children to avert the destruction they portend. His next target is a boy named Dileel, the newborn son of a date farmer outside the great city of Erum. However, his plans are foisted when an occultist apprentice interferes to save the boy, and in the resulting confusion, Dileel is abducted by an unknown force. Determined to rescue his son, the humble date farmer Fada must leave behind everything he knows, enlisting powerful allies and risking his life on an unforgettable journey.
I really like such stories which have a backdrop of middle eastern region . The vastness of the desert adds a mysterious atmosphere always to the overall story . The folklore quality in the narration is everything I felt. This is a historical fantasy story with very interesting plot and constant flow of twists . There is also a map included. The characters are very intriguing , have diverse personalities and everything has a nice gripping pace l. Definitely the narration from the very start is very unique and mentionable. If you like books with suspense filled plot that carries adventure, you shall check this book out !
June 16, 2021
With A. Ali Hasan Ali's "Child of Socotra" this immediately peaked my interest from the summary alone. Being a fan of Salman Rushdie, I was sold at the start. The plot is rather simple: Fada, our main character, is on a quest to rescue his son, as he is pursued by "jinn masters." Upon the first few pages, I like the way Mr. Ali has well thought out sentences and doesn't try to make it commercial right out of the first few pages. I love writing that has sentences instead of commercial writing. With a lot of moral questions already placed at the beginning creates a dark story with questions that put the reader in a strange place. Luckily for Mr. Ali, his paragraphs keep me interested and engaged.
I'm not big on dialogue, but the strength of his sentences and his ability to
use terminology that I had to look up quite appealing. Like Rachis. I had never heard of that before. What turns out to be a fun adventure for two hundred pages, loses its pull in the last act. While I kept following the story, there's a
moment when an expository first person narration dump feels out of place. But it'stricky to read this without feeling like Fada, who's journey takes on Gilgamesh like endeavor to find his son. Its charm and the plot seems to get too busy with multiple characters than remain focused on Fada's story. But Ali does know how to carry the story where Mr. Ali wants the reader to go.
Ali does deliver on narrative, and if you're looking for plot, you won't be disappointed. Sometimes the dialogue is clunky, but it's more forced to serve a purpose to guide the characters actions, so that's just a minor thing.
I'm not big on dialogue, but the strength of his sentences and his ability to
use terminology that I had to look up quite appealing. Like Rachis. I had never heard of that before. What turns out to be a fun adventure for two hundred pages, loses its pull in the last act. While I kept following the story, there's a
moment when an expository first person narration dump feels out of place. But it'stricky to read this without feeling like Fada, who's journey takes on Gilgamesh like endeavor to find his son. Its charm and the plot seems to get too busy with multiple characters than remain focused on Fada's story. But Ali does know how to carry the story where Mr. Ali wants the reader to go.
Ali does deliver on narrative, and if you're looking for plot, you won't be disappointed. Sometimes the dialogue is clunky, but it's more forced to serve a purpose to guide the characters actions, so that's just a minor thing.
July 23, 2020
A brilliant journey through Arabian folklore!
The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra was written based on Arabian folkloric tales of the ancient world during the centuries that preceded Islamic religions. Author Ali Hadden began the story with the protagonist Fada, a humble date farmer that lived a simple yet productive life, tended crops and preserved his land. After an unfortunate event, Fada was forced to leave his farm life behind in search of his son, who was kidnapped via unforeseen evil forces. Fada traveled the deserts and battles evil with the vigor one would find within an action film.
Fada's son Dil and the tragic kidnapping that occurred not only created a page-turning tale; this story provided readers with the example that one child, one person can alter the fate of an entire region. Also, the father and son bond between Fada and Dil is hearting warming and is a testament to a father's undying love for his son.
The story did unfold with the excitement of multiple parrels of modern-day Hollywood hyperbolic action story antics and ancient folklore that woven together create the potential for a best-seller. Only detractors were issues with sentence structure accompanied by repetitive punctuation errors. Also, a few of the characters' descriptions were a bit similar, which was somewhat disappointing as a reader.
Overall this book will surely entertain readers of various ages and backgrounds with the possibility of fueling an interest in Arabian ancient folklore and ancient history.
The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra was written based on Arabian folkloric tales of the ancient world during the centuries that preceded Islamic religions. Author Ali Hadden began the story with the protagonist Fada, a humble date farmer that lived a simple yet productive life, tended crops and preserved his land. After an unfortunate event, Fada was forced to leave his farm life behind in search of his son, who was kidnapped via unforeseen evil forces. Fada traveled the deserts and battles evil with the vigor one would find within an action film.
Fada's son Dil and the tragic kidnapping that occurred not only created a page-turning tale; this story provided readers with the example that one child, one person can alter the fate of an entire region. Also, the father and son bond between Fada and Dil is hearting warming and is a testament to a father's undying love for his son.
The story did unfold with the excitement of multiple parrels of modern-day Hollywood hyperbolic action story antics and ancient folklore that woven together create the potential for a best-seller. Only detractors were issues with sentence structure accompanied by repetitive punctuation errors. Also, a few of the characters' descriptions were a bit similar, which was somewhat disappointing as a reader.
Overall this book will surely entertain readers of various ages and backgrounds with the possibility of fueling an interest in Arabian ancient folklore and ancient history.
August 3, 2020
Different!
It is a big book and takes almost three to four days to finish. All the characters are well introduced and their development across the story is amazing. The writing of the author is flawless and easy to follow. The book is a perfect mix of fantasy, fiction and myth. The cover of the book suits the plot beautifully and attracts the readers attention right from the start. The book captivates the reader from the get go and keeps him engaged. There are a few pictures sewn in for a better understanding of the book and its contents.
It is set in the pre-islamic era.
Blurb:
Pursued by a powerful jinn master and a mysterious sect of occultists, Fada sets out across the lush and unforgiving ancient Arabian Peninsula on a quest to rescue his son.
Legend has it that the sacrifice of a calamitous child, a child born under the Serpent-Neck star, can bring about the end of the world. Born under the Serpent-Neck star himself, jinn master Behas has sought out and killed many calamitous children to avert the destruction they portend. His next target is a boy named Dileel, the newborn son of a date farmer outside the great city of Erum. However, his plans are foisted when an occultist apprentice interferes to save the boy, and in the resulting confusion, Dileel is abducted by an unknown force. Determined to rescue his son, the humble date farmer Fada must leave behind everything he knows, enlisting powerful allies and risking his life on an unforgettable journey.
All in all it makes up for one unforgettable reading.
It is a big book and takes almost three to four days to finish. All the characters are well introduced and their development across the story is amazing. The writing of the author is flawless and easy to follow. The book is a perfect mix of fantasy, fiction and myth. The cover of the book suits the plot beautifully and attracts the readers attention right from the start. The book captivates the reader from the get go and keeps him engaged. There are a few pictures sewn in for a better understanding of the book and its contents.
It is set in the pre-islamic era.
Blurb:
Pursued by a powerful jinn master and a mysterious sect of occultists, Fada sets out across the lush and unforgiving ancient Arabian Peninsula on a quest to rescue his son.
Legend has it that the sacrifice of a calamitous child, a child born under the Serpent-Neck star, can bring about the end of the world. Born under the Serpent-Neck star himself, jinn master Behas has sought out and killed many calamitous children to avert the destruction they portend. His next target is a boy named Dileel, the newborn son of a date farmer outside the great city of Erum. However, his plans are foisted when an occultist apprentice interferes to save the boy, and in the resulting confusion, Dileel is abducted by an unknown force. Determined to rescue his son, the humble date farmer Fada must leave behind everything he knows, enlisting powerful allies and risking his life on an unforgettable journey.
All in all it makes up for one unforgettable reading.
July 24, 2020
BOOK NAME: The Guardians of Erum and The Calamitous Child of Socotra
AUTHOR: A. Ali Hasan Ali
GENRE: Historical Fiction
FORMAT: Kindle
🍁 We are not makers of history, we are made by history- Martin Luther King, Jr.
🍁Historical Fiction is a genre that takes you to your past in the time travel. It helps you to connect to your ancestors and understand their life journey.
🍁This piece of gem is set up in the pre-Islamic era in Arabia. This is built in a realm which possibly exists.
🍁The story is based on the legends that the sacrifice of a Calamitous child can bring the end of the world, but the Jinn master Behas who himself is a Calamitous child has killed many of that kind.
🍁But, his next target is going to be a tad difficult than he ever expected. Dileel, the newborn son of a farmer Fada outside Erum is his next target, but when an occultist intervenes, a Web of confusion arises.
But, Fada must gather all his strength to save his child. To know more, tune into this book.
🍁The story is quite gripping, keeps you hooked.
🍁The characters are all very impressive, especially Fada. The love he has for his son is incomparable and the journey he begins for him is beautifully presented.
🍁The cover is aesthetically beautiful and gives ancestral feels.
🍁The language is tough, but the book is worth the efforts.
🍁 I would definitely recommend it to readers who enjoys reading Historical Fiction.
MY RATING: 5/5
AUTHOR: A. Ali Hasan Ali
GENRE: Historical Fiction
FORMAT: Kindle
🍁 We are not makers of history, we are made by history- Martin Luther King, Jr.
🍁Historical Fiction is a genre that takes you to your past in the time travel. It helps you to connect to your ancestors and understand their life journey.
🍁This piece of gem is set up in the pre-Islamic era in Arabia. This is built in a realm which possibly exists.
🍁The story is based on the legends that the sacrifice of a Calamitous child can bring the end of the world, but the Jinn master Behas who himself is a Calamitous child has killed many of that kind.
🍁But, his next target is going to be a tad difficult than he ever expected. Dileel, the newborn son of a farmer Fada outside Erum is his next target, but when an occultist intervenes, a Web of confusion arises.
But, Fada must gather all his strength to save his child. To know more, tune into this book.
🍁The story is quite gripping, keeps you hooked.
🍁The characters are all very impressive, especially Fada. The love he has for his son is incomparable and the journey he begins for him is beautifully presented.
🍁The cover is aesthetically beautiful and gives ancestral feels.
🍁The language is tough, but the book is worth the efforts.
🍁 I would definitely recommend it to readers who enjoys reading Historical Fiction.
MY RATING: 5/5
July 26, 2020
Rich vocabulary
Behas the saher, deceiver of all weak minds, master of all sorcery, necromancer and conjurer, alchemist, and lord of the jinnic realm, is widely known as the worst of mankind. He is killing all the newborn which are born under a very rare star. His all-knowing jinni tells him that a new child is again born under that star. Jinni leads him to the child's residence. Behas order his snake jinni to kill the victims but it doesn't go as per the plan. A young boy appears from nowhere And kills the snake but that snake had already bitten the child's mother. That young boy needed to save the child.he start running but he losses that child...
What is a mystery behind the newborn which are born under that Star? will they be able to find the child? To know, read this book.
I finished reading this thick book in 10 days. Normally it would have taken a less number of days to read 358 pages as I was reading it on kindle, it slowed my speed.
I am very much impressed by the author's vocabulary. This book is the author's first book and he has done mind blowing job. the book does not focus on any single character. The author has gave equal importance to all the characters. This book is the first book in a series and I am very much excited to read the next book.
If you are interested in jinni and want to improve your vocabulary then you must read this book.
Behas the saher, deceiver of all weak minds, master of all sorcery, necromancer and conjurer, alchemist, and lord of the jinnic realm, is widely known as the worst of mankind. He is killing all the newborn which are born under a very rare star. His all-knowing jinni tells him that a new child is again born under that star. Jinni leads him to the child's residence. Behas order his snake jinni to kill the victims but it doesn't go as per the plan. A young boy appears from nowhere And kills the snake but that snake had already bitten the child's mother. That young boy needed to save the child.he start running but he losses that child...
What is a mystery behind the newborn which are born under that Star? will they be able to find the child? To know, read this book.
I finished reading this thick book in 10 days. Normally it would have taken a less number of days to read 358 pages as I was reading it on kindle, it slowed my speed.
I am very much impressed by the author's vocabulary. This book is the author's first book and he has done mind blowing job. the book does not focus on any single character. The author has gave equal importance to all the characters. This book is the first book in a series and I am very much excited to read the next book.
If you are interested in jinni and want to improve your vocabulary then you must read this book.
July 26, 2020
There is a land where djinn and man use each other for power, where the ruling class literally looms over everyone else, and where being born under a certain star makes you susceptible to evil. In the dead of night a child is almost murdered by a djinn under the command of Behas, a djinn master. The child is saved from death but vanishes, and so begins the story.
Behas is known to the rest of the world as evil incarnate. He goes around trying to kill children, after all. The question is, is he wrong? The guardians of Erum believe he is and do everything in their power to stop him. Fadda, the child’s father sets his trust in the guardians. But is it enough. The guardians are loyal to an ideal more than a ruler and this ideal begins to divide them from their purpose, catching poor Fad in the middle.
The characters are complex and change and adapt with the situations at hand. This is important as the world building is extensive, and the different cultures clash as they mix together. The development of the story focuses around these kingdoms and cultures all trying to accomplish the same goal.
The story is an adventure tale written in a stylized manner that suits the men it is portraying. This does not always help with the speed of the story, and there are places where the wordiness bogs down the reader.
Overall it is a well built world, with characters that grow along with the story.
Behas is known to the rest of the world as evil incarnate. He goes around trying to kill children, after all. The question is, is he wrong? The guardians of Erum believe he is and do everything in their power to stop him. Fadda, the child’s father sets his trust in the guardians. But is it enough. The guardians are loyal to an ideal more than a ruler and this ideal begins to divide them from their purpose, catching poor Fad in the middle.
The characters are complex and change and adapt with the situations at hand. This is important as the world building is extensive, and the different cultures clash as they mix together. The development of the story focuses around these kingdoms and cultures all trying to accomplish the same goal.
The story is an adventure tale written in a stylized manner that suits the men it is portraying. This does not always help with the speed of the story, and there are places where the wordiness bogs down the reader.
Overall it is a well built world, with characters that grow along with the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews