The Sword and Laser discussion

The only context I had for this book (outside of the pick for book of the month here) was to see it highly rated on a friend's feed--a friend that I don't usually associate with speculative fiction.

This was a fast read for me--it was gripping, and a little pulpy (that's not derogatory in my eyes). The setting is fascinating for me, partially because I feel that it's completely under-represented in other books I've read. Did anyone else find that the setting is a major part of this book's charm? Without it, I find that it's a standard, but fun, action romp with some light detective stuff peppered throughout; certainly fine, but I'll be remembering this book for years because of the setting.

Maybe "setting" is too vague of a word to describe what's intriguing to me. It encompasses so much in my eyes--the characters backgrounds, culture, religion, the regional history and of course the architecture and physical space the story takes place in.

Also, do I just have a giant blind spot? Can anyone recommend any other speculative fiction books in a Middle-Eastern setting?

for other Middle eastern settings, The City of Brass comes to mind and perhaps (thought it's fictionalized) A Stranger in Olondria

Rick wrote: "for other Middle eastern settings, The City of Brass comes to mind and perhaps (thought it's fictionalized) A Stranger in Olondria"

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll check them out!

Austin wrote: "Maybe "setting" is too vague of a word to describe what's intriguing to me. It encompasses so much in my eyes--the characters backgrounds, culture, religion, the regional history and of course the architecture and physical space the story takes place in."

I think the word you’re looking for is “milieu”, which encompasses all of the cultural aspects of a society set in a specific time and place. And I agree with you that the setting elevates the story above its fairly trope-y noir elements.

As for recommendations, I typically don’t care for books set in the Middle East, so that setting usually starts off in a hole for me. (Not as bad as “woke up without their memory”, which is an automatic -2 stars, but it’s not a fave.) So that said, I highly recommend Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson (the book most similar to this one), The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin, and, of course, Dune. Yes, it’s set on another planet thousands of years from now, but the Fremen are clearly Bedouin and Arrakis is clearly the Sahara.

You might also try Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

"In the midst of this brewing rebellion a series of brutal supernatural murders strikes at the heart of the Kingdoms. It is up to a handful of heroes to learn the truth behind these killings"

One more: God's War by Kameron Hurley. This book is set on another planet, but falls in the category of Middle Eastern milieu. It's the first book in a series with a bounty hunter main character that Hurley continues to write about in her short fiction.

Alif and Thrones are both excellent. God's War is... grim. I bounced off it initially but picked up Apocalypse Nyx which is set between it and the second book in the series and loved it. It's not explicitly Middle Eastern but they're very good.

I can second Alif the Unseen, though the setting is more modern it has a similar feeling with an interplay between technology and magic. Throne of the Crescent Moon is also good, and definitely middle-eastern set, but feels more like traditional fantasy just set in a different place, if that makes sense. One that reminded me of colonial history in Afghanistan was The Blue Sword, and it has magic, but not magical beings that I recall.

The Unbroken by CL Clark is set in an alternate Middle East with a sort of foreign legion occupying sort of a cross between Egypt and Morocco. I think Stranger in Olondria starts off in a fantasy South Asian inspired setting and then moves to a more European one.

Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri is inspired by the Mughal Empire of medieval India- not precisely Middle Eastern but it has a similar vibe with eg desert nomads.

I think what you're referring to is world building!

A few more suggestions:
The Dervish House by Ian McDonald - Istanbul, Islamic mysticism, and nanotech!

The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson - others have mentioned Alif the Unseen which is in the present day, but The Bird King is fantasy and set in the middle ages, in a sultanate.

The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers - it's hard to explain Tim Powers if you've never read him but he puts a lot of stuff into each novel, and this one has a setting you will like.

The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker - this was popular in both fantasy and literary circles, about a golem and djinn who come together in immigrant communities of New York City but of course the djinn's history goes way back.

I absolutely loved this book, especially the setting.

(I finished it about 5 minutes ago and I'm still shaking - I loved it!).

The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate has a middle eastern setting and is beautifully written.

Not middle eastern, but Perdido Street Station has some similarities in setting - including bizzare cable cars - it's a bit darker though.

I've heard good things about When Gravity Fails, as a cyberpunk novel set in a future where political power and influence has shifted to the Middle East from Europe and North America, but I have not had an opportunity to read it yet, so that recommendation is secondhand.

I believe Saad Hossain writes SFF with Muslim characters in Eastern settings, though I believe his books are more focused on South Asia and Bangladesh.
For me though, a large part of the "milieu" was the Islamic culture and Muslim characters. For example, the casual use of Islamic phrases like "God willing" (inshallah) and "in the name of God" (bismillah) in the dialogue.
I actually found that reading this during Ramadan was a pretty cool coincidence. Half of my family practices Islam, and my house has been decked out in Islamic decor all month, so listening to an audiobook with (mostly) Muslim settings and characters really added to that mood for me.

Hossain's The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday is a lot of fun. It's set in a future Bangladesh (think AI and nanotech but also climate change effects). The gurkha finds a bottle....