By Samreen Khan
There is no other way to put this—I read this book in four days flat, which is a huge feat as I am a working mother of two kids and also because this book is 500 pages long.
The City of Brass is the first book of the Daevabad trilogy. And you should read this book if you like Muslim folklore; grew up in a Muslim household listening to such folklore; are intrigued by the story of Prophet Suleiman and the Djinns; and if you thrive on stories revolving around mythical creatures, warring tribes, vengeance, sibling squabbles, love, loyalty, friendship, and strong female protagonists.
This book is a dream come true for Muslim fantasy nerds—it represents a part of Muslim culture and identity in a way that I never thought was possible. The book starts off in Cairo with Nahri, who is a con woman by profession and our lead female character who carries forward all three books of the trilogy. Nahri uses tricks, deceptions, sleight of hand, and knowledge of natural medicines to perform healing rituals to earn her livelihood. One day while performing a zar (a healing custom for troubled souls), Nahri unknowingly taps into a long-forgotten part of her heritage and ends up calling a warrior Djinn named Dara to her aid. And from here the adventure begins and she is transported to the ancient, magical City of Brass—Daevabad—that is hidden from human eyes and is the capital city of all magical races.
Nahri is catapulted from the war-torn streets of Cairo where ghouls are chasing her to the edgy city of Daevabad that traces its political lineage to the times of Prophet Suleiman (Solomon). It is here that Nahri must face the question of who she really is. Does she truly belong to the lost ancient bloodline that was destined to rule Daevabad as per Suleiman’s wish? The city is fraught with tribal rivalry and rife with tensions between pure blooded Djinns and the Shafit (who are of mixed human and Djinn heritage). And all this is kept under tight control by the current ruler of Daevabad, Ghasan Al Qahtani, who views Nahri as a direct threat to his throne. Nahri unwittingly gets involved with court politics, Dara her warrior Djinn, and Ghasan’s two sons Muntadhir and Alizayd.
If the plot summary above sounds like a lot—that’s because it is. It’s an entire parallel universe that has been created from scratch by the author who has been very true to Islamic sources and Muslim folklore, and must be applauded for the same.
I truly enjoyed reading the book because of how it is set parallel to the French invasion of Ottoman Cairo in the 18thcentury; in the human world Nahri faces the impending invasion and then she gets transported to the magical world where again rebellion is brewing. The character of Nahri grows exponentially from the first chapter to the last. Nahri works for her survival at all times, but as her friendships cement with Dara, the warrior sworn to protect her, and Prince Alizayd, she realizes she is not as independent of emotions as she thought she was. She begins to care about the people who surround her and care for her in their own ways. She also learns to trust more, even at times to her detriment. We don’t see much growth in terms of Dara’s character arc, but the character arc that will truly impress readers is that of Prince Alizayd who is standoffish and orthodox in his approach to faith; he has very strong principles and is against the injustices that he sees. Alizayd’s character grows from a rigid box to that of a more open-minded person as he becomes friends with Nahri due to his father’s pressure. After befriending a woman who used to thrive on conning others, Alizayd is amazed at his acceptance of her nature, and he becomes more receptive to the fact that the world is grey-toned.
Chakraborty writes with a flow and charm that cannot be denied. As a first-time novelist you can see the author’s writing style pick up after the first few chapters when the characters get more drawn out and the plot thickens. Overall the writing is well-researched and the influence of history and medieval Islamic world is evident in it.
The City of Brass is a well-crafted universe where magical creatures reside, magnificent cities exist, and astounding palaces and libraries hide secrets of the unknown. It takes readers down a mesmerizing fantastical journey that ties intrigue, mystery, love, and loyalty in varying shades of grey. It is a whole new world that awaits you, much more fulfilling than any contemporary magical series can be. This book fills a much needed gap in the Muslim fantasy fiction genre.