Throne of the Crescent Moon is a fantasy novel written by American writer Saladin Ahmed. It is the first book in The Crescent Moon Kingdoms series. The book was published by DAW Books in February 2012. The book was nominated for the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novel, 2013 David Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer and the 2012 Nebula Award for Best Novel. It won the Locus Award for Best First Novel.
Review of 'Throne of the Crescent Moon' on 'Storygraph'
3 stars
This has to be one of the most disappointing books I’ve read since Name of the Wind. I have been wanting to read it for years but what a letdown. The setting and characters were initially very interesting and I enjoyed the whole ‘Islamic fantasy story’ aspect but the author was just not up to the task I think. The other reviews seem to have nailed it so I’m not going to repeat but I’m just left with the feeling this could have been extraordinary in the hands of a competent author
Review of 'Throne of the Crescent Moon' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Debut novel by Saladin Ahmed, a traditional sword-and-sorcery story but refreshingly not set in a medieval Europe feeling setting, more of an Arabian Nights feel. The spell systems are interesting and seem well-thought-out, and have a lot of variety. There is clearly a lot of alchemy-based magic, but also magic cast at the cost of shortening the lifespan of the caster, magic derived from the gods, shape shifting in the form of a were-lion, and of course evil dark necromantic magic of various degrees. The most common"monsters" we encounter are ghuls, animated creatures of various varieties (bone, water, sand, etc) which the main character Doctor Adoulla Makhslood has dedicated his life to fighting. But of course there's a big baddie who serves the Traitorous Angel (a Lucifer-figure) and his right-hand servant. Reminded me a little of some of Guy Gavriel Kay's settings.
The protagonist characters are interesting and I would …
Debut novel by Saladin Ahmed, a traditional sword-and-sorcery story but refreshingly not set in a medieval Europe feeling setting, more of an Arabian Nights feel. The spell systems are interesting and seem well-thought-out, and have a lot of variety. There is clearly a lot of alchemy-based magic, but also magic cast at the cost of shortening the lifespan of the caster, magic derived from the gods, shape shifting in the form of a were-lion, and of course evil dark necromantic magic of various degrees. The most common"monsters" we encounter are ghuls, animated creatures of various varieties (bone, water, sand, etc) which the main character Doctor Adoulla Makhslood has dedicated his life to fighting. But of course there's a big baddie who serves the Traitorous Angel (a Lucifer-figure) and his right-hand servant. Reminded me a little of some of Guy Gavriel Kay's settings.
The protagonist characters are interesting and I would have liked a bit more background on some of them, in particular the Falcon Prince, a Robin-Hood-like thief-hero. Most striking was the age difference between the main characters, split between Adoulla and two allies in their 60s and two young fighters in their teens; the hero as a tired man who longs to retire isn't a character we often meet in books.
A quick and entertaining read, intended to be the start of a series but ending satisfactorily with no cliffhanger. A little more shallow in some places than I'd have liked but I'm looking forward to the next book and expecting the author will only continue to improve.
Review of 'Throne of the Crescent Moon' on 'Goodreads'
1 star
"Crescent Moon" is a prototypical fantasy book, replete with all the standard tropes (is that redundant?). And old guy, a whirling dervish and a mysterious tribal girl band together to rid the world of a magical evil. I am really tired of magic, I think. Rhiannon was watching a couple of Harry Potters and even in the distance, I found the magic annoying. It always seems like the kind of thing that can conveniently solve any problem but also just as conveniently can't. It just depends on the dramatic needs, not any inherent "reality".
I gave "Crescent Moon" well over 50 pages and gave up. I especially tired of it when it offered both teen angst and religious overtones. Add in the by now standard way of having different viewpoints at each chapter. Ugh. Don't need any of it and I don't have time to plow onward with it.
Review of 'Throne of the Crescent Moon' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
I feel like the fantasy genre has stagnated lately, with the truly good books coming only from a select few writers. A friend of mine recommended this book, and I nearly passed it up, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that this isn't your typical fantasy book. The setting is unique, the characters personable and memorable, and, while it is a Sword and Sorcery book, the plot isn't predictable. All in all, a very good read. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a new fantasy author to follow.
