Empire of Lies is a sweeping thriller in the tradition of The Man in the High Castle, Fatherland, and Underground Airlines from New York Times bestselling author Raymond Khoury. “The best what-if thriller for a long, long time–makes you think, makes you sweat, and makes you choose, between what is and what might have been.”–Lee Child Istanbul, 1683: Mehmed IV, sultan of the Ottoman Empire, is … Istanbul, 1683: Mehmed IV, sultan of the Ottoman Empire, is preparing to lay siege to Vienna, capital of the Holy Roman Empire, when a mysterious visitor arrives in his bedroom–naked, covered in strange tattoos–to deliver a dangerous, world-changing message.
Paris, 2017: Ottoman flags have been flying over the great city for three hundred years, ever since its fall–along with all of Europe–to the empire’s all-conquering army. Notre Dame has been renamed the Fatih Mosque. Public spaces are segregated by gender. And Kamal Arslan Agha, a feted officer in the sultan’s secret police, is starting to question his orders.
Rumors of an impending war with the Christian Republic of America, attacks by violent extremists, and economic collapse have heightened surveillance and arrests across the empire. Tasked with surveying potential threats, Kamal has a heavy caseload–and conscience.
When a mysterious stranger–naked, covered in strange tattoos–appears on the banks of the Seine, Kamal is called in to investigate. But what he discovers is a secret buried in the empire’s past, a secret the Sultan will do anything to silence.
With the mysterious Z Protectorate one step behind, Kamal, together with Nisreen–a fierce human rights lawyer–is caught up in a race across the empire and time itself–a race that could change their world, or destroy it.
Empire of Lies is being published as “The Ottoman Secret” in the UK.
At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
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In Empire of Lies, Raymond Khoury has created an alternative history tale that will blow your mind. A story strung along the centuries that is thoroughly engrossing and one you will long remember.
The best what-if thriller for a long, long time ― makes you think, makes you sweat, and makes you choose, between what is and what might have been.
Raymond Khoury’s Empire of Lies is a tour de force in both storytelling and breadth of concept. It is not just an alternate history, but a cautionary tale that directly impacts and reflects upon our time. It is thrilling, disturbing, inspiring, and left me all too often in awe. This book will make you look at history ― and your role in it ― in an all new light. Be prepared to be forever impacted, forever changed.
This is a masterpiece. A compelling saga, on a grand scale, with food for thought on every fascinating page. It’s a breath of fresh air, an alternate history firing on all cylinders that will stay with you long after finishing. A stellar epic.
Alternate history… tons of adventure… this is real fun. Not just an intelligent, immersive thriller, but also a timely visit to a reality that easily could’ve been. So well researched and written it feels chillingly real. As thought-provoking as it is entertaining.
Haunting ‘What-If’ Thriller for History Lovers
This is an interesting and haunting book that basically goes to a pivotal point in history and examines what world we would be living in if that outcome had changed. This book is thorough and long, but it goes quickly. I think history lovers will love it; I could find no errors in the facts. But, anyone who enjoys a good thriller will like this book. I received an Advanced Review Copy for free from the publisher via Bookish First and this is my honest review.
A Look Through the looking glass. Review of Empire of Lies.
It is Istanbul, 1683. A mysterious naked tattooed man suddenly appears in Mehmed IVs, the sultan of the Ottoman Empire bedroom one evening to deliver his plan to help the sultan defeat Vienna. This visit alternates history.
Paris, 2017; For three hundred years the Ottoman Empire has all control of Europe. There is no freedom under the authoritative thumb of the sultan and no one dares question him. Until one of the sultans secret police kamal Arslan Agha begins to question after he is called in to investigate witnesses seeing a man covered in tattoos at the banks of the seine one morning. What Kamal’s brother Ramonan (a doctor) and his wife Nisreen discover is a secret that is far greater than they ever expected and they need Kamal to believe them to help. A secret that the sultan will kill to not be exposed to the public.
I loved this book. It was riveting. A chillingly warning to today’s world. It was fast-paced, never a dull moment. It kept my attention throughout the book. The writing was descriptive, vivid and unforgettable. This atypical mixed history, culture and imagination beautifully. I looked forward to going to bed to read the book. I even read late into the night. This is the first I’ve read by this author and will not be my last. I will definitely look for more by this author. I like to thank Bookish.com and Macmillan publishing group for this complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Man was this a hard book for me to get through at first! Empire of Lies turned out to be really good! However, the first 200 pages felt like they were just setting up for the plot. I got bored throughout those pages, the history being rewritten and the character backgrounds were really cool, don’t get me wrong, but it was a lot!
Now the last 245 pages were absolutely incredible. Once things got rolling, I was absorbed into the writing, wanted to know how things were going to turn out for our unlikely heroes. It was a roller coaster, and I loved it!
Wins:
-action packed plot once we got to it.
-character development. Kamals character development and change throughout the novel was absolutely incredible. I know at first he was supposed to be unlikeable. I didn’t get that, I liked him from his first chapter.
-a good history lesson for people -like me- who didn’t know much about the Ottoman Empire.
-absolutely heartbreaking moment towards the end. I wanted to scream, throw the book and cry all at the same time. Didn’t see it coming, super impressed with it!
Opportunities
-as I said above, the first like 180-200 pages are setting up for the plot. At first, I wanted to DNF the book because nothing really happened.
-a lot of Turkish that doesn’t have any explanation or meaning that’s just kind of thrown in there, but then the year is constantly pointed out as being 2017 in the footnotes. I would’ve liked a page just with translations or footnotes for those.
This book is very heavy, and it’s not one you want to pick up for an easy fast read, this took me a few days to get through, and that was after a reading streak of reading 450 page books in 1 day. I was definitely afraid of it putting me in a reading slump. Until I got to the actual plot, and things started flying by and the action was fast paced and real. The heartbreaking moments hurt like hell! All in all, a very good read once everything is established!
I would like to thank Presses de la Cité and the Netgalley website for allowing me to read this book.
The story takes place over two periods:
the first in Istanbul in 1682 where Mehmed IV the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire wants to launch a siege of Vienna, the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. But a mysterious visitor enters his room. A man full of tattoos would offer him help.
The second in Paris in 2017, where a red and white flag is flying over the city. We learn that Friday is a vacation and the language spoken is none other than Russian.
Kamal is part of the Sultan’s police force and he is secretly in love with his sister-in-law Nisrine who is a lawyer. Kamal is on the trail of a patient being treated by his brother who certifies to be from the past.
I immediately got hooked on the story which is so gripping, captivating, addictive, full of suspense and twists and turns with endearing characters.
Its an Islamic take-off of the man in the high castle.If you enjoy time travel books you’ll like this.
Most good novels make you want to keep reading. Who’s the real killer? Will the bad guy win? What’s gonna happen next? I’ve been a fan of alternate history/time travel fiction for decades, but Empire of Lies provides no compelling reasons to read it to the end (and I didn’t). Its biggest flaw is that the main characters are simply either uninteresting or unlikeable. Will they escape from their perilous situation? Who knows? Even worse, who cares?
One man with a secret only he knows, can and does change history… But is it for good?
– In that instant, in a blink of an eye,
everything changed.
History changed. –
After discovering a secret that enables one to travel in time, Rasheed knows exactly what needs to be done. He aims to do whatever it takes to ensure the survival of the now collapsed Ottoman Empire. In doing so, he wants to create a world he believes will be better than the one we have all experienced. Some may disagree with what he has done… if they ever find out. Others may agree with it not knowing exactly what “it” is or what was lost/gained because of it, while most everybody else is completely oblivious to the origins of their world or the secrets behind the infamous Rasheed’s involvement. I found this story to be crazy intriguing and dove right in. In the beginning, Raymond Khoury immediately draws the reader into a new world that is also extremely familiar, drawing from our present struggles and triumphs throughout the whole story and finding a great balance between History and the “Alternate” History created by Khoury. I have to admit, there were multiple times I felt the storyline really struggled to move along at a comfortable pace, but if you don’t let yourself become bogged down by these slow spots; the story catches up with itself and pulls you back in. Unfortunately, most of these slow spots correlate with Kamal. I had a hard time relating to Kamal as a character but eventually I found myself rooting for him while he tries to understand his world, his role, and the well being of all humanity. A great story that intertwines time travel, alternate history and historic fiction
*All quotes are taken from the ARC version of the related title and may not accurately represent the finished/published version*
When a strange, tattoo-covered man mysteriously appears in the sultan’s bedroom, he sets off a chain of events that will alter the course of history.
The rule of the Ottoman Empire—it’s laws, beliefs, customs—has extend across Europe, existing for over 300 years. On the outside everything appears peaceful and wonderful. When a strange, tattoo-covered man suddenly appears, the mystery surrounding him and the things he says leads many to question whether the peace they experience is worth the apparent cost.
Empire of Lies is a page-turning thriller that kept me guessing and was full of surprises. Khoury’s descriptions are powerful; from the settings to the action and fighting, I was able to picture and then immerse myself in the story. The characters are themselves exciting, Nisreen being my favorite.
If you are a fan of thrillers and alternate histories, go grab a copy of Empire of Lies! Thank you to Forge Books and BookishFirst for an ARC of Empire of Lies by Raymond Khoury, given in exchange for an honest review.
It was ok until the end where the main character died by being stabbed multiple times.