*io9’s New Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books You Need to Put On Your Radar This Fall From the modern master of alternate history and New York Times bestselling author Harry Turtledove, Through Darkest Europe envisions a world dominated by a prosperous and democratic Middle East–and under threat from the world’s worst trouble spot. Senior investigator Khalid al-Zarzisi is a modern man, a product of the … Khalid al-Zarzisi is a modern man, a product of the unsurpassed educational systems of North Africa and the Middle East. Liberal, tolerant, and above all rich, the countries and cultures of North Africa and the Middle East have dominated the globe for centuries, from the Far East to the young nations of the Sunset Lands.
But one region has festered for decades: Europe, whose despots and monarchs can barely contain the simmering anger of their people. From Ireland to Scandinavia, Italy to Spain, European fundamentalists have carried out assassinations, hijackings, and bombings on their own soil and elsewhere. Extremist fundamentalist leaders have begun calling for a “crusade”, an obscure term from the mists of European history.
Now Khalid has been sent to Rome, ground zero of backwater discontent. He and his partner Dawud have been tasked with figuring out how to protect the tinpot Grand Duke, the impoverished Pope, and the overall status quo, before European instability starts overflowing into the First World.
Then the bombs start to go off.
At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
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Another interesting look at a history that might have been, a rich and powerful Muslim world, while Europe floundered under centuries of dogmatic and orthodox thinking. This has created a fundamentalist schism within the Catholic world, with the followers of St. Thomas Aquinas seeing progress and the modern world as antithetical to the true teachings of God. As the Aquinists simmer and plot, two investigators, Senior Investigator Khalid al-Zarzis and his partner Investigator Dawud ibn Musa, are sent from the Mahgreb, the constitutional monarchy based out of Tunis, to see if they can assist the Grand Duke of Italy keep a lid on the volatile situation.
As with many of Turtledove’s books, the point of departure in the history, and the world he creates gives you many chances to pause and reflect on the situation in our own world. It is easy to see how fundamentalism could have taken root in the Catholic church, or to see how easily a modern, progressive Muslim world could develop. A departure from many of Turtledove’s other words is to have the story told primarily through the POV of Khalid, as opposed to using multiple POV characters. I think this did a much better job of giving the reader a unique perspective on the tale, as well as to better develop the characters. My biggest concern about the story is that Khalid and Dawud are essentially just along for the ride, having almost no impact (other than in one place late in the story) on the outcome of events. That felt like a let down to me as I like seeing characters having more of an impact in the outcome of the story.
Overall, if you enjoy alternate history, and if you are a fan of Turtledove’s work, then this is an enjoyable book and worth the time to read. Other readers may get more out of how the characters interact with the story than I did, but I did enjoy both Khalid and Dawud and their partnership felt real.
A truly disappointing effort. The premise is that the Islamic world developed technology, more enlightened governance, and a more progressive worldview while Europe languished in religious fanaticism and ignorance. Turtledove did really explore how a more liberal political culture, more secular science, and a more open society might develop under an Islamic culture and how different that might look than one derived from a Christian-based one. Instead, he simply transposed the features of Western European model to the Islamic world. One particularly irritating error that kept appearing in the book was Turtledove’s use of the term Madrassa as the equivalent of a university. A madrassa is actually more like a Christian religious seminary than a university. Even a cursory reading of a history of Islam or Spain in the Middle Ages would show that the Islamic world knew the difference. In sum, in a time of growing religious bigotry, an interesting opportunity to speculate thoughtfully and educate readers not familiar with Islam on some of its features was essentially squandered.