I really liked this book.

Throne of the Crescent Moon follows a band of somewhat unlikely heroes as they’re off to save the day. You have an old ghul hunter (one of the last of his kind), a whirling dervish (I’d never before looked up what that actually meant), an alchemist and her mage of a husband, and a shape shifter who can take the form of a golden lion.

Arrayed against them; a beastie from the time of the dead gods raising a whole bunch of ghuls. Also a corrupt all powerful ruler and the Robin Hood esqe figure who may or may not be any better in the end.

One thing that I really loved about this book: the world. It’s based on Arabic influences rather than the pseudo-European that I’ve seen in most of the fantasy I’ve read. Better yet, the Arabic influence is woven throughout the story in a way that just makes it come alive. You have sights and sounds and history and magic, all with (to me) a very new feel to it. If you’ve read a similar selection to me, this is worth reading just for that.

On top of that, I liked the relatively large ensemble cast. Even though we had five main characters and a whole pile of supporting cast (see above), I really thought that each had their own voice and I was greatly amused and intrigued with how each of them interacted with one another.

All together, it’s a neat book. Especially after everything shakes out in the end, I wish the sequel were out already (planned release in 2016). What I think I really need is to do is to go find other fantasy novels from non- European authors…