Author: KV McQuain
First Published: 2016
The Blurb: It's 1811, the spring wind blowing out of the western desert heralds disaster for the Mamluks of Egypt. Cairo is tearing itself apart in its struggle for modernization. Amym, a former Georgian slave soldier, seizes an opportunity to secure the freedom of the woman he loves. He must navigate the political unrest of a nation in turmoil and risks more than just his life to be with his childhood sweetheart. But the political intrigue and violence of an unstable nation force him to flee the only home he has ever known and fall into the grips of an evil that has lain in hiding for centuries. Will he find a way for them to be together while those around them die, or will he fall under the sway of a far reaching society of ancient, blood thirsty khafash?
The review: Leaving the modern New York City behind for the most part, this is the origin story for Amym – one of the prime protagonists in McQuain’s novel NYV: Punk. The setting is primarily early 19th Century Egypt, where Amym is a Mamluk (an Islamic military caste, often derived from slavery, who controlled Egypt until the events outlined in the story).
Amym’s life changes firstly as he is forced to flee with his bey’s family after the historic Massacre of the Citadel and more so when he is taken by an ancient creature and kept as servant and slave. McQuain uses this historic background masterfully drawing a real sense of the events and the culture of the time and place.
What I was impressed with was the natural dialogue and the fact that the author seemed to capture and project Amym’s voice so well, making the character feel rounded and offering a sense of characterisation that was impressive. Indeed, though we knew of a pencil sketch of the events from the NYV: Punk volume, I felt that this was perhaps a stronger volume in its own right and it stands alone as well as an adjunct to the wider series. 8.5 out of 10.
This review was written for Vamped and has been posted here with permission.
In Paperback @ Amazon US
In Paperback @ Amazon UK
The review: Leaving the modern New York City behind for the most part, this is the origin story for Amym – one of the prime protagonists in McQuain’s novel NYV: Punk. The setting is primarily early 19th Century Egypt, where Amym is a Mamluk (an Islamic military caste, often derived from slavery, who controlled Egypt until the events outlined in the story).
Amym’s life changes firstly as he is forced to flee with his bey’s family after the historic Massacre of the Citadel and more so when he is taken by an ancient creature and kept as servant and slave. McQuain uses this historic background masterfully drawing a real sense of the events and the culture of the time and place.
What I was impressed with was the natural dialogue and the fact that the author seemed to capture and project Amym’s voice so well, making the character feel rounded and offering a sense of characterisation that was impressive. Indeed, though we knew of a pencil sketch of the events from the NYV: Punk volume, I felt that this was perhaps a stronger volume in its own right and it stands alone as well as an adjunct to the wider series. 8.5 out of 10.
This review was written for Vamped and has been posted here with permission.
In Paperback @ Amazon US
In Paperback @ Amazon UK
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