[jonny_anonymous]

I read 1001 Nights years ago and I've always loved it and I'm also a big fan of Prince of Persia and the Seven Cities in Malazan but I was wondering does anybody know of any high fantasy novels that take place in a middle eastern type setting?

[Stalker]

Howard Andrew Jones writes sword and sorcery in a middle eastern setting. The Desert of Souls is the first book. Haven't read the sequel yet but the first was what you'd expect from the particular subgenre. Fun stuff.

[amphibian]

Saladin Ahmed is your starting place.

You may also enjoy some Arabic authors translated into English or even go to the Indian/Iranian authors.

There's a particularly good sci fi set in North Africa called A Fire In The Sun by George Alec Effinger.

Hannu Rajaniemi's sci fi books spend a considerable amount of time in a middle east setting.

[jonny_anonymous]

Briar King, on 08 September 2014 - 01:20 AM, said:

Scott Bakkers books.

I actually just bought his first book the other week there to read after I'm done with Reaper's Gale. I didn't realize it had any middle easterness in it.

[jonny_anonymous]

amphibian, on 08 September 2014 - 03:03 AM, said:

Saladin Ahmed is your starting place.

You may also enjoy some Arabic authors translated into English or even go to the Indian/Iranian authors.

There's a particularly good sci fi set in North Africa called A Fire In The Sun by George Alec Effinger.

Hannu Rajaniemi's sci fi books spend a considerable amount of time in a middle east setting.

I've seen Saladin Ahmed's name pop up a bunch when I ask this question and I've just instantly bought Throne of the Crescent Moon after reading it's blurb on Amazon

[amphibian]

jonny_anonymous, on 08 September 2014 - 10:15 AM, said:

Briar King, on 08 September 2014 - 01:20 AM, said:

Scott Bakkers books.

I actually just bought his first book the other week there to read after I'm done with Reaper's Gale. I didn't realize it had any middle easterness in it.

There's a lengthy trek through a desert, dealing with tribes much like pre-state Middle East days and religious influences patterned after Islam, Zoroastrianism, animism etc.

[EmperorMagus]

amphibian, on 08 September 2014 - 03:36 PM, said:

There's a lengthy trek through a desert, dealing with tribes much like pre-state Middle East days and religious influences patterned after Islam, Zoroastrianism, animism etc.

Zoroastrianism? I don't remember that.

[amphibian]

EmperorMagus, on 08 September 2014 - 03:48 PM, said:

amphibian, on 08 September 2014 - 03:36 PM, said:

There's a lengthy trek through a desert, dealing with tribes much like pre-state Middle East days and religious influences patterned after Islam, Zoroastrianism, animism etc.

Zoroastrianism? I don't remember that.

It's scattered throughout, particularly through Drusas Achamanian (Achaemenid empire?) and his views of the happenings in the time of Seswatha, the water motifs, the ethic of doing good because there is a source of evil to confront etc.

[EmperorMagus]

amphibian, on 08 September 2014 - 04:18 PM, said:

EmperorMagus, on 08 September 2014 - 03:48 PM, said:

amphibian, on 08 September 2014 - 03:36 PM, said:

There's a lengthy trek through a desert, dealing with tribes much like pre-state Middle East days and religious influences patterned after Islam, Zoroastrianism, animism etc.

Zoroastrianism? I don't remember that.

It's scattered throughout, particularly through Drusas Achamanian (Achaemenid empire?) and his views of the happenings in the time of Seswatha, the water motifs, the ethic of doing good because there is a source of evil to confront etc.

I never noticed that, but it makes sense. Now that I think of it, the flashback did feel like that.

[polishgenius]

City of Bones by Martha Wells has a fair bit of a Middle-Eastern feel. Very good book too. Don't know about any of her other stuff, I discovered her recently so not got to it yet.


While the principal setting of Elizabeth Bear's Eternal Sky trilogy is based on Mongolian/Tibetan ideas, there's a substantial part of the plot that's based in or driven by characters from a more Middle-Eastern part of the world. At least the first book sets that up, I can't imagine there being too shocking a swerve away from that.


NK Jemisin's Dreamblood duology takes place in an Ancient Egypt-based setting, if that takes your fancy.

[Binder of Demons]

Would Guy Gavriel Kay fall into this grouping? Haven't read any of his stuff but I remember thinking his stuff sounded like it was influenced by that part of the world.


I would suggest DUNE by Frank Herbert as a series with a middle eastern influence, though mostly in terms of the geography. There are other very obvious parallels (oil, tribal cultures, religon) but I wouldn't say the overall feeling is that of a book set in OUR Middle East if you get what I mean.

[Gnaw]

What about Glen Cook's Dread Empire? Isn't there a strong Saudi Arabia type component?

[EmperorMagus]

Gnaw, on 08 September 2014 - 06:01 PM, said:

What about Glen Cook's Dread Empire? Isn't there a strong Saudi Arabia type component?

Not Saudi Arabia, but Islamic Caliphates are in there. More like Baghdad type components.

[polishgenius]

Binder of Demons, on 08 September 2014 - 05:50 PM, said:

Would Guy Gavriel Kay fall into this grouping? Haven't read any of his stuff but I remember thinking his stuff sounded like it was influenced by that part of the world.

Not particularly. The Lions of Al-Rassan is set in an analogue of Moorish Spain so it does have a lot of Arabic/Muslim influences, but isn't in the Middle-East (and it isn't particularly high fantasy).

[D'rek]

polishgenius, on 08 September 2014 - 06:28 PM, said:

Binder of Demons, on 08 September 2014 - 05:50 PM, said:

Would Guy Gavriel Kay fall into this grouping? Haven't read any of his stuff but I remember thinking his stuff sounded like it was influenced by that part of the world.

Not particularly. The Lions of Al-Rassan is set in an analogue of Moorish Spain so it does have a lot of Arabic/Muslim influences, but isn't in the Middle-East (and it isn't particularly high fantasy).

The first couple chapters of Lord of Emperors with Rustem, maybe, but then he goes west to Sarantium. Makes you wish Kay had written another book in that universe, set in Bassania or the lands further east than that.

[Abyss]

amphibian, on 08 September 2014 - 03:03 AM, said:

Hannu Rajaniemi's sci fi books spend a considerable amount of time in a middle east setting.

Starts in the second book actually, tho there are faint hints in the first.

D, on 09 September 2014 - 02:17 PM, said:

polishgenius, on 08 September 2014 - 06:28 PM, said:

Binder of Demons, on 08 September 2014 - 05:50 PM, said:

Would Guy Gavriel Kay fall into this grouping? Haven't read any of his stuff but I remember thinking his stuff sounded like it was influenced by that part of the world.

Not particularly. The Lions of Al-Rassan is set in an analogue of Moorish Spain so it does have a lot of Arabic/Muslim influences, but isn't in the Middle-East (and it isn't particularly high fantasy).

The first couple chapters of Lord of Emperors with Rustem, maybe, but then he goes west to Sarantium. Makes you wish Kay had written another book in that universe, set in Bassania or the lands further east than that.

Agreed on all points, but given the Arabic influences, and generally how great that book is, worth reading regardless.



I just finished Kam Hurley's GOD'S WAR - it's sf with fantasy'ish elements (the whole 'advanced science indistinguishable from magic' thing), but more guns and knives than spaceships and lasers, and very very much set in a Middle-Eastern type setting. Worth a look.

I have trouble reco'ing Peter Brett's WARDED MAN series, because i liked, didn't love the first book, and subsequent books, which i have yet to read, seem to be universally slammed by reviewers i usually agree with. That said, the books definitely have the Middle-Eastern influence thing going.

Somewhere on the edge of my brain there are more but i can't quite recall... i know some of the original CONAN and TSR books worked with desert tribe type settings (Dark Sun comes to mind).... worth searching out if seriously old school swords and loincloths fantasy and/or thinly veiled RPG campaigns are your kinda thing.

ETA: just remembered one... Weis/Hickman's ROSE OF THE PROPHET trilo... haven't read it, but supposedly fun.

[worry]

Okay that's high praise, I'm adding The Lemons of Algernon to my to-read list immediately.

[Chance]

Oath of the Empire has one or more storylines (it varies) going all around the middle east during the time of muhammed (who is one of the pow characters) it is however mainly an alternative late roman empire thing with magic and supernatural stuff.

Would second the Warded Man stuff but there are some stuff in the later books that doesn't work for everyone. The later ones however goes even more into the middle eastern themes.

Just a slight warning Throne of the Crescent Moon is very middle eastern themed but it is not a very good or inovative book except for the middle eastern flavoring of the setting.

This post has been edited by Chance: 09 September 2014 - 08:06 PM

[Ukjent]

If you only care about the middle east setting I would second the Warded Man, but if the story counts I would not do so. The last book was horrible.

[Morgoth]

As was the first and second book, if one were to be honest.