Dawn Breakers - Nabil's Narrative

Dawn Breakers - Nabil's Narrative
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The Greatest Story Ever Told

Dawn-breakers of a New Age

"Dawn Breakers" By Shoghi Effendi

Dawn Breakers - Nabil's Narrative
Shoghi Effendi
Manufacturer: Baha'i Publishing Trust
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0900125225

Customer Reviews:

The Greatest Story Ever Told.......2005-01-24

I read this book shivering, crying, dreaming dreams of faith and devotion and finding myself transformed... I cant possibly describe what it means to me as the most precious and intense feelings and experiences hardly can be put to words. This tale, a true story puts any human existence to flames and leaves you wondering how anyone on earth could not fall in love with its heroes and characters. This is the story of lives lived and loves loved; this is the story of darkness and light of the biggest mystery enshrined in the breast of the faithful. Since the day I started it's first page I have had no desire nearer than having the blessing of living a life so full and so rich, so true and so devoted - read it for yourself, for otherwise you would leave ths earth having missed The Greatest Story Ever Told.

Dawn-breakers of a New Age.......2003-07-18

Nabil's Narrative or "The Dawn-breakers" is a history of the emergence of the Baha'i Faith in Persia in the middle of the nineteenth century. It is related by Nabil, an early follower of the Babi and Baha'i religions. It begins with the story of the Báb, the Prophet-Herald who ushered in a new age of human progress, material and spiritual.

Nabil's Narrative is an exciting account of God-intoxicated heroes and martyrs, containing stirring passages of action and stories of unwavering faith.

Unprecedented cruelty and derision were heaped by the Persian authorities of the day upon the Báb and twenty thousand of his followers who sought to radically reform the corrupt customs and practices of the time. After a turbulent six years, having raised up many thousands of followers in his native land to recognize a new revelation of divine proportions, the Báb was put to death by firing squad in a dramatic episode enacted in Tabriz in 1850.

The Báb foretold the coming of a second and greater Messenger of God, Baha'u'llah, who, nine years after the coming of the Báb in 1844, declared that he was the Promised One that all religions had been waiting for.

The Chronicle of Nabil relates the historic events which took place concerning the tumultous emergence of these two twin Messengers of God in nineteenth century Persia. The complete work carries the history up to the death of Baha'u'llah in 1892. Little did the author realise at the time the far-reaching consequences the Baha'i Faith would begin to have in the world when it burst beyond the confines of Persia and the East, penetrating the farthest regions of the globe and encircling the earth.

When Baha'u'llah stated "The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens" his message fell on deaf ears. Now it is fast becoming a recognized fact in a world waking up to and becoming aware of its oneness.

"Dawn Breakers" By Shoghi Effendi.......2002-01-04

The most amazing book to ever graze the face of the Earth. It will answer just as many questions for you as it will create. A must read for anyone. If you question weather they're is a god this will help you come to a conclusion.

The Dawn-Breakers Nabil's Narrative of the Early Days of the Baha'i Revelation

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The Dawn-Breakers Nabil's Narrative of the Early Days of the Baha'i Revelation
Shoghi (Editor) Effendi
Manufacturer: Baha'i Publishing Trust
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J46EMU

Reiki Tummo: An Effective Technique for Health and Happiness

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True path to your inner heart
The Real Deal
Start here and get the attunements
Thank You..thank You...so much
Life changing, wonderful book

Reiki Tummo: An Effective Technique for Health and Happiness
Irmansyah Effendi
Manufacturer: Yayasan Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 9799852900

Book Description

Reiki Tummo: An Effective Technique for Health and Happiness is an essential guide in your journey of self discovery and fulfillment. It is a clear and comprehensive introductory book for beginners with no spiritual background, yet deep and advanced enough for experienced spiritual seekers to appreciate and advance further. It contains in-depth information on a broad spectrum of subjects including energy channeling and connecting to the inner heart. The simple, yet effective techniques are explained in easy-to-follow steps that show how to: Improve health, the quality of meditation and energy channeling abilities.
Strengthen the connection to the heart and increase the potential to find happiness within its peace, calmness and beauty.
Prepare readers for advanced spiritual studies with the heart and inner heart

Customer Reviews:

True path to your inner heart.......2007-03-21

Reiki Tummo showed me the path trough my inner heart and how to find the connection to the divine source. We are spiritual beings using a physical body to learn. This book explains what happens when you get Tummo Reiki attunements, but you must take the classes and get the "attunements" to understand it and feel it through your heart. It has changed my life, learning how to do it from your heart makes a big difference when I channel Reiki now.

The Real Deal.......2006-04-04

I am a beginning student of Reiki Tummo. In the short time I have been practicing, I have experienced a profound healing on myself--a release of emotional blockages that have guarded my heart for many years. For the first time, I can feel my heart, and feel the love of Divine Source flowing through it to myself and to others. I have felt the hearts of those who are ahead of me on this path, and have thus caught a glimpse of what lies ahead. Reiki tummo provides us with a map for accessing our inner, Sacred Heart. There is no higher, nor more important activity that we can be involved in for ourselves, our families and friends, humanity, and the planet.
This book, along with the required attunements are highly recommended for those who want to increase their personal energy, healing ability, or just want to go home.

Start here and get the attunements.......2005-11-17

Reiki Tummo open my eyes and soul to the Truth - that we are spiritual beings using a physical body for this time around. This book explains what happens as one progresses through Reiki Tummo, but you must take the classes and get the "attunements" in order to progress spiritually. This is the real stuff. If you want spirituality, do Reiki Tummo and you will be connected to the True Source.

Thank You..thank You...so much.......2005-11-17

I want to express our gratitude, as this book and the tehnique inside is helping my friend's to recover from a serious health problem.
thanks so much

Life changing, wonderful book.......2005-11-17

this book and the teaching is changing my life, my family's life, my parents life.Our life become so joyful and loving
Our relatives and friends can feel the change and they start to change too.
Thank you for sharing this beatiful material, sharing about the Heart, so wonderful special and loving.
with Love from all of us

Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah

Average customer rating:

A good way to be introduced to Baha i ideas
The 'heart' of Baha'u'llah's teachings are found here!
A DEVOUT PRAISE OF GOD, LACKING IN CLEAR USEFUL DATA ?
"The Book of God is wide open, and His Word is

Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah
Bahaullah
Manufacturer: Baha'i Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Baha'i | Other Eastern Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Meditations | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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The Kitab-i-Iqan Book of Certitude
Some Answered Questions
The Hidden Words
The Divine Art of Living: Selections from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, The Bab, and Abdu'l-Baha
Selected Writings of Baha'u'llah

ASIN: 1931847223

Customer Reviews:

A good way to be introduced to Baha i ideas.......2000-12-17

This book is a compendium of writings of Bahaullah, the founder of the Baha'i Faith. The Baha'i ideas of the universality of religion and the necessity of unity among people are well presented in these excerpts from the many writings of Bahaullah.

This book does not set forth all the religious practices of the Baha'i Faith, nor does it purport to give one a complete picture of all aspects of the faith. Instead, the "gleanings" seem chosen to present some of the core Baha'i ideas in the words of the founder of the faith. The Baha'i ideas of the core of truth in all religions, the ongoing nature of spiritual prophecy, and the ineffable mystery of God are fascinating reading. The fact that this faith arose in the 19th Century makes its founders' writings seem much more modern and accessible than some older religious writing.

As one reads other works about Baha'i practice, one might offer the critique of this work that the excerpts really tell the reader more about the ideals of Baha'ism and not enough about the day to day reality of how Bahaullah felt the faith should be practiced. This is very much a starting point for one interested in Baha'i ideas rather than a comprehensive guide. Still, if you want a good idea of many core Baha'i concepts, you'll find this a readable set of writings.

This book won't tell you "everything you need to know about Baha'is", but it is interesting for the non-believer as well as for the believer to give a picture window into this faith.

The 'heart' of Baha'u'llah's teachings are found here!.......1998-11-08

"Gleanings from the Writing of Bahá'u'lláh", first published in 1939, is a thorough and inclusive compilation of many of the essential teachings of Bahá'u'lláh (1817-1892). It has become a part of most Bahá'ís personal libraries. It contains a complete index and glossary, so that most aspects of His teachings can be looked up, such as 'life after death', Bahá'u'lláh's station and that of Muhammad, Christ, and Moses, the purpose of creation, Mankind's obligations and their waywardness, etc. He makes His own station clear with words such as these: "O Jews! If ye be intent on crucifying once again Jesus, the Spirit of God, put Me to death, for He hath once more, in My person, been made manifest unto you." His words are so powerful in most of the book that they virtually demand to be read aloud. The compiler and translator, Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'u'lláh's great-grandson, organized the book generally into thirds. First focusing on Bahá'u'lláh's station, next on the unknowable Divinity of God, then His words to His believers calling them to the highest moral and spiritual standards and to the unbelievers that they detach themselves from all acquired knowledge and search for Truth themselves. All that Christ said He could not reveal (John 16:12) can be found here!

A DEVOUT PRAISE OF GOD, LACKING IN CLEAR USEFUL DATA ?.......1998-05-16

This book is a repetitious tedious read by a devout and sincere persian mystic from the Moslem tradition. This is evident from the many similarities of his ideas and Mohammeds(with a few minor improvements). It would take the reader a long time to separate the little useful information from the flowery endless praises of God. It will no doubt be many years before we see the rest of his writings, and what they all mean. The emphasis on world unity is a great and worthy cause. The curse laid upon "anyone who claims to be a prophet within the next thousand years"(at end of book), is very questionable and hard to take seriously. Showing the writers limited understanding of the flow and history of world religion, and shows a serious sense of insecurity with any other spiritual influences. A continuation of the Islamic concept of the latest revelation being the most advanced is erronous also contradicts all religious history. This principle of exclusivity(our scripture is the only truth in this age), is a most devisive and intolerant religious approach, and has been the cause of most of religion's cruel attacks on the rest of the world fo the last two millenia. It must be based upon a total misconception of God's Great Plan.

For further reading: MAN'S ETENAL QUEST..&..THE BHAGAVAD GITA.

"The Book of God is wide open, and His Word is.......1997-09-16

summoning mankind unto Him." "The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens." "So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth. " These are just a few of the soul-stirring statements to be found in this compilation of spiritual gems selected from the treasury of the writings of Baha'u'llah, the Prophet-Founder of the Baha'i Faith. Themes explored in these profoundly spiritual and often mystical writings include (but are no means limited to) the nature of God, his purpose in creating human beings, the relationship of human beings to their Creator, and the role played by the Manifestations of God (Divine messengers through whom the Creator has revealed himself to humanity throughout history). The passages in this collection were personally selected and translated from the original Persian and Arabic into English by Shoghi Effendi Rabbani, the great-grandson of Baha'u'llah who headed the Faith from 1921-1957. This book is an indispensable resource for anyone with a serious interest in investigating the claims of this new religion, which has spread from its roots in the Middle East to encircle the globe in a little over 100 years.

Death of An Effendi: A Mamur Zapt Mystery

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great early twentieth century Egyptian police procedural

Death of An Effendi: A Mamur Zapt Mystery
Michael Pearce
Manufacturer: Poisoned Pen Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

British Detectives | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1590581784

Book Description

The latest in Michael Pearce's charming, award-winning series set in Edwardian Egypt.

Cairo, 1909.The murder capital of the world, where deaths are two a piastre. But the death of an effendi? That is something different. Because effendis - the Egyptian élite - are important. Especially if - in a country ruled by foreigners - they happen to be foreign.

When Tvardovsky, an effendi and a foreigner, is shot at a gathering of financiers, Gareth Owen - the Mamur Zapt, Chief of Cairo's Secret Police - is called in to investigate. But is he the right man for the job? In some countries, if someone goes for a walk, or a boat ride, with the Head of the Secret Police and doesn't come back, it's best not to ask any questions. And there are powerful people who might have preferred Tvardovsky dead.

As the maverick financier said, before going on the fatal shooting party, there were still crocodiles in Egypt. Of all kinds. And perhaps the place to look for them was Crocodilopolis, the ancient City of the Crocodiles, where the financiers were to hold their meeting. It is when the crocodiles start cooperating, said Tvardovsky, that you really have to watch out…

Customer Reviews:

great early twentieth century Egyptian police procedural.......2004-06-30

In 1909 Egypt the Mamur Zapt, Gareth Owen, joins several VIPs on a shoot that makes him feel like a duck out of water as most of the effendi attending are financiers or royals. However, during the gala, someone shoots the Russian Tvardovsky. As expected by his position, Owen begins to investigate to determine whether the death was an accident or a homicide with his only clue being that the foreign victim discussed crocodiles in Egypt.

Prince Fuad interferes with the Mamur Zapt inquiries trying to insure that an accident is reported if he cannot stop the investigation. However, Gareth continues to look into the matter with the diligence he always brings to his job though he worries about the repercussions from the royals, especially how Fuad will react. Fuad increases the pressure for Owen to conduct a sham, but he refuses.

The Mamur Zapt series consistently provide some of the best early twentieth century police procedural tales on the market. The latest entry, DEATH OF AN EFFENDI, is a fabulous tale that as usual provides an intriguing glimpse at Egypt in 1909 where foreigners heavily influence what happens to the country. The investigation is top of the line as Gareth struggles with Prince Fuad's reluctance and with potential witnesses fearful of alienating foreigners and or the Mamur Zapt. Fans of historical mysteries will appreciate this tale that brings to life a bygone era whose impact remains strong almost a century later.

Harriet Klausner

The Kitab-i-Iqan Book of Certitude
Average customer rating:

Essential For All Bahai's

Timeless Wisdom!

a unique world view

A stunning revelation!

Hold on to your hats!

The Kitab-i-Iqan Book of Certitude
Baha'u'llah
Manufacturer: Baha'i Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Religious | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1931847088

Book Description

A "unique repository of inestimable treasures" — Shoghi Effendi

The Book of Certitude, by Bahá'u'lláh, author of the Bahá'í Revelation, is arguably one of the most important scriptural works in all of religious history. In it Baha'u'llah explains the underlying unity of the world's religions, describes the universality of the revelations humankind has received from the Prophets of God, explains their fundamental teachings, and elucidates allegorical passages from the New Testament and the Qur΄án that have given rise to misunderstandings among religious leaders, practitioners, and the public. Written in the span of two days and two nights, The Book of Certitude is, in the words of its translator, Shoghi Effendi, "the most important book written on the spiritual significance" of the Bahá'í Faith.

Customer Reviews:

Essential For All Bahai's.......2007-06-18

The Kitab-I-Iqan (The Book Of Certitude) in which Baha'u'llah sets forth His theology of progressive revelation and its consequences for today is one of the main sccriptural texts of the Baha'i Faith. This work seeks to explain the tenet of the Unity of ALL religions as well as the nature of progressive revelation especially as how it relates to The Bab and by inference to Baha'u'llah. A carefull read of it will explain why so many of the Christian attacks on Baha'i beliefs are fairly well unfounded. For example Christ as a divine Messenger is clearly supported in this text although Christ's mission as ONE of MANY divine messengers is explicitly laid out. Ditto for Muhammed. This has infuriated the "Our Prophet Only" crowd in other major monotheistic religions but, feel, mainly because they have not completely studied the book or understood it fully. Any BAha'i who wants to understand the actual basis for Baha'u'llah's claims as the promised one for our era needs to read through this very carefully. Indeed after reaing it with a fair and open mind, one does reach a plane of Certitude with regards to spiritual understanding.

Timeless Wisdom!.......2006-03-13

I read 20 years ago and again now. Its wisdom is timeless. Note: The review dated November 22, 1999 said Muhammad was God's last "Messenger." But the Qur'an never reads "last Messenger (Rassul)" ... it only reads "last prophet (nabi)." The distinction is significant, and had it been otherwise it would contradict the entire Qur'an.

a unique world view.......2005-11-29

We live in an age of philosophical "deconstruction" and "postmodernism", where beliefs are seen as hopelessly isolated fragments and deliberate attempts to unify and integrate these is looked on with deep suspicion. In such an age, the thesis of such a book may seem anachronistic at first glance- but read it, and you will catch a glimpse of a very novel, panoramic, and breathtaking vision of man's religions and his views toward God. Rather than an outdated perspective, you will find an integrated worldview that not only seems not outdated, but one that appears to be the only clear solution for the bewildering cacophony of man's religions and ideas, leading to the current ideological crisis that has completely paralyzed him. It is like the missing piece of a large puzzle that suddently begins to make sense of many of the unrelated pieces.

To the Muslim reviewer who interprets Mohammad's words as claiming to mean that He was the absolute final prophet of God, I would like to point out that when Christ came, the Jews similarly interpreted their scripture to refute Christ. They could not believe that this poor, young carpenter claiming to be the Messiah was the King David spoken of in the Torah. Similarly, when Mohammad came, the Christians also refuted him based on their scripture. Be extremely careful how you interpret scripture, and keep an open mind!

I would invoke the words of a divine manifestation of a different tradition, Krishna, who spoke these words many thousands of years ago: "whenever the standard of sacred duty decays" he says, then will he return "to set the standard of sacred duty... in age after age".

A stunning revelation!.......2004-05-26

That this 19th century man could have written such a masterpiece is nothing short of a miracle. In page after page, Baha'u'llah (the author) reveals where man has gone wrong in understanding God and His purpose.

If you are looking for confirmation of what you already believe, this is not the book for you. Read the book of certitude only if you are ready to forget everything you have ever known about God and His religion. Read this if you are searching for the truth.

I read wide-eyed late into the night, unable to put down the book. Eloquently the words flow like the notes in a symphony, resonating with my heart, shaking off a life-time of error and misinterpretation, and leaving me stunned and numb.

No wonder he was banished and imprisoned. Every paragraph is another nail on the coffin of old and dogmatic religious belief.

Expect to hear a lot of negative reviews from the religious organizations, but for God's sake read it for yourself.

Hold on to your hats!.......2003-11-24

In an age where we expect to be spoon fed answers to all our questions, this book challenges us to reach deep inside our hearts, discard the suggestions of everyone else and find the answers to the spiritual questions lurking within. I have to admit that it took more than one reading of this book for me to even begin to appreciate the spiritual answers contained within. On the very first page of the book, it says, "they that tread the path of faith, they that thirst for the wine of certitude, must cleanse themselves of all that is earthly--their ears from idle talk, their minds from vain imaginings, their hearts from worldly affections, their eyes from that which perisheth. They should put their trust in God, and, holding fast unto Him, follow in His way." Thus begins a spiritual journey that the reader will never forget.

Average customer rating:

Near-Future SF in an Exotic Setting
strong speculative fiction
Well Crafted

Effendi
Jon Courtenay Grimwood
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Hard-Boiled | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0553587447
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Book Description

Masterfully blending speculative fiction and hard-boiled mystery, Jon Courtenay Grimwood’s acclaimed Arabesk series plunges readers into a world eerily familiar and shockingly unpredictable. Here a troubled detective follows a trail of clues through a city where innocence itself may be a thing of the past.…

It’s the twenty-first century and El Iskandryia—an alluring metropolis built on seduction, corruption, and lies—is the double-dealing heart of an Ottoman Empire that still rules the world. But these days a sense of dread hangs over El Isk—and over Ashraf Bey, the city’s new Chief of Detectives. A trial is set to take place, and it’s up to Raf to decide the case. There’s only one problem: the suspect is the billionaire father of the woman Raf should have married.

Industrialist Hamzah Effendi is accused of crimes so horrible that even El Iskandryia wants him eliminated. But Raf finds that protecting the sensual and impetuous Zara Quitrimala from the secrets of her father’s past may be even more dangerous. For Raf must now solve a series of brutal murders that are somehow connected to the case—and to Zara. And the closer Raf gets to the truth, the more elusive the answers become—and the closer he comes to his own demise.…

“Raymond Chandler for the 21st century.” —Esquire
“All brilliant light and scorching heat...Grimwood has successfully mingled fantasy with reality to make an unusual, believable, and absorbing mystery."—Sunday Telegraph (London)

“If you’re not reading Jon Courtenay Grimwood, then you don’t know how subtle and daring fiction can be.” —Michael Marshall Smith, author of Spares and One of Us

“Fast, furious, fun and elegant, the Arabesk trilogy is one of the best things to hit the bookstores in a while.” —SFRevu

Download Description

CHAPTER 1

18th October

Nine days before the Grand Jury met in an upstairs office at Champollion Precinct, Ashraf Bey sat through a warm Iskandryian evening, bombed out of his skull, at a pavement table outside Le Trianon, drinking cappuccino and listening to DJ Avatar wreak havoc on the words of a Greek philosopher.

The afternoon call to prayer had finished echoing from the mosque on Boulevard Saad Zaghloul and the bells from l'Eglise Copte had yet to begin. If it hadn't been for a sense of dread hanging over El Iskandryia, this could have been a Monday in October like any other.

Horse-drawn caliches, their brasses shined and wheel bosses polished, rumbled up the Corniche, from the fat seawall known as the Silsileh all the way north to Fort Qaitbey, where the ancient Pharos lighthouse once stood.

And at both ends of the sweeping Corniche, at Silsileh in the shadow of Iskandryia's famous library, and at Fort Qaitbey, groups of tourists watched as fishermen set hooks or mended and untangled nets, waiting for the evening tide.

It was a tourist who'd taken the taxi that stopped outside Le Trianon, with its window down and sound system up too loud, giving Raf the chance to hear the city's favourite DJ one more time.

"And remember . . ." Avatar's voice was street raw. "Rust never sleeps. Coming at you from the wrong side of those tracks, this for the Daddy, the Don . . ."

Most of Raf's officers thought DJ Avatar came up with SpitNoWhere on his own; if they thought at all, which Raf considered unlikely. So they happily stamped the corridors at Police HQ, humming along, not knowing that the unchopped original went, "In a rich man's house, there's nowhere to spit but his face."

Raf hadn't known that, at least not until recently, but the fox in his head did. And while the fox couldn't say why, the General's aide de camp had just delivered to Raf an engraving of hell, inscribed with the words, "At its centre hell is not hot." It had at least been able to identify the picture as late Victorian, unquestionably by Gustave Dore . . .

". . . ou know," said the fox, before all this happened. ". . . ese things, they occur."

The fox had a grin like the Cheshire cat, except that no cat ever owned so many teeth or carried its tail wrapped up round its shoulders like a stole. Come to that, few cats took afternoon tea at Le Trianon.

These things could have been Raf becoming Chief of Detectives by default, or his recent refusal to marry the daughter of a billionaire.

"Why?" Raf asked. "Why do they occur?"

But the fox didn't answer.

Sighing, Raf took a gulp of cold cappuccino to wash away the taste of cheap speed and fixed his gaze on the pedestrians who streamed past his cafe table, separated from the terrace where he sat by a silk rope and the assiduous attention of two bodyguards.

The only pedestrians to meet Raf's stare were those, mainly tourists, who didn't realize who he was. They just saw a blond young man in dark glasses, wearing an oddly old-fashioned suit, the kind with a high collar.

"Come on," said Raf, searching inside his head. "You can tell me."

He ignored his two guards, who looked at each other, then hurriedly looked away. Raf didn't doubt that they could see tears trickling from under his glasses, but he didn't much care either.

The fox was saying good-bye.

The beast had been dying for years. Its abilities limited by memory conflicts, failed backup and the fact that, these days, the animal could only feed on neon light.

Once Tiri had been state of the art. Feeding on daylight, infrared and ultraviolet, or so it told Raf. White light, black light--back then anything went. The fox sharpened Raf's reflexes, steadied his ne

Customer Reviews:

Near-Future SF in an Exotic Setting.......2006-02-05

This is the second book of Grimwood's Arabesk series. Do not read this if you have not read the first one, "Pashazade." While it may be theoretically possible to understand everything that has gone on and the relationships between the characters from just this book, I wouldn't recommend trying it.

Ashraf Bey is an unlikely man to whom unlikely things happen. He acts as a political wildcard and detective in the slightly alternate future version of Alexandria, here called El Iskandriya. His relationships with his nine year old niece Hani and Zara, the beautiful daughter of a gangster industrialist, are complex to say the least.

This book fleshes out more of the relationships and backgrounds of the major characters, while also obliquely illuminating the political situation that Iskandriya finds itself in. We learn little more about Asraf's background, but more about how he chooses to act now.

The best thing about these books is the air of the exotic and the illustration of a place very, very different from our own, even if the time is very close to ours. This is especially true in the way that Grimwood depicts the reality of child "warriors" in the armies that fight the wars in Africa. He gives us an up close and personal portrayal of the kind of life these conscripted children lead, and it is sobering.

This is not a light book. The plot is confusing and sometimes it seems that there is much, much more going on behind the scenes than Grimwood chooses to show us. However, the characters and the setting are definite strengths and keep one hooked throughout the entire novel. I recommend this, assuming you have read the first book, and I look forward myself to reading the final book in the trilogy, "Felaheen."

strong speculative fiction.......2005-08-31

His Excellency Pashazade Ashraf "Raf" Bey has been selected as the detective chief of El Iskandryia at a time when the Ottoman Empire is divided between religious fundaments and secular nationalists. However, Bey tries not to concern himself at the moment with extremists from either side though he knows not to ignore danger that might follow from zealots. Instead his focus is a brutal serial killer who mutilates his victims.

Clues point towards businessman Hamzah, owner of Hamzah Enterprises. Complicating the case for Raf is that he falling in love with Zara, the daughter of his prime suspect starting from the moment she gave a coat to his ward Hani. However, while struggling with an investigation that increasingly looks like he will arrest the man who he would like as his father-in-law, Raf also must deal with assassinations, explosions and abductions terrorizing the residents of El Isk.

EFFENDI, the sequel to the delightful police procedural PASHAZADE is quite different in plot design as the who-done-it shares billing with terrorism and political and religious intrigue. The key to why this novel and its predecessor are worth reading lies in Jon Courtenay Grimwood's ability to paint a realistic futurist alternate universe in which the Ottoman Empire is the superpower as it has been for centuries. Raf is a terrific protagonist struggling with his personal life interacting negatively on his official duties. With cross genre appeal, EFFENDI is a strong work of speculative fiction.

Harriet Klausner

Well Crafted.......2005-08-03

It is a world where no one blinks if the Chief of Detectives does drugs in public. It is a world where children are engaged in guerilla warfare. It is a world where America doesn't pull all the strings. It is a world that is like a hall of mirrors; a fun house without the fun; a carnival where the roller coaster drops endlessly down, down, down. Grimwood lets the reader into this world one step at a time, with blinders on. Facts are revealed slowly, and sometimes out of sequence, creating an off-kilter feeling. I've never read anything quite like it.

Chief of Detectives, Ashraf Bey, finds that his knowledge of both sides of the law is essential to performing his duties. His unorthodox methods of crime solving and his personal habits are a source of amused consternation for his superior, General Pasha. Pasha tells him, "...as Chief you have three main problems. The first is personal. The way life works is public virtue, private vice. You keep doing it the wrong way round." Even the corrupt General recognizes the way things should work; even if he, too, fails to follow the law.

Bey's one anchor, and my favorite character in this otherwise dark world, is his niece, Hani. Her sense of humor allows us to see another side of Ashraf Bey. Precocious, intelligent and clairvoyant Hani assists her Uncle in surprising ways as he works to discover who is murdering female tourists.

Although this book is the second in a series, it is easily read as a stand alone book. While not to my taste, this novel is well crafted and is recommended for anyone who likes cyberpunk, speculative fiction or alternative histories.

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Binding: Paperback

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Manufacturer: Baha'i Pub. Trust
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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