This book is an alternate reality which asks "What if The Ottoman Empire won the battle of Vienna in 1683?' What would the world look like today? I enjoyed learning about the history of The Ottoman Empire and found the plot to be very believable. I found the characters of Rasheed, Kamal, Taymoor, Nisreen and Ramazan to be very well-drawn. I thought Nisreen was very courageous in wanting to travel back in time in order to change some things. The Tattooed Man was very unique and quite chilling at times. I found the book to be a page turner although there were some slow parts. Towards the end, the story took off and did not let go until the very end. I have never read a Raymond Khoury book but look forward to reading some of his other books. I would highly recommend this book to those who love historical fiction with a touch of fantasy. I would like to thank Bookishfirst.com for a free book for an honest review.
Also known by the title Empire of Lies
One man with a secret only he knows, can and does change history... But is it for good?
- In that instant, in a blink of an eye,
everything changed. History changed. -
After discovering a secret that enables one to travel in time, Rasheed knows exactly what needs to be done. He aims to do whatever it takes to ensure the survival of the now collapsed Ottoman Empire. In doing so, he wants to create a world he believes will be better than the one we have all experienced. Some may disagree with what he has done... if they ever find out. Others may agree with it not knowing exactly what "it" is or what was lost/gained because of it, while most everybody else is completely oblivious to the origins of their world or the secrets behind the infamous Rasheed's involvement. I found this story to be crazy intriguing and dove right in. In the beginning, Raymond Khoury immediately draws the reader into a new world that is also extremely familiar, drawing from our present struggles and triumphs throughout the whole story and finding a great balance between History and the "Alternate" History created by Khoury. I have to admit, there were multiple times I felt the storyline really struggled to move along at a comfortable pace, but if you don't let yourself become bogged down by these slow spots; the story catches up with itself and pulls you back in. Unfortunately, most of these slow spots correlate with Kamal. I had a hard time relating to Kamal as a character but eventually I found myself rooting for him while he tries to understand his world, his role, and the well being of all humanity. A great story that intertwines time travel, alternate history and historic fiction
*All quotes are taken from the ARC version of the related title and may not accurately represent the finished/published version*
One man with a secret only he knows, can and does change history... But is it for good?
- In that instant, in a blink of an eye,
everything changed. History changed. -
After discovering a secret that enables one to travel in time, Rasheed knows exactly what needs to be done. He aims to do whatever it takes to ensure the survival of the now collapsed Ottoman Empire. In doing so, he wants to create a world he believes will be better than the one we have all experienced. Some may disagree with what he has done... if they ever find out. Others may agree with it not knowing exactly what "it" is or what was lost/gained because of it, while most everybody else is completely oblivious to the origins of their world or the secrets behind the infamous Rasheed's involvement. I found this story to be crazy intriguing and dove right in. In the beginning, Raymond Khoury immediately draws the reader into a new world that is also extremely familiar, drawing from our present struggles and triumphs throughout the whole story and finding a great balance between History and the "Alternate" History created by Khoury. I have to admit, there were multiple times I felt the storyline really struggled to move along at a comfortable pace, but if you don't let yourself become bogged down by these slow spots; the story catches up with itself and pulls you back in. Unfortunately, most of these slow spots correlate with Kamal. I had a hard time relating to Kamal as a character but eventually I found myself rooting for him while he tries to understand his world, his role, and the well being of all humanity. A great story that intertwines time travel, alternate history and historic fiction
*All quotes are taken from the ARC version of the related title and may not accurately represent the finished/published version*
