The Bird King

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New from the award winning author of Alif the Unseen and writer of the Ms Marvel series, G Willow WilsonSet in 1491 during the reign of the last sultanate in the Iberian peninsula, The Bird King is the story of Fatima, the only remaining Circassian concubine to the sultan, and her dearest friend Hassan, the palace mapmaker Hassan has a secret he can draw maps of places he s never seen and bend the shape of reality When representatives of the newly formed Spanish monarchy arrive to negotiate the sultan s surrender, Fatima befriends one of the women, not realizing that she will see Hassan s gift as sorcery and a threat to Christian Spanish rule With their freedoms at stake, what will Fatima risk to save Hassan and escape the palace walls As Fatima and Hassan traverse Spain with the help of a clever jinn to find safety, The Bird King asks us to consider what love is and the price of freedom at a time when the West and the Muslim world were not yet separate. Download The Bird King author G. Willow Wilson – kino-fada.fr The real struggle on this earth is not between those who want peace and those who want war It s between those who want peace and those who want justice If justice is what you want, then you may often be right, but you will rarely be happy3 stars I have lots of positive things to say about The Bird King, but I am going to get what will surely be the main problem for many people out of the way first this book is SO SLOW I honestly considered not finishing it, which I hate to do for arcsThe real struggle on this earth is not between those who want peace and those who want war It s between those who want peace and those who want justice If justice is what you want, then you may often be right, but you will rarely be happy3 stars I have lots of positive things to say about The Bird King, but I am going to get what will surely be the main problem for many people out of the way first this book is SO SLOW I honestly considered not finishing it, which I hate to do for arcs In the end, I was glad I persevered, but I think a lot of people won t make it through.This is the first...Set in 1491 Grenada, most of this novel reads like a devoted historical novel where the Muslim world is mixed with the Christian at a time when the Spanish Inquisition is running strong and the last Emirate is about to fall.Fatima, the last concubine, and her friend Hassan, a mapmaker with the ability to open up doors to the Other, transforms this novel from a strict historical to an outright fantasy But it happens slowly The historicity of the world is rich and lush and it introduces the worl Set in 1491 Grenada, most of this novel reads like a devoted historical novel where the Muslim world is mixed with the Christian at a time when the Spanish Inquisition is running strong and the last Emirate is about to fall.Fatima, the last concubine, and her friend Hassan, a mapmaker with the ability to open u...Plot 3 5 Characters 4 5 Writing 5 5The Bird King was a historical fantasy book set in 1491 in Granada, the last emirate of Muslim Spain There were many things I liked about it, however, there were also many things I disliked that s why I gave it three stars.It was about Fatima, a Circassian concubine who fled from the palace of Granada with her childhood friend, Hassan, who could make magical maps that altered the layout of places in real life They were escaping from the Spanish Inquisiti Plot 3 5 Characters 4 5 Writing 5 5The Bird King was a historical fantasy book set in 1491 in Granada, the last emirate of Muslim Spain There were many things I liked about it, however, there were also many things I disliked that s why I gave it three stars.It was about Fatima, a Circassian concubine who fled from the palace of Granada with her childhood friend, Hassan, who could make magical maps that altered the layout of places in real life They were escaping from the Spanish Inquisition who wanted Hassan dead as they claimed he was a sorcerer They went on a sprawling journey through Spain with the help of the jinn and people they met along the way to seek refuge in Mount Qaf, a mythical place which they had read about in a poem called The Conference of the Birds that was supposedly ruled by The Bird King.I liked the way...Set in 1491 during the reign of the last sultanate in the Iberian peninsula, this novel tells the story of Fatima, the concubine to the sultan, and her friend Hassan, the palace mapmaker With the enemy at the gate, Fa and Hassan attempt an escape with the help of a jinn.Wilson blends fantasy and magic with history, morphing into an epic adventure, and I love that the story is told through two characters who have never been free until now Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy through Ede Set in 1491 during the reign of the last sultanate in the Iberian peninsula, this novel tells the story of Fatima, the concubine to the sultan, and her friend Hassan, the palace mapmaker With the enemy at the gate, Fa and Hassan attempt an escape with the help of a jinn.Wilson blends fantasy and magic with history, morphing into an epic adventure, and I love that the story is told through two characters who have ne...I was a huge fan of Wilson s 2012 debut novel Alif the Unseen I loved her heady concoction of Middle Eastern fantasy and modern hacker culture woven into a truly unique and spell binding tale I have been waiting for seven years for her second novel, and here it is at last It started out in a promising fashion Set in Granada in 1491, Fatima is a concubine in the court of the sultan She is a possession, and has little freedom, but manages to befriend the royal mapmaker Hassan has an unusu I was a huge fan of Wilson s 2012 debut novel Alif the Unseen I loved her heady concoction of Middle Eastern fantasy and modern hacker culture woven into a truly unique and spell binding tale I have been waiting for seven years for her second novel, and here it is at last It started out in a promising fashion Set in Granada in 1491, Fatima is a concubine in the court of the sultan She is a possession, and has little freedom, but manages to befriend the royal mapmaker Hassan has an unusual gift he is able to alter reality with the detailed maps he draws Hassan and Fatima become good friends and find comfort in each other s company but word of Hassan s gift travels...I really enjoyed the early chapters of this fantasy historical novel which is set in the Alhambra during the dying days of the Sultan of Granada s rule In 1491, Granada was under siege with no supplies getting in and it s people slowly starving as Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain close in in their quest to force Granada to capitulate Representatives have arrived at the palace to negotiate terms when Fatima, the Sultan s favourite concubine discovers that amongst their number is an Inquisitor wh I really enjoyed the early chapters of this fantasy historical novel which is set in the Alhambra during the dying days of the Sultan of Granada s rule In 1491, Granada was under siege with no supplies getting in and it s people slowly starving as Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain close in in their quest to force Granada to capitulate Representatives have arrived at the palace to negotiate terms when Fatima, the Sultan s favourite concubine discovers that amongst their number is an Inquisitor who wants to arrest her best friend, Hassan, the palace mapmaker Hassan has a very special skill, which is the ability to draw maps of places he hasn t seen and to draw paths and doors that weren t there before In the eyes of the Inquisition, this makes him a sorcerer so Fatima knows she must help Hassan escape if she is to save his life Once they escape the palace, with the help if a jinn, they have a long journey to the coast where they mus...I received a free e copy of The Bird King by G Willow Wilson from NetGalley for my honest review.Thank you G Willow Wilson for this beautiful and enchanting novel, written with rich history The writing is absolutely magical and rich with emotion The kind of writing that makes you go back and re read parts of it just for the sheer joy Fatima is the last sultan s concubine in a kingdom falling down to the Spanish Inquisition Her friend, Hassan, is in danger for his crafting ability of drawin I received a free e copy of The Bird King by G Willow Wilson from NetGalley for my honest review.Thank you G Willow Wilson for this beautiful and enchanting novel, written with rich history The writing is absolutely magical and rich with emotion The kind of writing that makes you go back and re read parts ...Lies are for those who are afraid or ashamed of what they are, and I am neither The Bird King tells us the story of Fatima, a royal concubine and Hassan a cartographer in the Muslim palace in Granada, Spain.It is a setting filled with vivid detail where we learn about a time when Catholics take back the territory that Muslims conquered in the Iberian Peninsula,specifically, the regions of Spain and Portugal It tells us about the Spanish Inquisition, the radical persecution that they maLies are for those who are afraid or ashamed of what they are, and I am neither The Bird King tells us the story of Fatima, a royal concubine and Hassan a cartographer in the Muslim palace in Granada, Spain.It is a setting filled with vivid detail where we learn about a time when Catholics take back the territory that Muslims conquered in the Iberian Peninsula,specifically, the regions of Spain and Portugal It tells us about the Spanish Inquisition, the radical persecution that they made to those they considered heretics I confess I usually avoid books with religious themes because I m alwa...Note I received a copy curtesy of Netgalley and Grove Atlantic Grove Press in exchange for an honest review.A Circassian concubine in Alhambra, at the time of the last sultan, learnes of a threat to her gay friend and decides that they must run away in order to save him.The writing is beautiful and lyrical, and the story is a mix between historical fiction, fantasy and magical realism The first part, taking place in Alhambra and the desert, I found very good and greatly enjoyed it, but theNote I received a copy curtesy of Netgalley and Grove Atlantic Grove Press in exchange for an honest review.A Circassian concubine in Alhambra, at the time of the last sultan, learnes of a threat to her gay friend and decides that they must run away in order to save him.The writing is beautiful and lyrical, and the story is a mix between historical fiction, fantasy and magical realism The first part, taking place in Alhambra and the desert, I found very good and greatly enjoyed it, but the second part I didn t like that much, maybe because it felt rushed and possibly also because of too much magical realism.3 3.5 I ll finish with some quotes I liked She could not envision a God who demanded such particularity of beli...Mini review DNFTrigger warning Mention of war Up till the point I read.I received this E ARC via Grove Atlantic and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review I was really looking forward to reading this I ve read and enjoyed Ms Marvel Unfortunately I didn t enjoy it.I really enjoyed the friendship between the two main characters However as I read on I started to lose interest I didn t much care for the historical aspect or the war I didn t care about the plot.Overall this was a persona Mini review DNFTrigger warning Mention of war Up till the point I read.I received this E ARC via Grove Atlantic and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review I was really looking forward to reading this I ve read and enjoyed Ms Marvel Unfortunately I didn t enjoy it.I really enjoyed the friendship between the two main characters However as I read on I started to lose interest I didn t much car... Thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest reviewWhat a book Wonderful prose, great characters, interesting settingwhat else could a reader want Full review to come.

The Bird King
  • English
  • 12 September 2018
  • Hardcover
  • 403 pages
  • 080212903X
  • G. Willow Wilson
  • The Bird King