Book Review: The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday

A LOCUS AWARD FINALIST FOR BEST NOVELLA
"Saad Z. Hossain continues to blow through the flimsy walls of genre like a whirlwind with The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday, sweeping science-fiction, fantasy, myth, and satire into the wildly imaginative vortex of his ever-expanding fictional universe of alternate djinn-history and futures. Hossain's wit and wry compassion create a vision of humanity's hurtling path through time and space as both farcical and epic, leaving a blazing trail of casualties and wonders."―Indra Das
When the djinn king Melek Ahmar wakes up after millennia of imprisoned slumber, he finds a world vastly different from what he remembers. Arrogant and bombastic, he comes down the mountain expecting an easy conquest: the wealthy, spectacular city state of Kathmandu, ruled by the all-knowing, all-seeing tyrant AI Karma. To his surprise, he finds that Kathmandu is a cut-price paradise, where citizens want for nothing and even the dregs of society are distinctly unwilling to revolt.
Everyone seems happy, except for the old Gurkha soldier Bhan Gurung. Knife saint, recidivist, and mass murderer, he is an exile from Kathmandu, pursuing a forty-year-old vendetta that leads to the very heart of Karma. Pushed and prodded by Gurung, Melek Ahmer finds himself in ever deeper conflicts, until they finally face off against Karma and her forces. In the upheaval that follows, old crimes will come to light and the city itself will be forced to change.

I read this book as part of a yearly challenge organized with a group of friends. The prompt was “An Eastern Mythology”. I had several books for that prompt, but I decided to read this one because none really appealed to me, and this was a novella. I could have counted “The Physician” against this prompt, but I’d already added it as “A Story set before the 20th century”.

I liked the premises and character a lot more than expected, with weird situations and ridiculous dialogues that reminded me of Terry Pratchett. It was a fun and light read, appropriate for having a great time, but nothing more. I most probably won’t remember anything from it in a month’s time.

I should also note that although I have read some of Pratchett’s books, it’s not my favorite kind of literature. I like it for a little while, but I soon get tired of it, so I appreciated that this was a short book.

The characters weren’t fully developed, but this kind of book doesn’t need them. The last chapters were the least enjoyable, as there was a lot more action and less quirky dialogue.

All in all, it was an excellent mixture of the old and the new: An ancient Djinn waking up in a weird utopia ruled by an AI and helping an antihero defeat an old enemy.

Story (Plot)
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lomeraniel

My name is Elena. Since I was a little child I loved science fiction and fantasy, and I can’t resist a good novel. In 2015, while wait I started to listen to audiobooks and I discovered the pleasure in being able to read while doing my daily tasks, so there’s always an audiobook playing on my phone. If you see me with my Bluetooth headphones on, please be gentle, I get easily startled.

I live with my boyfriend, which I met during my six-year stay in Belgium, four cockatiels, eight lovebirds, and a hamster in Madrid, Spain; and I like to spend my free time knitting and sewing while listening to audiobooks.