The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday

Paperback, 167 pages

English language

Published Aug. 12, 2019 by Tor.com.

ISBN:: 978-1-250-20911-5

(2 reviews)

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 …

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.

1 edition

Stephanie Jane reviewed The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday by Saad Z. Hossain

A good introduction to Hossain's writing

4 stars

I first heard about Saad Z Hossain's writing through several other book bloggers reviewing his novel Djinn City - which I still haven't read. Feeling in the mood for shorter books over the Christmas season I decided instead to try Hossain's acclaimed novella, The Gurkha And The Lord Of Tuesday, and I'm delighted to be able to say that I loved it! Almost impossible to categorise into a single genre, this novella blends together fantasy fiction, science fiction and climate fiction elements together with brilliantly portrayed characters and a strong, plausible narrative. It's also very funny with lots of humorous moments.

My favourite characters were the djinn, especially ReGi but also Melek Ahmar himself who is very much a stranger in a strange land although, in this case, he's a stranger in a very strange time. I was intrigued by Hossain's take on our planet's climatic future and particularly the …

I first heard about Saad Z Hossain's writing through several other book bloggers reviewing his novel Djinn City - which I still haven't read. Feeling in the mood for shorter books over the Christmas season I decided instead to try Hossain's acclaimed novella, The Gurkha And The Lord Of Tuesday, and I'm delighted to be able to say that I loved it! Almost impossible to categorise into a single genre, this novella blends together fantasy fiction, science fiction and climate fiction elements together with brilliantly portrayed characters and a strong, plausible narrative. It's also very funny with lots of humorous moments.

My favourite characters were the djinn, especially ReGi but also Melek Ahmar himself who is very much a stranger in a strange land although, in this case, he's a stranger in a very strange time. I was intrigued by Hossain's take on our planet's climatic future and particularly the role that climate migrants will play. We're already seeing the start of this potentially vast migration in our own time so it didn't take too great a leap of faith to envisage Hossain's ideas as a callous reality. The Gurkha And The Lord Of Tuesday is a rewarding novella that can be read lightly as an entertaining adventure or mulled over as a satire of very human motivations and behavours. Either way I found it to be an excellent read and a great introduction to Hossain's amazing imagination.

Citoyen MR

rated it

Oct. 16, 2019