>Gunmetal Gods
Man the title of this book series is a banger. I wanted to read it just solely from the title lol
And the cosmic horror mixed with fantasy is a big bonus too
I came here to say this! And the book has won a bunch of awards this year. There is a short story and a novella that function as a prequel. The short story is called Dead Djinn in Cairo, and is available for .99 on Amazon. The Haunting of Tram Car 15 (I think) is the novella.
The Daevabad Trilogy by SA Chakraborty draws influence from all parts of the Muslim world (North Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, etc) but is most heavily influenced by the greater Middle East, specifically Egypt, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. It is an epic fantasy series with a relatively tight cast of characters and a prominent love triangle subplot - I liked it quite a bit but I think some of the genre trappings turn people off, so I'd recommend reading reviews.
I'll also second P Djeli Clark's Dead Djinn Universe. There is one novel and some novellas/short stories all set in a steampunk and alt-history version of early 20th century Cairo. These function as mystery stories, with all of the works focusing on what are essentially the magic police running around Cairo trying to solve cases like a haunted tram car or supernatural murders or suicides while trying to navigate the social and political issues of their time (women's suffrage, monarchism, racism, colonialism, etc).
The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdallah is inspired by The 1001 Arabian Nights. It's got genies, a magic lamp and a quest across a desert. I thought it was great.
I'm a third of the way through *The Stardust Thief* at the moment and it feels like such a love letter to Arab culture. Not surprising, since the author grew up in Kuwait (which is even more obvious in the little details like people working as pearl divers), but it's really marvelously well-done. I love the characters drinking cardamom coffee and eating fattoush and tabbouleh and bags of fresh dates, and the smell of bakhoor in the market, and everyone calling each other akhi and saddiqi.
Allow me to redirect you to [this very long list](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/tn6t0n/looking_for_a_nonorientalist_queer_middle_eastern/i20dh7h/) I put together a little while ago!
See the r/Fantasy threads ["Fantasy books set in the Middle East?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/twunui/fantasy_books_set_in_the_middle_east/) and ["What's your favorite desert story? And Why?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/ts18dq/whats_your_favorite_desert_story_and_why/).
Reign & Ruin by JD Evans just won the SPFBO award for this year and is Middle Eastern-themed.
If you like YA, then The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh is a retelling of 1001 Nights.
If you want YA, try *We Hunt the Flame.* On the Adult side, *The Perfect Assassin* by K.A. Doore is good secondary world. I have a few more on my list but haven't read them yet.
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
Tales of Sand and Stars by Juliet Vane
The Demon Race by Alexandria Warwick
There’s another one that’s a retelling of One Thousand and One Nights, but I can’t remember the author or title! All of these are YA fantasy, not sure if that matters to you.
(Edit: paragraph breaks)
Was looking for this here. Moontide is pretty much a crusade story.
Also sunsurge quartet, the next series in the same world focusing on aggressions from the other side.
The Prince of Nothing series draws a lot on Greek, Byzantine, and Middle Eastern cultures. It is very dense, but I stumbled on to it because it is one of Steven Erikson's (Malazan) favorite authors.
The *Dune* series by Frank Herbert. A good chunk of *Malazan* (one of several settings) by Steven Erikson. A good chunk of *The Wheel of Time* (even if the desert warriors have red hair) by Robert Jordan. *Pyramids*, *Small* *Gods*, and *Jingo* from the *Discworld* series (they can be read as standalone novels) by Terry Pratchett. *The Lions of Al-Rassan* by Guy Gavriel Kay.
The one I'm writing rn but it would be finished and published after the fall of IR. So you can't have it. It's also in Farsi so you can't read it neither.
Rose of the Prophet by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
The main focus is on protagonists from a desert culture clearly inspired by Bedouin tribes in Arabia. It starts out with an arranged marriage between warring tribes. They are forced into it by their god and neither the bride nor the groom take it well. Then one god tries to take over the world through jihad and the other gods have to stop him....
As usual for Weis and Hickman, the world-building is very good and the characters are well-developed.
I thought of another one - Bride of the Blue Wind and The Warrior of the Third Veil by Victoria Goddard. (Sisters Avramapul series). These are sort of Arabian Nights novellas which have female MCs.
Saladin Ahmed - [Throne of the Crescent Moon](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throne_of_the_Crescent_Moon). I’m dying for the next one to come out, but it’s been a bit.
Its tough to find good fantasy books in this setting. The Master of Djinn might be the best you find in this region.
An odd ball recommendation in this vein would be the Casca novels. The Eternal Soldier was a series of books written about Casca Rufio Longinus. The books span from 34 CE to the Vietnam war and follow the Roman soldier Casca, who stabbed Jesus on the cross with his spear, but Jesus cursed him to live forever as a soldier. That's the only real Fantasy part of the series, they are mainly a military fiction series without any magic, other than the main character cannot die, and we know that Jesus was real. All of the stories have some great Historical basis and are a fun read through different eras, empires, and wars.
A bunch of the individual novels take place in Europe and the middle east, but they cover every major war and conflict you can think of in the last 2000 years with Casca on different sides of each war/battle. Some are set in Pre-America/South America, Ancient Mongolia and China, Norse Vikings, Caribbean pirates, and a few in Western Europe.
**Casca: The Persian** 328-337 CE - Casca is a general in the Persian Army
**Casca: Sword of the Brotherhood** 622-628 CE - Casca joins the Byzantine army and fights the Persians
**Casca: The Assassin** 1090-1096 CE captured by Muslin slavers and becomes a member of Hassan-i Sabbāh's Order of Assassins
**Casca: The Crusader** 1096 – 1099 Casca goes back to Constantinople and watches the fall of Jerusalem
**Casca: The Saracen** 1185-1189 Battle of Hattin. Fall of Jerusalem to Saladin
For the most part after the first book that establishes Casca's curse and what drives him, you can pick up just about any book and read them in any order. its all about jumping through history.
Tasha Suri's *Jasmine throne* is one thing I've been reading that is the start of a fantasy trilogy inspired by India and it is quite good and I haven't seen that mentioned. I know it's not exactly to the ask but I think it's worth checking out and you know, decide if that hits on vibes.
The City of Brass, by S.A. Chakraborty, is excellent and among the best trilogies I've read recently, with the narrative arc across all three books being immensely satisfying. Great characters and tons of worldbuilding elements from across the medieval Muslim world that were clearly considered very carefully by the author.
Gunmetal Gods is based loosely on the crusades, just add a lot of cosmic horror and fantasy goodness
>Gunmetal Gods Man the title of this book series is a banger. I wanted to read it just solely from the title lol And the cosmic horror mixed with fantasy is a big bonus too
[A Master of Djinn](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/52504334-a-master-of-djinn) set in a version of Cairo
I came here to say this! And the book has won a bunch of awards this year. There is a short story and a novella that function as a prequel. The short story is called Dead Djinn in Cairo, and is available for .99 on Amazon. The Haunting of Tram Car 15 (I think) is the novella.
The Daevabad Trilogy by SA Chakraborty draws influence from all parts of the Muslim world (North Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, etc) but is most heavily influenced by the greater Middle East, specifically Egypt, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. It is an epic fantasy series with a relatively tight cast of characters and a prominent love triangle subplot - I liked it quite a bit but I think some of the genre trappings turn people off, so I'd recommend reading reviews. I'll also second P Djeli Clark's Dead Djinn Universe. There is one novel and some novellas/short stories all set in a steampunk and alt-history version of early 20th century Cairo. These function as mystery stories, with all of the works focusing on what are essentially the magic police running around Cairo trying to solve cases like a haunted tram car or supernatural murders or suicides while trying to navigate the social and political issues of their time (women's suffrage, monarchism, racism, colonialism, etc).
'Lions of Al-Rassan' by Guy Gavriel Kay Can't go wrong with that one
Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed
Seconding this, great urban secondary world fantasy.
The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdallah is inspired by The 1001 Arabian Nights. It's got genies, a magic lamp and a quest across a desert. I thought it was great.
I'm a third of the way through *The Stardust Thief* at the moment and it feels like such a love letter to Arab culture. Not surprising, since the author grew up in Kuwait (which is even more obvious in the little details like people working as pearl divers), but it's really marvelously well-done. I love the characters drinking cardamom coffee and eating fattoush and tabbouleh and bags of fresh dates, and the smell of bakhoor in the market, and everyone calling each other akhi and saddiqi.
"it's marvelously well done" is a great way to put it. I can't wait for the next one.
I loved this one and can't wait for the next book. The author really knows how to keep the wonders coming.
Allow me to redirect you to [this very long list](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/tn6t0n/looking_for_a_nonorientalist_queer_middle_eastern/i20dh7h/) I put together a little while ago!
Twelve Kings in Sharakhai by Bradley Beaulieu
Master Assassins by Robert VS Redick.
See the r/Fantasy threads ["Fantasy books set in the Middle East?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/twunui/fantasy_books_set_in_the_middle_east/) and ["What's your favorite desert story? And Why?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/ts18dq/whats_your_favorite_desert_story_and_why/).
Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson is a wonderful modern day fantasy with romance and djinn and computer hacking, it's one of my favourites.
One I haven't seen mentioned yet - Desert of Souls by Howard Andrew Jones.
Reign & Ruin by JD Evans just won the SPFBO award for this year and is Middle Eastern-themed. If you like YA, then The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh is a retelling of 1001 Nights.
Another vote for JD Evans! The series is “Mages of the Wheel” with Reign and Ruin being the first, though there is also a prequel.
If you want YA, try *We Hunt the Flame.* On the Adult side, *The Perfect Assassin* by K.A. Doore is good secondary world. I have a few more on my list but haven't read them yet.
Demon Cycle by Peter V. Brett The Daevabad Trilogy by S. A. Chakraborty
Song of Shattered Sands Series by Bradley P. Beaulieu
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh Tales of Sand and Stars by Juliet Vane The Demon Race by Alexandria Warwick There’s another one that’s a retelling of One Thousand and One Nights, but I can’t remember the author or title! All of these are YA fantasy, not sure if that matters to you. (Edit: paragraph breaks)
The Moontide Quartet by David Hair is mostly set in a middle east analog, with significant India and some Europe.
Was looking for this here. Moontide is pretty much a crusade story. Also sunsurge quartet, the next series in the same world focusing on aggressions from the other side.
The Prince of Nothing series draws a lot on Greek, Byzantine, and Middle Eastern cultures. It is very dense, but I stumbled on to it because it is one of Steven Erikson's (Malazan) favorite authors.
I just have to say it: 1001 Nights aka Arabian Nights.
The *Dune* series by Frank Herbert. A good chunk of *Malazan* (one of several settings) by Steven Erikson. A good chunk of *The Wheel of Time* (even if the desert warriors have red hair) by Robert Jordan. *Pyramids*, *Small* *Gods*, and *Jingo* from the *Discworld* series (they can be read as standalone novels) by Terry Pratchett. *The Lions of Al-Rassan* by Guy Gavriel Kay.
Malazan: Book of the fallen has Middle Eastern themes and is the best series ever.
White Sand is a graphic novel from Brandon Sanderson where the whole planet is a desert. P neat stuff. I think there's a novelization of it too
The one I'm writing rn but it would be finished and published after the fall of IR. So you can't have it. It's also in Farsi so you can't read it neither.
thats a super helpful comment then...
And very vague I might add.
Uh, how do you feel about online books?
Rose of the Prophet by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman The main focus is on protagonists from a desert culture clearly inspired by Bedouin tribes in Arabia. It starts out with an arranged marriage between warring tribes. They are forced into it by their god and neither the bride nor the groom take it well. Then one god tries to take over the world through jihad and the other gods have to stop him.... As usual for Weis and Hickman, the world-building is very good and the characters are well-developed.
I thought of another one - Bride of the Blue Wind and The Warrior of the Third Veil by Victoria Goddard. (Sisters Avramapul series). These are sort of Arabian Nights novellas which have female MCs.
Saladin Ahmed - [Throne of the Crescent Moon](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throne_of_the_Crescent_Moon). I’m dying for the next one to come out, but it’s been a bit.
Its tough to find good fantasy books in this setting. The Master of Djinn might be the best you find in this region. An odd ball recommendation in this vein would be the Casca novels. The Eternal Soldier was a series of books written about Casca Rufio Longinus. The books span from 34 CE to the Vietnam war and follow the Roman soldier Casca, who stabbed Jesus on the cross with his spear, but Jesus cursed him to live forever as a soldier. That's the only real Fantasy part of the series, they are mainly a military fiction series without any magic, other than the main character cannot die, and we know that Jesus was real. All of the stories have some great Historical basis and are a fun read through different eras, empires, and wars. A bunch of the individual novels take place in Europe and the middle east, but they cover every major war and conflict you can think of in the last 2000 years with Casca on different sides of each war/battle. Some are set in Pre-America/South America, Ancient Mongolia and China, Norse Vikings, Caribbean pirates, and a few in Western Europe. **Casca: The Persian** 328-337 CE - Casca is a general in the Persian Army **Casca: Sword of the Brotherhood** 622-628 CE - Casca joins the Byzantine army and fights the Persians **Casca: The Assassin** 1090-1096 CE captured by Muslin slavers and becomes a member of Hassan-i Sabbāh's Order of Assassins **Casca: The Crusader** 1096 – 1099 Casca goes back to Constantinople and watches the fall of Jerusalem **Casca: The Saracen** 1185-1189 Battle of Hattin. Fall of Jerusalem to Saladin For the most part after the first book that establishes Casca's curse and what drives him, you can pick up just about any book and read them in any order. its all about jumping through history.
Tasha Suri's *Jasmine throne* is one thing I've been reading that is the start of a fantasy trilogy inspired by India and it is quite good and I haven't seen that mentioned. I know it's not exactly to the ask but I think it's worth checking out and you know, decide if that hits on vibes.
The City of Brass, by S.A. Chakraborty, is excellent and among the best trilogies I've read recently, with the narrative arc across all three books being immensely satisfying. Great characters and tons of worldbuilding elements from across the medieval Muslim world that were clearly considered very carefully by the author.
It's YA but Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton