Afterword

Most of the characters in this novel are my own invention, with the exception of Haroun al-Rashid, Jaffar, much of Jaffar’s extended family, and a few incidental characters like Masrur (Sabirah is purely fictional). It may be that I have been more generous with my depiction of Haroun al-Rashid than the historical record strictly bears out, but I have written him as the calm and wise ruler he was so often portrayed to be in story and verse. Surely there must be some truth behind tales that made him popular in his own day and for many generations thereafter.

In his lifetime Jaffar seems to have been just as popular as the beloved caliph, and was famed for his diligent work ethic and intelligence. He may well have been far more clever in real life than I have shown him.

I strove to portray the people, places, and customs of the eighth century Abbasid caliphate accurately, but the story’s course and my own whim resulted in a variety of changes—referring to the Byzantine Romans (Roumi, to folk of the caliphate) as Greeks, moving the foundation of The House of Wisdom forward a generation or two simply because I knew how much Dabir would have loved to have studied there, and other matters besides. I tried always to make these changes in the spirit of the same unknown storytellers who spun tales for the The Arabian Nights, who seemed to know that while authenticity is important, it should never fetter the course of an adventure.

Readers interested in learning more about an ancient caliphate sadly bereft of djinn, sorcerers, and mighty wyrms have several excellent sources at their disposal. I have turned time and again to John Howe’s translation of Harun al-Rashid and the World of the Thousand and One Nights by André Clot (New Amsterdam Books, 1989), Daily Life in the Medieval Islamic World by James E. Lindsay (Greenwood Press, 2005), and Arab Seafaring in the Indian Ocean in Ancient and Early Medieval Times by George F. Hourani and John Carswell (Princeton University Press, 1995). While the time period is centuries different, two volumes were of particular use in better understanding the outlook, mindset, and even tone of the people who lived in the region long ago: The Travels of ibn Jubayr, translated by Ronald Broadhurst (Goodword books, 2004) and Philip K. Hitti’s translation of Usamah Ibn Munquidh’s An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Warrior in the Period of the Crusades (Columbia University Press, 2000). Though he wrote of an entirely different desert, William Langewiesche’s excellent Sahara Unveiled (Vintage Departures, 1997) was a huge inspiration to me in bringing the desert quarter to life. Numerous other books and articles have been of use to me throughout the years, but I would be remiss if I did not mention two role-playing supplements, GURPS Arabian Nights, by Phil Masters (Steve Jackson Games 1993) and James L. Cambias’ Arabian Nights (Iron Crown Enterprises, 1994) as good starting points for someone wishing to have a better sense of daily life in nineth century Baghdad as well as the caliphate’s relation to nearby regions. The blog Laputan Logic introduced me to a number of books about the Marsh Arabs and showcased some fine photographs of the region, and an article by Brainerd S. Bates titled “Camping in the Empty Quarter” (Saudi Aramco World, Nov/Dec 1967) helped further my understanding of the desert environment.

In the realm of fantastic, there are of course many fine editions of The Arabian Nights, suited for many different tastes. I think a lot of preferences come down to what people are familiar with from their youth. I hope one day to read them in Arabic, but for now I have been enjoying the recent translations by Jack Zipes, collected in two thick Signet Classic paperbacks (Penguin Putnam 1991, 1999). Then, of course, there is the incomparable Shanameh, Ferdowsi’s classic, which should really be read by any who love fable and myth. It belongs on the bookshelf next to your favorite volume of Greek mythology.

Neil Gaiman brought Haroun, Jaffar, and even Masrur to life in one of my favorite Sandman issues, “Ramadan,” (DC Comics, Sandman, issue 50), illustrated with stunning clarity by P. Craig Russell, and that issue may well be the reason Dabir and Asim are adventuring when they are, as opposed to a generation or two or hundreds of years later. Or it may be that Gaiman’s work served as a gateway drug for my interest, for once I began to read more deeply into the time period and realized Haroun himself figured in some of the Arabian Nights, the appeal of tales set at the same time was undeniable.

Probably my greatest inspiration came from Harold Lamb and Robert E. Howard. Lamb wrote with astonishing vigor whenever he drafted historical fiction, and his ancient Moslems were brought vividly to life, be they heroes or villains. It was my honor to collect most of those tales in Swords from the West and Swords from the Desert (Bison Books, 2009) so that more readers could treasure these undeservedly forgotten stories. Robert E. Howard is famous for creating the sword-and-sorcery genre with Kull and Conan, not to mention writing a whole host of amazing adventure yarns. Some of his best work, though, are his historicals, never as popular probably because there are so few recurring characters in them. One of my favorites of his, indeed, one of my all-time favorite short stories of any kind, is “The Road of Azrael” with its witty, flawed, and dangerous narrator, Kosru Malik. If you can take the same kind of delight in the exploits of Dabir and Asim as I have found in the tales of my own favorite writers, I will count myself successful.

Howard Andrew Jones