The Will of The Wanderer (Rose of The Prophet #1) by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

The story has a rich, rich world that is based on Islamic Mythology. The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A Chakraborty is woven from much the same source; hence, certain comparisons can be made.

Plenty of promise, this one.

The Will of The Wanderer is a High Epic Fantasy in the mold of the works of Feist and co. Most of the late 20th-century fantasy authors wrote this particular subgenre, with the equivalent tropes: a high king, a farm boy hero, an elfen/human damsel, an entire world at risk of destruction by either alien invasion or an evil Sorcerer-King of sorts…

TH and MW are popular for their Dragonlance books, which I imagine will follow the tropes eternally laid down by the likes of David Eddings and Gemmell, making this particular work all the more unique…

The story has a rich, rich world that is based on Islamic Mythology. The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A Chakraborty is woven from much the same source; hence, certain comparisons can be made. However, the world created by MW and TH is much more vast and has better lore.

In fact, the lore is the best-done aspect of the book. I cannot say more about it without giving away major spoilers, but I’d say it’s a sweet combination of regular fantasy pantheons and Islamic Mythology. So there are plenty of gods and djinn, as well as angels and Imams. There are walled, thriving cities, veritable economic hubs. There are wild desert tribes with barbaric cultures with a curious notion of honor…

It’s certainly a well-told story, with a well-paced buildup, zero unnecessary embellishments, and witty dialogue. Book 2 promises to be even better.