Rather Apropos, Don't You Think?

I find it eerily convenient that one of my favorite British sci-fi writers (of which I have quite a few on my short list of fave SF writers these days), just happens to have a book released last week that takes place entirely in a near-future Istanbul. Exactly two weeks after I'd just return from visiting that city for the first time!

Click here for more on the book at Amazon.

Ian McDonald first wowed me a few years back with his short stories and one novel that took place in a near-future India. The way he was able to so aptly capture a foreign culture and render it within some pretty nifty and mind-bending sci-fi concepts was something that just left me in numbing awe. His style and deft of prose and characterization is something I immediately found myself attracted to in these stories, and I've been shamelessly trying to imitate him ever since in my own writing.

He did the same thing for Brazil in another groundbreaking novel, too. And now it seems he's set his eyes on Turkiye. More specifically, Istanbul. Of course, you know, I just had to get this book. I haven't yet read his novel "Brasyl" which is sitting on my shelf, nor "Cyberabad Days" -- a collection of his award-winning short stories set in the near-future India I mentioned before. Both books I've been dying to get to, so I'm afraid "The Dervish House" will have to wait until then.

Or perhaps I should do what I want to do and read this latest book first? C'mon, let me buck the trend and be a total REBEL for once!

Heh, heh . . . we shall see.