Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Reviews

Book Review: The Dervish House

By Sandy Amazeen Sep 25, 2010, 19:31 GMT

It begins with an explosion. Another day, another bus bomb. Everyone it seems is after a piece of Turkey. But the shockwaves from this random act of 21st century pandemic terrorism will ripple further and resonate louder than just Enginsoy Square.Welcome to the world of The Dervish House; the great, ancient, paradoxical city of Istanbul, divided like a human brain, in the great, ancient, equally paradoxical nation of Turkey. The ...more

This dark, sometimes haltingly paced tale set in 2027 Istanbul will remind readers why they fell in love with science fiction in the first place. While riding the packed tram to work one day, Necdet couldn’t help but notice the striking young woman with red highlighted hair who touched the stone at her throat and exploded in front of him. Instead of being just another random act of violence, with the fifth anniversary of Turkey’s accession to the European Union drawing near, this act could mean so much more.

Over the course of a week, the six main characters including an extremely ill child, a smuggler and an opportunistic art dealer weave throughout interconnected subplots all connected by the dervish house in this absorbing tale that doesn’t disappoint.

McDonald flawlessly weaves the different characters and plotlines together with a masterful touch as he draws upon current events to chart the probable future of Turkey. The protagonists are fully developed against the backdrop of the vividly imagined city of Istanbul while emerging technology holds the potential to change everything. Sci-fi just doesn’t get much better then this.