Every Rising Sun
Represented by Stephanie Cabot
In this riveting take on One Thousand and One Nights, Shaherazade, at the center of her own story, uses wit and political mastery to navigate opulent palaces brimming with treachery and the perils of the Third Crusade as her Persian homeland teeters on the brink of destruction.
In the twelfth century, Persia, clever and dreamy Shaherazade stumbles on the Malik’s beloved wife entwined with a lover in a sun-dappled courtyard. When Shaherazade recounts her first tale, the story of this infidelity, to the Malik, she sets the Seljuk Empire on fire.
Enraged at his wife’s betrayal, the once-gentle Malik beheads her. But when that killing does not quench his anger, the Malik begins to marry and behead a new bride each night. Furious at the murders, his province seethes on rebellion’s edge. To suppress her guilt, quell threats of a revolt, and perhaps marry the man she has loved since childhood, Shaherazade persuades her beloved father, the Malik’s vizier, to offer her as the next wife. On their wedding night, Shaherazade begins a yarn, but as the sun ascends she cuts the story short, ensuring that she will live to tell another tale, a practice she repeats night after night.
But the Malik’s rage runs too deep for Shaherazade to exorcise alone. And so she and her father persuade the Malik to leave Persia to join Saladin’s fight against the Crusaders in Palestine. With plots spun against the Seljuks from all corners, Shaherazade must maneuver through intrigue in the age’s greatest courts to safeguard her people. All the while, she must keep the Malik enticed with her otherworldly tales—because the slightest misstep could cost Shaherazade her head.
This suspenseful first-person retelling is vividly rendered through the voice of a fully imagined Shaherazade, a book lover whose late mother bestowed the gift of story that becomes her power. Created over fourteen years of writing and research, Jamila Ahmed’s gorgeously written debut is a celebration of storytelling and a love letter to the medieval Islamic world that brings to life one of the most enduring and intriguing woman characters of all time.
Reviews
“Richly imagined and sumptuously told, Every Rising Sun is sure to delight readers of medieval fiction. Ahmed deftly interweaves history and myth to create a world that is as compelling as it is magical. Every chapter leaves you eager to sit at Scheherazade’s feet once more.”—G. Willow Wilson, author of The Bird King and co-creator of Ms. Marvel
“Jamila Ahmed’s Every Rising Sun is a beautifully imagined and fiercely feminist retelling of a cherished classic—and an audacious new invention all her own. You won’t want to miss Ahmed’s gorgeous writing, this rich and vibrant world, and of course, Scheherazade, a timeless heroine who speaks with an urgency it’s impossible to deny. I turned the last page grateful to be reminded of how during humanity’s darkest nights, stories are what keep us alive.”—V. V. Ganeshananthan
“A sumptuous, moreish novel infused with the joys of storytelling. A bold, heady journey into the riches and passions of Crusader history, presenting a fresh and fascinating Muslim perspective.”—Leila Aboulela
“Beautifully rendered…the exceptionally well-realized characters and Shaherazade’s enchanting stories are major reasons for its success.”—Booklist (starred review)
“A vibrant spin on the Arabian classic…Ahmed brings new life to Shaherazade’s thrilling tales.”—Publishers Weekly
“Ahmed’s debut reimagines One Thousand and One Nights by placing its narrator, Scheherazade, at the center of the story. Crafted over 14 years of writing and research, offers a new take on 13th-century folktales, celebrating the richness of the medieval Islamic world while finding fresh and even feminist significance in Scheherazade’s voice.”—The Millions
“Revisionist retellings of literary classics typically have sociological aims. Sometimes, they are intended to help us appreciate a culture differently. Sometimes, they seek to give voice to those who were never allowed voices. And, sometimes, they hope to fill the gaps and omissions in history. Ahmed’s lyrically imaginative evaluation of a much-storied, still-contested historical and literary past aims to do all of the above. By foregrounding Shaherazade’s life and allowing her an entirely different ending, Ahmed makes the tales more resonant with meaning and emotion than ever.”—The Guardian
“Set in the 12th-century Seljuk Empire, the lush novel focuses on Scheherazade, instead of the stories she tells to stay alive, painting a picture of a brilliant, empathetic heroine. Weaving together magical fables and real history, Every Rising Sun establishes Ahmed as a writer to watch.”—Parade
“In this gorgeous retelling of A Thousand and One Nights, we hear Shaherazade’s story through her own bewitching words. This is Jamila Ahmed’s debut novel, and what a masterfully woven tale it is…Ahmed writes in a way that brings a bygone world to life, using compelling illustrations and descriptions. You can almost feel the richness of the fabrics and the flavors of the delicious food.”—Historical Novel Society
“It’s one thing to boldly take on this much-debated, well-known literary classic. To then turn its conventional – and, let’s be honest, tired – tropes upside down and inside out is a literary feat deserving of our recognition and respect. Ahmed’s Scheherazade subverts the patriarchal codes of her time, wielding stories as beautifully forged weapons to fashion her own path.”—NPR‘s Best Books of 2023