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mjspice's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
So this was a wild ride. If you were expecting djinns like in City of Brass then you'd be disappointed. They're more the types that many South Asians grew up with. You'd also recognize some from Ali A Oolomi's popular twitter threads. (Highly recommend those)
Anyhow the reason why this doesn't get more stars is because of the pacing. Some of the stuff felt unnecessary and it made the story more bloated imo. Seeing as this was split into two in other countries, I'm guessing it was nothing more than page filling.
Another thing that bothered me was the characterization of the women. Wahid's mother Mumtaz is a cookie cutter character and Maheen is nothing more than a damsel in distress. The only female character who is seemingly fleshed out is the Chudail/Pichal Piaree but even her part in the story is minimal as most of the work is done by all the dude bros in the book.
Overall, it's still worth a read. Especially if you're looking for Pakistani based fantasy.
Oh and the Havelberg Jinn short story is also included in the acknowledgements if you haven't read it yet. Otherwise it's available here.
So this was a wild ride. If you were expecting djinns like in City of Brass then you'd be disappointed. They're more the types that many South Asians grew up with. You'd also recognize some from Ali A Oolomi's popular twitter threads. (Highly recommend those)
Anyhow the reason why this doesn't get more stars is because of the pacing. Some of the stuff felt unnecessary and it made the story more bloated imo. Seeing as this was split into two in other countries, I'm guessing it was nothing more than page filling.
Another thing that bothered me was the characterization of the women. Wahid's mother Mumtaz is a cookie cutter character and Maheen is nothing more than a damsel in distress. The only female character who is seemingly fleshed out is the Chudail/Pichal Piaree but even her part in the story is minimal as most of the work is done by all the dude bros in the book.
Overall, it's still worth a read. Especially if you're looking for Pakistani based fantasy.
Oh and the Havelberg Jinn short story is also included in the acknowledgements if you haven't read it yet. Otherwise it's available here.
bookdeviant's review
4.0
See more of my reviews on my blog the Book Deviant
Fire Boy would have been an amazing book if the publisher hadn't ruined it with the official summary. When you decide to pick up this book, avoid any provided summary if it goes further than the car crash. I ended up waiting the entire book for the events of the summary to happen, only to realize that the publisher provided summary literally summarizes the whole book, rather than just what a reader needs to know in order to get into the novel.
Other than that one problem, Fire Boy is an amazing, original urban fantasy novel that pretty much anyone would love. Not only does it include an awkward but determined protagonist, but there is the perfect amount of humor and horror written in. Despite the plot being slow to my tastes, I was kept up late with the culture and uniqueness of the setting.
Wahid is such a realistic character, with his awkwardness and determination and open inquisitiveness that made his such a believable character. He even as asthma! The same goes for Arif and Hazma, Wahid's other friend, both of which I found just as enjoyable and honest. Shah was able to create such interesting and three-dimensional characters that one could fall in love with quickly. While Maheen is important to the story, she isn't it in as much as she could have been. Right when Wahid starts to get to know her, the crash happens, and unravels everything.
Probably the strongest point in Fire Boy is the setting and the culture Shah wove in. I loved learning about Karachi and Islam, as well as all the legends and folklore that come with it. The basis of having djinn in the real world, as well as the heaven/hell idea and basically all of the folklore was so intricate and interesting. The culture enhanced the world Shah was attempting to build, making it more believable, especially to those of the religion or culture.
four star - Overall?
Fire Boy was an extremely enjoyable read. The characters and culture added a distinctive feeling to the story, making this one-of-a-kind story an amazing find. Although I really disliked the pacing of the story, and the summary provided really ruined my expectations, I was still happily surprised and excited for the conclusion, Earth Boy.
Would I Recommend?
As someone not of the Pakistani and Islamic culture, I would recommend, although I would also suggest reading own voices reviews as well. I would recommend Aimal's review, as it goes much more in-depth than mine above, as well as being own voices.
Trigger warning: gore, torture, murder, and mentioned (non-graphic) sexual assault.
Fire Boy would have been an amazing book if the publisher hadn't ruined it with the official summary. When you decide to pick up this book, avoid any provided summary if it goes further than the car crash. I ended up waiting the entire book for the events of the summary to happen, only to realize that the publisher provided summary literally summarizes the whole book, rather than just what a reader needs to know in order to get into the novel.
Other than that one problem, Fire Boy is an amazing, original urban fantasy novel that pretty much anyone would love. Not only does it include an awkward but determined protagonist, but there is the perfect amount of humor and horror written in. Despite the plot being slow to my tastes, I was kept up late with the culture and uniqueness of the setting.
Wahid is such a realistic character, with his awkwardness and determination and open inquisitiveness that made his such a believable character. He even as asthma! The same goes for Arif and Hazma, Wahid's other friend, both of which I found just as enjoyable and honest. Shah was able to create such interesting and three-dimensional characters that one could fall in love with quickly. While Maheen is important to the story, she isn't it in as much as she could have been. Right when Wahid starts to get to know her, the crash happens, and unravels everything.
Probably the strongest point in Fire Boy is the setting and the culture Shah wove in. I loved learning about Karachi and Islam, as well as all the legends and folklore that come with it. The basis of having djinn in the real world, as well as the heaven/hell idea and basically all of the folklore was so intricate and interesting. The culture enhanced the world Shah was attempting to build, making it more believable, especially to those of the religion or culture.
four star - Overall?
Fire Boy was an extremely enjoyable read. The characters and culture added a distinctive feeling to the story, making this one-of-a-kind story an amazing find. Although I really disliked the pacing of the story, and the summary provided really ruined my expectations, I was still happily surprised and excited for the conclusion, Earth Boy.
Would I Recommend?
As someone not of the Pakistani and Islamic culture, I would recommend, although I would also suggest reading own voices reviews as well. I would recommend Aimal's review, as it goes much more in-depth than mine above, as well as being own voices.
Trigger warning: gore, torture, murder, and mentioned (non-graphic) sexual assault.
rixx's review against another edition
[Recommended](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/gzysv5/what_south_asian_scifi_can_tell_us_about_our_world/ftkmh44/) for its similarity to American Gods, only more raw and adult.
diane's review
3.0
I wanted to like this better than I did. It moves VERY slowly and abruptly ends -- not so much the first book in a duology but more like one much bigger book had been cut in the middle.
I liked the glimpse of life in Karachi (very small, not meant to be encompassing) and a bit of the theology of Islam and djinns. Not so fond of using the female character in a fridging way to get the MC moving.
I liked the glimpse of life in Karachi (very small, not meant to be encompassing) and a bit of the theology of Islam and djinns. Not so fond of using the female character in a fridging way to get the MC moving.
barb4ry1's review
5.0
Most people think djinns live in lamps and grant wishes while dressed in turbans. Nothing further from the truth. Djinns are terrifying, capricious and proud creatures. Made of fire, they're stronger, faster and deadlier than any human. When you meet one, don't ask him for a favour. Be polite and careful not to offend him. Who knows, maybe you'll survive?
Shah's Fire Boy and Earth Boy duology (in some regions published as a single volume called Boy of Fire and Earth) blew my mind. I loved this book. It's a dark, funny, and compelling urban fantasy tale based in Pakistan's biggest city - Karachi. A young boy, Wahid, comes to terms with his unique abilities and sets out on an adventure to recover the soul of the girl he loves from vengeful djinns.
Helped by the devil himself, Wahid will cross the line between worlds and explore Sufi mysticism. Sounds New-age-y? It shouldn't. Shah's raw talent, unexpected turns and twists, and an intelligent plot make this tale compelling and genuinely surprising.
As a westerner, I found the eastern setting and mythology fascinating and fresh. From Dajjal to the djinns or Pichal Pairee — the novel introduces various Islamic mythical creatures in all their splendour. The mythology and cosmology derived from Qur'an explore the notion of the multiverse and thin layers between mythical and physical. I absolutely loved the passages of the book that delved into metaphysics and theology. Plus, Iblis (The Devil himself) shines as a secondary character.
Wahid is a dorky, instantly likeable protagonist. He loves comic books and fantasy and has no idea how to approach the girl he likes. Following him on the journey of self-discovery never failed to entertain (or terrify). While Wahid's arc builds upon Chosen One and Coming of Age tropes, it does so with great style.
I think some readers may have a problem with females' representation in the book - the ones we meet are perfect victims, old hags, or flirtatious types.
The tone of the book switches between funny and gritty. When the story gets violent, it pulls no punches. Some scenes and deaths shocked me. Djinns get terrifying and I'm thoroughly impressed with their portrayal.
The city becomes a character as well (literally). Shah loves Karachi. Deeply. I've never been to Pakistan, but somehow he made me feel what it would be like to walk through vibrant and dangerous streets of this city. Home to over a dozen ethnic communities, Karachi is diverse and volatile, sometimes frightening but also magnificent. The Fire Boy reads like a dark ode to Karachi displaying its darkest secrets. I need to go there one day.
It seems the author intended the duology to be a single volume. In the West it's published as two books, in India as one. My advice - don't treat it as a duology. It doesn't work as one at all. That's why I rate both books as one.
Shah's Reap short story shines in Djinn Falls in Love anthology. The combination of Shah's talent, creativity and engaging storyline propel Fire Boy and Earth Boy to my 2018' best reads.
Shah's Fire Boy and Earth Boy duology (in some regions published as a single volume called Boy of Fire and Earth) blew my mind. I loved this book. It's a dark, funny, and compelling urban fantasy tale based in Pakistan's biggest city - Karachi. A young boy, Wahid, comes to terms with his unique abilities and sets out on an adventure to recover the soul of the girl he loves from vengeful djinns.
Helped by the devil himself, Wahid will cross the line between worlds and explore Sufi mysticism. Sounds New-age-y? It shouldn't. Shah's raw talent, unexpected turns and twists, and an intelligent plot make this tale compelling and genuinely surprising.
As a westerner, I found the eastern setting and mythology fascinating and fresh. From Dajjal to the djinns or Pichal Pairee — the novel introduces various Islamic mythical creatures in all their splendour. The mythology and cosmology derived from Qur'an explore the notion of the multiverse and thin layers between mythical and physical. I absolutely loved the passages of the book that delved into metaphysics and theology. Plus, Iblis (The Devil himself) shines as a secondary character.
Wahid is a dorky, instantly likeable protagonist. He loves comic books and fantasy and has no idea how to approach the girl he likes. Following him on the journey of self-discovery never failed to entertain (or terrify). While Wahid's arc builds upon Chosen One and Coming of Age tropes, it does so with great style.
I think some readers may have a problem with females' representation in the book - the ones we meet are perfect victims, old hags, or flirtatious types.
The tone of the book switches between funny and gritty. When the story gets violent, it pulls no punches. Some scenes and deaths shocked me. Djinns get terrifying and I'm thoroughly impressed with their portrayal.
The city becomes a character as well (literally). Shah loves Karachi. Deeply. I've never been to Pakistan, but somehow he made me feel what it would be like to walk through vibrant and dangerous streets of this city. Home to over a dozen ethnic communities, Karachi is diverse and volatile, sometimes frightening but also magnificent. The Fire Boy reads like a dark ode to Karachi displaying its darkest secrets. I need to go there one day.
It seems the author intended the duology to be a single volume. In the West it's published as two books, in India as one. My advice - don't treat it as a duology. It doesn't work as one at all. That's why I rate both books as one.
Shah's Reap short story shines in Djinn Falls in Love anthology. The combination of Shah's talent, creativity and engaging storyline propel Fire Boy and Earth Boy to my 2018' best reads.
anna_hepworth's review
4.0
Tightly written, beautifully realised urban fantasy. Deft weaving of political, religions, and personal aspects of the lives of the characters. Religious aspects are possibly a little heavy handed for those who are already familiar with Islam, but as a reader from a different religious tradition, I found it helpful. Similarly, I suspect some of the level of detail in the setting would be excessive for people familiar with Karachi and the way of life of its upper classes, but for me, it was useful to give a sense of place. The characterisation is good, but not great - I had difficulties with distinguishing some of the up-and-coming young men from scene to scene, and even the villains were a little mechanical at times, but the main character came through quite clearly as the spoiled only son of a somewhat wealthy family.
My main complaint is the ending - this is hopefully the start of a series, and the story just seemed to stop, without any really clear idea of having achieved more than setting the scene for a bigger story.
My main complaint is the ending - this is hopefully the start of a series, and the story just seemed to stop, without any really clear idea of having achieved more than setting the scene for a bigger story.
coolcurrybooks's review
3.0
Wahid thinks he’s just a normal teenager growing up in Karachi, Pakistan. He attends school, plays Dungeons and Dragons with his friends, and crushes on a cute girl in his class. He has no idea that he’s the son of a djinn.
Everything changes for Wahid when two djinn attack a car he’s driving. His best friend is killed, and the girl he likes soul is stolen. In his quest to find the djinn who did this, Wahid becomes immersed in the supernatural side of Karachi.
I don’t think I bothered to read the blurb before I started Fire Boy. So it wasn’t until around 30% in when the girl’s soul is stolen that I realized this was going to be a “rescue the damsel” plot line. Most of my problems with Fire Boy stem from just how lacking the female characters are. The girlfriend is the most important female character… but she has practically no character. She’s one of those female characters who could be replaced with a sexy lamp and the story wouldn’t change. She has no personality or presence. Her role in the story is the damsel in distress, existing to give Wahid a rescue based quest. It’s a plot line I’ve seen a thousand times before, and it’s tired and sexist. I want more from the books I read.
What’s frustrating is that at other times the narrative addresses violence against women. The author clearly had good intentions, but female characters are still seriously lacking.
The other serious issue I had with Fire Boy is that it’s not a complete story. There is no narrative arc, no climax. It simply stops. It’s like one book was arbitrarily split down the middle. I don’t mind books ending in a cliffhanger or clearly being the beginning of a series, but I want them to have their own arc and climax. I still want the structure of a complete story even if it’s not complete. I didn’t get this with Fire Boy.
On the positive side, I think Shah did a wonderful job weaving the fantastical into Karachi. Shah does for Karachi what Gaiman did for London in Neverwhere. He takes a modern day cityscape and fills it with a hidden magical side, this time based specifically in Pakistani myth. The result is beautifully vibrant.
I’m not going to read the second book unless I hear that it improves in regard to female characters. However, I doubt this will happen. While Fire Boy was too male centric for my taste, it still may appeal to anyone looking for Pakistani urban fantasy.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
Everything changes for Wahid when two djinn attack a car he’s driving. His best friend is killed, and the girl he likes soul is stolen. In his quest to find the djinn who did this, Wahid becomes immersed in the supernatural side of Karachi.
I don’t think I bothered to read the blurb before I started Fire Boy. So it wasn’t until around 30% in when the girl’s soul is stolen that I realized this was going to be a “rescue the damsel” plot line. Most of my problems with Fire Boy stem from just how lacking the female characters are. The girlfriend is the most important female character… but she has practically no character. She’s one of those female characters who could be replaced with a sexy lamp and the story wouldn’t change. She has no personality or presence. Her role in the story is the damsel in distress, existing to give Wahid a rescue based quest. It’s a plot line I’ve seen a thousand times before, and it’s tired and sexist. I want more from the books I read.
What’s frustrating is that at other times the narrative addresses violence against women. The author clearly had good intentions, but female characters are still seriously lacking.
The other serious issue I had with Fire Boy is that it’s not a complete story. There is no narrative arc, no climax. It simply stops. It’s like one book was arbitrarily split down the middle. I don’t mind books ending in a cliffhanger or clearly being the beginning of a series, but I want them to have their own arc and climax. I still want the structure of a complete story even if it’s not complete. I didn’t get this with Fire Boy.
On the positive side, I think Shah did a wonderful job weaving the fantastical into Karachi. Shah does for Karachi what Gaiman did for London in Neverwhere. He takes a modern day cityscape and fills it with a hidden magical side, this time based specifically in Pakistani myth. The result is beautifully vibrant.
I’m not going to read the second book unless I hear that it improves in regard to female characters. However, I doubt this will happen. While Fire Boy was too male centric for my taste, it still may appeal to anyone looking for Pakistani urban fantasy.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
thedoctorreads's review against another edition
5.0
My experience of Sami Shah is somewhat dated, but bear with me. One fine night while procrastinating over another study session or a chai-fuelled YouTube break, I chose YouTube and one funny video of Shah turned into a binge. Well, need I tell you how my clinical exam went the next day?
So, my expectations of Shah’s novel were much the same — something addictive and light: easy reading. My expectations were promptly turned on their head. While Boy of Fire and Earth is highly addictive and easy to read, it is also something more — a book that captures what it means to be a slick Pakistani Muslim in this harrowing, hostile world.
If Shah’s plucky ‘Wahid’ is anything to go by, we Pakistanis are an inventive lot. It is hard to pin us down, admittedly, but that same ability also makes us pretty annoying. Or at least that’s what the ‘djinns’ in Shah’s novel complain about — our pluckiness is a thorn in their side.
Leaving aside questions of metaphysics, faith and religion, that idea alone feels like a revelation. This is a novel that is not obsessed with weighty literary aspirations about Pakistaniat and the South Asian-ness of Monsoon, Mangroves, and Mangoes et al. Where Karachi isn’t the setting of some convoluted family drama, instead it becomes a central character in the plot to bring about the Judgment Day. Where orphans aren’t just sad news-items that show up in the chaos of a failing state, they are a lethal underground unit that operates smoothly between the worlds of jinns and humans.
Myth collides against fact against faith against mysticism, until a breathless amalgamation of a uniquely Pakistani story emerges. Where there is love, there is loss; where there is sorrow, there is a sense of wicked humour. It is this conundrum that propels the novel’s pace forward at breakneck speed, while still keeping the reader’s hand intimately on its racing pulse.
Faintly familiar characters like ‘Iblis’, ‘Dajjal’ and ‘Yuj-Majooj’ are re-encountered, ‘Koh Kaaf’ is resurrected in a way that brings to mind long summer days spent reading Taalim-o-Tarbiyat. The story is nostalgic in the best sense while also creating a hopeful anticipation for the future. ‘Wahid’ and ‘Maheen’’s story is, for me, far from over.
Word to the wise: while the protagonist is an 18-year-old boy, this is as far from Young Adult as one can possibly get. There is real violence and gore, gleefully rendered by the writer’s evocative prose. Shah is no desi Lovecraft, but in his more glorious rendition of severed body parts he comes pretty close. Still, the duology is perhaps not suitable for readers under the age of fifteen. Perhaps more precocious readers, who’ve chomped their way through the darker chapters of J. K. Rowling’s Potterverse unscathed, may find themselves comfortably at home. Time will tell.
While we may not expect a generation growing up without the influence of ‘Bil Batori’ and ‘Zakoota’, to fully appreciate this novel, I can still rest easy in the knowledge that the sheer imaginative force of this story will pull the readers in, and in doing so, may lay the groundwork of a new South Asian version of Horror and Fantasy. Perhaps the true inheritors of the legacy of Stephen King and Neil Gaiman will be reading this novel tonight, somewhere in Lahore, some place in Karachi.
While Pakistani literature is being recognised the world over for its more serious themes, it is heartening to know that more fantastical works like Shah’s are also being given their chance on the world’s stage. After all, like the girl who breathlessly says bismillah while applying her liquid eyeliner, Pakistan, too, is at a crossroads between past and future, modernity and mysticism.
Favourite Lines:
‘Somewhere in Karachi, a boy who wasn’t the king of the city, as the city itself, was smoking a cigarette while teaching another boy how to stab a man in the neck with a pen. It was the kind of lesson that would keep the student alive for longer than he would otherwise have managed.’
‘On an empty street, a woman walked in search of a man. The hem of her sari hiding her twisted feet.’
‘In a sweet shop, the owner left a tray of the finest desserts under a glass cover, knowing they would be eaten by morning.’
So, my expectations of Shah’s novel were much the same — something addictive and light: easy reading. My expectations were promptly turned on their head. While Boy of Fire and Earth is highly addictive and easy to read, it is also something more — a book that captures what it means to be a slick Pakistani Muslim in this harrowing, hostile world.
If Shah’s plucky ‘Wahid’ is anything to go by, we Pakistanis are an inventive lot. It is hard to pin us down, admittedly, but that same ability also makes us pretty annoying. Or at least that’s what the ‘djinns’ in Shah’s novel complain about — our pluckiness is a thorn in their side.
Leaving aside questions of metaphysics, faith and religion, that idea alone feels like a revelation. This is a novel that is not obsessed with weighty literary aspirations about Pakistaniat and the South Asian-ness of Monsoon, Mangroves, and Mangoes et al. Where Karachi isn’t the setting of some convoluted family drama, instead it becomes a central character in the plot to bring about the Judgment Day. Where orphans aren’t just sad news-items that show up in the chaos of a failing state, they are a lethal underground unit that operates smoothly between the worlds of jinns and humans.
Myth collides against fact against faith against mysticism, until a breathless amalgamation of a uniquely Pakistani story emerges. Where there is love, there is loss; where there is sorrow, there is a sense of wicked humour. It is this conundrum that propels the novel’s pace forward at breakneck speed, while still keeping the reader’s hand intimately on its racing pulse.
Faintly familiar characters like ‘Iblis’, ‘Dajjal’ and ‘Yuj-Majooj’ are re-encountered, ‘Koh Kaaf’ is resurrected in a way that brings to mind long summer days spent reading Taalim-o-Tarbiyat. The story is nostalgic in the best sense while also creating a hopeful anticipation for the future. ‘Wahid’ and ‘Maheen’’s story is, for me, far from over.
Word to the wise: while the protagonist is an 18-year-old boy, this is as far from Young Adult as one can possibly get. There is real violence and gore, gleefully rendered by the writer’s evocative prose. Shah is no desi Lovecraft, but in his more glorious rendition of severed body parts he comes pretty close. Still, the duology is perhaps not suitable for readers under the age of fifteen. Perhaps more precocious readers, who’ve chomped their way through the darker chapters of J. K. Rowling’s Potterverse unscathed, may find themselves comfortably at home. Time will tell.
While we may not expect a generation growing up without the influence of ‘Bil Batori’ and ‘Zakoota’, to fully appreciate this novel, I can still rest easy in the knowledge that the sheer imaginative force of this story will pull the readers in, and in doing so, may lay the groundwork of a new South Asian version of Horror and Fantasy. Perhaps the true inheritors of the legacy of Stephen King and Neil Gaiman will be reading this novel tonight, somewhere in Lahore, some place in Karachi.
While Pakistani literature is being recognised the world over for its more serious themes, it is heartening to know that more fantastical works like Shah’s are also being given their chance on the world’s stage. After all, like the girl who breathlessly says bismillah while applying her liquid eyeliner, Pakistan, too, is at a crossroads between past and future, modernity and mysticism.
Favourite Lines:
‘Somewhere in Karachi, a boy who wasn’t the king of the city, as the city itself, was smoking a cigarette while teaching another boy how to stab a man in the neck with a pen. It was the kind of lesson that would keep the student alive for longer than he would otherwise have managed.’
‘On an empty street, a woman walked in search of a man. The hem of her sari hiding her twisted feet.’
‘In a sweet shop, the owner left a tray of the finest desserts under a glass cover, knowing they would be eaten by morning.’
emmaarnold's review
2.0
This book really just ended and with it being so short I don't understand why they cut the book in half and made it a duology. 1/3 of the book wss just the set up for the story which meant very little story happened
lindsayb's review
4.0
I love djinn stories that acknowledge that there are different types of djinn, and not only does Fire Boy do that, but also introduces other beings as well. Wahid's bumbling is endearing and a great way for the uninformed reader (ME) to better understand this particular Karachi. I loved the interludes that were alternated at the beginning of the book, but felt a little confused and bereft when that format fell off. Anyhow, it was a fast-paced read that particularly took off once Wahid met the King of Karachi (boy, did I love all the supporting characters in this book!), and I can't wait to .