A review by alanbaxter
Boy of Fire and Earth by Sami Shah

4.0

Really enjoyed this book, a pleasant departure from the usual urban fantasy we read in the west. The setting of Karachi and the basis of all the mythology in Islam, and djinns in particular, is brilliantly realised. My only complaint is that it's book one of a duology and, while that's not an issue in itself, it just ends. No resolution, no cliffhanger, it just stops halfway through the story. It's concluded in Earth Boy, which is out now, but I really don't understand why it isn't one book. Fire Boy is only 300 pages, so it's not like putting both together would have been an issue. Anyway, that bit of infuriating weirdness aside, this is an excellent book and I recommend it. The word Boy in the title might make you think it's lighter fare or YA, but it's not. The protagonists are late-teens, but this is a dark and brutal read. It's great, but buy both volumes of the duology together to get one story!