Throne of the Crescent Moon (Salaidn Ahmed)

Although the setting is inspired by the medieval Middle East, rather than medieval Europe, this felt like back to basics fantasy. Each of the main characters is a type (Ghul Hunter, Dervish, Tribal Protector, Alchemist, Magus) that could be a character class from a role-playing game. They are fairly unambiguously good, while the villain is spectacularly villainous, with a memorably scary and loathsome sidekick. The main characters all have conflicts to resolve but these are painted in broad strokes. This makes the book sound very simple but I think the writing style does a good job of embracing the simplicity and making it a strength. I enjoyed this book quite a lot and for being the first book in a series, it stands very strongly on its own.

This is a solid fantasy with an interesting setting, but it never really explores that setting in any depth. The muslim influenced fantasy wasn't as different as I expected given all the rave reviews I read before recommending it. Nevertheless, is is a well written good yarn.