Review of The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra

[Nichol Lee Jackson]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra" by A Ali Hasan Ali.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra is a very colorful, exciting fiction tale set in Arabia. It is suitable for young adult to mature audiences. It has some controversial subjects such as the occult and jinni masters. I could only find one spelling typo.
The introduction begins with violence as our main characters are thrown into the kidnapping of a farmer's newborn baby. There are many references to the Quran, such as the ancient land of Erum and the sons of Aad. Air jinnis, healing jinnis, occultists, dragons, king, queens and giant princes live together in this pre-Muslim world. Their very strict superstitions regarding birth, holidays, medicine, marriage, and geography are brought out in painstaking detail. The origins and meaning of names in Arabic is educational. The writer knows how to keep your attention and understands the people he is using to create the story.
Halfway through the book there is still action on every page. The rich history of Arabia seems like it would fall into a pit but there are always surprises coming out. Good and evil are turned around. The elements are personified into dragons and non-committal jinnis who unleash terror and play know it all games with their masters. Blessed instruments and weapons are used to summon the jinnis. The principles of politeness are regarded highly in the varying communities. Saying something the wrong way could put your life in jeopardy. The farmer being one of the main characters who has to wander around, getting into trouble, is a what a westerner might experience if they were to get lost in a foreign land.
Finally, although it is a short novel, the many characters are vivid enough to suggest more to their story. There are many stories within the story. I gave it a five out of five star and a four out of four star because it was nearly perfect.

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The Guardians of Erum and the Calamitous Child of Socotra
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