Empire of Lies

De: Raymond Khoury

Narrado por: Raphael Corkhill

"A deftly crafted alternate history in the best science fiction tradition, Empire of Lies showcases author Raymond Khoury's genuine flair for originality and a simply riveting narrative storytelling style." (Midwest Book Review)

Empire of Lies is a sweeping thriller in the tradition of The Man in the High Castle, Fatherland, and Underground Airlines from New York Times best-selling author Raymond Khoury.

"The best what-if thriller for a long, long time - makes you think, makes you sweat, and makes you choose, between what is and what might have been." (Lee Child)

Istanbul, 1683: Mehmed IV, sultan of the Ottoman Empire, is preparing to lay siege to Vienna, capital of the Holy Roman Empire, when a mysterious visitor arrives in his bedroom - naked, covered in strange tattoos - to deliver a dangerous, world-changing message.

Paris, 2017: Ottoman flags have been flying over the great city for 300 years, ever since its fall - along with all of Europe - to the empire’s all-conquering army. Notre Dame has been renamed the Fatih Mosque. Public spaces are segregated by gender. And Kamal Arslan Agha, a feted officer in the sultan’s secret police, is starting to question his orders.

Rumors of an impending war with the Christian Republic of America, attacks by violent extremists, and economic collapse have heightened surveillance and arrests across the empire. Tasked with surveying potential threats, Kamal has a heavy caseload - and conscience.

When a mysterious stranger - naked, covered in strange tattoos - appears on the banks of the Seine, Kamal is called in to investigate. But what he discovers is a secret buried in the empire’s past, a secret the Sultan will do anything to silence.

With the mysterious Z Protectorate one step behind, Kamal, together with Nisreen - a fierce human rights lawyer - is caught up in a race across the empire and time itself - a race that could change their world, or destroy it.

Empire of Lies is being published as The Ottoman Secret in the UK.

©2019 Raymond Khoury (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

Imaginative, Well-Crafted, and Engaging

Khoury has written an enthralling exploration of Western and Middle Eastern culture, that’s precise in its history and plausible in its hypotheses. As a Lebanese American, he intimately knows the traditions and culture of the Middle East as well as the freedom and open-endedness of West, both of which are articulately portrayed in this novel. The tensions in cultures are only surpassed by the tensions in his very human characters who’s thoughts, relationships, and lives you’re intimately connected to. It’s enthralling without resorting to tacky hooks, and insightful without being idealist. It’s a novel that makes you take your place in a history on the brink of being unwritten.

Wanted to love it...

I love Khoury's books - but not this one. Once started, I continued to listen thinking that it would get better... it did after about 7-8 hours, I found it boring for the first half. The story line was really good, but far too lengthy. Perhaps it would be more palatable if I had read the book instead of listening to it.

Interesting story-Decent Reader-Odd Ending

A very interesting story. I really like this author. Unlike his other books, it takes a while to get going because he has to create a world that didn’t exist in order for the rest of the story to work. Oddly, at the climax of the story, the author moves away from the detailed engagement of the story and opts for summarizing what happens. Essential conversations that you’ve been waiting for the entire time are glossed over with a few sentences. Nonetheless, he does pull it together at the end to provide a satisfying close to the story arc. Sometimes it is harder to differentiate the characters because the readers range of voices is limited, although not so much that it distracts you from the story. Just takes getting used to.

Interesting story, slow start.

I really liked it, but wasn’t a fan of how slow it was at first. Still good!

Excellent Alt History

Fans of time travel and alt history should definitely give this one a try. Learned a lot too.