I am getting a little annoyed by the insistence that everyone is subtle, and the writing sometimes jarrs a little, but on the whole I still like it.

I am surprised, as I had expected the intrigues leading up to the murder of Almalik to take up more of the book, based on what I took to be a careful positioning of pieces in the first part. When three characters set out in different directions with one objective, narrative convention suggests that this will form the main plot: I had expected more space to be devoted to arriving at the point of killing Almalik, and find I have to reorder my expectations for the book. I have yet to decide whether breaking with this is just careless plotting or a daring break with convention which suggests greater skill. I am leaning towards the latter, but as a great fan of elaborate plotting I hope it is not entirely abandoned.

I must admit the legend of ibn Khairan does fit better with this development, as he did strike me as the kind of man who could accomplish this with a minimum of fuss and in a short amount of time. I am now just a little disappointed that Jehane's plot, which was always a little weak in the beginning (her motivation for starting off was a little off, I thought (as the narrative emphasises again and again -- I hope that is taken up somehow and not just left to fend for itself), seems more aimless. That said, I am enjoying it.

I really like the interaction between Belmonte and ibn Khairan, and between ibn Khairan and Jehane. I have great hopes for all involved. Granted, all of this is a little clichéd, perhaps, but not nauseatingly so and not badly written.

I also like the building of opposition outside Al-Rassan. And I find I am sympathetic to both sides, but not the ones seeking war. I very much wanted Yazir and Ghalib to cut off some part of that stupid prince's body (any part, I'm not fussy); and I loved Ines' sudden volte-face with regard to the priests. I was rather surprised it did not all end in another sex-scene, as that seems to be the main way for men and women to interact in this book, however (pet peeve).

I have decided to stop trying to draw direct lines to history, as it does not seem to fit right, and instead just enjoy how it plays with allusions and images to create an atmosphere. Even within the book I have some issues with chronology (I got the impression early on that the Asherite belief was several centuries old, and that it had come via the southern continent to Al-Rassan, but the desert people seemed to have been converted within a generation, so...).