Book 49: The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson

I had heard about this book last spring, and I was super excited to read it after having been to Spain for the first time last year. It's set in Granada in the final days of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada before Isabella and Ferdinand ousted the Muslims in 1492. The story follows Fatima, who is a concubine of the Sultan in the Alhambra, and a mapmaker named Hassan, who are both of interest to the Inquisition and flee together. The Bird King refers to a poem they told each other while living in the palace, and which gives their flight direction. They are aided by a djinn, who helps them escape and follow a path to the sea, and a Catholic monk, whose loyalties are always unclear.

I loved Fatima and Hassan's friendship, and the way they interact with each other. I also loved how the book engaged with narratives, and the ways that cultural imperialists not only control the day to day lives of their subjects, but also what they dream of, and the stories they tell each other. It was an interesting book to read after A Memory Called Empire, because of how they each approach this kind of cultural mythology, and how to create a new myth of reality. It made me want to read more of this era of Europe, and to seek out more stories told from the point of view of the Islamic empires, rather than how they were "reconquered." A really lovely read.

Grade: A