Alif the Unseen

Adult urban fantasy/cyberpunk. I picked this up because I loved the Ms. Marvel comics written by G. Willow Wilson, and while this is very, very different stuff, it was a fabulous read. Somehow I went into this thinking it was a middle grade or young adult novel. It's not. The content is quite dark and adult. It's the story of a twenty-something hacker living in an Arabic city state simply called The City. Alif is secretly in love with the daughter of a high-ranking family, and (SPOILER) when she becomes engaged to a government official -- an official who is in charge of finding hackers like Alif, things become very complicated. (END SPOILER.) That in itself would be an intriguing story, but Wilson also blends in the world of the fire spirit jinn, mixing computer magic with ancient magic. Alif finds himself in possession of an ancient book that may be the secret to reprogramming the entire world. His enemies, both human and jinn, will do anything to obtain it. It's rare to find a novel set in the Middle East that is both accessible to a Western audience and sympathetically well-informed. The City is beautifully evoked. The descriptions of life in a dictatorial society are grimly and unflinchingly portrayed. You see both the beauty of Islamic society and folklore, and the desperate, fearful, and claustrophobic conditions in which the citizens of The City live. If you're looking for an adventure unlike anything you've probably read, give this a try!

Dear People who Read Books,<br /><br />Please read this book.<br /><br />No, really, I mean it. Okay fine, I will tell you why you need to read this. The characters in this novel, while not being teenagers, are young adults and therefore this novel meets the criteria set (by me) to be called Young Adult. Okay, let me begin again. Properly this time.<br /><br />Alif the Unseen is set in a city in Saudi Arabia and it is, perhaps, one of the few books I have read that manage to write in a setting like Saudi Arabia without preaching about or demonizing Islam. The setting is one of the reasons that I really wanted to read this novel – that and the synopsis. The synopsis sounds bloody bleeding amazing. And I can tell you on good authority that the synopsis does not lead you astray. I want to write a panegyric for this novel but I will satisfy myself with a garbled review. (Sorry about that.)<br /><br />It will perhaps take a few pages to get used to the setting, especially if you read books that are almost exclusively set in North America. There is a definite shift in dynamics, there is a sense of the exotic, a “foreign-ness” about the whole setting that is immediately fascinating. Alif is a very compelling character who draws you into his life, into his thoughts, politics, love and family. You can relate to him and empathize with him and that’s a big deal to me because usually male protagonists are not a favourite of mine as…well, I just can’t seem to get into their heads the same way I can with a female MC. What is also very interesting to me is how the love interest in this novel spends the majority of the novel veiled. Yet she does not become a lesser character or anything like that. In fact, she serves as a brilliant foil to Alif – as though the veil gives her the distance that is not visible to Alif – his passion is tempered by her cool logic and vice versa. She is one of the stronger and more intelligent characters in the novel. All the characters in Alif the Unseen are given personalities that are larger than the book they live in. The writing is beautiful and the narrative smooth.<br /><br />One of my favourite characters is Vikram the Vampire who is actually a Djinn/Jinn/Ifrit. His manner of speaking is amusing and his otherworldliness is excellently portrayed. At the same time, his sincerity in wanting to help Alif gives him a touch of human that makes him utterly irresistible.<br /><br />The novel presents a compelling mixture of digital gadgetry and supernatural themes. It does not at all shy away from narrating the imbalance between the rich and the poor, the cultural discrimination, the hierarchies. The computer jargon, programmer code-speak reveals the depth of research Wilson must have done for the novel. At the same time, her level of familiarity with Islamic myths, cultures is apparent with the ease with which she weaves it into her grand narrative. Wilson’s juxtaposition of the mundane with the supernatural is excellently written. The novel nests the narrative in current events, showing an alternative reason or more accurately, a hidden perspective that explains the events that took place in the Arab Spring.<br /><br />Alif the Unseen is a novel that needs to be read widely. It shows people a different side to Islam and Muslims. It shows people a culture rich with stories and traditions that are not entirely and wholly about bloodshed and killing. It shows real people with real problems and not made up terrorists who look for excuses to bomb countries and buildings. Alif the Unseen is a brilliant accomplishment both on the part of the writing and on the part of the storytelling. I recommend it strongly.

VAGUELY SPOILERISH (though nothing major).<br /><br />In the introduction to his magnificent book <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/1162710.The_Great_Chain_of_Being_A_Study_of_the_History_of_an_Idea" title="The Great Chain of Being A Study of the History of an Idea by Arthur O. Lovejoy" rel="noopener">The Great Chain of Being: A Study of the History of an Idea</a>, Arthur Lovejoy turns a memorable phrase when he describes those who thrill to "the metaphysical pathos of obscurity." This book, I fear, is subject to that particular weakness. There's lots of stuff about stories/computer code/metaphor/multiple interpretations/multiple realities that just doesn't make any sense (at least, not to this heathen). When Alif realizes that the Djinn-authored book, <i>Alf Yeom</i> can provide a blue-print for an entirely new way of coding, and simply sits down with his little netbook and spontaneously writes code based not on 1s and 0s, but on metaphor, creating something transcendent and nearly divine, it's not just implausible. It's nonsensical.<br /><br />One could forgive this in a book with a great story or with great characters, but the book was, I thought, just so-so in these respects. The transformation of Alif himself seemed unconvincing; his realization that he loved Dina too quick; and the character of the convert (never given a name for some reason) seemed entirely superfluous. And the writing was, while serviceable, nothing special. (Multiple uses of the word "obscene" to describe things that are evil is something that should be avoided absolutely. And "gave him a look that went straight to his groin" is kind of embarrassing.)<br /><br />I realize I'm in a minority in my response to this book. Most people seem to love it.

The end of the year, and I decided to finish with a bang, picking the most promising books lingering on my ToBeRead list. It’s been one interesting read after another, and if they weren’t all equally amazing, most have been thought-provoking and interesting. Alif came to my attention as a genre-bender, an urban fantasy set in the Middle East and about a computer hacker on the run. Great characterization, trim plotting, an unusual urban setting with clever fantastical elements means it was one of the successes. <br /><br />The tale starts with a short prologue of a man transcribing the stories of a captive jinn, but it truly begins with Alif, sitting on his roof and moping over the lack of contact from his secret girlfriend. Alif is the screen name of an equal-opportunity computer hacker, serving clients large and small in an unnamed Middle Eastern city. Ever since the Egyptian revolution, the computer environment has become more perilous, with censors and state agents seeking to track dissidents. Alif does his part against the machine, running internet access and digital concealment for “bloggers, pornographers, Islamists, and activists from Palestine to Pakistan.” He and his hacker friends bemoan the lack of understanding from Western hackers of what hardship is really like:<br /><br /><br />*********************************<br /><br />For that quote and a few others, please find the rest of the review at <br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/12/28/alif-the-unseen-by-g-willow-wilson/">http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/1...</a><br />AND<br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://carols.booklikes.com/post/743240/alif-the-unseen-see-it">http://carols.booklikes.com/post/7432...</a>-<br /><br /><br />I regret having to post links, but while I want to support Wilson's work, I no longer feel GR can be trusted to not delete reviews at their whim. Note, please, that the Terms of Service were officially last updated in 2010, despite making changes in guidelines and posting only in the Goodreads Feedback Group.

A very good cyberpunk fantasy page-turner. Decadent and atmospheric world-building, loved every single minute of it (apart from the somewhat shaky ending, minus a star for that, <i>Wilson</i>).<br /><br /><b>Read:</b> 01192023<br /><b>Edit III:</b> 06302023

Dnfed<br />I read a chapter and a page of this and I drew the line when this guy was keeping the stained bed sheet of his "first time" as some sort of pride possession!!!

Alif the Unseen is such a unique book. It's a computer-science heavy fantasy novel set in the modern Middle East. There is coding, firewalls, cloud servers and genies, all in the same book. Doesn't that sound amazing? This book is fantasy blended with real science, something that I've never seen before. It's a big risk that pays off.<br /><br />Very rarely to I go quite as highlighter happy as this book made me. It was smart, clever, funny and thought-provoking.<br /><br /><i>"How dense and literal it is. I thought it had a much more sophisticated brain."<br /> "Your mother's dense," Alif said wearily.<br />"My mother was an errant crest of sea foam. But that's neither here nor there."</i><br /><br />This book just goes. It doesn't stop to explain everything. I appreciated the respect it showed it's reader. Admittedly I don't know a lot about Middle Eastern folklore or legends. Anything I need to know I can research. The book doesn't info-dump, yet I had no problem following the story.<br /><br />This book talks about how sometimes religious people pick and choose what to believe. In this instance, it's talking about the Quaran and how people tend to ignore the references to jinn (genies) even though it's throughout the text. However I think it's something interesting that applies beyond just one faith group. <br /><br /><i>Superstation is thriving. Pedantry is thriving. Sectarianism is thriving. Belief is dying out. To most of your people the jinn are paranoid fantasies who run around causing epilepsy and mental illness. Find me someone to whom the hidden folk are simply real, as described in the Books. You'll be searching a long time. Wonder and awe have gone out of your religions. </i><br /><br />For me the highlight of the book was Dina. Alif's neighbor, she's tremendously stubborn, intelligent and very pious. She decided to veil her face, against the wishes of her family and everyone who knew her. Normally it would be easy to write off such a character as an oppressed woman. But Dina is too awesome for that. She's one of the bravest and most intelligent characters, always having foresight when everyone else just runs around panicking. She's a complex character, a mixture of faith, practicality and intelligence.<br /><br /><i>"Maybe you should stay here until this has blown over," he said. It's going to be dangerous."<br />"I know. That's why I wore sneakers." (Dina)</i><br /><br />I want more books that dare to be different. I'm not saying this book is perfect. At times it's a little slow, the prologue is especially weak and it talks about urinating a lot. But sometimes that doesn't matter! What matters is that it tells a story that completely surprises you and that you can stop reading.

Well, this is a wonderful book! I love loved it! It's about Alif, a hacker in the Middle East, who has an ill-fated romance with a woman, is stalked by a mysterious government hacker called The Hand, and interacts with real Djinn who actually exist, invisible among us. It's totally fascinating! A really enjoyable read that combines politics and tech and magic in a wonderful way. <br /><br />Recommended for people who like Neal Stephenson or Da Vinci Code, just a fantastic thriller with magical overtones and interesting politics.

A clever mashup of equal parts efreet fantasy and golden hackers in a Big Brother Muslim state seems like a winner at first glance to me. I love everything about the first two and the addition of throwing it into a Muslim culture MAY or may not have been a winning move. Sometimes it can come off strange or cheesy or uncomfortable.<br /><br />Fortunately, Wilson's strong writing and respectful nature carried a number of complex and interesting characters into a great tale with romantic elements, stronger hackereze, and a massive David and Goliath take-down that rove right into the Unseen world of the spirits of air and fire.<br /><br />How does this work?<br /><br />Well, as a matter of fact. <br /><br />Combining the mystical permutations of Allah with quantum computing is as natural as breathing. Has anyone seen Pi? ;)<br /><br />So, this book mashed all my buttons. I didn't even care it was YA. I'm a fan.

My friend and I were discussing the problem of finding books featuring non-white protagonists written by non-North American descended authors. We noted that, more often than not in our limited scope, we’d find non-white protagonists written by White authors, or, white protagonists who find themselves in non-white environments, written by white authors. Generally speaking, the result is hit-or-miss when it comes to a respectful representation of a culture that one is not raised in.<br /><br />I was impressed by her portrayal of the Middle Eastern culture - from dialogue, to religions, to terminology, to class and more, because this is a culture I have never gotten to read about before in a starring role. She also did an effective job of portraying the hacker culture within that cultural environment. The writing and dialogue presented aspects of the hacker culture in ways that I could easily understand, without things being spelled out completely. Meaning could be inferred without much effort. Of course, I am not familiar with the Middle Eastern or hacker cultures, so I am assuming the portrayal did them all justice. <br /><br />The book moved smoothly through the main character’s introduction – his risqué profession his forbidden love and the girl next door – and then moved just as smoothly from the seen into the unseen, namely the world of the jinn that exists amidst our own, if only we are willing to believe. <br /><br />This transition is where my only real disappointment in both the book and the author arrives, taking shape as the character called “the convert,” an American woman who has converted to Muslim and, for some reason, is the only person Vikram, the jinn Alif’s future now depends on, decides can identify the source of the mysterious book Alif has been given. <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/alyssa/2012/07/06/511679/alif-the-unseen-author-g-willow-wilson-on-fantasy-in-dictatorships-cross-cultural-understanding-and-the-arab-spring/?mobile=nc" rel="nofollow noopener">In an interview</a>, Wilson claims that the convert is “not really” herself, but “the place she ends up in the book is where I have ended up.” <br /><br />Unfortunately, the convert and her sentiments come across, for me, like a raging opinion piece where Wilson denounces Western culture for being so blind. I found it particularly disturbing that, despite it being made clear that Alif enjoys reading fantasy novels from Western culture, it is stated in the book that Americans specifically can’t grasp the unseen world of the jinn. The convert also denounces non-Western culture for denying the Westerners who truly try to understand. The convert proclaims that non-Westerners are able to move freely between cultures, citing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Remains_of_the_Day" rel="nofollow noopener">Kazuo Ishiguro, author of <i>Remains of the Day</i></a>, as an example of a person from non-Western culture writing about life in Britain. A very poor example, considering Ishigoro was raised British. The convert laments that no Westerner has successfully written an epic tale that works in the other direction, and I consequently got the distinct feeling that Wilson hoped to become that person who succeeded. <br /><br />I had hoped the convert was just an interlude that allowed Wilson to express her feelings, but annoyingly, the character continued on with the main group, providing little purpose. Not even in the end when her beatific pregnancy was supposed to have commanded attention. I read the acknowledgements which referred to Wilson’s own pregnancy during the writing of the book and have concluded that Wilson’s claim that the convert isn’t really herself is slightly delusional.<br /><br />Aside from this, I enjoyed the book. I enjoyed the use of and discussions about language and how mutable it is. I appreciated that the step into the fantastical was gradual and that the characters each displayed interesting and varying reactions to the discovery of the unseen world. I liked the religious comparisons and the questioning of beliefs, but respected that the characters that did have their own religious beliefs, remained true to those beliefs, while still being able to accept the unseen. I enjoyed that the main character was an annoying, whiny creature who did not suddenly find a backbone and become a respectable hero. And in a culture that Westerners believe poorly treats its women, the character of Dina serves as an interesting insight.