The King

The King is utterly fabulous in both senses of the word: a sly, witty, knowing fable, full of charm and humour. Deceptively simple in its storytelling, it reads like one of Angela Carter's fairy tales transposed into the nineteenth-century Qajar Persian court. Kader Abdolah is a masterful and completely addictive storyteller -- WILLIAM DALRYMPLE
A strong and colourful story illuminating the complex forces that have shaped contemporary Iran * * Metro * *
Glorious * * The Times * *
Set in the last half of the 19th century, The King is a biography of brutality and ambition; all of its characters strive to shape their own lives as well as the destiny of their evolving nation * * New York Times * *
Told in a simple yet gripping style based on the great epic history of early Persia, the 'Shahnameh' written by Firdawsi about a thousand years ago. It proves a very effective model for this dramatic tale of a later ruler and his heroic, if often brutal, battles. As in the 'Shahnameh', lyrical passages celebrating Persia break up the harsh history * * Independent * *
Abdolah brings a crucial moment in 19th-century Persian history to vivid life * * Independent * *
The King probes questions of power and authority through wry fable - Salman Rushdie's Shame meets Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall . . . the story is rich with subtle touches . . . in the grand tradition of Persian literary satire, the writing is playful, subversive, and compassionate . . . resplendent * * Financial Times * *
Excellent . . . accessible and deceptively light * * Scotsman * *
A modern epic * * Independent * *
A very detailed and well-researched historical account * * Guardian * *