by Ian McDonald
First published 2010
In mid-21st century Istanbul, six lives orbit the abandoned dervish house of Adem Dede in the Eskiköy district. A retired Greek economist joins a secretive think tank while hiding a century-old secret. Nine-year-old Cem lives trapped in silence, his weak heart making any loud noise potentially fatal, yet he stumbles into a mystery that demands investigation. A rogue trader orchestrates a massive gas smuggling operation, only to uncover a web of corporate corruption. An art dealer accepts a commission involving an authentic Istanbul legend and finds herself caught in ancient feuds. After surviving a terrorist attack, a directionless young man gains the ability to perceive djinn in the city streets. Meanwhile, a recent marketing graduate races against time to rescue her family's nanotechnology startup with a breakthrough product. As Istanbul swelters through five days of extreme heat, their stories intertwine through corporate machinations, Islamic mysticism, political schemes, Ottoman secrets, emerging terrorist dangers, and nanotechnology that could reshape humanity itself.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, mystery, 21st-century, alternate-history
Vibes: atmospheric, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: intertwining-storylines, mystery-investigation, secret-history
Setting: Eskiköy, Istanbul
Period: Mid-21st Century
358 pages · Hardcover · Pyr