January read: Alif the Unseen

[Wendy B]

Alif the Unseen

by G. Willow Wilson (Goodreads Author)

 3.89  ·   rating details  ·  1,623 ratings  ·  479 reviews

In an unnamed Middle Eastern security state, a young Arab-Indian hacker shields his clients—dissidents, outlaws, Islamists, and other watched groups—from surveillance and tries to stay out of trouble. He goes by Alif—the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, and a convenient handle to hide behind. The aristocratic woman Alif loves has jilted him for a prince chosen by her parents, and his computer has just been breached by the State’s electronic security force, putting his clients and his own neck on the line. Then it turns out his lover’s new fiancé is the head of State security, and his henchmen come after Alif, driving him underground. When Alif discovers The Thousand and One Days, the secret book of the jinn, which both he and the Hand suspect may unleash a new level of information technology, the stakes are raised and Alif must struggle for life or death, aided by forces seen and unseen. With shades of Neal Stephenson, Neil Gaiman, Philip Pullman, and The Thousand and One Nights, Alif the Unseen is a tour de force debut—a sophisticated melting pot of ideas, philosophy, religion, technology and spirituality smuggled inside an irresistible page-turner.

[Taz Shanahan]

So many other books to read, so I got this one on audiobook. 

That way I can get through it when I'm going to & from work (I walk) & on lunch runs.

Also, that way I can concentrate on reading through a few more in my book & kindle backlog.

[Wendy B]

That should be an interesting audiobook. I'm curious to hear how they handle all the characters.

[Taz Shanahan]

So far, the voice actor is easily able to distinguish the different crahacters.

I'll see what it's like when they add in a few more as so far there's been less than half a dozen.

[Taz Shanahan]

The voice actor on the audiobook was rather good, but I wasn't as impressed with the story as a whole.
I think it was just too many genre elements that never really meshed well at times.