In the CHAGA novels Ian McDonald brought Africa in the grip of a bizarre alien invasion to life, in RIVER OF GODS he painted a rich portrait of India in 2047, in BRASYL he looked at different Brazils, past present and future. Ian McDonald has found renown at the cutting edge of a movement to take SF away from its British and American roots and out into the rich cultures of the world. THE DERVISH HOUSE continues that journey and centres on Istanbul in 2027. Turkey is part of Europe but sited on the edge; it is an Islamic country that looks to the West. THE DERVISH HOUSE is the story of the families that live in and around its titular house; it is at once a rich mosaic of Islamic life in the new century and a telling novel of future possibilities.
The Dervish House (Gollancz)
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'Loving Ian McDonald's science-fiction vision of Istanbul ... Ancient Ottoman mysteries and nanotechnology: that's the kind of mash-up we like.' (THE HERALD (Glasgow) )
'The Dervish House is simply sublime, an incredible novel by a literary genius that is by far one of the best novels of the last decade' (SFBOOK ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
'The Dervish House is simply sublime, an incredible novel by a literary genius that is by far one of the best novels of the last decade' (SFBOOK ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Book Description
The new SF epic from Ian McDonald does for Turkey what BRASYL did for Brazil.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By Tinhead
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
In line with other reviews so far, I thought this was an excellent book. Set in Istanbul in 2027 5 years after Turkey joins the EU, it covers multiple, linked story-strands covering subjects such as religion, politics, nano-tech, economics, terrorists and legends including the Mellified Man (don't bother looking it up, just enjoy it in the book).
There are numerous characters who are faily well sketched - the ousted academic, the child detective with a heart complaint, the stock market swindler and his religious-artefact selling wife, the disturbed fanatic and the nano-tech entrepeneurs. McDonald weaves their stories very skillfully and vividly paints a picture of near-future Istanbul and the integration of new technology into an ancient city.
I really enjoyed "River of Gods" but couldn't finish "Brasyl" for some reason. But this is by some way the best book I have read this year. McDonald successfully merges good story-lines with believable future-technology and writes it well. Any author who can come up with a line such as "Smell is the djinni of memory, all times are one to it" has my admiration.
If you want intelligent, well-written near-future science-fiction, you can't go wrong with this book. Highly recommended.
There are numerous characters who are faily well sketched - the ousted academic, the child detective with a heart complaint, the stock market swindler and his religious-artefact selling wife, the disturbed fanatic and the nano-tech entrepeneurs. McDonald weaves their stories very skillfully and vividly paints a picture of near-future Istanbul and the integration of new technology into an ancient city.
I really enjoyed "River of Gods" but couldn't finish "Brasyl" for some reason. But this is by some way the best book I have read this year. McDonald successfully merges good story-lines with believable future-technology and writes it well. Any author who can come up with a line such as "Smell is the djinni of memory, all times are one to it" has my admiration.
If you want intelligent, well-written near-future science-fiction, you can't go wrong with this book. Highly recommended.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By BEN
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
McDonald has set pretty high expectations with his last two books, but this one doesn't disappoint.
The Dervish House unfolds in a compelling near future Istanbul, a heady mix of history, cultures and ubiquitous nanotechnology. It tells the intertwined stories of six characters, spanning five days of an Istanbul heat wave: a gas options trader with a get rich quick plan, an antiquarian commissioned to find a fabulous mythical artefact; a retired Professor of Economics wounded by ethnic persecution and a love lost, a troubled mystic who sees djinn and talks with saints, a "Marketing Consultant" called in to save the family nanotechnology start-up, and a boy detective with the coolest nanotech toy ever.
With treasure hunts, terrorist plots, wheeling and dealing, and a high tech shoot out, the Dervish House is fast paced and a real page turner. True to style however, McDonald's characters are well rendered and believable, his ideas first class and his writing is complex and mature.
A wonderful book!
The Dervish House unfolds in a compelling near future Istanbul, a heady mix of history, cultures and ubiquitous nanotechnology. It tells the intertwined stories of six characters, spanning five days of an Istanbul heat wave: a gas options trader with a get rich quick plan, an antiquarian commissioned to find a fabulous mythical artefact; a retired Professor of Economics wounded by ethnic persecution and a love lost, a troubled mystic who sees djinn and talks with saints, a "Marketing Consultant" called in to save the family nanotechnology start-up, and a boy detective with the coolest nanotech toy ever.
With treasure hunts, terrorist plots, wheeling and dealing, and a high tech shoot out, the Dervish House is fast paced and a real page turner. True to style however, McDonald's characters are well rendered and believable, his ideas first class and his writing is complex and mature.
A wonderful book!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Z de MC
Format:Paperback
As an avid reader of cyberpunk and a former resident of Istanbul, I was sure that I would enjoy The Dervish House. And I did, in the beginning. Then the mistakes started piling up and finally the inconsistencies and lack of credible detail has ruined this book for me.
Dedicating pages in the beginning of the book to Turkish pronunciation is all well and good but there were spelling mistakes in at least half of the Turkish words and names used in this book - For example, it's Aslantepe not "Aslanteppe", Hacettepe not "Haceteppe", Osmanli not "Ösmanli", Meryem Ana Firtinasi not "Firtanisi" as it was repeatedly misspelled, meaning "Tempest of Mother Mary" and definitely not "Wind of September" especially since it happens in mid-October.
Characters don't feel authentic, not least because they say things like "I will see you when I see you" that are impossible to say in Turkish in any meaningful way, they serve pistachios with coffee (always served with alcohol, never with coffee) and they refer to each other by their last names, which NEVER happens in Turkey. Turks didn't even have surnames prior to 1934. It is pretty obvious that the author doesn't know this - Haci Ferhat's descendant is called Beshun Ferhat, which is highly unlikely given that "Ferhat" was his given name and Haci was an honorific title meaning "Muslim who has done the Hajj to Mecca".
There were so many things that didn't ring true, and one was Adnan speaking in English with a trader from Baku in Azerbaijan, saying the other guy just didn't speak good English. Why on earth would these two people struggle with English over the phone anyway, given that they both speak Turkish?!
All of the above to one side, my personal favourite which truly shows the author's ignorance about Turks and Turkish is when Mr Ferentinou says to Can "You said 'he'. Interesting that we assume robots are male". Highly unlikely that Can would or could ever say such a thing, since THERE IS NO "HE" OR "SHE" IN THE TURKISH LANGUAGE. This just made me laugh :-)
In short, The Dervish House would have been a pretty awesome book if it were set in a city author is actually familiar with, with characters he understands, who talk in a language he knows. Honestly, I think Mr McDonald should write about Belfast, where he lives, and leave places like Istanbul to those who know them a bit better.
Dedicating pages in the beginning of the book to Turkish pronunciation is all well and good but there were spelling mistakes in at least half of the Turkish words and names used in this book - For example, it's Aslantepe not "Aslanteppe", Hacettepe not "Haceteppe", Osmanli not "Ösmanli", Meryem Ana Firtinasi not "Firtanisi" as it was repeatedly misspelled, meaning "Tempest of Mother Mary" and definitely not "Wind of September" especially since it happens in mid-October.
Characters don't feel authentic, not least because they say things like "I will see you when I see you" that are impossible to say in Turkish in any meaningful way, they serve pistachios with coffee (always served with alcohol, never with coffee) and they refer to each other by their last names, which NEVER happens in Turkey. Turks didn't even have surnames prior to 1934. It is pretty obvious that the author doesn't know this - Haci Ferhat's descendant is called Beshun Ferhat, which is highly unlikely given that "Ferhat" was his given name and Haci was an honorific title meaning "Muslim who has done the Hajj to Mecca".
There were so many things that didn't ring true, and one was Adnan speaking in English with a trader from Baku in Azerbaijan, saying the other guy just didn't speak good English. Why on earth would these two people struggle with English over the phone anyway, given that they both speak Turkish?!
All of the above to one side, my personal favourite which truly shows the author's ignorance about Turks and Turkish is when Mr Ferentinou says to Can "You said 'he'. Interesting that we assume robots are male". Highly unlikely that Can would or could ever say such a thing, since THERE IS NO "HE" OR "SHE" IN THE TURKISH LANGUAGE. This just made me laugh :-)
In short, The Dervish House would have been a pretty awesome book if it were set in a city author is actually familiar with, with characters he understands, who talk in a language he knows. Honestly, I think Mr McDonald should write about Belfast, where he lives, and leave places like Istanbul to those who know them a bit better.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Parson's egg
I found this book's interwoven story lines intriguing. Set in 2027, it is a plausible near future with many elements we would recognise from the present. Read more
Published 29 days ago by P. J. A. Jennings
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great sense of place, interesting SF
I very much enjoyed this book, and I can see why it won a BSFA award.
Set in near future Istanbul, it covers a week in the lives of six characters who live/work in an old... Read more
Set in near future Istanbul, it covers a week in the lives of six characters who live/work in an old... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Cathy Hill
2.0 out of 5 stars
Good ideas, poor execution
I read a lot of sci fi, and I am quite forgiving of the genre, but this book is painful to read. The ideas in it are cool and enticing, but the author manages to turn them into an... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Lame Can, Boy Detective
4.0 out of 5 stars
Adventures of the (mostly) Young Turks
Ultra-near future science fiction carries with it an occupational hazard for the author - that of being overtaken by technological and social events. Read more
Published 5 months ago by DB
4.0 out of 5 stars
Engaging Futuristic Heist Thriller
Well, that's the only way I could describe it in a headline. Science fiction yes, but set in the near future and in a very recognisable Istanbul, some great characterisation and a... Read more
Published 5 months ago by J. McNeill
1.0 out of 5 stars
Labarinthine, cumbersome, imaginitive, uninvolving
I regret that I cannot agree with the overwhelmingly positive reviews before. I found the book hard going from page one, and I have read an awful lot of SF, general fiction and... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Fellwalker
5.0 out of 5 stars
Genuinely Brilliant.
The Dervish House was the second Ian McDonald book I read (the first being the also excellent Cyberabad Days). Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mr. L. J. Counter
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome!
I gave up on a previous title by this author - too convoluted, too many characters introduced too quickly. Too hard to follow. Read more
Published 20 months ago by V. A. Millett
5.0 out of 5 stars
Touching, atmospheric and absolutely perfectly paced
There's a thing that science fiction novels do, sometimes, where the novel can pretty much be divided into two sections. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Moom
5.0 out of 5 stars
A novel rich in ideas and atmosphere and emotions
The Dervish House starts with a bang: a suicide bomber blows up her own head on a tram in Istanbul. The rest of the novel tells the stories of a wide variety of characters who... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Federhirn
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