Rebel of the Sands (Rebel of the Sands #1) by Alwyn Hamilton • contains 358 pages • published February 4, 2016 by Faber & Faber • classified as Fantasy, Young Adult • obtained through purchase • read as paperback • shelve on Goodreads Synopsis:
This phenomenal novel is the first in a trilogy packed with shooting contests, train robberies, festivals under the stars, powerful Djinni magic and an electrifying love story.
"Tell me that and we'll go. Right now. Save ourselves and leave this place to burn. Tell me that's how you want your story to go and we'll write it straight across the sand."
Dustwalk is Amani's home. The desert sand is in her bones. But she wants to escape. More than a want. A need.
Then a foreigner with no name turns up to save her life, and with him the chance to run. But to where? The desert plains are full of danger. Sand and blood are swirling, and the Sultan's enemies are on the rise.
The first 200 pages were not written well. I was bored and felt growing discomfort with the mangled Middle Eastern culture this fantasy book was premised on. At least the next 150 odd pages picked up a little in terms of plot and also storytelling, so I didn’t end up thoroughly hating Rebel of the Sands. Still, this book has so many problems, I’m relieved I didn’t order the sequels before finishing this one first.
Not Much Respect for Original Cultures
What was the most upsetting about Rebel of the Sands was the way Western tropes and Middle Eastern folklore were combined. For most of the book, the strength of Amani lay in her sharpshooting skills. Give her a gun and she’ll survive the desert/wilderness. This means her heroics were premised on the Western influences, which allowed her to overcome her circumstances — the oppression of her family and their society. This oppression was a reflection of negative perceptions of the Middle East that weren’t even well-researched.
Superficial Inspiration
For example, View Spoiler »
Yes, Rebel of the Sands is a work of fantasy, so the religions go by other names. You could argue that accuracy therefore doesn’t matter. However, the parallels are evident as Amani’s people pray several times a day, waking up before dawn for the first prayer. Technically, alcohol isn’t encouraged, even if widely drunk. They believe in djinn. Although, the portrayal of them is based more on pop culture than anything else. With such obvious parallels, more care should’ve been given to the portrayal of religions in Rebel of the Sands.
Weak Development
Beyond the cultural insensitivity, the writing style was very obfuscating. In a bid to show, rather than tell, there was a lot of imagery throughout the book but few propelled it forward. I’d read a page and end up wondering, “So what?” Did the plot advance? No. Did I learn more about the characters or the setting? No. Did these build atmosphere? No. In essence, more than half of the book was unnecessary.
Then there was the strange logic of the Demidjin. They supposedly couldn’t lie. What shifted, depending on context was whether they had to speak what they knew to be true or what was true, even if they couldn’t know.
One Demidjin wondered if two boys she’d met might be her brothers. She couldn’t say that they were, so the conclusion was that they couldn’t be. Then later, she said something, without knowing if it was true in order to make it true. The concept of truth wasn’t explored well enough to establish a logical system. Rather, it was bent to become a convenient plot device.
As for the connection between Amani and Jin (also what’s up with that name?), there was none, and yet she was willing to follow him to the ends of the earth. There was little trust between the two and yet View Spoiler ». There was no spark that led to it. Their relationship continued to be perfunctory without any development of emotional intimacy.
Unworthy Protagonist & Ableist Trope
You could say that disconnect stemmed from Amani’s upbringing. She’d lost her mother, after which she lived with her uncle and aunt. Her aunt hated her with a passion. Her cousins followed suit. She did, however, have a best friend. Tamid was willing to give up everything for her.
Tamid protected her with all he had. What did he get for it? View Spoiler » So yeah, there’s that — the reasons Amani is a most unsympathetic protagonist not worth rooting for.
You have summed up my feelings on this book better than I ever could. It did not absorb me at all and I barely remember a thing that happened other than being bored. The writing was unengaging and the story and the characters were so empty. I expected a rich fantasy world but all I got was a story with some sand and guns and scraps of Middle Eastern culture that were inaccurate and could barely be considered influence because it was all just so weak and bland. I’m glad I’m not the only one who was disappointed with Rebel of the Sands. Brilliantly written review!
I read this book a few years ago and I believe I already commented one of your instagram photos with regards to my opinion. Back then, I perceived the characters as very one dimensional, no real chemistry between them, found this lying thing to be quite illogically carried out and was quite bored throughout most parts. It’s interesting to read your criticism of the depiction of religion and middle eastern culture, though. I didn’t pay very much attention to this at the time, because it was such a quick and superficial read. But now that you say it, I remember more and thoroughly agree. I remember it being hyped also because of its desert and different cultural setting, so it’s even more annoying that the book uses a lot of stereotypes :/
Yes, you did comment on my Instagram post :) And I’m with you! I’ve missed out on questionable details in some books as well — not because those elements bother me but because they were so boring, my mind wandered. In the case of Rebel of the Sands, however, I’d been so excited about the historical Middle Eastern it was supposed to be based on. That’s why rather than skim through, I made sure to pay attention to the details even after it became clear that it wasn’t developed well.
this book was pretty hyped up in the book community but strangely, i never found myself interested in it… i never really into the whole gunslinger trope, but wow that potrayal of middle east culture is just not well researched at all!
Since you weren’t interested before, might as well skip this one. I’m sure you’ve a whole bunch of other books you’re looking forward to anyway :)
I’m so glad I didn’t risk ordering this from abroad. It doesn’t seem worth it.
Yeah, good call on that one. So many better books out there.