Arslan

Arlsan grips you from the start. Its that simple. It twists you and turns you and makes you want to conspire against General Arslan with the characters. Arslan is a as cruel as they come. Hes hearltless, shameless,a bisexual rapist, favoring children, and he is a flawless strategist deserving to be with the greatest of military minds. His sense of humor isnt good, but it makes you laugh nervously anyways. Engh wrote this as if he were standing there, watching it transpire neutrally. The detail and dialouge is outstanding. This is one for the ages. Higly Recommended.

Before I scribble my own thoughts here, I want to correct one of the previous user reviews, by Duncan Tomas. He says that there is no explanation as to how this extraordinary situation came to be, or why the world's armies allow it to continue. All I can say is, Duncan Tomas obviously didn't read the book very closely. There is a clear explanation for all the supposed plot holes he complains about.And now my thoughts. This book, like all great books, (and I'm thinking of books like Lord of the Rings here) has something for everyone. A casual reader can be glued to his seat reading about Franklin Graham's struggle against the tyrannical rule of Arslan, and the more serious reader can luxuriate in the beautiful language of Hunt Morgan's narration.Despite the outragous scenario - a third world dictator conquers the world - the tone is restrained and subtle. There is only one scene of explicit violence. Franklin Bond fights an emotional and physical battle against Arslan, while Hunt Morgan fights a desperate spiritual battle against the advances of Arslan. It's a story about fathers and sons, as the author says. It is profound, beautiful, and sad.I cannot recommend it more highly.

Orson Scott Card introduced me to "Arslan" in one of his books, and he marvelled how Engh was able to create Arslan, a vile character that you get to know and grow to sympathize with.The story begins with Franklin Bond, a Southern Illinois principal whose town is invaded by Arslan after the surrender of the United States and is made into a new capital. Bond becomes a governor of the county and watches the turmoil of his fellow citizens. In the meantime, he forms a strange friendship with Arslan, who always deals with Bond in a strangely respectful manner. Arslan even gives Bond a chance to kill him, because in Arslan's predatorial philosophy, no victory should be without risk. There is a catch: Arslan's soldiers will annihilate Bond's town if Arslan dies, and Bond would have very little time to evacuate the townsmen before the soldiers would realize what happened and begin the massacre. This was one of the most wrenching scenes, because you cry out to Bond "kill him", but Arslan's threat gives Bond cold feet. This is one of the first of many times where Engh shows how Arslan's cruel genius twists people's wills to his own.The story's perspective later alternates with Hunt Morgan, an adolescent and student of Bond's who is victimized by Arslan and then turned into a servant--Morgan's relationship with Arslan becomes one of the most complicated in the book, as Arslan both manipulates and befriends(?) the youth.These two men show us how our civilization could have been ruined by a no-name Third World dictator, and Engh's eye for human weaknesses and strengths makes this a believable tale that leave you wondering.

It is said that given a lever long enough, one can move the world with but a push. Arslan, a militarist from a tumultous backwater kingdom, conquered the world and destroyed civilization as we know it. M.J. Engh's "Arslan" is a true gem of speculative fiction. The central character, Arslan, is perhaps one of the most powerful, moving characters ever created: he is a force of unnerving, logical, yet passionate evil, yet he is incredibly human, even romantic. Arslan's goal is to save the world. From us. And yet he admittedly delights in the very hunt, the battle. He savors pain. He delights in perversion as much as he delights in learning. He shapes people's lives with his presence alone.Using subtle, quick-moving language Engh paints a brilliant masterpiece that would require less masterful authors to use far more explicit scenes. It's sad that this excuciatingly powerful work of speculative political fiction (it takes place in an Illinois town in our time, and contains very few science fiction or fantasy elements) will not probably live to see a reprint.

There have been a lot of SF novels about madmen trying to conquer the world. This is one of the few that was actually about *people*, not just "gosh wow" concepts.M.J. Engh shows what happens from the point of view of two characters. This is a great example of how to make viewpoints work. The voices of the characters are so distinct you will wonder how the same person could have written them. The charismatic title character is a catalyst and not a viewpoint character. But *all* these people come alive.You will remember this book long after you have read it.