Dervish House

 In the CHAGA novels Ian McDonald brought an 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 white roots and out into the rich cultures of the world. THE DERVISH HOUSE continues that journey and centres on Istanbul in 2025. 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.

Review: "Ian McDonald writes science fiction like no one else; not just today, but ever before. After reading his latest novel, I think he might be best compared to a futuristic Charles Dickens. Diverse plot strands come together, past and future reflecting each other in an amazing book that easily matches McDonald's award winning Brasyl in ambition, scope and achievement." -- Lisa Tuttle THE TIMES "This is a brilliant, jewelled machine of a novel in which lives triggers events in other lives, in a sequence that skirts chaos and disaster, but ends with gorgeous order." -- Roz Kaveney THE INDEPENDENT McDonald creates a convincing portrait of an Istanbul teeming with dolmuses, meyhanes and apple tea, and his writing reflects his in-depth research about the country; if Orhan Pahmuk suddenly decided to bring nano-technology into his stories, it might read a little like this. Another epic, complex and intelligent offering from McDonald. Fans of realistic, character-driven SF will love it, and anyone with a familiarity of Istanbul will get an extra kick out of the novel." TOTAL SCI FI

Prizes: Short-listed for Arthur C. Clarke Award 2011.