When Shannon Chakraborty’s swashbuckling ancient Persian romp The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi ended readers knew that was not the end. Chakraborty’s ageing pirate captain had made a deal to recover a series of dangerous magical artefacts and by the end of the first book had only recovered one of those. Which brings readers to book two of this constantly enjoyable series – The Tapestry of Fate.
The book is once again narrated by al-Sirafi, as told to the scribe Jamal (a character in the previous book, only a very minor presence in this one). It opens with the story of how Amina and her crew found the second magical item – a magical pestle that can cure or create disease. But the focus of this book is really on the third item – a spindle that can alter the threads of fate. Amina and her crew are told that the spindle is on an impossible island hidden in the Persian Gulf where it is protected by an immortal sorceress called Lab. But before any of that can happen, Amina’s offsider Dalilla runs off to try and kill Amina’s demon husband Raksh and Amina finds that her daughter Marjana has stowed away on her boat.
So there is plenty of action before Chakraborty even gets to the central mission of this story, one that, once we get there, seems to be not only impossible but likely to lead to the end of Amina’s career, her crew and possibly her life. That story is where the action slows down for a while as Amina tries to understand where she is and how to achieve her seemingly impossible task. Interspersed with this section of the book is the story of the spindle itself, an object born out of violence and that thrives on revenge.
Once again the centre of this tale is Amina al-Sirafi. An aging pirate queen, feeling the years starting to catch up with her, wanting the best for her daughter and her crew, managing a fraught relationship with her estranged husband who is a magical being and spirit of chaos but who also brings her fortune. She is cunning and wily but is also handy with a weapon when she needs to be. Amina is a fabulously flawed creation and more than able to carry this and plenty of other tales
The Amina al-Sirafi series draws heavily on and has the feel of Persian myth. Like the 1000 and One Nights, there are stories withing stories and stories that are about the telling of stories. The Tapestry of Fate is another delightful entry in this series but just a warning – while many of its threads are tied off the tale ends in a way that will have readers desperate for the next instalment.
The Tapestry of Fate by Shanon Chakraborty
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