“Y’all ain’t got to believe me for it to be the truth” (‘Engraved on the Eye’, pg. 183).

But you will want to believe- in aloof bounty hunters who sing to stone and ribald ghul hunters who care far more than they let on.

From the city of Dhamsawaat Ahmed made familiar through ‘Throne of the Crescent Moon’, to a meeting of super villains as viewed by a rather jaded member, ‘Engraved on the Eye’ is an absolutely enthralling collection of the familiar mixed with the exotic and the strange. Readers are introduced to a physician in exile asked to assist in a faith shattering case, a female Dervish who splits her lodge over a promise made to her mother- the fascinating, terrifying, and the beautiful all rolled into one.

If you are looking to dip your toes into Ahmed’s writing, definitely give this collection a try. They are short stories with meat- you will think and feel and you will not want to stop turning pages.