THE CHRONICLES OF WILL RYDE & AWA MARYAM: Book 1
Istanbul, 1591 – and Sultan Murad III, the mightiest ruler in the world, has been robbed. The Staff of Moses has been stolen from his private collection of religious artefacts in the Topkapi Palace – right from under his imperial nose! The wooden Staff, held by Moses as he parted the Red Sea, is a magical symbol of power worth a king’s ransom – and the furious Sultan wants it back. A small undercover unit of hand-picked, trusted warriors is hastily assembled to track down the thieves. They are the Rüzgar, the Wind and like the wind, they travel silently and unseen. Awa, the studious daughter of a noble family from the Songhai Empire in West Africa, was kidnapped and enslaved by Moroccans after the disastrous Battle of Tondibi. Awa is a whirling and deadly force when she has a scimitar in her hand. Will, who was snatched from his home in London at the age of 5, is now 16 and a galley slave on board a Moroccan warship. Joining the Rüzgar turns him into a man. He and Awa become fast friends. The other comrades are Turkish, Greek and Albanian, all led by the charismatic Bosnian Mehmed Konjic, a wise counsellor and natural hero.
Professor Rehan Khan was born in Wimbledon, in 1971. As a child he loved listening to swashbuckling tales of heroism and valour, as well as dabbling in science fiction. Rehan is a Regional Consulting Director for a FTSE 100 corporation. He has more than twenty years of experience and has worked across a number of industries including: telecoms, media, technology, real estate, private equity and executive education.
Read more about Rehan on his website:
http://www.facebook.com/rehankhanauthor
“The novel is fast-paced with strong characterization and plot. The action sequences are exciting and realistic without being gratuitous. The culture and times are brought vividly alive in an easy to read, informative way This will appeal to young adults of all ages. The book ends on a high note, leading on to the next instalment, and I for one can hardly wait. Recommended.”
Mike Ashworth, Historical Novel Society
