In an ancient time, a people made homeless by a devastating fire
are led across a treacherous desert by a thrill-seeking thief, to a land he
doesn't believe exists - and he started the fire. In a squalid ancient
city on the edge of a desert (based on descriptions of the African Sahara’s
Empty Quarter,) a weary, thrill-seeking thief named Omari sets his home on fire
to start anew and cover his many crimes. When the entire city is
unintentionally destroyed by the flames, the cornered thief tells the displaced
people a lie about a better place to which only he can lead them, across the
desert. With the help of an aged, mysterious woman who knows a better place
actually does exist, they set out. The disparate people must come together to
fight their way through bandits, storms, epidemics, and more. As a result of
Omari's involvement with Saba, a fiercely independent woman who is out to break
him in the pay of a merchant whom he has offended, his ability to lead - his
very life - is jeopardized.
Omari And The People (Epic
Adventure)
By Stephen Whitfield
Sherlie Castle Press
ISBN #978-0964429031
#12.10 Paperback
366 Pages
Rating 4-Stars
“In The Style of The Old Classic Adventure
Literature.”
In The City,
located on the Sea of Providence, somewhere in the Empty Quarter of the Sahara
Desert during the `13th Century, a rogue known as the Phantom Thief
takes pleasure in robbing the wealthy ruling class; He lives high on his
takings, as well, but has a good heart. An old woman in the square begs for
food, which he buys for her when he visits the poor section. Returning to his
home one night, he discovers that his wife has betrayed him, and has revealed
his identity to the authorities. Burning his mansion, the fire also destroys The City. When he notices the old woman
is still inside the flames, he rushes back to rescue her. Now he’s tasked with
leading the survivors of The City to
a fabled Paradise somewhere in the desert.
Omari was that mysterious thief, a young rogue, good
with a sword and tricks, who enjoyed stealing the government’s tax money, even
though he did not need it. But what, or who has chosen him to lead the exodus
to the Promised Land? The handsome
young rogue attracts the eye of a number of young women on the caravan, but he
has fallen in love with Saba Khan, a warrior woman possessing some magic of her
own, though the real magic belongs to the old woman he had saved from the fire.
This was a very interesting story, and kept my
interest throughout. The characters were fascinating, the magic was brilliant,
and the story telling was smooth.
Truthfully, however, I felt that Omari the Phantom Thief was more
interesting than Omari the caravan leader. And at times the story does slow on
the journey through the desert. This novel could have been serialized in ARGOSY
or ADVENTURE in the 1930’s. There is no language, and sex is kept off screen.
For anyone wishing to read a family adventure classic, I can highly recommend
this book to you.
Tom Johnson
ECHOES Magazine
Excerpt
As was his way, bin Aswad took no part in the
celebration, and actually enjoyed his time alone as everyone else danced, sang
and ate. Indeed, he had always found great pleasure in his love of numbers –
calculating expenses, inventories and ultimately, profits. Despite Omari’s
warnings about making money from the needs of others, bin Aswad had found it
profitable to provide specialty clothing for those who could afford it. He
found that some people paid well for themselves and or their family to look
good in new clothing, and he was very clever in the re-use of old clothes to
make new garments, as his cloth supply dwindled. Instead of being rich in coin,
he now had more than his share of food, water, tools and other valuables.
He was happily humming a tuneless melody
while he sat counting a number of small gems, when his tent flap flew open. A
stunning young woman moved in quickly and stood over him. Astonished, he
scrambled backwards with his eyes and mouth wide open, spilling the gems onto
the tent floor.
“Ho, bin Aswad. Easy,” said the woman in a
husky voice, and a bright smile that revealed white, even teeth. “I wish you no
harm.” She raised her palms to calm his fright and sat down. “In fact, I
believe I might be of some service to you.
My name is Saba Khan. Did you drop something?”
No longer terrified, bin Aswad was still
too surprised and embarrassed to form any reply, except to start picking up his
gems while glancing up at the stranger. At first glance, Saba Khan possessed
what might be called an extraordinary beauty – enough to turn heads, and very
pleasing to the eye. In bin Aswad’s lamplight, her complexion was a satiny
smooth, golden brown that seemed to blend into the darkness. Her finely
sculpted face framed dark amber, almond-shaped eyes, which made him pause. For
the brief moment he held her gaze, he was so struck by their sheer intensity,
intelligence and perceptiveness that he stopped picking up his gems. His
attitude changed to awe and he was willing, even eager to hear what she had to
say.
“How do you know my name?” he mumbled, too
awestruck to ask all the questions in his mind.
“You are well-known, bin Aswad. You have
many customers—people you talk to and trade with. Some of the things you
receive in trade are precious gems, such as that one you missed, just there.”
She pointed a slender finger at a ruby behind him.
“That gets people’s attention. Some of the
things you’ve said are bound to get even more attention – such as the fact that
you are unhappy with Master Omari’s leadership.” She leaned forward and opened
her eyes wide. “Allow me to offer you some free advice – trade your gems away
and keep your opinions to yourself.”
Bin Aswad noticed the hilt of a dagger in
her waistband. As the idea of danger began to form in his mind, beads of sweat
broke out on his upper lip. “That’s some strong advice,” he said, in an effort
to sound self-assured. “What do you have to do with my opinions or my gems?”
Saba Khan chuckled. “I’m not here to harm
you, bin Aswad. I’m here to suggest that I might be able to help you solve your
problem with Master Omari…for the cost of some of your gems.” She raised her
brow and tilted her head to the side. “Are you interested in seeing someone
else in charge of the caravan? Someone more sensitive to your business
interests?”
He frowned and leaned forward. “And how
would you…”
“You don’t need to know that,” she
said. “All you need to know is if you
pay my price, your satisfaction is guaranteed.”
He stared at the woman in amazement. “What
do you do? Are you some kind of killer?
I don’t want to kill anyone.”
“I make things happen,” she replied. “And
don’t worry; you don’t have enough gems for anyone to be killed. Not even that
great blue jewel you have hidden in your robe.”
Bin Aswad’s eyes widened again. “You know
about the jewel?”
“That is why I’m here,” she said in a low
voice. “Remember my first advice? You’re
not going to be able to hang onto such a stone much longer anyway. Too many
people know about it. Right now, all you have to do is say ‘yes’ to the deal.
If you do, I will give you more details later.
Of course, whether you agree or not, I must refer you back to the second
advice – keep your business to yourself. Now, do we have a deal?” She leaned
forward and smiled as if she knew the answer.
