A world of veils and delusions. A city in ferment. A battle of empires played out in diplomatic details and back-street brutality.
Marrakesh, 1906, and the unexpected arrival of a circus to perform for the Sultan seems like an opportunity for European envoy and Moroccan warlord alike, as they manoeuvre for advantage and pursue their private dreams.
But something has been unleashed in the labyrinth of market alleys that no one can control, and it threatens chaos, disillusionment and tragedy.
This is a bitter fable of colonialism, and an unravelling of the meaning of story itself.
The Sultan’s Emu by RJ Wilton is available now.
Find out about the history behind this book, and how the author dealt with some difficult choices, in The challenges of writing a novel set in Morocco.
You’ll find lots more historical fiction in Historia’s round-up of over 130 books published this year.
