THE CITY OF A THOUSAND FACES

RELEASED 28 MAY 560 pages | Hardback/ebook/ audiobook

Author Walker Dryden

Publisher Orion

The City Of A Thousand Faces sees Mike Walker and John Scott Dryden – aka Walker Dryden – begin adapting their Radio 4 drama Tumanbay into a series of novels. They paint a vivid picture of Tumanbay, the capital of an empire built on the slave trade. Brothers Gregor and Qulan are, respectively, head of the Palace Guard and Commander of the army, together facing a rebellion led by a mysterious woman called Maya and all the intrigues of the royal court.

While at first glance it has the trappings of an Arabian Game Of Thrones, it’s akin to a Greek play in that the action invariably happens offstage, meaning there are no epic battles or bloody duels. Instead, Walker and Dryden rely on an engaging cast and a multilayered plot to command the attention. It’s a world composed of shades of grey; Gregor, arguably the main protagonist, is devoted to his duty but operates a regime of torture and executions. Even the likeable merchant Ibn Bai is a slave trader, so it’s hard to know who to root for.

There’s some sense of being constrained by what works for radio; hopefully Walker and Dryden can move beyond that. Likewise, they leave too many unanswered questions, but all the same it’s an immersive, engaging start. David West