The Siege of Burning Grass
The Empires of Varkal and Med'ariz have always been at war.
Alefret, the founder of Varkal's pacifist resistance, was bombed and maimed by his own government, locked up in a secret prison and tortured by a 'visionary' scientist. But now they're offering him a chance of freedom.
Ordered to infiltrate one of Med'ariz's flying cities, obeying the bloodthirsty zealot Qhudur, he must find fellow anti-war activists in the enemy's population and provoke them into an uprising against their rulers.
He should refuse to serve the warmongers, but what if he could end this pointless war once and for all? Is that worth compromising his own morals and the principles of his fellow resistance members?
Cover illustration and design: Clare Stacey
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Praise for The Siege of Burning Grass
It is not an easy road, but it is a thoroughly engaging one, often sublime in its strangeness, those flashes of worldbuilding that bewilder and tantalize, the hint of histories buried by madmen and sycophants. Everyone is trying to write over the other's past and murder their way to their ideal future, and Mohamed has the reader see this all through the benevolent, kind, caring, weary, but sturdy eyes of Alefret; truly one of the most dynamic, fascinating, and empathic protagonists I've encountered in quite a while.— Reactor
It touched the part of my soul that fears for the future of the world.— Joanne Rixon
The Siege of Burning Grass is a novel that matches its moment, and should inspire discussion, debate, and reflection about the moral responsibilities of citizens. Very few novels this ambitious succeed as fully. This book deserves your consideration for every award for which it is eligible.— Hugo Book Club Blog