I would like to share some media reviews of my book, published in April 2012 in India. I am looking for a publisher outside India.
19 April, 2012: Malaysian news agency published this review
THE MERCHANT KING: GLOBAL WOES IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT
NEW DELHI, April 19 (Bernama) -- If one has to reflect on events in the last two decades that have shaped the world today in a humorous way, “The Merchant King,” a novel written by an Indian journalist, Shakir Husain, is the book to go for.
The book is definitely a reflection of his 14 years in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a journalist amid the ability to candidly capture world events since the time South African president Nelson Mandela was freed after spending
27 years in prison to the recent global financial crisis.
In UAE, Shakir has worked for Yahoo, Gulf News and The Gulf Today.
In an interview with Bernama, Shakir said it took him four years to finish the book with much time spent in shaping the characters, their roles and to be able to touch on certain issues without making any particular reference.
The story starts with a young ambitious prince named Saqr from a country called Balad (literally means nation in Arabic) studying in London with the aim of coming back and modernising his country in an undefined area, which is neither Africa nor Asia.
Like the name of the country, readers would find hilarious acronyms such as a homeland security system named the Management of Armed Defence, National Emergencies and State Security (MADNESS), Consulting Corporation (ConCorp) and Big Oil and Gas Upstream Services (Bogus) company as well as banks called Big Bucks and Borrow & Spend – just to name a few.
A lot of humor has been thrown in to keep the readers amused and the narrative light-hearted, while addressing the challenges the world was facing now.
“We are all living in it, militarism, racism, dictatorship and manipulation that goes on and on. It is a story of what we see on a daily basis,” he said, when asked about the other issues that he had touched in his first book.
Although one can relate the scenarios in the book to the actual events that had taken place, there are no direct linkage to certain personality or country, said Shakir, who used to be a stringer from UAE for BERNAMA.
Being an admirer of Malaysia’s former Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the writer has also covered issues such as globalisation and currency war.
“Dr Mahathir often says globalisation should not be about the movement of capital alone, if you believe in genuine globalisation, people should be able to move freely, but some countries have barriers and yet talk about globalisation, which is well reflected in the book," he added.
Shakir, who is looking for a publisher outside India, feels people from all walks of life would enjoy the book as the story stands by itself, but if one has interest in politics "they would love it".
-- BERNAMA
22 April 2012: India's top news agency Press Trust of India has this to say
The Merchant King: A Satirical Take on Arab World
A prince's soaring ambitions, the shenanigans of investment bankers, absurdities of Arab leadership, and the drama of human life in events that occur across continents – these are the events that give shape to a new novel The Merchant King.
Saqr Almubarak, the young prince of Balad, is studying in London, nursing ambitions to modernise his tiny island. That year his region is hit by great tumult when Scar, the supreme commander of the Arab republic of Khaufistan, invades the small nation of Benzenistan.
Saqr finds himself caught in the whirlwind of world events, playing the game of global overlords as he embarks on an ambitious plan to usher in a new era. But what looks good on paper results, first, in disorder, and later on, something more horrifying.
Journalist Shakir Husain's debut work is a satirical look at how a Western-educated Arab prince dreams big, finds allies and enemies, and battles with destiny. It captures the state of a mythical Arab nation torn between the assurance of its past and lure of the future.
Husain says his book is based on invented stories told through imagined characters.
In London, among Saqr's friends is Chandni, an Indian girl who resembles a popular Bollywood actress. They know Saqr as a firm decision-maker, a visionary whose eyesight was so sharp that he could see the grains of sand with his naked eye and, in his mind, could gaze into the future.
Saqr and Chandni, both students at London's Rodent City School of Economic, are strong supporters of Nelson Mandela and used to deliver fiery speeches against apartheid. In fact, the novel begins at a time when Mandela is released in 1990 after spending 27 years in prison.
There is a Bollywood element also. Saqr under the name of Falcon comes to a place called Empirestate for some business at the famous Big Bucks bank, where he meets Benjamin Gross, an investment banker.
After business work, Falcon was later taken to a night club where Big Bucks often entertained its clients. There was an Indian night club nearby but Benjamin deliberately did not take Falcon as he wanted him to "wean away from Indian tastes" as a controversial Bollywood actress performs there.
Written in a lucid manner, the book has several funny names and acronyms like a homeland security being system called the Management of Armed Defence, National Emergencies and State Security (MADNESS) and a gas company named Big Oil and Gas Upstream Services (Bogus).
Financial World newspaper: "This is an easy read, with plenty of witty conversations and hot women doing erotic stuff." For some reasons I cannot find the link to the same story published on Tehelka.com
27 April, 2012: The review published by Friday Gurgaon weekly newspaper
The Adventures of Saqr
The Merchant King’ is a debut novel by Shakir Husain, an Indian journalist who has spent more than a decade in the United Arab Emirates, working for Yahoo, The Gulf News and Gulf Today. The novel is a fictional account of a young king caught between the shackles of the past and dreams of the future. Given his extensive reporting experience in the Middle East, Husain skillfully transports the reader to a mythical Arab nation, as he narrates a fascinating story.
Saqr, the prince of Balad, studies in London, and goes on to become ‘King Falcon’ for the natives of Neolandia – who hail Balad as their ally. Saqr’s dream of modernising his tiny island come crashing down, as Balad becomes a hub of war, and gets embroiled in turbulent events. On one occasion, when Saqr’s close friend Leila, daughter of a wealthy newspaper owner, fears for Balad, he tells her, “This Island will be a brand new place. There is going to be money everywhere.” But when Scar, the Supreme Commander of the Arab Republic of Khaufistan, invades neighbouring Benzenistan, Saqr and his dreams get entangled in tumultuous drama.
The narrative stays clear of any historical baggage. The prose keeps a good pace, liberally peppered with satirical humour, portraying the idiosyncrasies and ambitions of a young king’s tryst with bankers, doctors, scientists, models and militia. We have a beautiful Brazilian model, a gorgeous sniper, a crazy scientist and a mercurial queen, to complete the escapades of Saqr.
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