A Wind in Cairo

by Judith Tarr

THE PRINCE: Spoiled, reckless, heedless of any wants or needs but his own, sentenced to a terrible fate for his sins against man, woman, and God.
THE STALLION: Equally spoiled, equally reckless, bound until death to a bitter servitude.
THE TURK'S HEIR: Fiercest of rivals, most devoted of enemies, whose armor hides a secret. Come into the world of the Arabian Nights, where magic and mystery meet; where justice lays a sinner low, and the magic of the heart turns hate to love.

Includes the full text of the original Bantam edition, slightly revised, with a new introduction and a bonus short story.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Historical Fantasy, Romance, Animals

262 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1989

About the author

AKA Caitlin Brennan, Kathleen Bryan.

Judith Tarr (born 1955) is an American author, best known for her fantasy books. She received her B.A. in Latin and English from Mount Holyoke College in 1976, and has an M.A. in Classics from Cambridge University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from Yale University. She taught Latin and writing at Wesleyan University from 1988-1992, and taught at the Clarion science-fiction-writing workshops in 1996 and 1999.

She raises and trains Lipizzan horses at Dancing Horse Farm, her home in Vail, Arizona. The romantic fantasies that she writes under the name Caitlin Brennan feature dancing horses modeled on those that she raises.

Reviews

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

My buddy-reader, Brad, read this way back in high school and was enchanted but never found the courage to re-read it (you'll find out why later). As these things go, a buddy-read was the perfect way to gently force him to re-visit this early-Crusade-Egypt.

Egypt is under Muslim rule. Hasan is a young prince and as arrogant as (supposedly) pretty. He commits many crimes - gambling being the least of them. Eventually, his father wants to reign him in by giving him to a Beduin he knows but before he can, Hasan runs away, rapes the daughter of a mage and is punished by being turned into a stallion. No special horse (which at first stings the most) and bound to follow the will of a female rider. Thus begins a tale of redemption that also takes the reader through a wonderful description of Muslim culture back in the day.

We get the horrible way Hasan conducts himself, we get the different ways families are ruled, we get the political turmoil between different factions (Turkish and Syrian forces amongst others), we get a girl raised as a boy (unthinkable then as now amongst Muslims).

I liked how no character was a sterotype, how the author managed to accurately describe the Muslim culture and melting pot cities, how the magic is there but never in the forefront, how it is a story about growing up but not in the bland way we know from most modern books. The tale is complex and multi-coloured as well as multi-layered.

Moreover, the author has a wonderful writing style, making the story rich and powerful, bringing me to tears but also making me laugh. In general, the tale just felt real. I didn't even mind the merciful way Hasan was punished and - upon concluding the book - am convinced it was a much more effective punishment as cutting off his manhood would have been.

The most fantastic thing about this book, though, is that it is as great now as it was when it was first published. Timeless writing is the mark of true greatness and this book has it.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this way back in High School and I absolutely loved it. As a romance, it was magical and heartbreaking and I admit that I broke into tears then as easily as I did now.

As a fantasy set in the extremely well-researched time of the Early Crusades as written from the PoV of Muslims, it frankly blew me away. Not only did the humanity and the civilization shine through, but so did the culture.

But let me address the one problematic issue that pretty much prevented me from re-reading this well-beloved magical historical fantasy of a love story between a fiery headstrong Muslim woman and her equally headstrong horse: the rape.

This is no glorification, first of all. This was a crime in the novel that was met with a very severe punishment that could very well have led to much, much worse consequences for Hasan. But in the punishment, there was MERCY.

I know, I know, this is a trigger issue, but I personally believe the crimes should be treated with justice and not cruelty. The tale, over the full length of its telling, walks a very fine line and ends where I believe most tales SHOULD end.

They should teach us that mercy and justice are not dead. They should teach us that no one should ever be perpetually judged by the worst thing they have ever done. There is a balance here. And, indeed, the balance is all the harder because it teaches us that any of us can change.

Hasan, a selfish prick, can learn to be obedient, loving, and self-sacrificing.

If you want a novel that simply desires blood for the blood god, this is not for you. If you want a novel that is gorgeous, hopeful, redemptive, and a great tear-jerker that rests its head on Humility... then OMG, yo: PICK THIS UP.

The balance is real. Both men and women are real men and women. The quality of justice is NOT strained. It is hard, it is painful, it requires tons of effort, good-will, and the open-mindedness of all parties, but the quality of justice is NOT strained. It may, indeed, be one of the most beautiful things in the universe.

This novel touches something truly great. It may prod your boundaries, but it is still something truly great.

[Brownbetty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very enjoyable book if you can overlook the fact that the protagonist is a rapist.

I trust the 'oh dear' is implied.

This book takes place in medieval Egypt and the middle-east, slightly before the third crusade, if I have my figures right. Salah ad-Din Yusuf (Saladin) appears as a character in this novel. The main characters are almost all Muslims within an Islamic society. My knowledge of Islam is cursory at best, but Tarr has a PhD. in Medieval studies, and includes notes in the back matter about the historical facts she has altered in the novel for the sake of her story, and which in absence of better authority does incline me to trust her.

[Author:Tarr] is perhaps better known for her Avaryan Chronicles, which are fantasy, but this is one is not, particularly, aside from the magic that transforms the (rapist) protagonist into a horse in the first chapter, and that magic seems to me more or less "historically accurate," in that it would have fit within the worldview of that age's inhabitants.

Right, now on to an explanation for my inability to leave the rapist bit alone: Hasan, our protagonist, if not quite hero, is transformed into a horse after he rapes a magus' daughter. Hasan manages to be contemptible, but does not quite inspire hatred since he is basically so self-centred that it never occurs to him any woman might not want to have sex with him. When he realizes he has had sex not with the mage's servant, but with his daughter, Hasan makes the (historically) honourable offer to marry her, and the mage says he'd rather wed his daughter to a sheep, which made me like him.

But then we get this entire story about Hasan's growth. As a horse, he slowly learns that sometimes, he can't have what he wants, and sometimes, one chooses to not have what one wants because it might hurt someone else. He also learns, in a somewhat dim way, the enormity of his crime.

And of course, he falls in love with his owner, Zamaniyah. Zamaniyah is much more the story's hero than Hasan is. Her father's only daughter, Zamaniyah has been raised to fill the role of his son. She struggles with the demands this makes of her, both as a Muslim, and within her society, and is an appealing character. Her only female friends come from her father's harem, and she cannot really have any male friends, although her eunuch slave, Jaffar, is in an almost maternal role. Zamaniyah rides to war, navigates politics, makes friends, and eventually decides who she is.

The problem with the book is, Zamaniyah deserves much better than Hasan, despite the fact that Hasan does eventually grow up.

[Jacqueline J · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time favorite books. I loaned it to a friend and her husband threw it away. I looked for a new copy for years and found it again as soon as the internet was invented. Thanks Al Gore!

This author has horses and it shows. This is a great love story and a well done story about horses. I'm a life long horse owner and it really pushes my buttons when an author does the horse stuff wrong.

The hero is a spoiled young man who does a very bad thing. He is punished and he learns and grows. The heroine is very strong having been raised as a son.

The hero redeems himself at the end.

Bit of a SPOILER

The only thing that creeps me out a bit is the guy having a foal with a mare while he's a stallion. But he does acknowledge that the mare at least was willing.

Other than that a great love story with some really good feel for the time of the first crusade.

[M— · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has been hugely recommended to me for years. It's also been out of print for about as long as I've been aware of its existence, which has hindered my reading of it, but so many people have spoken of it so highly that I've finally tracked down a copy finally. Horses! Arabian Nights! Kick-ass female character(s)! Magic! Yay!

My reaction? :|

It is rare that I am moved to express myself in emoticons, but it seems suitable here. My feelings on this book were decidedly mixed. I really liked how Tarr wrote her female protagonist, and Zamaniyah was a believable and fascinating character to read and, if a bit young for the life-changes she was going through, realistic for the culture of the setting. Tarr writes horses splendidly, and I loved reading her horses here. But I could not invest in the male protagonist, and any sympathy that I might have had for Hasan was lost on when he committed rape:

It was a torrent in him. It bore him all unresisting; it swept her to him. She struggled, startled: a gazelle, a fawn. She was no match for his lion's strength. He laughed and set his lips on hers. She bit. He bit harder. Her hands clawed, raked. He snatched at her drawers. She twisted. Wondrous passionate, this slave of the Hajji. He took high delight in proving himself her master.

He paused only once. Astonished. He was the first ever to pass her gate. He broke it in exultation and cast it down. He had made a woman of her.

He dropped from her at last, exhausted. She lay beside him. There was no fire left in her. He stroked her. She quivered. He smiled. "My beauty," he said tenderly. "My beloved."

White pain seared his cheek. He surged up in shock. She was out of his reach, pausing once in her swift flight, turning. Her eyes struck him more terribly than any slash of her nails. Black, burning, relentless hatred. But worse than that: contempt. She spat in his face. (p. 14).

I like the girl's father, though:

The Hajji's mouth twisted in his beard, as if he choked on bile. "Why do I speak to you of humanity? You have none. I would destroy you like the dog you are, but you have eaten my bread and salt; and I, at least, am a man. I cannot take the life of a guest. But you must pay for what you have done." (p. 15)

"As for your [unsolicited offer of] wedding my daughter..." The Hajji laughed. Hasan shuddered at the sound of it. There was no mirth in it, and no mercy. "Even if I would bestow my sole beloved jewel upon such a creature as you are, she will not have it. Unless," he said, "she has you as her slave." (p. 15)

"No, young stallion; I think you do not wish to give yourself to my daughter." (p. 15)

Now, acts of violence happen very often in the fantasy books I read, and I'm not quite sure what it says about me that I seem less willing to forgive an act of rape than a far more common (in my fantasy books) and arguably more life-altering act of murder. And Tarr does write this crime without excuse or pity and does her best to craft a redemption for Hasan, and the wizard's daughter who was raped was never faceless in the story (although she was and remains nameless) or forgotten after the event (although she never again appears directly on the pages).

"You have a daughter?"

"Yes." He paused. His face darkened as if with great sadness. He sighed. "She will be greater in the Art than I. If..."

"If?" she asked when he did not go on.

The darkness deepened. "If she remembers her strength. If she can master herself. It is a bitter battle, and long, and perhaps she cannot win it." (pp. 161-162)

And then:

"She dwells among women who are masters of the Art; she rises high and swift. But she will not suffer the presence of a man."

"Even you?"

His head bowed, rose. "I am part of it. I taught her magic, but I had not taught her enough. When it came to the crux, she could muster no defense. She was no mage then." (p. 162)

Fuck Hasan; I want to read her story.

I find the romantic relationship that developed between Hasan and Zamaniyah inexplicable. Sure, Hasan is aware of Zamaniyah's womanliness and desirability the entire time he's a horse, but Zamaniyah is only aware that Hasan is a horse. A horse she loves, yes, but I had a pony when I was fifteen and I loved that pony and if that pony had ever transmogrified into a human, I would not have jumped him. NO. (I would, however, have become the pony/human's new best friend and not have flipped out on him, because I was that sort of fantasy-mad, horse-crazy child who would have totally rolled with this. Also, my pony was well into middle age and a gelding, but that's not the point.) Zamaniyah, however, has one brief (private) conversation with human-him and is entirely for the kissing, then has a second brief (at the top of their lungs, in front of their parents) conversation and decides to marry him.

:|

This is probably a three-star book to be truthful, worth reading but not rereading, but I'm knocking off a star for the rapist protagonist. And I'm not recommending this book because if that.

Zamaniyah should have fallen in love with the sultan.

Quotes pulled from ISBN: 0553276093.

[Mervi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stand-alone historical fantasy book set in 12th century Egypt.

This is a book for horse lovers. It’s a fairy tale expanded to a fantasy.

Hasan is the pampered only son of a rich emir and a thoroughly self-centered, gambling, drunken womanizer. He also lives in Egypt in a time when all decent women live in harems. When he finally gambles away his father’s prized mares, his father has had enough and just tells Hasan that he’s going to be sent for a Beduin who will make a man out of Hasan. Hasan escapes. But instead of doing anything useful, he spends the night drinking, womanizing, and spending the last of his money. After he’s robbed and beaten, he staggers to the house of an old man who nurses him back to health. Recovering, Hasan meets the beautiful young woman who has been nursing him and rapes her. She’s the old man’s daughter. The old man turns out to be a magus and he transforms Hasan to a horse, a red stallion. The magus tells Hasan that he will be a slave to a woman and will die in the horse form.

Soon, a girl does buy Hasan the stallion. She’s Zamaniyah who is around 14 but already has a great eye for horses. She’s also the only daughter of Hasan’s father’s mortal enemy. She names Hasan Khamsin and starts to train him together with her father’s horsemaster, a Greek slave.

The POV characters are Hasan/Khamsin, Zamaniyah, and her eunuch slave Jaffar. Because all of Zamaniyah’s brothers have been slain (by Hasan’s father), her father had decided to raise her has a boy and his heir. She’s forbidden to enter harem, where all of her father’s women, including concubines, live and she’s forbidden to wear women’s clothing or makeup or anything that rich women of that time had. Instead, she’s taught to ride, fight, hunt, and care for horses.

The first half of the book is mostly about Zamaniyah training the horse Khamsin. The second half is set during the sultan Salah ad-Din Yusuf’s war campaign and is quite different from the first.

Zamaniyah is a great character. She always obeys her father, even though sometimes she wishes that she could be an ordinary girl. But on the other hand, she enjoys horse and knows that this is the only way she can train and ride them. But when she’s angry, she forgets to be obedient and quiet, so that nobody will notice how strange she is. She takes a liking to Khamsin and uses a gentle “Greek” way to train him as a warhorse. The women scorn her and the men can’t be friends with her, so her only friend is Jaffar, her eunuch slave who is devoted to her. She also befriends one of her father’s concubines who is a captured Frankish woman.

Tarr doesn’t shy away from showing us the Islamic world at the time, which includes (rich) women shut away to harems, slavery, eunuchs, and that woman are chattel to men. Most men don’t accept Zamaniyah but they must respect that it was her father’s choice to raise her as a boy. Also, the book dealt with surprising amount of rape, although not in any titillating way. So, despite Zamaniyah’s age, this is definitely not YA.

I thoroughly enjoyed Zamaniyah and Khamsin was mostly entertaining, too. I mostly enjoyed this story and except for the fantasy bits, I think it’s fairly accurate description of the times.

[Dearbhla]

I decided to read this book based on the author's article where she talks about certain problems with C.S Lewis' The Horse and his Boy. She says

"Aravis reminds me of why I wrote A Wind in Cairo, which is partly about correcting the issues I saw in The Horse and His Boy, and mostly about girls and horses. And the Crusades. From the other side."

And lets face it, that sounds plain awesome!

And I loved the book. I think that if I had read it as a teenager it would have been one of those books I read and reread and then reread some more.

Tarr's writing is just so easy to read, and it is so evocative. You feel as though you are in the middle of the scenes.

But, there is a huge issue at the heart of this book. And that is, the crime Hasan is being punished for is rape. And I know a lot of people won't want to read the story of a rapist's redemption. It is a very understandable reaction.

I was very very worried that it was going to be a romance story between Hasan and the woman he rapes ((another unfortunate part is that she remains unnamed throughout the book)) but that is very definitely not on the cards. The reaction of the Hajji ((the woman's father)) when he discovers what Hasan has done is, thankfully, outrage, anger, and disgust at what Hasan has done. There isn't even the slightest hint of victim blaming.

Still, the story does revolve around Hasan learning just what a dick he has been and learning and growing.

But! but it is also the story of Zamaniyah and she is brilliant. I loved her character so much. After her brothers were killed in war he father decided that his only surviving child should be raised as though she were a boy. He doesn't try to pretend she is male, she dresses as a boy and is educated as a boy. She is aware of all the benefits this brings her, but it also makes her an outsider, both to other women and to men. They all seem to distrust her. I really liked the way Tarr wrote her. She wants to do her duty, to do as her father commands, but she also knows that she cannot go on that way forever, and she isn't really sure what she herself wants.

Despite the fact that Zamaniyah is being raised in a world of men Tarr introduces other women into the story. Some have just fleeting parts to play, others stick around for longer, like Wiborada, who is a Frankish prisoner/concubine. Her story is another that I'd love to see more of, but you can't have everything in a book.

I do wish that Hasan has committed some other lesser crime. But then again, would a lesser crime have warranted being turned into a horse? And the crime he committed is never swept under the covers or minimised. Hasan is made to learn just what he did and how wrong it was. It takes time, and his journey isn't smooth, but he does come to an understanding why his rape was so terrible.

[Dangermousie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh my God what is this book even! Hero is so self-absorbed he forces someone out of sheer lack of ability to understand someone may not want him, is turned into a horse bought by cross-dressing heroine, has a horse daughter he begets on another horse (!!!!), is a horse for 85% of the book and there is an awful lot of talk about taming and grooming and bridles and god knows what which made me feel uncomfortably like I was reading someone's too-personal a fantasy.

It's kinda awful but well-written and I couldn't put it down so I don't even know what rating to give.

PS If you don't like instalove, stay away from this one, if the horse aspect hasn't put you off already.

[Stacy Koster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book. It has been one of my favorites since I first found it at the library when I was in high school.
I like how the crusaders are the bad guys, the girl is the hero, and a man learns from his mistakes by getting turned into a horse.

[Michael Lore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Wind in Cairo is a well-researched historical fantasy set in the tumultuous period of the early Crusades. Egypt lies under Saladin's hand, and the story is told entirely from the point of view of Muslim characters, something rare at least in English literature, especially for 1989.The story follows two protagonists: Hasan, a degenerate Arabian prince who as a guest in a magus' house rapes his daughter and as punishment is turned into a horse and bound to serve Zamaniyah, the daughter and only living child of Al-Zaman, who happens to be Hasan's father's mortal enemy.

What follows is a tale of coming of age and a little romance, though I'd hesitate to call it young adult at all. The writing is timeless, and holds up even today, and the characters are rich and real. Zamaniyah is her father's heir and raised as a boy would be raised, learning the arts of war and indeed riding to war. The sultan Saladin features heavily, and in this novel we see him as a youngish man, intelligent and wise and lordly, all of the traits that made him the greatest of the medieval Muslim kings and respected even in the West.

Judith Tarr certainly knows her horses. A good chunk of the book revolves around Zamaniyah training Hasan and bonding with him. At certain points it became a little much for me, but it never became a slog. This is a brisk novel, and the prose is elegant without ever becoming dense.

A Wind in Cairo is a bit of a departure from what I normally read. It's a bit hard for me to relate to a young girl as a protagonist, especially one belonging to a foreign religion. But for all that it was an enjoyable read, the historical setting is vivid and interesting, and it didn't overstay its welcome. Some may have have an issue with the ending, but to me it was thoughtfully and gracefully handled.

[The Idle Woman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered this book completely by chance thanks to a post Tarr wrote at Tor.com on C.S. Lewis’s The Horse and his Boy, and have been utterly charmed by it. It’s an Arabian-Nights-style fantasy, set in Cairo in the 13th century during the rule of the young sultan Salah Al-Din: a tale of enchantment, arrogance, romance, and self-realisation, with a fiery young heroine and a most unconventional hero. Over the years, I’ve read several books which I know I would have adored as a teenager; this one, however, stands out because I love it as much now as I would have done then.

Hasan al-Fahl Sharif is the beautiful, spoiled and reckless son of Ali Mousa. He cuts a swathe through Cairo with his reprobate friends, drinking, gambling and chasing women, to the despair of his conservative father and to the dishonour of his bloodline, which descends from the Prophet himself. But one day Hasan goes too far. After a foolish wager, on which he stakes his father’s prized mares, and an equally foolish attempt to escape his punishment, he finds himself beaten and wounded on the streets of Cairo. He is taken in by a gentle Hajji, who washes and tends him with the aid of a beautiful woman. When he allows his lust to overpower him again, Hasan makes a terrible mistake and his host, who turns out to be far more than he seems, exacts a correspondingly terrible price...

For the full review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2017/04/23/a...

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun romance novel. I loved it as a kid, and I'm glad that it help up well enough. The male love interest rapes a woman in the beginning of the book and the rest of the book is about his character growth to being a slightly less disgusting human being; the book correctly treats his actions as despicable - though not, it's important to note, as irredeemable.
Not as racist as it could be. Uses the middle eastern setting for exotic flair, and depicts Islam as a warlike religion, but feels well researched and is internally consistent.

[Kasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book. It had everything I wanted and needed: a strong and like able heroine, horses, wonderful horses clearly understood by the author, a bit of magic, excitement, and a fully satisfying ending. I treasured reading this book, I just didn’t want it it to end (but it ended just where it needed to. I hope other books by this author are as good!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story! I prefer the male main character as a horse, which thankfully he is for most of the book. And the writing style is quite unique, which I was not sure about at first but ended up really liking.

[Jonine Bergen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just couldn't get into this one.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book. You fall into this book. Very hard to put down. A fine tale nicely woven!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t say I loved this book but something about it kept me reading.

[Brittany Date · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the idea of a man being transformed into a horse but the writing for me was a little jarring, and I just couldn’t tolerate his arrogance as a character. Also the r*pe scene..

[°мαggιє° (っ⚈ᴥ⚈)っ™ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very unique! read in one night. finished 12:28 am aug 17 2024

[Starfire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little fantasy story set in medieval Egypt, in which an arrogant, thoughtless prince is turned into a horse in punishment for a crime he commits against the daughter of a magus, with just a hint of romance in there from at least three different perspectives. Set against the background of the Crusades and the empire (is that the right word?) of Saladin, it made for a good - and different - fantasy read.

It's been a while since I've read a fantasy with this kind of narrative style - one where the description is far more about what's actually happening than what the characters are thinking and feeling. It reminds me of books I used to read as a kid, and I have to admit that it... I don't know... distanced me from the characters a little - I didn't feel as though I knew them nearly as well as I feel like I know characters I read about through a more involved, internal-focussed narrative voice. That's not necessarily a bad thing, I guess - but it did mean that it took a while for me to get into the story.

The characters themselves were fairly enjoyable to read about - no-one struck me as a complete cardboard cutout, although I could have done with a bit more about some of them sometimes. The plotline was simple (bordering on fairytale-ish), but fairly well executed.

And I give the book special points for being a little bit of a history lesson in medieval Egypt and the culture of Saladin's time - not that the history in the book is perfect, but the author does include an endnote on what's historically accurate in the story and what isn't - and I do find myself wanting to read more books set in that time period now...

Really, I don't have any real major complaints about the book, so I'm surprised to find myself only giving it a 6.5/10. Why? I guess because despite there not being anything critically wrong with it, there's also not much in the way of shining "I LOVED this about this book!" in there that I can think about. It was enjoyable, yes, and I'd absolutely recommend it to fantasy reading friends (with one caveat: the crime the protagonist commits at the beginning of the book, which he's being punished for and spends the rest of the book atoning for is rape - the scene itself is handled with delicacy and is completely non-graphic, but if that's going to be a trigger for you, give this story a miss! ) - but at the same time, it just didn't hugely inspire or enthrall me.

Ehhnnnhh - you get that with some books. C'est la vie

[LOL_BOOKS]

I'M REREADING JUDITH TARR'S A WIND IN CAIRO. SHITTY DUDE CHARACTER GETS TURNED INTO A HORSE AFTER RAPING A WIZARD'S DAUGHTER AND ENDS UP THE WARHORSE OF A YOUNG WOMAN IN 12TH CENTURY EGYPT AND SYRIA AND LEARNS TO BE A DOPER PERSON. PROBABLY GOOD FOR MEMERS WHO READ A LOT OF MARGUERITE HENRY AS BB MEMERS.

DOES HE FUCK A LADYHORSE AT SOME DOINT?

Y, AND FATHERS A BABBY HORSE, BUT HE'S MUCH MORE OF A HORSE THAN A PERSON AT THAT POINT OF THE BOOK AND IT'S ALL ~INSTINCT~. IT'S SURPRISINGLY NOT CREEPY?

LOL IT SOUNDS CREEPY

IAWTC

DOES HE COMMUNICATE WITH OTHER HORSES? DOES HE UNDERSTAND PEOPLETALK? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS D:

HE DOESN'T REALLY COMMUNICATE WITH THE HORSES EXCEPT DURING THE TIME WHEN HE'S DECIDED TO STOP BEING A PERSON AND JUST BE A HORSE (SEE ABOVE LADYHORSE FUCKING) BUT THEN HE GETS OVER IT AND DECIDES TO PAY ATTENTION TO PEOPLE WHEN THE WOMAN WHO OWNS HIM BASICALLY DOES GREEK HORSE WHISPERING AT HIM TO TRAIN HIM UP TO BE A WAR HORSE. THERE'S ALSO SOME OTHER SHIT WHERE HE TRIES TO RUN AWAY A COUPLE OF TIMES THAT DON'T PAN OUT AND THEN THEY GO OFF TO WAR IN SYRIA. IN THE END HE ENDS UP SACRIFICING HIMSELF TO SAVE HIS OWNER WHICH BREAKS HIS CURSE AND THEY GET TO BE PEOPLE TOGETHER.

WAIT, SO HIS OWNER ACCEPTS HIM IN IS NON-HORSE FORM AND THEY FALL IN LOVE?

I THINK I'D BE PRETTY PISSED IF MY WAR HORSE TURNED INTO A MAN.

WELL HE DOES LITERALLY GIVE HIS LIFE FOR HERS (OR SO HE THINKS). ID REMEMBER IF THEY GET TOGETHER RIGHT AFTER OR IF IT'S AN AGREEMENT TO COURT SORT OF THING THOUGH.

THIS BOOK SOUNDS BIZARRE.

IT'S LIKE A MUSLIM FROG PRINCE BUT WITH BLOOD FEUDS, SLAVERY, AND CAVALRY BATTLES.

IS THE BOOK ACTUALLY GOOD? BECAUSE IT SOUNDS INTRIGUING.

I WENT TO GO CHECK IT OUT ON GOODREADS AND IT HAS A 4.1 STAR RATING, BUT NOT ONLY IS THE MALE PROTAGONIST A RAPIST, THE RAPE IS ON PAGE AND DESCRIBED FROM HIS POV.

WEREN'T ALL ROMANCE NOVEL HEROES RAPISTS IN 1989? AT LEAST THIS ONE IS ACKNOWLEDGED TO BE A RAPIST AND HIS RAPE VICTIM DOESN'T FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM!

LOL UNPOPULAR OPINION ON MEME BUT IDC ABOUT THAT.

IT IS! THE MAIN LADY CHARACTER IS PRETTY AWESOME AND THE SETTING IS PRETTY DIFFERENT FROM THE USUAL FANTASY STORY. SHITTY DUDE CHARACTER ACTUALLY REALIZES THAT HE'S SHITTY AND GROWS UP A LOT. I'M NOT EXPERT ON THE MUSLIM STUFF BUT IT SEEMS PRETTY ACCURATE TO WHAT LITTLE I KNOW OF THE TIME PERIOD. TARR IS A HORSE NERD SO ALL THE HORSE STUFF IS GOOD TOO.

[ala · Rating 3 out of 5]

This perhaps a mid to upper 3 star rating. I keep going around and around on this and can't decide. Objectively, it is a good book -- well written, researched, etc. But some how I just didn't absolutely love it. I guess this is a personal taste thing.

First and foremost, this book is a tribute to horses and horsemanship. Tarr apparently is quite a horse-lady herself and her passion shown through. It also seems to be well-researched, not that I know anything about the time-period (crudades) myself, but I'm buying the long author's note at the end which explains how her story fits into the historical context.

But Tarr seems to be fan of flowery descriptions evocative of mood. These aren't exactly bad or overdone, but somehow, I think it keeps the reader a tiny bit removed from the characters.

Anyway, perhaps I will return at some point to make this into a real review...

[Sharon Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this many years ago, lost the book in a fire and as often happens with me, couldn't remember title or author, just remembered I loved this book. Thanks to Goodreads, found someone who did know title/author and the book now resides on my personal bookshelves again.

This is a very enjoyable entertaining fantasy that particularly appeals to me as a horsewoman, as the 'love interest' is an arrogant prince who is transformed into a horse. The main character is the daughter of a wizard who is violated by the prince, who ends owned and ridden by that daughter.

[Gisela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won't go into a lengthy review as others have done it better than I probably could. This Beauty and the Beast retelling reminded me of Robin McKinley's The Hero and the Crown and Tamora Pierce's Alana books. Fantasy in a European Medieval setting are common enough but one set in Medieval Egypt with a muslim H/H? Those are rare! So of course I read it and I'm glad I did!

[Gmc · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Wind In Cairo by Judith Tarr

Young Hasan Is a happy-go-lucky wastral and libertine. The spoiled pleasure seeking son of the Emir. He attacks the Wizards daughter, and the wizard changes him into a horse.
Things get real interesting from there. While living on 4 legs he learns to be a MAN, and meets the woman who will tame the savage beast in him.

[Sineala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man commits crime, man is turned into horse, man falls in love with rider. I will admit that the plot was what got me to notice this book in the first place, and if that's what you're reading it for it will probably be rewarding.

The rest of the plot kind of meandered and it was a little more rapey than I had been expecting.

[David H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Retroactive Review (12 Sep 2021): Set around 1175 in Egypt and Syria, Hasan is turned into a horse (due to his crime) and made to serve his family's enemy's daughter Zamaniyah (who is awesome). Probably the first Tarr novel that featured horses so heavily, which is really funny to think about now, considering Tarr lives on a horse ranch.

[bkwurm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice quick engrossing read. Tarr has a knack for embedding little fantastical plots around major events and personages in history and does not disappoint with this one. The only drawback was the rather prediatable plot.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best thing that I can say about this book is that it makes rape and bestiality lyrical and work within the confines of this setting. It is well written and made me want to read more of her work, but it also nudged my cultural appropriation button.

[Arlene Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another of my all time favorites, even though I've really gotten away from reading fantasy.