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Hoshruba: The Land and the Tilism
The world's first and longest magical fantasy HOSHRUBA was compiled in the Urdu language by two of its greatest prose writers. Spread over eight thousand pages, it reached the summits of popularity and acclaim never attained by any other epic in the history of Urdu literature. But the richness of its language and its length deterred translations for more than 125 years. In this first translation of this iconic fantasy by Musharraf Ali Farooqi, whose translation of THE ADVENTURES OF AMIR HAMZA was hailed by the international press as a gift to world literature, we enter the magical world of Hoshruba, conjured in the untold past by sorcerers defying the laws of God and the physical world. Filled with dazzling illusions and occult realms inhabited by powerful sorceresses and diabolic monsters, Hoshruba had a fixed life, and a designated conqueror who would use its magical key to unravel it one day. The first book of the HOSHRUBA series begins with the giant Laqa entering Hoshruba's protection, and its sorcerer emperor finding himself at war with Laqa's arch fiend, Amir Hamza the Lord of the Auspicious Planetary Conjunction, who pursues the giant with his numerous tricksters and a young prince - the yet to be known conqueror-designate of Hoshruba. When the prince is kidnapped by the devious trickster girls sent by the sorcerer emperor, it falls to an extraordinary trickster and a rebel sorceress to continue his mission.
516 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1883
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 26, 2009
The first volume of the English translation of a voluminous 19th century Urdu fantasy epic masquerading as a 16th century Urdu fantasy epic, Hoshruba is a very difficult book to rate. It's astonishingly inventive and like no other fantasy novel you will ever read, if it's really accurate to call it a "novel". Clever fantasy novelists will probably plunder it for ideas. For a time, it was thoroughly entertaining. But then the lack of a real story, and characters one could care about, and the sense of anything truly at stake, made it tiresome, and it's not a short book. Like many narratives rooted in oral storytelling, it derives its unity from repetition and rhythmic devices rather than from character and dramatic progression. There are more volumes to come; despite my enthusiasm for the project, I will need some assurances that what follows is not simply more of the same if I am going to venture further. But three stars says pleasant mediocrity to me; and that wouldn't be fair to this important work of international fantasy literature. Hence the four stars.
November 3, 2013
The Land and The Tilism is translation of Tilism-e-Hoshruba originally written in Urdu. In essence, the book is an epic full of magic, adventure, romance and fantasy. An appealing minimalist cover that has a medieval warrior fighting a tiger with his sword in a white background perfectly sets the expectations for the reader.
Read the complete review of Hoshruba, The Land and The Tilism at
http://www.thebookoutline.com/2013/11...
Read the complete review of Hoshruba, The Land and The Tilism at
http://www.thebookoutline.com/2013/11...
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February 5, 2021Not sure how to rate this but that sure was somethin
June 9, 2016
The story continues where Amir Hamza takes a back seat and Amar Ayyar takes over - entering the land of Hoshruba or enchantment in search of Hamza's son who has been kidnapped by the evil King Afrasiab and his queen Bahar. It is the worlds longest and fines fantasy tale of occult magicians and tricksters. Think of Arabian Nights and stretch it over decades of writing in the story telling format. Sometimes events do get repetitive but persevere as the beauty of fantasy story telling cant get any better. Must read book but only if you like this genre and are ready to jump into a very long adventure!
July 6, 2012
A great book with amazing storyline and characters. If you do not read it you do not know what you are missing!
February 6, 2021
At first, I thought that I wouldn't rate this but then I changed my mind. It can be said that this book is a product of its time but considering that it was written in 1883, I can definitely say that there were better books written in this time. I'm not really sure what happened in this book but there were a lot of sorcerers and several disguises that did not seem very convincing to me. When I started reading this, I tried to keep track of the characters but completely gave up by the end of it.
I started reading this book for a class in college and it was mentioned that this was an epic fantasy with an intricate magic system. If there was a system to the magic in this book, I do not know what it was.
Rating this two stars just because of some ridiculously funny lines in the book that were so weird that they were good.
I started reading this book for a class in college and it was mentioned that this was an epic fantasy with an intricate magic system. If there was a system to the magic in this book, I do not know what it was.
Rating this two stars just because of some ridiculously funny lines in the book that were so weird that they were good.
October 1, 2025
DNF at 50% because there's only so much torture I can inflict on myself.
Review to come.
Review to come.
November 14, 2011
Its an integral part of Urdu language classics.There are its various versions and different translations, all voluminious.It was widely popular in 19th and 20th centuries India and has been part of the family culture of muslim families of indo pak.Translated from persian language,it is fiction ,about the life of early centuries(6th century) of muslim states,fantasies,wars,expeditions,palace intigues,magic and other supernatural events.Its like the Harry potter stories.Since the language of the translated version belongs to 19th and early 29th centuries,thus it is difficult in reading.Probably it needs to be translated in to the current day Urdu language and to english.It is most intresting for students and the youth.
March 25, 2015
The BEST book I have ever read !!! From the most awesome and wonderful stories and universes to the most ethical and moral lessons in being the best human one can be!
September 28, 2015
I give this book a three star rating, and this may be unfair. It is quite the stupendous journey into the world of the fantastical, and you need to be prepared to go along for the ride.
While the translation is magnificent, I just could not get into the rhythm of the book. To enjoy this book, you need to be in a light mood, and to be prepared to suspend all belief in what we consider the real world around us. There was a time when I would have loved this book, and that time will come again. However, if you can allow yourself to be absolutely relaxed, you will enter a world of brave warriors, wizards and enchantresses, fantastic & brilliant worlds, and life seems bright, colourful even though the dangers of the battles await you.
A classic indeed, but you must be prepared for it. I was not.
While the translation is magnificent, I just could not get into the rhythm of the book. To enjoy this book, you need to be in a light mood, and to be prepared to suspend all belief in what we consider the real world around us. There was a time when I would have loved this book, and that time will come again. However, if you can allow yourself to be absolutely relaxed, you will enter a world of brave warriors, wizards and enchantresses, fantastic & brilliant worlds, and life seems bright, colourful even though the dangers of the battles await you.
A classic indeed, but you must be prepared for it. I was not.
Want to Read
July 15, 2013translation of an India-Pakistan origin novel on ancient magic - i believe there are supposed to be 24 volumes...
January 31, 2016
Fun in parts but very repetitive ... It's one of those lost in translation things, I'm sure it was spectacular in the original
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews