Silanur
asked
S.A. Chakraborty:
Hello! I'm Turkish-American and I'm super excited to be able to read Saints and Misfits. There aren't many books set in the Middle East and it always makes me happy to see them. What was your inspiration for your novel? Also, how did you research for it? Thanks so much!
S.A. Chakraborty
Haha, I'm not sure if this is for Saints and Misfits or The City of Brass, but I'll happily answer! (and also Saints and Misfits is fantastic and I wholeheartedly recommend it)
The research for The City of Brass actually came before the book was even an idea. I've always been a big history buff, and I studied the classical Islamic world in college (and then continued to after graduation because I'm a nerd) TCOB started then as basically an experiment in historical fan-fiction. I wanted to recreate the worlds I loved reading about and mix them up with some of the magic and fantastical elements present in regional folklore.
In particular, I focused on djinn, sticking to and then elaborating on the stories we already tell about them. For example, traditional texts tell us that the Prophet Suleiman used them to build his temple, so I dug into the how and why of that - as well, as what (in my story anyway) happened after. We talk about them living in human ruins, so I had them influenced then by some of the empires and cultures they watched rise and fall. I took particular influence from Abbasid and Sasanian history and culture though others will be showing up as well :)
The research for The City of Brass actually came before the book was even an idea. I've always been a big history buff, and I studied the classical Islamic world in college (and then continued to after graduation because I'm a nerd) TCOB started then as basically an experiment in historical fan-fiction. I wanted to recreate the worlds I loved reading about and mix them up with some of the magic and fantastical elements present in regional folklore.
In particular, I focused on djinn, sticking to and then elaborating on the stories we already tell about them. For example, traditional texts tell us that the Prophet Suleiman used them to build his temple, so I dug into the how and why of that - as well, as what (in my story anyway) happened after. We talk about them living in human ruins, so I had them influenced then by some of the empires and cultures they watched rise and fall. I took particular influence from Abbasid and Sasanian history and culture though others will be showing up as well :)
More Answered Questions
Panindra Balellugari
asked
S.A. Chakraborty:
I'm just done with City of Brass, totally loved it. It is a very complex story line with tribes and long history of loyalty and hated. I cant imagine how you can wrap it up as a trilogy :-). So what is motivation/seed behind these books? "I'll be eagerly looking forwards for the rest of the books and good luck". Panindra
A Goodreads user
asked
S.A. Chakraborty:
This is a question I love asking all my favorite authors (and though yours isn't out quite yet I have a really good feeling that it'll be a new fave of mine): How do you go about the Naming Of Things™ in your stories? Specifically with characters, because that's always the part that trips me up when I attempt to write.
Amanda Jenkins
asked
S.A. Chakraborty:
I LOVED your book! I burned through it in 3 days and wish desperately that the 2nd one was out!! I found all of your characters enthralling and multifaceted. I really enjoy the fact that nothing is black and white and the unreliable/uninformed narrators leave me guessing. Do you plan to continue with the same 2 narrators in the rest of the trilogy?
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