Throne of the Crescent Moon, by Saladin Ahmed

Throne of the Crescent Moon is a Nebula nominee for 2012.  It's also a YA novel.  It is not billed as such at my public library, but it's definitely written as YA.  And not particularly old YA, probably pitched 10-12 except for the especially gory interludes where the villain is preparing his ploy.  As other reviewers on Amazon and Goodreads have said, it is a Dungeons & Dragons campaign set into a novel.  We have a cleric, a dervish (specialized fighter) and a kind of lycanthrope.  They pursue an evil cleric and a lycanthrope.  All emotions and plot drivers are stated plainly and explained, educational for a young reader.  This is not a bad book, but it isn't a good one either.  I was definitely expecting more from a Nebula nominee, but they can't all be hits.  I'm not too sorry I read it, but definitely glad to have gotten it from the library.  2 stars unless you are 11 and have a strong stomach.  Not more violent than Harry Potter, though, so most would be fine.

Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela, by Saladin Ahmed

My latest read has been Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela, by Saladin Ahmed. This is a reasonably well-written story about a court physician who finds a hermit consorting with a hideous ghoul. The protagonist is a favorite of the caliph, but having unwisely resisted the caliph's wishes regarding his girlfriend, he must spend a little time among the country rubes reflecting on his behavior. He ends up performing surgery on a local hermit at the behest of his ghoul wife. The story is well written, but aside from the middle eastern setting it is not real different in any way. I give it 2 stars.