This is our book club pick for October, and was highly recommended by my best friend and her husband both, so I was looking forward to reading it. The story starts off a little slowly, and that combined with the unfamiliar cultural setting of the Middle East made it difficult for me to get into the book. Once the story started moving, however, it sucked me in and I really enjoyed reading the rest of the novel.

Alif is the handle of a coding geek living in a city in the Middle East, although I don't recall if the exact city or country was ever stated (or I forgot if it was). He uses his skills as one of the ranks of the gray hats in his community to provide safe and unrestricted internet access for his clients, keeping them safe from the government's censorship and interference with their business. There is a lot of cultural info used in the world building and descriptions, from the size of the apartment Alif lives in to which ladies go veiled (by choice or not) to how skin color affects society standing, and I learned a good deal that I did not know before. Alif's story soon goes from the typical to the fantastical, as his gray hat activities combine with his clandestine relationship with a girl from a noble-ish family to bring the government and a specific agent known as The Hand down upon him. Along the way he ends up finding the world of the jinn (along with other weird and magical creatures and actions), a book which might be magic and the answer to life, and possibly even a true love. And in the end, Alif learns that his handle is not separate from his real life (or his real name), and he realizes what being Alif the Unseen actually means.

The writing in the book is very good, with a great balance of description and dialogue, and everything flowed very naturally across a myriad of settings and scenarios. My favorite scenes were in the Unseen Quarter, especially with some of the details of the creatures/persons living there. The first scene of the book confused me, and still does after finishing it, although if I went back and re-read it there might be more sense to have had - it was trying to set up the novel as a story, I think similarly to the movie version of The Princess Bride, but since the end of the book didn't return to that to finish the "frame," it seems a bit odd. I enjoyed this book quite a bit, even with the unpleasant bits that are probably too close to the truth to be comfortable, and think that anyone who is interested in Middle Eastern culture or fantasy, or in how the internet and programs can change the world, would be interested to read it.

Several reviewers compared this to Harry Potter. I disagree with that comparison. Alif remains very much in the real world - the magical world of the Jinn comes to him. The pacing felt slightly off at times, but the story was enjoyable and the characters compelling, if not always very well developed.

Really enjoyed this. Computers and jinn and a mix of the two lead to a very creative urban fantasy. Although I never felt like it was un-put-downable, every time I picked it up I’d discover I’d finish my reading session to discover I’d read about 100 pages without really noticing. Certainly very absorbing.

The publicity for the book describes the plot as "a young Arab hacker is caught up in an adventure for the ages…" That's a good start but hardly tells you what a fun romp you're in for, liberally seasoned with philosophy, theology and mythology of the Middle East. I really liked the reader for the audiobook as well. Highly recommended.

In this lightly fictionalized city in the modern Middle East, freedom is largely something left to fantastic imagination or barred behind the anonymous pseudonyms of internet handles desperately working to evade state surveillance. This novel explores the intersection of those two worlds, as a gifted hacker creates a filtering program to evade the notice of the lover that spurned his affections for an arranged marriage to an obscure member of the royal family. The life of this hacker, Alif, is quickly turned upside down when his program assumes a level of sophistication that even he doesn't understand and attracts the attention of the State's most gifted surveillance programmer, revealed to be none other than his former lover's betrothed. Mysteriously, Alif's lost love gifts him an ancient book even as her fiancee closes in on his quarry.

As Alif flees into the underbelly of the city to avoid the reach of the State, he calls upon the aid of his neighbor, Dina, and a cast of unsavory characters that reveal hidden depths and help him decipher the text of the Alf Yeom, the fantastical counterpart to the famous 1001 Nights that was supposedly dictated by Djinn. Alif soon finds himself in a world where reality and fantasy congeal into one, as the fate of he, his friends, and the city are tied to his ability to harness the power of the book before it is too late.

Wilson uses the genre of fantasy to mine truths interwoven into the events of the Arab Spring, highlighting the lengths that people will go to claim basic freedoms and the heroic stories of even the most unassuming of citizens. As a Westerner living in the Islamic world, she also uses her experiences to cast a lens on the difficulties of converts and immigrants alike in claiming the full privileges of citizenship. The role of the suspension of disbelief and faith are also explored, with some of the most fascinating passages arrayed as a juxtaposition between the dialogues with an Imam and a Djinn who come from different traditions but share a wonder for the divine.

This is a fun, rollicking novel with elements of fantasy and magical realism rooted in real life events of the 2012 public uprisings against despotic rule. It is also thoughtful in its portrayal of technology and belief in modern society, setting it apart from most adventure stories. Very recommended for all readers.

Lo digo siempre: mis reseñas son para dar una opinión completamente subjetiva. En este caso la novela no me habría horrorizado tanto si yo no hubiera tenido expectativas. Pero las tenía, porque adoro Ms Marvel y esperaba algo completamente diferente.

No sé ni por donde empezar. Los personajes me han parecido horribles, todos. Sus palabras no tienen por qué representar la opinión de la autora, pero narrativamente esto es un compendio de opiniones con las que me daría golpes en una pared. Empezando por el señor que le manda a su ex la manta donde tuvieron sexo por primera vez (mancha de sangre incluida) como gesto "bonito", pasando por el uso como insulto de la homosexualidad, hasta decir que las pobres mujeres que recurren al blanqueamiento de piel no tienen orgullo. Estos ejemplos son pequeñas gotas de cosas constantes.

Los personajes son odiosos. Las relaciones amorosas ¿¿?? es que no puedo ni definirlas.

Demasiadas comas.

Reconozco que la novela tiene cosas positivas. La ambientación y la trama son interesantes. No le diría a nadie que no probase a leer la novela. Pero sí espero que los que se acerquen a ella lo puedan hacer sabiendo lo que hay y que no les pille como a mí. He leído historias muuuucho peores que esta y algunas incluso me han gustado mucho. Alif, como decía al principio, se me ha cruzado de una forma completamente subjetiva. Así que espero que no os pase lo mismo.

A good enough book that I really loved while reading it and promptly forgot afterwards.

Very original story with a fast-moving plot that combines computer hacking, revolution, spirituality, love, and the world of jinn in a nameless Middle Eastern country on the brink of an uprising. There is a richness to the book that makes it more than just a thriller and leaves you thinking about the power of the unseen in the world.

I thought I was in for an above-average cyber thriller/hacking adventure, but about a third of the way through it took a sharp Gaiman-esque turn and then went up to 11. I've only scratched the surface of Middle Eastern mythology/sci-fi/fantasy and this just makes me want to read more!