Books › The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday
The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday
168 pages
A bombastic djinn and a murderous exile team up to shatter the illusion of an AI-ruled utopia in this vibrant, genre-bending novella.
What it feels like
Reading this novella feels like strapping into a chaotic, genre-bending rollercoaster where ancient myth violently collides with a futuristic utopia. The narrative moves at a brisk, irreverent clip, fueled by the sheer bombast of its arrogant magical protagonist and the gritty, relentless drive of his murderous, exiled companion. It is a vibrant, subversive experience that drops you into a seemingly perfect, AI-managed paradise only to gleefully tear its illusions down. The prose crackles with satirical energy, blending magical grandeur with technological grit as it explores the dark underbelly of a society that wants for nothing. It will thoroughly delight readers who crave explosive antihero dynamics, sharp critiques of artificial intelligence, and a wildly imaginative atmosphere where old magic meets new tyranny.
- Mood
- chaotic
- vibrant
- subversive
- Tone
- irreverent
- bombastic
- satirical
- wry
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- clash of myth and technology · illusion of utopia · vengeance and exile · disruption of the status quo
- The writing
- Energetic and irreverent, blending mythological grandeur with sharp, gritty science fiction.
- The arc
- Moves from arrogant confusion and simmering resentment to explosive, world-altering upheaval.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love genre-blending sci-fi and fantasy with chaotic antiheroes and satirical takes on AI utopias.
Content notes
- violence
- mass murder references
About the book
When the djinn king Melek Ahmar wakes up after millennia of imprisoned slumber, he finds a world vastly different from what he remembers. Arrogant and bombastic, he comes down the mountain expecting an easy conquest: the wealthy, spectacular city state of Kathmandu, ruled by the all-knowing, all-seeing tyrant AI Karma. To his surprise, he finds that Kathmandu is a cut-price paradise, where citizens want for nothing and even the dregs of society are distinctly unwilling to revolt. Everyone seems happy, except for the old Gurkha soldier Bhan Gurung. Knife saint, recidivist, and mass murderer, he is an exile from Kathmandu, pursuing a forty-year-old vendetta that leads to the very heart of Karma. Pushed and prodded by Gurung, Melek Ahmer finds himself in ever deeper conflicts, until they finally face off against Karma and her forces. In the upheaval that follows, old crimes will come to light and the city itself will be forced to change.
Description from Open Library.
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