The Bones of the Old OnesThe Bones of the Old Ones by Howard Andrew Jones

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the highly enjoyable sequel to the excellent Desert of Souls. I really enjoyed it and if Goodreads allowed half-stars the rating would 4.5.

Asim and Dabir are pulled into adventure when a young woman (Najya) begs them for help escaping kidnappers. The kidnappers have some very strange powers and the young woman seems to have been put under a spell. Investigating how the spell and how to shake the kidnappers propel our heroes into realms resplendent with sorcery, old gods, giant battles, and much more. And there’s a flying carpet. That made me very happy.

If someone crossed The Arabian Nights with Robert E. Howard, you’d have Bones of the Old. Asim is a captain of the guard. Dabir is a knowledgable scholar. The classic mixture of brawn and brains are well paired again as the two friends encounter old enemies and solve puzzles from mythical times while traveling through the ancient Arabian desert, albeit one covered with snow.

It is a well-told adventure that I read in 24-hours. It was more of a straight-forward rescue tale than Desert of Souls and, for that reason, I docked it a half star. But that half star is a small one. I wish these were available as audio books because they are right down SFFaudio’s alley and I’d love to have a read along about them. (hint, hint)

However, for those of us who don’t mind actual reading, my advice is to get both books and waste no time in jumping feet-first into adventure.

4 Replies to “The Bones of the Old Ones by Howard Andrew Jones”

  1. There is a different quality in reading a book in 24 hours versus the piece of fiction I am reading at the moment. This book, for example, struck me in a very different way from the current book I’m reading (Krabat), which is ok but not making me read it to the exclusion of the other books I have going on (my nonfiction, my faith reading, and so forth).

  2. Hi Julie,

    I know the “bones of the old ones,” personally. They creak and ache enough to keep me 24 hours straight. Do you often read straight through?

    God Bless,

    Don

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