Arslan

The Story

'Engh creates a truly shocking situation, introduces a monstrous character, and then refuses to satisfy any of the emotions he has aroused . . . . Engh's performance is as perversely flawless as Arslan's.'--'The New York Times' A Classic of Political Science Fiction ''Arslan 'starts with a strong science fiction premise--and then raises it to the level of the greatest tragedies. You will find surprises almost from the start, as Engh shatters the tired cliches of the genre. And by the end of the book, exhausted and fulfilled, you will realize you have read something that stands head and shoulders above the other fiction of its time.'--Orson Scott Card Arslan is a young Asian general who conquers the world in a week without firing a shot, and shortly thereafter sets up his world headquarters in a small town in Illinois. And if this did occur, this is how it would happen. 'This is wonderful and terrifying SF--terrifying because its premise, the takeover of the United States by a third-rate world power, is at once so preposterous and yet, in the hands of this highly-skilled writer, so stupefyingly believable. Certainly 'Arslan 'is the best political novel I've read in more than a decade.'--Samuel R. Delany