"A humdinger of a book, full of energy, intelligence and bite." --Hilary Spurling, Daily Mail "Wonderfully exuberant and mischievous . deftly intertwines strands of Chinese-Muslim with Indo-Pakistani history . [A] jewel box of a novel." -- Independent "If Pakistan is a land of untold stories, whispered conspiracy theories and closed-door mutinies, then thank heavens for Tariq Ali, whose access to its innermost secret chambers has made him the country's finest historian and critic." --Fatima Bhutto, New Statesman "Witty and barbed, a delight to read." -- Oregonian "Audacious . Islamic politics and faith, the mille-feuille of layers that constitute belief, and the salty real world behind closed doors, are all caught starkly by Ali's uneffusive prose.

For once 'unputdownable' is the case." --Tom Adair, Scotsman "Bold, clever, full of multilingual jokes, and replete with socio-historical detail." --Madeleine Clements, Times Literary Supplement "Offers great insight into the history and culture of the Muslim world." -- Booklist "A novelist of distinction . Ali offers a persuasive account of the corruption of contemporary Pakistan, especially the brutal sexual politics, and his wry, ruminative account of lifelong friendship rings with truth." --Michael Arditti, Daily Mail.