The Adventures of Amina Al-Sarafi

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sarafi by S A Chakraborty

S.A. Chakraborty is the bestselling author of The City of Brass trilogy, which centers around the magical city of Daevabad and a girl named Nahri who gets trapped in its politics and magic. In February of this year, Chakraborty published a new book: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sarafi. This book is the beginning of a new planned trilogy.

When the story begins, the notorious and widely successful female pirate is enjoying (or at the very least, attempting to enjoy) a relatively calm retirement with her daughter Marjana. Soon into the story, though, she is ambushed by an aging mother of a former comrade. The woman offers her a seemingly simple job: rescue her former comrade’s kidnapped daughter. In exchange, she will receive an obscene amount of money, far too much for a pirate to refuse. Quickly, though, the journey spirals out of control, as the supernatural interferes and Amina’s past comes back to look over her shoulder. Amina is a pirate, and one that can’t turn down one last opportunity to secure her legend, but the price may be unmanageable. 

The story is told in an unconventional format, where Amina is relaying her journey to a scribe named Jamal. Although the chapters are interspersed with snippets of their conversations and notes from Jamal, it primarily focuses on Amina’s story as she attempts to stay within the law on her final adventure. In my opinion, this format brings the reader closer to the story, as there are many notes directly to the reader and they are addressed in the second person.

In addition to relaying Amina’s latest journey, the book deals with many important topics. A major theme is sexism; Amina is a female pirate, and a widely successful one, but she often comments on the different experiences she has from even her closest male crewmates. Other themes include religion, and especially acceptance across religions. Amina herself is a reformed Muslim, but her crew is made up of a wide variety of beliefs. In fact, the book addresses their diversity many times, mentioning how it would be impossible to put together a ship manned by all people of a certain culture or religion. 

Another interesting aspect of the book is its setting and the diverse cultures that interact within it. Like many fantasy books, The Adventures of Amina Al-Sarafi contains magic based in historical folklore. Unlike many, though, it is based primarily in the legends of the Middle East and Islamic mythology. It is set in the 1100s, and centers around the culture of the port cities and sailors of the northwestern Indian Ocean. After reading The City of Brass, this mythology was somewhat familiar to me, but it was still a refreshing change from the typical world of European folklore. 

A final piece of the story that I enjoyed was the characterization of Amina herself. From the very beginning of the novel, Amina Al-Sarafi is referred to as a terrifying and impressive pirate that was a legend from coast to coast. Still, it is clear that her prime reign has passed, and although she is still fearsome and impulsive, the impact of years of fighting for her life has clearly had an effect. Amina isn’t just another pirate; she is an immensely skilled and wisened pirate looking to savor one last taste of adventure before she settles down for good. 

If you’re interested in piracy, Islamic mythology, and complex characters, or just fantasy that’s a little bit away from average, The Adventures of Amina Al-Sarafi is a book to look for.