The Siege of Isfahan
Good Fit
- Historical-adventure fans who want 18th-century Safavid Iran as a backdrop
- Readers looking for a gripping plot built on mistaken identity, court intrigue, and espionage
- Fans of Amin Maalouf and Orhan Pamuk's East-meets-West novels
- Readers who enjoy following recurring characters across a trilogy
Not a Fit
- Readers unwilling to start without the first book ("The Abyssinian") — there are references to the characters' past
- Readers expecting fast action over slow, atmospheric description
- Readers who find political/diplomatic detail in historical fiction tedious
- Readers looking for a short, simple plot — this is a sprawling 397-page adventure
- The opening scene is built on a classic "secret" technique — the truth unfolds gradually through the characters' eyes
- Historical context (Safavid-Ottoman-Russian tension) is delivered naturally through dialogue, never as a lecture
- Poncet and Alix embody a carefully drawn "Westerner adapted to the East" archetype — belonging fully to neither world
The first book about the same characters (Poncet, Alix), set 20 years before this novel
A similar adventure novel built on the East-West crossroads, rich in historical detail
A similar atmosphere of secrecy and power games within an Islamic court setting
The traveller in the Kashan caravanserai who hides their face and avoids the bathhouse is in fact a woman. When Jean-Baptiste Poncet is sent to examine her in Isfahan, he recognises her voice: it is Françoise, the loyal servant who looked after Alix in Cairo years ago and helped the lovers escape. There had been no word from her for fifteen years: she had gone to France with Poncet's old friend, Master Juremi.
Françoise brings bad news. Juremi, who could never sit still, fought against the Russians on the Swedish side and was trapped with his regiment on a frozen lake. He was certainly not shot; most likely the Russians took him prisoner, but no one knows where he is held. Unable to wait in Stockholm, Françoise sold what little she had, set out, and came to Isfahan to find Poncet. The mystery of the traveller thus turns into an adventure to rescue a friend.
By the end, Isfahan has fallen to the Afghans and Shah Husayn is the prisoner of the new ruler, Mahmud. The old vizier learns that Poncet's «death» and the Alberoni affair were both inventions, and calls it «a beautiful lie». Mahmud grants a royal residence to George, who stormed the walls of Julfa single-handed, and to «the red-haired maiden»; the young couple give one of its buildings to Juremi. Juremi is back in Isfahan, teaching George the secrets of his craft in the laboratory.
Coverage. This review covers only the opening scene of the novel (roughly the first 9 pages, ≈2%); the rest is not covered here; the spoiler section above draws on additionally read parts (the traveller’s identity, Françoise’s news and the ending).
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The opening scene pulled me in immediately — not knowing who this woman was made it impossible to put the book down.
The historical detail was so rich I genuinely felt like I was walking through Isfahan.
