Doctor Adoulla Makhslood is a semi-retired alchemist who has grown old and fat after a long career of hunting ghuls (flesh eating monsters that resemble what we would call a 'ghoul'). He has a young dervish (a type of warrior priest) named Raseed serving as his apprentice to replace him when he retires.
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Before he can retire, a woman who he used to be lovers with and for whom he still has feelings comes to him for help. Her niece has survived a terrible ghul attack and she wants Adoulla to investigate. He agrees because he still loves her, and because there haven't been many monster attacks in a long time so he is worried about that.
Adoulla and Raseed go to investigate the place of the attack, and on their way they run into some ghuls. They fight and fend them off with the help of a young woman who is also a shapeshifter. After the fight she tells them she is the last survivor of her tribe, which was murdered by the monsters. She joins them in their investigation and after talking to her they all agree that there has to be a bigger force behind all the attacks, maybe a necromancer or other type of wizard.
They return to the city and find that a rebel called The Falcon Prince has caused a riot and is speaking out against the ruler of the city. Adoulla goes to a couple of magician friends of his to ask for their help and they agree to help him. Together they go through a lot of old manuscripts looking for clues about the sort of magic that someone would need to control so many ghuls. Adoulla also goes to visit his old lover, who is connected and has a lot of information. They discover that a sorcerer named Orshado is behind the attacks and that he is planning to fulfill an ancient prophecy involving the throne in the palace.
With this information Adoulla wonders if it is a coincidence that the attacks are happening at the same time that the Falcon Prince is causing riots. Adoulla and his compatriots sneak into the palace to stop the prophecy and encounter the Prince and his rebels doing the same thing. In the last couple of chapters we enter the palace and discover whether the Prince and Adoulla are fighting for the same goal or not.
Best part of story, including ending:
The Arabian Nights setting.
Best scene in story:
The climax at the palace is gory and surprising.
Opinion about the main character:
Adoulla is witty and you can relate to him.
