The Oracle of Stamboul - by Michael David Lukas (Paperback)

About the Book

Set in the heart of the exotic Ottoman Empire during the first years of its chaotic decline, Michael David Lukas' elegantly crafted, utterly enchanting debut novel follows a gifted young girl who dares to charm a sultan--and change the course of history, for the empire and the world. An enthralling literary adventure, perfect for readers entranced by the mixture of historical fiction and magical realism in Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass, Orhan Pamuk's My Name is Red, or Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude, Lukas' evocative tale of prophesy, intrigue, and courage unfolds with the subtlety of a Turkish mosaic and the powerful majesty of an epic for the ages.

Book Synopsis

Set in the heart of the exotic Ottoman Empire during the first years of its chaotic decline, Michael David Lukas' elegantly crafted, utterly enchanting debut novel follows a gifted young girl who dares to charm a sultan--and change the course of history, for the empire and the world. An enthralling literary adventure, perfect for readers entranced by the mixture of historical fiction and magical realism in Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass, Orhan Pamuk's My Name is Red, or Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude, Lukas' evocative tale of prophesy, intrigue, and courage unfolds with the subtlety of a Turkish mosaic and the powerful majesty of an epic for the ages.

From the Back Cover

Ushered into the world by a mysterious pair of Tartar midwives late in the summer of 1877 in the town of Constanta on the Black Sea, Eleonora Cohen proves herself an extraordinarily gifted child--a prodigy--at a very young age. When she is eight years old, she stows away aboard a ship, following her carpet merchant father, Yakob, to the teeming and colorful imperial capital of Stamboul where a new life awaits her.

In the narrow streets of this city at the crossroads of the world, intrigue and gossip are currency, and people are not always what they seem. But it is only when she charms the eccentric Sultan Abdulhamid II--beleaguered by friend and foe as his unwieldy realm crumbles--that Eleonora will change the course of an empire.

Review Quotes

"A lyrical debut...A passionate novel that beautifully conveys the flavor of Turkish culture...focusing on the effect a young prodigy has on the political leaders of the time." - Kirkus Reviews
"An enchanting, gorgeous read . . . Lukas captures the scents and sounds, the vivid beauty, the subtle intrigue and simultaneous naivety, of the Ottoman Empire unaware of its imminent demise." - Siobhan Fallon, author of You Know When the Men are Gone
"A stunning debut . . . Lukas has managed to create an instant classic that feels as if it should be retroactively slipped into the great libraries of the old world." - Reif Larsen, author of The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet
"This first novel by a promising young writer is both vivid historical fiction and a haunting fable." - Library Journal
"Michael David Lukas charms in his debut." - Vanity Fair
"Lukas . . . brings a raconteur's sense of storytelling, a traveler's eye for color and a scholar's sense of history to his first novel. . . . Lukas has given us a Turkish delight." - San Francisco Chronicle
"Lukas is a graceful and inventive writer, and reflects his travels across Turkey and his love especially for Istanbul in dozens of polished and elegant passages scattered through the narrative. The streets, vistas, the atmosphere of Istanbul saturate these pages." - Cleveland Plain Dealer
"An enchanting literary debut...A charming tale of passion and intrigue...that could be read in one sitting, spine-tingling descriptions will transport readers to another place and time." - Today's Zaman
"Beguiling. . . . Lukas veers from the tried-and-true, making The Oracle of Stamboul a novel that offers delightful surprises." - Jane Ciabattari, Los Angeles Times
"[An] impressive debut novel." - San Francisco magazine
"THE ORACLE OF STAMBOUL is one of those debuts that defies the norm." - Bookreporter.com
"One of those debuts that defies the norm, being a first creation that is astoundingly good, so much so that I wonder how on earth any author without a great deal of professional writing experience is capable of creating it." - Bookreporter.com
"...this riveting debut novel not only captures the atmosphere of the exotic European crossroads but also introduces a young girl who is utterly captivating." - Bookloons.com
"In his enchanting debut novel, Michael David Lukas captures the mystical world of the Ottoman Empire."- - Book Beast
"A gem of a first novel...an appealing blend of magical and historical realism...This is a polished literary work that will appeal to a wide readership." - Cleveland Plain Dealer
"The Oracle of Stamboul is a delight, a gem of a first novel." - Read All Day
"A delight, a gem of a first novel. . . . Lukas' story of the young Eleanora in her ancient kingdom penetrates and illuminates questions of duty, love, and destiny, bringing history and fantasy together to create a novel that is inspiring, entertaining and beautiful." - Read All Day
"A beautifully written debut novel. . . . Political intrigue, historical upheaval and Eastern mysticism come together in surprising ways as Lukas brings the book to a poignant conclusion tinged with magical realism." - Mercury News
"The exotic sights and sounds of nineteenth-century Turkey spring vividly to life in Lukas' promising debut." - Booklist (starred review)
"A magical debut." - Good Housekeeping