This novel is written by the Saudi writer Ahmed Abdullah Saad Al Hamdan, who was born in Jeddah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1992. The first edition of the novel was published by the Arab Literature Center for Publishing and Distribution in 2021.
The second part of the epic of Clay and Fire ended with the marriage of Asif and Sarabi, the installation of Asif as king of the Kingdom of Ababil, and the birth of their daughter Jomana.
The third part of the novel begins with Asif gathering all the members of the Emperors’ Tribe and his friends to swear to him the sanctity of the Promised Rock( بقدسية صخرة الميعاد المقدسة ) to protect his wife and daughter. It becomes clear to us that there were divisions and problems in the Kingdom of Ababil after Asif took power, as the Emperors’ Tribe was divided between supporters of his rule and opponents of him.
Some neighboring kingdoms began to take advantage of the opportunity that the ruling family was busy with its internal problems, and they quickly conspired to seize the throne and spread devastation. They sparked strife and hatred between the tribes of clay and fire, which led to the outbreak of many civil wars in the Kingdom of Ababil.
Asif intended to launch a war against Tagheen and his Gathum organization to eliminate him, but Asif lost the battle against Tagheen and his Gathum organization, and Tagheen advanced to the palace to seize the throne.
At the same time, Sarabi tried to escape with her daughter, but she only succeeded in saving her daughter, and tyrannical soldiers caught her and put her in prison, but she was able to escape somehow.
While Asif was trying with all his power to reach the palace, he was unable to catch up with them, and his friends, Al-Hakim and Al-Shamali, took refuge with a tribe of mutant breeds (werewolves).( السلالات المتحولة ) " المستذئبين "
Events take place until Asif becomes blind, and he is trained by the seer Sarbil ( العرافة سربيل ) and the leader of the Mustadibeen ( زعيم المستذئبين ) , Shethman ( شيذمان ) , to use his power while he is blind. Minister Khaizuran ( الوزيرة خيزران ) appeared and proposed to Asif a plan to eliminate Tagheen by using the element of surprise to eliminate him, but they lost in the battle due to betrayal by one of them, but a surprise occurred in the end changed the scales, and we will know the rest of the events of the war between Asif and Tagheen over the rule of the Kingdom of Ababil in the coming parts.
In my opinion, the novel focuses on the importance of facing the daily battles that we face in our lives, and emphasizes that the most important battle is the one that we fight with ourselves. The novel urges readers to keep their hearts healthy and strong despite the difficulties and challenges surrounding them. The novel provides advice and philosophy for dealing with challenges with courage and determination.
The book presents an exciting and surprising narrative, as it combines wonderful and shocking events at the same time. The book clearly highlights great eloquence in the choice of sentences and words, and its words touch the heart in a tangible way. The book presents an honest vision of the reality we live in, with amazing stories.