The City of Brass: Escape to a city of adventure, romance, and magic in this thrilling epic fantasy trilogy (The Daevabad Trilogy, Book 1)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book began as a private project that would never have seen the light of day were it not for the support and encouragement—sometimes rather forceful!—of the wonderful people below.

First, to my friends and faculty at the American University of Cairo: thank you for sharing your country’s awe-inspiring history, for guiding me through the sites that would have made up Nahri’s world, and for renewing my faith in a way I didn’t realize until much later. Any mistakes or misrepresentations are mine alone.

To my husband, Shamik, whose curiosity about what I was always typing on my computer started this entire journey, thank you. You’re the best friend and beta reader a fellow nerd could ask for, and you’ve been my rock.

The fantastically talented people of the Brooklyn Speculative Fiction Writers’ group—particularly Rob Cameron, Marcy Arlin, Steven R. Fairchild, Sondra Fink, Jonathan Hernandez, Alex Kirtland, Cynthia Lovett, Ian Montgomerie, Brad Park, Mark Salzwedel, Essowe Tchalim, and Ana Vohryzek—who whipped this manuscript into shape and became friends in the process.

Jennifer Azantian, my wonderful agent and Nahri’s and Ali’s greatest cheerleader, thank you for taking a chance on some random writer from Twitter; for making what seemed a dream become reality; and for being a steadying presence the many times I needed one.

Priyanka Krishnan, my amazing editor, who helped guide me through the rough patches, and whose warmth and diplomatically worded comments always make me smile—I’ll try not to kill too many of the characters you love.

To the rest of the Voyager team, including Angela Craft, Andrew DiCecco, Jessie Edwards, Pam Jaffee, Mumtaz Mustafa, Shawn Nicholls, Shelby Peak, Caro Perny, David Pomerico, Mary Ann Petyak, Liate Stehlik, and Paula Szafranski: I will always appreciate the hard work that went into making this book, and the enthusiasm everyone had for it. And to everyone else at Harper who loved and supported this book, I thank you. You have been a great group to work with. A very sincere thanks to Will Staehle, as well, for designing a cover that literally took my breath away the first time I saw it.

I’d never have gotten this far without my extraordinary parents—my mother, Colleen, who shared her love of reading with me, and my father, Robert, who then drove me to the library and bookstore what must have seemed every weekend of my childhood—your love and hard work made me the person I am today. Thanks go to my brother, Michael, as well, for teaching me the meaning of sibling love without having to battle for a throne. To Sankar and Anamika, who stepped up to help the moment this all became real; you will always have my deepest gratitude.

To my daughter, my greatest source of happiness: you’re too young to read this now, but thank you for letting me work on this at home, albeit with a level of toddler negotiation that is frighteningly reminiscent of a certain con artist. I love you.

And last, but certainly not least, a sincere thank-you to my ummah: to the past that inspired me, the present that embraced me, and the future we’ll build together … jazakum Allahu khayran.