Exile Kiss, The [Mass Market Paperback]

George Alec Effinger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1992

The right hand man to one of the most feared men in the Arab world, Marid Audran is just beginning to enjoy the wealth and privilege of his position when he and his boss, the powerful Friedlander Bey, are accused of murder. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This is the third in a series about Marid Audran, a street hustler turned crime honcho in an Arabian city in a well-thought-out future world. The previous books, When Gravity Fails and A Fire in the Sun , featured skillful writing and engaging tales. This latest effort is short on both. The story sees Audran and his boss, Friedlander Bey--one of the two most powerful men in the city--set up by Bey's rival, Shaykh Reda Abu Adilp. 171 , and exiled on false charges to the desert. But the exile and their journey across the desert with the Bani Salim tribe who rescue them p. 79 , while seemingly the main plot, wind up being merely the prelude. The bulk of the book concerns Audran's quasi-criminal dealings in the city (where the law is mostly what Bey says it is) both before and after the exile. Audran is a likable and interesting narrator, but the ending occurs much too quickly and there's far less advancement of character in this novel than in the prior two. Those who haven't read the preceding volumes will have no idea what's going on here, but anyone who has read them will be undoubtedly be disappointed by this sequel.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Marid Audran, reluctant right-hand man to Friedlander Bey, one of the Budayeen's most influential power brokers, finds himself and his boss framed for murder and exiled to the desert--from which Bey's enemies hope they will never return. Set in a future where even the Muslim world has succumbed to cyber technology, Effinger's ( When Gravity Fails , Morrow, 1987; A Fire in the Sun , Doubleday, 1988) latest Budayeen novel contains a tongue-in-cheek hero, a plethora of action, and a background filled with exotic detail. Purchase where the previous novels have a following.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Spectra (February 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553296647
• ISBN-13: 978-0553296648
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 3.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,165,883 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Effinger has made Audran a well rounded force in literature., July 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Exile Kiss, The (Hardcover)

After reading the first two books at the age of 16 and 17, I waited and waited for The Exile Kiss to arrive on the shelves. The day I found it felt like the second/third coming of a saviour who perilously navigated me through the dangerous streets of the Budayeen, and then to the fascinationg Arabic world outside of the city. His seeming transformation from pill-popping, whore banging hell-cat to a more refined, cultured arabic gentleman had me somewhat dismayed, but I found that in all reality, Effinger was just showing MARID'S cunning and shrewdness in adapting to necessary environmental changes. When in Rome!!! We do find that you can take the Maghrebi out of the Budayeen, but you can't take the Budayeen out of the Maghrebi. The only element missing in this excellent third installment in the life of Marid Audran and Friedlander Bey is another 1000 pages. There was a tease about a fourth book called Retribution, which I have been anticipating with baited breath. So, the long of the short of it...Read all three books, When Gravity Fails, A Fire In the Sun, and The Exile Kiss, and you will be introduced the one of the most interesting and fascinating antagonist/protagonist in the literary world. Don't let the Sci-Fi setting disuade you from this adventure, I'm not a Sci-fi fan at all, but have become a adamant Audran/Effinger follower, as will you. Please harass Effinger to give us our fourth installment of this fantastic saga. GBA San Diego, CA

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, great, stuff. Get it while you can., March 24, 2001

By 

Wordhurler "gamer, writer, geek" (Oak Park, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Exile Kiss (Paperback)

The price might seem steep for a paperback, but be glad you can get at least two of Effinger's three Marid Audran novels in some form (I notice A FIRE IN THE SUN is also listed here, but it seems the first one, WHEN GRAVITY FAILS, is still out of print).

It's genuinely obscene that these novels aren't still available in mass market editions. These are three of the most entertaining novels I've ever read -- and, yeah, I've read a bunch.

Effinger blends science fiction and the hard-boiled detective novel seamlessly and more effectively than anyone else who's attempted it, then sets the whole thing in one of the most interesting and unusual worlds you can imagine. We've seen the futures of Los Angeles and Tokyo more times than any of us can count -- but what about the future of the Middle East? The Budayeen, the sleazy setting of these novels, is a place you've never been before in any form, and it's a place you'll wish you could visit in real life -- even if you could end up with a knife in your back.

These are just great novels. The only thing more disappointing than the fact that Bantam Spectra let them slip out of print is the fact that Effinger stopped at three, when Marid Audran and his world were still so rich and intriguing.

One last thing, though: Don't call 'em cyberpunk. First off, they ain't -- and second, Effinger reportedly hates that.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Adrift in the Desert, December 21, 2001

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Exile Kiss (Paperback)

In this sequel to When Gravity Fails and A Fire in the Sun finds Marid Audran and his patron Friedlander Bey, framed for murder and sentenced to exile in Rub al-Khali in the Arabian Desert. As in real life, the Rub al-Khali ("The Empty Quarter") is a vast, uninhabited sand sea, from which no one emerges alive. The bulk of the book takes place there, as they are rescued by a tribe of Bedouin and undergo deep self-examination. The change of setting makes for a nice difference from the previous two books, and there's a bit more character development as well. As is to be expected, the duo make it back to Cairo to unmask the person who set them up and exact vengeance (rather like Stevenson's Kidnapped). Things work out a little too easily for them upon their return, but on the whole, it's another solid entry in the series.