Buying Options

Print List Price:	$20.99
Kindle Price:	$0.99 Save $20.00 (95%)

Promotions apply when you purchase

Deliver to your Kindle Library

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.

Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

There was an error. We were unable to process your subscription due to an error. Please refresh and try again.

Lords of Misrule: A Novel by [Joel D. Hirst]

Follow the Author

Joel D. Hirst

Lords of Misrule: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Joel D. Hirst (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

20 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$0.99

—

Paperback

"Please retry"

$20.99

$19.89

—

Kindle
$0.99 Read with Our Free App
Paperback
$20.99

5 New from $19.89

Aliuf Ag Albachar, born into the noble Tuareg ancestry, is just thirteen when he crests a dune with his mother, looks down from atop his camel onto the ancient fabled city of Timbuktu, and contemplates the day it will finally be his. Unfortunately Aliuf has no idea that misfortune will soon force him to flee across the desert away from everything he has known and toward something greater than he ever imagined.

Propelled by restlessness and the indomitable spirit of his clan, Aliuf bravely pushes onward through a dangerous coming-of-age journey that leads him through a barren land. While following his heart through the vast expanses of the Sahara, he becomes a student enthralled with the great works of Islams golden age, a warlord who leads his army of angry men through the colossal dunes of the Sahara to battle the enemy, and finally an Islamic judge who makes a monumental discovery that shakes the foundation of his beliefs and forever shapes his destiny.

Lords of Misrule is an epic tale of redemption, forbidden love, and atonement against all odds as a young man is led on a path of enlightenment across the Sahara where he ultimately must face the consequences of his decisions.

Print length

304 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

iUniverse
Publication date

September 28, 2016
File size

552 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
See all details

Editorial Reviews

Review

Riveting from beginning to end, Lords of Misrule does everything it's supposed to do and more as Hirst delivers a genuine epic. Not one defined by a voluminous word count or an extraordinarily elaborate plot, but by the size of the ideas and visions that captivate from the very start. A coming of age novel in its truest sense it's not dense with manufactured plot details, it doesn't need to be, nor is it founded on cheap melodrama, but on Hirst's ability to engage our imagination and show us his setting through the eyes of his desert born protagonist. A back drop of contrasts of which Aliuf Ag Albachar must make sense and through which he must ultimately find his way, Hirst's telling is lush with emotionally powerful and poignant moments which he captures in sparingly acerbic prose. It's an adventure on a grand scale, but it works paradoxically as an intimate portrait of a life interrupted by the vagrancies of fate.

By any stretch of the imagination, Lords of Misrule proves an enthralling read and one that should attract much interest in other releases from Hirst. With broad appeal and highly deserving of your attention, it is recommended without reservation.

bookviral.com --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0794NZLKN
Publisher ‏ : ‎ iUniverse (September 28, 2016)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 28, 2016
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 552 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 304 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #2,410,781 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #15,120 in Coming of Age Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #32,029 in Coming of Age Fiction (Books)
- #57,530 in Literary Fiction (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
20 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Joel D. Hirst

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Joel D. Hirst is a novelist and a playwright. He was a Fellow in Residence at the Council on Foreign Relations and a Fellow in Human Freedom at the George W. Bush Institute. He is a graduate of Brandeis University.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5

20 global ratings

5 star		32%
4 star		51%
3 star		8%
2 star		9%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Lillie S.

A Dense, but Interesting Read

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 28, 2017

Verified Purchase

Joel D. Hirst did an excellent job at immersing his readers in the colorful and rich cultural setting of Northern Africa and the Middle East in this interesting coming of age story. Having read this between taking care of my baby and tending to my other daily tasks, I will admit that I did not dedicate as much time to understanding as much as the non-story related content as I would have liked to otherwise. There is so much more to this novel than what the story provides. There is depth in learning about the cultures, traditions, and ways of thinking that “Lords of Misrule” is essentially built upon. If I ever read this again, I want to take the time to do more research on Northern Africa as I read through the story.

As for the author’s style of writing, I must say that the introduction of the book was a tad difficult to swallow, as there is a lot of new information to take in for anyone unfamiliar with these kinds of names and spellings. I felt overwhelmed with new names and places and vocabulary for a large portion of the beginning of this novel. However, once I got used to the setting and the words, I felt hooked on the plot of the story. I was intrigued by Aliuf Ag Albachar and the predicament he found himself to be in. I routed for things to work out for the greater good. I hoped that Aliuf would learn his lessons and excel to his full potential.

Even though “Lords of Misrule” is a dense read, I thoroughly enjoyed it once I was past the introduction.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Serafina Mezzanotte

I wanted to learn this boys story

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 25, 2017

Verified Purchase

I was really interested in this book from the first word, when we first meet the hero, Aliuf Ag Albachar. I immediately wanted to learn more about what the strange spelling meant, where he was from and what his story was. I quickly learned that he is a 13-year-old Muslim, a Tuareg from North Africa. That desire to learn more quickly was satisfied as the author describes in detail (not too much!) the cultural history and expectations of the people. Aliuf is destined to rule the city of Timbuktu, but we know that's not going to be easy. Throughout the story, Aliuf is punished, his pride is injured, and he is separated from everything that he loves. It is very much a hero's journey. He must learn about the history of Islam, and how he might make his dreams come through.

He also must figure out how to redeem himself and accept or alter the consequences of the decisions he has made along the way. He tries, but he doesn't yet have the authority. Not even books are trusted in this world. All of these challenges of a boy trying to become a man being placed against the backdrop of the Sahara and a culture that we (in the West) don't really understand much makes it an interesting read. I can't give away the ending, but when it comes, Aliuf is happy, even if it's not what the reader might have wanted.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Marilyn

An informative and humanist view of a disturbing topic

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 7, 2017

Verified Purchase

Joel D. Hirst is an author that has done his research. He has managed to blend facts with the elements of fiction to create a work that both informs, and at the same time, inspires one to take a hard look at preconceived ideas and beliefs. I initially struggled with the unfamiliar names of people and places and had to do some research of my own to determine which parts of the book were fact; but I easily identified with the characters' feelings of pride, betrayal, and longing for more---the range of emotions and desires of every human. The question of why individuals would choose to adopt a jihadi mentality is one that I have pondered, and HIrst has provided a factual, yet entertaining avenue to learn more about the complex process that leads to such thinking. Although Hirst did not heavily stress the darker side of the Western influence that has colored the thoughts of many in the Middle East, his writing did prompt me to reflect upon the effects of our own nation's capitalist misdeeds in other parts of the world. After reading this, I am even more convinced that religions may have evolved in response to our needs for a higher power of goodness, but our innate sinful nature can distort the good into something terribly evil. Thank you, Mr. Hirst, for shedding light on an increasingly disturbing trend. I am inspired to learn more.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

PennyR

Tragic and poignant

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 28, 2017

Verified Purchase

Mr. Hurst does a good job of taking what seems to be a simple story about a young Tuareg boy and turned it into something so much more complex. Despite the very tangled story Lords of Misrule shares the story of three people as well as the story of a dangerous group of people and the damage they did to themselves, their country, their supposed enemy and their religion.

It was sad to see how a twisted view of their ideology could destroy friendship and actually hurt their cause. That people could so blindly follow leaders without questioning their motives and if this is what their religion is really about. I wonder if anyone who was never part of their world and it's particular hardships can truly understand their hatred and motives.

Mr. Hurst knows how to weave fact and fiction together to tell an interesting tale of a situation most of us could never handle or survive ourselves. It reminded me of the story telling in Lawrence of Arabia. And without giving too much away I'm not sure Aliuf Ag Albachar wasn't the lucky one in the end.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

William R. Evans Jr.

The harsh beauty and struggles of Tuareg boy is illuminating on many levels

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 14, 2016

Verified Purchase

Thought initially the story was going to be fairly one dimensional. Was wrong. It picked up pace and complexity as it went along and was impossible to put down from the last half on. Although the ending is described in the beginning it didn't detract at all from the unfolding story. Characters were carefully developed and multidimensional. The story is so relevant to the middle east and north Africa today and it is thoughtfully and gracefully constructed allowing a reasoned understanding and feeling for the sources of violence and beauty so endemic to the region. It took some getting used to the author's narrative style initially but only for a few chapters. That style grew on me as I went and as the story mixed with history and religion worked toward its climax. I highly recommend the book and feel a little more aware of the life and traditions and the harsh beauty of the Tuareg. Very enjoyable read.

Buying Options

Buy for others

Buying and sending eBooks to others

Follow the Author

Lords of Misrule: A Novel Kindle Edition

Editorial Reviews

Review

Product details

Videos

About the author

Joel D. Hirst

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.