The Genie's Gift

The Genie's Gift is a lighthearted action novel set in the fifteenth-century Middle East, drawing on the mythology of The Arabian Nights. Thirteen-year-old Anise, shy and timid, dreads marrying the man her father chooses for her. Her aunt tells her about the Genie Shakayak, the giver of the Gift of Sweet Speech. He lives high atop Mount Quaf, many weeks journey across a barren desert. The way is barred by a dozen dangers and trials. But those few who cross the desert and defeat the guardian...