Cinnabar by British author Graham Diamond (
ISFDB,
Wikipedia), is his standalone historical fantasy adventure novel based on Arabian folklore, this one starting off in Basra, Iraq apparently during late medieval times when exploration and increased intercontinental trade was becoming more of A Thing but people still called China Cathay, as one Aladdin (who may or may not encounter a helpful genie along the way) attempts to rescue the kidnapped fiancée of his friend the Sultan, embarking on a perilous and mysterious quest to a fabled magical land in the company of his European sailor friends, free courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press' Venture imprint, who are e-printing it from its 1985 edition originally out from Fawcett's Gold Medal imprint.
Currently free @
Amazon (available to Canadians & in the UK and pretty much everywhere else that Amazon sells worldwide, since this is being done via their KDP Select exclusive-or-else program)
Description
After waking up on a boat with no idea how he got there, Aladdin, along with his friends Christóbal and Crispin, wonders how on earth he’s going to get home.
Three months earlier, Aladdin had found himself in Basra, visiting his old friend the Sultan. There he meets the Sultan’s bride-to-be, the beautiful Fatima.
But all is not what it seems…
Aladdin comes across an old dying man who rambles about the old fantasy land Cinnabar.
Disaster strikes when the Sultan’s bride disappears, leaving him distraught. Aladdin knows he must find a way to get her back, and when the old dying man appears claiming he can do just that, Aladdin is prepared to bargain with him.
However, the price to pay for saving Fatima is a high one.
Aladdin must decide how much he is prepared to sacrifice in order to bring happiness to his old friend, and recover the princess.
But just how far is the wise adventurer prepared to go in order save her?
Cinnabar is a gripping historical fantasy of peace, loyalty, and love. In a tale that takes you deep into the depths of the unknown, Diamond’s novel follows one man who must contemplate how to save not just a princess, but a whole world.