Hi Reddit! I’m Shannon Chakraborty, fantasy author and history nerd. My first book was The City of Brass, which kicked off The Daevabad Trilogy, and my latest is The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi. I write books heavily inspired by history (which will always be my first love), particularly the medieval Islamicate world. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is about an (unhappily) retired pirate in the 12th century Indian Ocean who puts together her old crew for “one last job” and ends up in all sorts of mischief and mayhem. I wrote it during the pandemic when I was trying to create something joyous and funny but with serious nods to the struggles of parenthood and the ways in which history–and legends–are crafted. Ask me about my favorite rogues, what you would want to pack in your cloak before stepping aboard a medieval sailing vessel, or y’know writing, worldbuilding, and my actual books.
You can find me at https://www.sachakraborty.com/ or on Instagram at @SAChakrabooks. If you’re interested in learning more about some of the real-life people and places behind the books, I keep a reading list here: https://www.sachakraborty.com/reading-list.html
EDIT: I got started a bit late, but my baby is currently losing it so I’m going to hope off for a bit in hopes of consoling her and come back to answer more questions later!
EDIT 2: I came back to way more questions than I can answer before I need to make dinner so I’m going to hop around and try to answer some I haven’t gotten before and maybe figure out how to upload my proof at the same time
EDIT 3: There is frankly an alarming amount of crashing and yelling outside my office, so I’m going to call it a wrap. On the odd chance I get some time later, I’ll try to answer more. Otherwise thank you so much for participating!
Proof: the reddit app isn’t letting me upload my photo right now but I’m going to try again when I get home (and hopefully convince my seven month old to nap)!
by SAChakraborty
46 Comments
I love your books!!! 💗💗💗
Is the City of Brass still being adapted into a series? Also any update on it? 🙂
Any updates on the sequel to the Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi? It was one of my top reads this year!
I am OBSESSED with the Daevabad series, I read it for the first time in spring of 2020, and since then I have re-read and re-listened to it several times! I recommend it all the time and even got my husband (not really a reader) to listen to it with me, and he loved it too. I also got my mom, and a handful of friends to read it.
So firstly I just want to say thank you for writing it! The world and characters are so rich and so real to me. I read A LOT and Daevabad is my #1 favorite series. Your writing has a quality that I find lacking in so many other series in the same genre. I have recently purchased Adventures of Amina and it will be my next read. I can’t wait to see what type of rollercoaster it will take me on!
Onto my question- I know that fairyloot released special editions of Daevabad, but unfortunately I missed out on those and the cost to buy them second-hand is prohibitive. Do you have plans to collaborate with any other companies to release special editions?
Second question- do you have a favorite character that you’ve written? Who would it be, and why?
Again, thank you 💛
Hi! Amina is my favorite read of 2023 and I’ve recommended it so many times. Thank you so much for sharing her and her crew with us 🩷
Hi Shannon! I absolutely loved the Daevabad books and am looking forward to reading Amina al-Sirafi!
Do you plan to ever revisit the characters from Daevabad, in depth? And if not what do you imagine the future looks like for Ali/Nahri and Jamshid/Muntadhir?
Also I really loved Zaynab’s ending. It seemed perfect for the character.
Edit: actually I came up with a better question — how much research went into creating the world of Daevabad? I know you have a background in Middle Eastern history/culture — so was it more that you already had the information and it guided the story? Or did you find that as you wrote you had to go back and study the relevant folklore/history?
Hi Shannon!! I absolutely ADORE your writing—there’s something so lush and opulent about every setting you write. I love a good market scene, too! I read all of the Daevabad trilogy and them immediately jumped into Amina (which was convenient because I got it in my subscription box!)
I guess my question would be, which were your favourite character relationships to write? Whether it was fun, challenging, or both!
This might not be a problem you have- but any tips for pantsers who write out of chronological order and struggle to organize and connect those scenes?
Also, I love your books. Ali and Nahri and really the majority of the cast of the Daevabad trilogy have my whole heart. I even really like Ghassan as a character even though I hate him as a person, haha. Eagerly awating the sequel of Amina al-Sirafi!!
Hi Shannon! Big fan here, right now I’m reading City Of Brass
I just finished Amina’s story and was mindblown of how beautiful the story is!
Hi!!!!! I’m obsessed with your books. How do you feel about me being a Dara sympathizer? I can’t help but love him.
Of all the characters you’ve created, which two would you like to be stuck on a deserted island with?
Also! Who are your author inspos? What books helped shape your own writing?
Hey Shannon! I loved Adventures of Amina al-Sarafi so much. Easily the best I’ve read this year! Do you have any recommendations for books that continue to explore this theme?? I really loved the adventure but specifically Amina. Can’t wait for the next one!
Hi Shannon! I love your work and am always recommending it to people! I especially loved Daevabad and all the interesting history and mythology you intertwined. What did you use for inspiration in creative the world and magical beings? I’m sure a lot was based on mythologies and histories from the time, but I would love to hear more from you! Thanks 💛
Is Amina inspired or influenced by any historical female pirates in particular like Ching Shih or Anne Boney? Or just any pirates in general in the Indian Ocean?
What’s your favorite food?
Have you thought about writing a sequel of some sorts that follows Dara that goes after the ifrit?
Hi Shannon! First off just wanted to say a stray recommend on Twitter for City of Brass 18 months or so ago really was the catalyst for a bit of a revival in my reading habits. Caught my imagination and reignited my enthusiasm and now I’m a daily reader again. So thank you!
What I’ll ask is, there are certainly dark elements to both Deavabad and Amina which I think really jump off the page, would ever consider writing a full on horror novel within the world(s)?
Hi Shannon, I am such a HUGE fan of both Daevabad and Amina.
Amina was especially important to me as a mother protagonist because I truly think mothers are the most under-represented demographic in fantasy despite encompassing such a huge part of the population. I’d love to hear your thoughts on mothers as protagonists and if you enjoyed writing that part of Amina’s character?
hi shannon! i can’t put to words how much i adore your writing. every time i recommend your books, i always mention one of my favorite parts is how complexly written your characters are. in daevabad and in amina, there’s always this fine balance where the main characters aren’t inherently good/evil. i love that our main characters very evidently have their own flaws and we see such amazing growth with them through the series. my question is, what are the processes you usually take to flesh out your characters and how is that character growth driven through your stories?
Hi Shannon! I absolutely adore the Daevabad Trilogy, and Amina was my favorite read this year! Who are some of your favorite authors? I’m in the process of writing my first book, do you have any tips on how to stay organized? Thank you for this and for your writing! You’re my biggest inspiration!
I love your books so much! Will you ever release that wedding scene you teased about (post Empire of Gold)?
Hi! Big, longtime fan! I loved the adventures of Amina of Al-Sirafi. I know you used a lot of real life history to create the world and then mixed it with your own fantasy creations and story line. My question is: where did you draw the line between historical and fantasy? How did you decide what would be based on real life and what would be made up or mythological?
Thank you in advance, I hope you have a wonderful day and that you managed to get the baby to sleep :))
Hi Shannon! I absolutely loved the Daevabad trilogy, and flew through the Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi it was so good. Your books are my first entry into history-based fantasy as well as non-European centered fantasy, and it’s been an amazing journey so far. (I’m currently reading Tasha Suri’s Empire of Sand.)
Is there a pronunciation guide for the names of people and places that you’ve created in your works?
No question, just have to let you know I love your books! Your writing is incredible.
Thank you so, so much for writing my favorite series (Daevabad). The world you crafted feels so real and it was wonderful to read such a gripping and creative rendering of a mythical world.
My question: all of your characters feel so real, no matter if they are the main character or not. How do you shape a character’s inner voice and personality? Where do you start? (I.e. Do you wait to hear their voice, or use one of the craft templates? Do you find a good people watching spot?)
I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the Daevabad trilogy! I just read it this summer and loved it so much I got my partner and my twin to read it with me.
Omgosh hi! I love your books so much! I tell people Daevabad is my favorite series ever. 🙂
I know you’d just had you baby when Amina came out, but do you think you’ll do a tour of the US anytime soon? Or would we need to wait until the next book? I’d LOVE to meet you and get signatures on one of my City of Brass copies. 💖
Hello!!! I just wanted to say I love the Daevabad trilogy and I am going to next read Amina’s book next! I survived 2021/2022 by reading your books and you are definitely one of my favorite authors.
Hi Shannon! I love your books so much 🙂 They’re an inspiration. It’s always a delight to submerge into a world that is such a labor of love full of vibrant characters.
What is it like dealing with sentiments that insist white authors shouldn’t be writing about or setting their books in South Asian / Middle Eastern / North African cultures and time periods? I don’t agree with the assertion, but moreso curious if that affects your process / headspace.
I really love the Daevabad Trilogy. Your books rekindled my love of the fantasy genre, 20 years dormant in the face of so many books that center “men walking around”. Thank you for novels I am excited to (someday) share with my kids.
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi was far and away my favorite book of the past few years and the Daevabad trilogy is another all time favorite series! Do you have any book recommendations for people who love your books? There is something so fun about the adventures in your books and the found families your casts create. I’m having a hard time finding something that scratches the same itch!
Your storytelling and world building are absolutely masterful. You’ve talked before about getting too caught up in the research sometimes, but I’m wondering where ideas really start or blossom for you. Do you start with a historical time and place, or with a myth, or with an idea about a person’s story you want to tell? Where does it start and how do you let it build into something more than just a single idea?
The city of brass and the world of daevas in the series is very detailed and full – how much of that comes from your own imagination and how much was adapted from existing mythology? What was your ‘worldbuilding’ process?
Also I am very happy you have recovered/are recovering! All that you went through giving birth is so scary.
Hi Shannon! I love your books so much (Daevabad and Amina both) and can’t wait for Amina #2. My question for you is – if you were on Amina’s ship, where would you want to sail (assuming the same era)? For me, it’s probably the Swahili coast / Zanzibar but the Indian Ocean is huge with so many cool places. I know you studied this subject so I am excited to hear your response.
Hi Shannon, I really enjoyed the Daevabad Trilogy. The way you bring the sensory aspects of place to life is truly delightful and really helps to invite and ground me in your world. Have you ever considered making coins from Daevastana, Am Gezira, etc? My company Shire Post Mint specializes in coins from fictional worlds and it could be really cool!
How opportune, someone here recommended your series a few weeks ago and I’ve almost nearly finished the first one.
I’ve enjoyed *City of Brass* pretty well thus far, and as someone whose father is Iranian I thought your world building was actually pretty exquisite and very well done. I checked out your credentials before picking up the series and it’s clear you’re extremely well versed in the subject. The only gripe I had is so petty it’s almost laughable. For some reason, every male character wears a turban and you say as such. It would be like if I wrote every woman was wearing a burka. There are so many various head coverings in the Middle East. I almost wanted to seek you out and ask if in studying ancient Middle East culture in university it was just one of those non issues they ignored to teach you what they considered “important” topics like culture and geopolitics. In any case I look forward to finishing the series and wish you the best in your career, it looks very promising if that was the quality of your first novel inshallah.
What has been your favorite read of this year? What is your favorite book or series of all time?
Hi, I’m a huge fan!! I have a couple questions:
1) If you could have any characters from Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi and daevabad meet (that realistically wouldn’t be able to) who would it be?
2) Are there any dynamics you wish you could’ve explored more in Daevabad?
3) Who’s character arc in Daevabad changed the most as you were writing?
Are there other books you like or recommend for the medieval era, that also feature minorities or Muslims?
Oh my gosh. I am so excited right now. I hope this is still active. Huge fan of Daevabad here! I’m saving Amina as my “break in case of emergency” book because the book hangover from finishing the Daevabad series has been unreal.
Who are some of your favorite authors? Any genre! The depth and complexity of your characters is part of what I love about your writing. Whenever I recommend your books, I always describe the characters as feeling like real people. What other books/series have had that impact on you?
No questions, just wanted to say I really loved this book and the audiobook is by far one of my favorites. I really hope you keep the same narrator for the rest of the series!
Gentleman Fans – can I get an upvote?
Just want to show some appreciation from the male readers out there!
I’m guessing a majority of readers are female, but wondering if you know what % roughly of readers are male, and if your writing process tends to attempt to reach the male audience? Your books were the first step I took outside of male authors and boy was I glad I did (understatement). Thanks for such an epic world build and storyline!
Hi Shannon! I really loved how Amina was my age. Most fantasy is about teens or twenty something year olds and it was refreshing to have a women in a fantasy I could relate to. Also I listened to the audiobook version of your book and the narraters did such wonderful character voices.
I just wanted to say we’re reading the Daevabad Trilogy in my book club right now. I actually still have a a few pages to go in book 2 before we meet tonight. But this series has been one of the biggest hits with everyone so far and we range in age from mid 20s to 60s. Thanks for creating such a cool world!