Istanbul, 1899. The last great Islamic empire is in serious trouble. The family of Iskender Pasha, an Ottoman notable, has retired to its summer palace. Then a former tutor poses a question which the family has been refusing to confront for almost a century: 'Your Ottoman Empire is like a drunken prostitute, neither knowing nor caring who will take her next. Do I exaggerate, Memed?'
This passionate story of jealousies, betrayals and vendettas charts the decay of the Empire and the rise of a new generation which is deeply hostile to the myths of the 'golden days.' The power of the 'Islam Quintet' lies both in the story-telling and its challenge against stereotyped images of life under Islam.

Ali spins a web of tales that is as inventive and fantastical as the Arabian nights. * Times *
... an Eastern Magic Mountain. * London Review of Books *
This Chekhov-like scenario of intense emotion within a creaking social structure constructs a rich picture of history and the way we think about history. * Times Literary Supplement *
Tales of anguish, longing, lust and love all find their way to The Stone Woman. Ali paints a vivid picture of a fading world. * New York Times Book Review *

TARIQ ALI is a writer and filmmaker. He has written more than a dozen books on world history and politics--including Pirates of the Caribbean, Bush in Babylon, The Clash of Fundamentalisms and The Obama Syndrome--as well as five novels in his Islam Quintet series and scripts for the stage and screen. He is an editor of the New Left Review and lives in London.