“Readers tired of the endless Da Vinci Code knockoffs will find Altun's variation on the theme a refreshing one. Altun (Songs My Mother Never Taught Me) beautifully incorporates details about the Byzantine Empire less familiar to Western audiences, as well as healthy injections of wry humor, into this riveting escapade.” Publishers Weekly
"Now in English, Altun’s novel rightly claims its place among the works of world literature through its brilliantly constructed plot and offers an intriguing read for readers and scholars of world literature." World Literature Today
"Sultan is first and most definitely a carefully executed mystery....What are you, some kind of aristocratic character escaped from a romantic novel?” asks the comely professor of the narrator/protagonist, who fits this description so perfectly. He also may or may not be The Sultan of Byzantium of Selçuk Altun’s absorbing novel. The longest-lasting and most satisfying intrigue is that readers never learn the name of the narrator, a dashing economics professor, until the book’s conclusion. How it is revealed, resolving many a loose end, is well worth the journey getting there."
New Pages.com
"The novel, translated from Turkish by Clifford and Selhan Endres, is punctuated by the literate wit of the author, whose extraordinary range of references extends from ancient authors to modern crime fiction. This is a hugely enjoyable crash-course in imperial bloodbaths, plus a travelogue, interwoven with snippets of poetry." The Independent, UK
“Readers tired of the endless Da Vinci Code knockoffs will find Altun's variation on the theme a refreshing one. Altun (Songs My Mother Never Taught Me) beautifully incorporates details about the Byzantine Empire less familiar to Western audiences, as well as healthy injections of wry humor, into this riveting escapade.” Publishers Weekly
"Now in English, Altun’s novel rightly claims its place among the works of world literature through its brilliantly constructed plot and offers an intriguing read for readers and scholars of world literature." World Literature Today
"Sultan is first and most definitely a carefully executed mystery....What are you, some kind of aristocratic character escaped from a romantic novel?” asks the comely professor of the narrator/protagonist, who fits this description so perfectly. He also may or may not be The Sultan of Byzantium of Selçuk Altun’s absorbing novel. The longest-lasting and most satisfying intrigue is that readers never learn the name of the narrator, a dashing economics professor, until the book’s conclusion. How it is revealed, resolving many a loose end, is well worth the journey getting there."
New Pages.com
"The novel, translated from Turkish by Clifford and Selhan Endres, is punctuated by the literate wit of the author, whose extraordinary range of references extends from ancient authors to modern crime fiction. This is a hugely enjoyable crash-course in imperial bloodbaths, plus a travelogue, interwoven with snippets of poetry." The Independent, UK
