THE MANY ASSASSINATIONS OF SAMIR, THE SELLER OF DREAMS

A servant boy attempts to win his freedom by repeatedly saving his master as they travel the Silk Road.

At roughly age 12, Omar has led a hard life, having lost both his parents and the woman who cared for him after their deaths and now being chased away by the monks who once housed him for asking too many questions. For the price of six bolts of silk, they hand him off to Samir, a fellow Sogdian who calls himself the Seller of Dreams. Renamed Monkey, he is tasked with assisting Samir in trading. As the two head west with a large caravan across the Taklamakan Desert toward present-day Tajikistan, Monkey learns Samir’s business tricks, though he often disapproves. He also meets blacksmith’s assistant Mara, the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen. Soon, though, it becomes clear that Samir faces more problems than just making the next deal: He has wronged more than one person along the road, and assassins are after him. What follows is Monkey’s account of Samir’s brushes with death—and how Monkey himself may have contributed to Samir’s eventual demise. Filled with the multicultural hustle and bustle of the Silk Road, enlivened by the unpredictable nature of unreliable storytellers, and adorned with whimsical, colorful illustrations, this is a strange, wondrous, and creative tale. Can family be found along the Silk Road, or will everyone ultimately betray you?

An enticing taste of a rich historical world.