Warning – there will be spoilers for the Daevabad trilogy but not for The River of Silver. 

“From the palace walls Hatset could see Daevabad stretched below, the city dazzling in miniature, the tribal boundaries sprawled across it all like a web, ensnaring the lives of tens of thousands.

“It’s breathtaking,” she said.”  

S.A. Chakraborty welcomes us back to the magical land of Daevabad in all its beauty, its glory and even its hidden cruelty. The River of Silver is a delightful collection of stories which offer us glimpses into the events from before, during and after The City of Brass, The Kingdom of Copper and The Empire of Gold. Each story is told from the perspective of our beloved, and not so beloved, characters from the stunning Deavabad trilogy. This collection is being released as an audiobook, narrated by Soneela Nankani, but will also be published in physical formats later this year. 

I personally have always found audiobooks hard to get into as I tend to lose concentration on them fairly quickly. Yet this was far from the case here as I devoured these stories as quickly as I could. Soneela Nankani offers a fantastic narration and injects so much emotion and nuance into each character’s voice, keeping me engaged throughout. I think it also helped that I already knew and loved this world and the characters and therefore I was more than eager to become immersed into their tales once again. This book also came at a point where I truly needed it, as the real world is falling apart, Chakraborty offered a much needed escape. I sat in my conservatory, a nice warmth coming from the sun at the window, headphones on, eyes closed; I was overjoyed to be transported back to my beloved Daevabad.

At the beginning of each story Chakraborty informs us of the timeline of the scene in relation to the Daevabad trilogy, and warns which book it will contain spoilers for. This was such a thoughtful touch, not only does it provide some context for each story, but for those who may not have finished the trilogy yet, they could easily avoid particular stories until they had.

The first story is a scene with Manizheh set decades before The City of Brass, and I began to see her character in a new light as Chakraborty shows us that right and wrong all depended on your perspective. In The Empire of Gold Manizheh boils with rage and unleashes a torrent of destruction, yes I understood her reasons but nonetheless loathed her actions. Yet in this story we witness Manizheh oppressed, emotionally abused and full of heartache. She is a mother giving up her child, stricken with the loss, and she’s a sister watching her brother suffer at the cruel hands of the tyrant King Ghassan. Knowing Manizheh’s inner thoughts and feelings at the time of her ordeal certainly made me feel much more sympathy for her. 

“Would you add that which I cannot tell you to your prayers?”

Rustam lifted his gaze to her again.

“Everyday, sister.” 

This is the beauty of The River of Silver, each story is cleverly curated to give better insight into each character, whether they be side or main characters from the original trilogy. We see intimate, quiet moments where thoughts and feelings are explored in depth, where desires and longings are revealed. Voices are given to those such as Hatset and Zaynab, who previously had not had a PoV. In Zaynab’s story we see her put aside her fears, gather her courage and stand to defend her people. Through Hatset we see a determined new queen, and a more tender Ghassan who gives Hatset a surprisingly thoughtful gift. Each narrative adds even more to this already richly layered world, filling in the gaps or providing more backstory to all that unfolded in Daevabad. 

“His closed eyes dimmed further, and Dara glanced up blinking to see Nahri standing before him outlined against the sun. She was dressed in her stolen clothes, beads of water still clinging to her cheeks and glistening in her hair. Suleiman’s Eye, she is beautiful. The sight of her left him feeling breathless, which of course was not possible, as Dara did not breathe.” 

Chakraborty writes a mixture of stories which are poignant, heartwarming, heartbreaking and often very amusing. Some of my favourites included Jamshid meeting Mutandhir for the first time, Nahri and Dara at a market whilst travelling on their way to Daevabad, and my two absolute favourites were from the scene where Ali is in exile in Am Gezira and he goes to rescue a young girl: this had such a fairytale-esque atmosphere, and such a humorous ending. Then the last story which revolved around Nahri and Ali, set a year and a half after the events of The Empire of Gold, simply melted by heart. Each story may have separate narratives, but they were all connected by the theme of love in all its forms, ranging from a mother’s love, to romantic love, and sibling love. 

As I headed back to a world of Djinn, of elemental magic, of zulfiqar’s and luscious gardens, I felt enchanted once again. Chakraborty’s prose is dazzling, she brings these characters and the world of Daevabad to life with beauty and grace. The River of Silver is a must-have for any fan who wants to experience sweet and tender stories from all the charmingly crafted characters whom we already adore. 

“I would do anything to be with you, and see you free of your duties and safe from this city’s awful murderous politics. But Jamshid didn’t say that, he already knew the answer. Daevabad came first.” 

Audiobook ARC provided by Harper Voyager UK/Harper Collins in exchange for an honest review. All quotes have been transcribed by myself for the purposes of this review, any mistakes are solely my fault.

The River of Silver is out in audiobook today, but you can pre-order a hardback/paperback copy HERE