

Step into The City of Brass, the spellbinding debut from S. A. Chakraborty perfect for fans of The Golem and the Jinni, The Grace of Kings, and Uprooted, in which the future of a magical Middle Eastern kingdom rests in the hands of a clever and defiant young con artist with miraculous healing gifts.
On the streets of eighteenth-century Cairo, Nahri is a con woman of unsurpassed skill. She makes her living swindling Ottoman nobles, hoping to one day earn enough to change her fortunes. But when Nahri accidentally summons Dara, an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior, during one of her cons, she learns that even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.
Forced to flee Cairo, Dara and Nahri journey together across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire and rivers where the mythical marid sleep, past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises and mountains where the circling birds of prey are more than what they seem, to Daevabad, the legendary city of brass.
It’s a city steeped in magic and fire, where blood can be as dangerous as any spell; a city where old resentments run deep and the royal court rules with a tenuous grip; a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound—and where her very presence threatens to ignite a war that has been simmering for centuries.
Step into The City of Brass, the spellbinding debut from S. A. Chakraborty perfect for fans of The Golem and the Jinni, The Grace of Kings, and Uprooted, in which the future of a magical Middle Eastern kingdom rests in the hands of a clever and defiant young con artist with miraculous healing gifts.
On the streets of eighteenth-century Cairo, Nahri is a con woman of unsurpassed skill. She makes her living swindling Ottoman nobles, hoping to one day earn enough to change her fortunes. But when Nahri accidentally summons Dara, an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior, during one of her cons, she learns that even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.
Forced to flee Cairo, Dara and Nahri journey together across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire and rivers where the mythical marid sleep, past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises and mountains where the circling birds of prey are more than what they seem, to Daevabad, the legendary city of brass.
It’s a city steeped in magic and fire, where blood can be as dangerous as any spell; a city where old resentments run deep and the royal court rules with a tenuous grip; a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound—and where her very presence threatens to ignite a war that has been simmering for centuries.
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The Daevabad Trilogy
The Daevabad Trilogy
3 books in catalog
Building expansive fantasy worlds grounded in Middle Eastern history and Islamic folklore, speculative fiction has been enriched by detailed historical research and complex political dynamics. Shannon Chakraborty, writing under the pen name S. A. Chakraborty, earned widespread recognition with her debut novel The City of Brass, which launched The Daevabad Trilogy. Her work combines intricate worldbuilding with historical adventure, drawing readers into rich setting-driven narratives.
Born on December 7, 1985, in New Jersey, Chakraborty studied international relations and Middle Eastern history at American University. She later moved to Brooklyn, New York, working in healthcare at a medical office while pursuing writing. During this time, she joined the Brooklyn Speculative Fiction Writers group and began drafting early stories set in the magical world that evolved into her debut novel, The City of Brass, published in 2017.
The critical and commercial reception of The City of Brass established her presence in historical fantasy, earning nominations for honors such as the Crawford Award, Compton Crook Award, Locus Award, World Fantasy Award, and British Fantasy Award. She completed The Daevabad Trilogy with The Kingdom of Copper and The Empire of Gold. She later moved to Queens, New York, and expanded her fantasy catalog with The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, setting an ocean-spanning adventure across the medieval Indian Ocean.
Chakraborty's writing relies heavily on rigorous historical grounding, blending medieval Middle Eastern lore and Islamic history with high-stakes political intrigue. Her narratives explore themes of perseverance, political conflict, morality, and hope in complex multi-layered societies. Rather than relying on standard European fantasy tropes, her work emphasizes regional folklore, oceanic seafaring history, and intricate magic systems rooted in cultural mythology.
3 books in catalog
Building expansive fantasy worlds grounded in Middle Eastern history and Islamic folklore, speculative fiction has been enriched by detailed historical research and complex political dynamics. Shannon Chakraborty, writing under the pen name S. A. Chakraborty, earned widespread recognition with her debut novel The City of Brass, which launched The Daevabad Trilogy. Her work combines intricate worldbuilding with historical adventure, drawing readers into rich setting-driven narratives.
Born on December 7, 1985, in New Jersey, Chakraborty studied international relations and Middle Eastern history at American University. She later moved to Brooklyn, New York, working in healthcare at a medical office while pursuing writing. During this time, she joined the Brooklyn Speculative Fiction Writers group and began drafting early stories set in the magical world that evolved into her debut novel, The City of Brass, published in 2017.
The critical and commercial reception of The City of Brass established her presence in historical fantasy, earning nominations for honors such as the Crawford Award, Compton Crook Award, Locus Award, World Fantasy Award, and British Fantasy Award. She completed The Daevabad Trilogy with The Kingdom of Copper and The Empire of Gold. She later moved to Queens, New York, and expanded her fantasy catalog with The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, setting an ocean-spanning adventure across the medieval Indian Ocean.
Chakraborty's writing relies heavily on rigorous historical grounding, blending medieval Middle Eastern lore and Islamic history with high-stakes political intrigue. Her narratives explore themes of perseverance, political conflict, morality, and hope in complex multi-layered societies. Rather than relying on standard European fantasy tropes, her work emphasizes regional folklore, oceanic seafaring history, and intricate magic systems rooted in cultural mythology.