The Amazing Voyage of Azzam

It is the 9th century, and vainglorious adventurer Azzam the sailor desperately seeks a reputation to equal that of another Arabian mariner-enjoying fame and fortune for his seven spectacular sea voyages.

After the daring rescue of an Indian princess from the island harem of a monstrous tyrant called the Spider-King, Azzam and his crew head home to Baghdad, but en route their ship is boarded by an evil magician.

He demands a mysterious parchment scroll that Azzam had brought by accident from his last adventure. When the sailor hesitates to comply, the sorcerer takes it by force-and as a demonstration of his power, transforms two of his crewmates into monsters. Barely escaping this horrific episode, Azzam discovers a small fragment of the scroll that his adversary had unwittingly left behind, and takes it to Maruf, a trusted friend and scholar, for examination.

The Arab sage concludes that the ancient document is part of a Roman inventory report, describing artifacts taken from Palestine to a Christian monastery in Constantinople. But Maruf is alarmed to learn that a single owner connects the items: King Solomon, the Israelite ruler renowned for his fabulous treasure and magical powers. Furthermore, he theorizes that the sinister magician may be none other than Zaavan, an outcast conjuror notorious for his great power and ruthless ambition. Azzam's friend proposes that they launch an expedition to find this unknown treasure of Solomon's before their enemy can exploit it for evil purposes.

In order to face the occult prowess of Zaavan however, they require the protection of a sorcerer themselves-and seek out an unlikely partner in adventure.

Meanwhile, at his remote desert hideaway, Zaavan solicits a former patron, the Maharajah Anish Singh, to finance a mysterious voyage that he promises will reward the ruler with vast riches. The Indian despot agrees to the proposal-but decides that he and his son Rohin will accompany the magician in securing the treasure. Zaavan is forced to accept his terms-for the time being.

Azzam and Maruf visit the Sultan of Hamadan, an old friend of the scholar's whom he had once helped to defeat an evil sorcerer. Maruf hopes that some of the magician?s possessions may be utilized for their defense, but the ruler reveals that the villain's only legacy in the palace is his daughter Fatima-found in the ruins of the sorcerer's lair and raised by the Sultan's servants. She has grown into a distant and difficult young woman, but Azzam is immediately taken by her beauty.

The adventurers depart with their reluctant protector-and soon embark on a dangerous journey across the Arabian World while pursued by the relentless Zaavan.

The Amazing Voyage of Azzam takes readers from the lush islands of India and the subterranean passageways of Constantinople to the boiling deserts of Africa, battling giants, freakish tribesmen, and fiery demons along the way. It is a thrilling adventure promising to grant