When army surgeon Captain Burbank joins Delia's regiment, tales of his scandalous past precede him. Though repulsed by his reputation, Delia glimpses the inner torment behind his cynical exterior. When Burbank starts selflessly serving the local villagers, Delia sees the good in him. But Oriental prejudice erupts in violence, leaving Burbank's fate, and Delia's heart, hanging in the balance.

The Thief of Bagdad by Achmed Abdullah is a sweeping tale of adventure, intrigue, and daring escapades set in a richly imagined world of ancient splendor and shadowed alleys. At its heart is a master thief whose cunning, agility, and audacity allow him to navigate a city alive with danger, temptation, and opportunity. Abdullah's storytelling brings to life a vivid landscape of bustling markets, hidden chambers, and royal intrigue, where fortune and peril often walk hand in hand. The narrat...

When genteel New England spinster Jane Champlin travels to exotic Algiers seeking adventure, she hires a French cabbie, Toussaint, to show her around. But as she tries penetrating Toussaint's cheerful facade to uncover why he inexplicably exiled himself there, Jane discovers preconceptions can blind us to life's simple truths. Achmed Abdullah’s wry tale mocks both provincial small-mindedness and romantic Orientalism.

When wealthy financier James Massingham marries a young woman named Judith, he believes his love and success have brought him happiness. But Judith struggles to love a man who values his work above all else. When Judith falls for another man, the artist Mark Cutter, Massingham surprisingly does not seek revenge. Instead, a strange friendship grows between the two men bound by their love for Judith. As Cutter's fame as an artist grows, Massingham buys up all his work, becoming the sole owne...

This unique collection of short stories came about when a dinnertime conversation led to the following question being posed: What would happen if a man and woman were forced to spend several days shackled to one another? Four skilled writers offer their answers to this query in four interesting, enlightening tales.

When mild-mannered philosophy professor Lowell Cabot Day lands in Africa, he finds himself embroiled in international conflict after accidentally wounding a belligerent German officer. Forced to flee into the interior with his life at risk, the scholar relies on his wits and knowledge of Herbert Spencer's teachings to gain the trust of local tribes. Crowning himself leader, Day rules the land he dubs his personal "Spencerian commonwealth," setting the stage for a showdown with warring Euro...

When wealthy sophisticate Jabez Massingham's young bride mysteriously vanishes from a Broadway drugstore on their wedding night, he becomes consumed by a sinister, primal fear of the bustling metropolis. As Broadway's urban jungle threatens to close in decade after decade, Massingham wages a desperate campaign to barricade himself against its creeping tentacles, though he knows the cosmic forces of fate may have already sealed his doom.

Bucking the Tiger by Achmed Abdullah is a fast-paced tale steeped in danger, intrigue, and the restless energy of chance. Centered around the high-stakes world of gambling—where fortune shifts as quickly as human loyalty—the story captures the tension between risk and reward in a setting where every decision carries consequences. Abdullah brings his signature flair for vivid atmosphere and sharp character dynamics, drawing readers into a world where confidence is currency and survival depe...

Our fourth volume of Achmed Abdullah's collected works presents 15 more tales of mystery, adventure, and romance. Includes an introduction by Darrell Schweitzer. Here are:THE TALE THE DRUM TOLDTHE STOLEN APPLES SYSTEMTHE ROCK WHENCE YE WERE HEWNTHE PURPLE PALETTE OF LIFETHE MAN WHO WISHEDTHE INFIDELTHE LAST WORDTHE GUERDONTHE GAMUTTHE FLOWERING STONETHE FETISH OF REMORSETHE EVENING RICETHE COMMONSEN...

Thingumajee Thingumabob Jones by Achmed Abdullah is offered here in a clean English digital edition prepared for fluent ebook reading. The work stands within classics and gives modern readers direct access to a public-domain classic with navigable structure and a restrained typographic presentation. The opening pages establish the book's atmosphere with this first movement: THE fellow shouldn't he allowed in the Club. He makes the whole White community lose face," said Sir Silas Holden, th...

In the stifling Tonkinese jungle, two French adventurers strike a devil's bargain with the notorious rebel Vasanda: one will take a fabulous gem to buy weapons for him, the other held hostage against the gold's return. But which to trust with the fortune, and which to abandon to Vasanda's gruesome fate?

Wings: Tales of the Psychic by Achmed Abdullah is a mesmerizing collection of stories that ventures into the mysterious realms of intuition, unseen forces, and the hidden dimensions of human consciousness. Blending suspense, mysticism, and psychological intrigue, Abdullah crafts narratives that challenge the boundaries between reality and the supernatural. Each tale explores encounters with extraordinary perceptions, unexplained experiences, and the subtle powers that seem to exist just be...