Today we welcome R. Laham to answer a few questions alongside the release of Manzakar, the first book of her Slave-Soldier series!

Welcome! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what got you into writing?

Excited to “be” here! Like most writers, the need to tell stories got me writing as a kid. And my head was full of stories that I thought needed to be told. I had a pretty popular mommy blog back in the early 2000s, and that got me into writing fiction seriously, sort of by accident. I began writing a satirical time travel romance as a web serial on my blog, and developed a small following. After that, I began pursuing writing novels seriously.

Are there any books that have really influenced you as a writer?

So many. I practically grew up on Rafael Sabatini adventure novels, and they definitely impacted my storytelling and writing. Captain Blood, Scaramouche, and The Sea Hawk are among my favorite books of all time.

What do you enjoy most about writing fantasy?

The world-building. The freedom I have from the limitations of the real world, whether it be physical, societal, etc. Everything still has to make sense, of course, but the sky’s the limit.

What inspired this book/series?

I’m a huge history nerd who has a BA in Middle Eastern archaeology. I’m also Syrian-American. The Medieval Middle East has always fascinated me; so much was happening between the 5th and 15th centuries in that region, from the Crusades, to the Golden Age of Islam, to the Mongol conquests. The Mamluk Empire, in particular, has always captivated me, in no small part because I am descended of one of the last Mamluk sultans of Egypt. (That’s not a joke. My grandmother held the title of “princess.” Not that it did me any good, other than giving me great ideas for stories). I loosely based the Manzakars on the Mamluks, who were slave-soldiers from the Central Asian steppe.

But also, current events inspired me to sit down and write this story that had been on my mind for years, since my dad died in 2022. I will say that when I started to write Manzakar, I didn’t know certain things would transpire, even though I felt the fear, the anxiety. Suddenly, I needed to write it. I needed to write a story about identity, about oppression, about resistance.

But most urgently, I needed to write about hope. I needed to write about characters who were flesh and blood, thriving despite the world they lived in, flawed but bursting with agency and refusing to be crushed, despite all odds.

What things did you consider when building the world/setting of Manzakar?

I definitely took history into consideration—both the history of the Mamluks and Central Asia. I wanted the story to clearly feel Medieval, even a bit Sword & Sandal. I also wanted the people and cultures of Anzor, Gohar, and Dilovar be vaguely familiar, but still distinct from cultures of our world.

Can you tell us a little bit about the magic system of the Gohari?

The Essence is elemental magic. Those who have the Essence can manipulate water, earth, fire, etc., to varying degrees. According to Anzori lore, Archil the Gohari stole the Essence from the Anzori god Cenk, 206 years ago, bringing on the Dark Age to punish humans, particularly the Gohari people, for their heresy. As such, Gohar is in a perpetual state of famine and drought.

What is your favorite aspect of your main character, Tikran?

I love that Tikran is completely incapable of sitting by while injustice is done. He’s generally a calm, rational guy, until someone is mistreated or something unfair occurs.

What are some things you are really enjoying right now? Books, TV, foods, etc.?

I’m reading The Gryphon King by fellow debut fantasy author Sara Omer, an epic fantasy also set in Central Asia, and I’m absolutely loving it. I’m also about to pick up The Traitor of Sherwood Forest by another fellow debut, Amy Kaufman, and I’m super excited about it. Season Two of Severance just ended and I’m obsessed. Food-wise, I can never get enough sushi. Just keep it coming.

Want to know more about Manzakar?

The Gohari are a race of nomadic, pansexual people with inherent magic who are suffering at the hands of the Kingdom of Anzor’s angry god, Cenk. By harnessing the nomads’ skills in horsemanship and archery, Anzor has built a powerful, elite class of slave-soldiers who are above and beyond any other kingdom’s army: the Manzakars.

Sold into slavery to save his nomad family from starving, Tikran becomes a Manzakar believing that they are warriors of justice. However, as he campaigns in Gohar, the land of his birth, he realizes that not only is Anzor using the Manzakars to persecute the nomads, but it’s also exploiting the Gohari by enslaving them and stealing their magic-the Essence-to be the most powerful kingdom on the Continent. As the most celebrated Manzakar in Anzor and the king’s personal bodyguard, Tikran must decide if he’s willing to forfeit his dreams of glory-as well as his own life and the lives of those he loves-to stand up for what he believes in and fight for the oppressed people of Gohar.

Meet R. Laham

I’ve done everything under the sun—I have a BA in archaeology from the University of Pennsylvania, a law degree from the University from Houston, and have worked as a graphic artist, romance editor, writer, UX designer, frontend developer… the list actually goes on. Yet through all these endeavors, I’ve always known my true calling was storytelling. I’m a huge nerd and draw my inspiration from actual history and RPGs, particularly video games (Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Horizon, Dark Souls…). I write “approachable” fantasy that is meant to be an escape from all of our real-world trials and tribulations while subtly (and not-so-subtly) challenging the status quo.

You can find me on my website, Instagram, and Bluesky. You can also sign up for my newsletter to keep up to date with me.