On Gold Dust

This is my second book by Koni, and I really love his work. All of it is imbued with a sort of Saharan Sufism that’s so satisfying. While The Bleeding of the Stone functions as a sort of ecologists’ manifesto, Gold Dust is much more interested in inter-species relationships and what it means for a person to be willing to do anything for a non-human companion. At the same time, Ukhayyad’s interest in his camel simply for its beautiful coat comes off as bit of shallow reasoning, as true as it may be. Nevertheless, I love the inclusion of prehistoric Saharan motifs and the image of a massive, integrated world that few people know much about.