Muslim fiction usually collapses into two camps: preachy moralism or total nihilism. But we deserve a third lane: stories that face the darkness honestly without surrendering to it. This is the world Iā€™m building, inshaAllah.
Most Muslims struggle with their deen not because they lack knowledge (although that is certainly a big factor, if Muslim Twitter is any indication!), but because they're fighting an enemy they can't see. It's kind of like a Japanese horror movie. But instead of ghostly women with long black hair, it's your habits.
A thousand Muslims are arguing whether anime is haram. Not one has asked why does a show about ninja friendships hit harder than 90% of what gets published today?
"Did I stop liking anime or is everything trash now?" Yes (tee hee) The medium changed (more volume, less risk). You changed (you're not 14 anymore). The error is thinking you have to like everything "objectively good." Quality ā‰  taste. Respect your compass & move on without guilt, habibi
Liked Redwall but want something darker? The Builders: A grizzled mouse captain rounds up his scattered crew for one last revenge job. They smoke, they kill, they've got PTSD. I loved the character writing. I loved the banter. I loved how distinct each mercenary feels (my favorite was Bonsoir, the "French" stoat). image If that's your thing, you'll also like Brotherhood of the Wolf:
Blood Tax
Tahsin fled the Battle of Varna. Koja saw him do it. Now they're hunting child-eating Fae through Ottoman Serbia while Tahsin tries not to piss himself. Both men are in their 30s and 40s. Neither wanted to be here. image
Tahsin spent the entire ambush loading his gun. By the time he was ready to fire, Koja had split two skulls and Cem had killed the other two. The last Wallachian threw down his sword and begged for mercy. Cem ran him through anyway. Tahsin finally pulled the trigger. Shot the corpse in the back. "I told you I'd get him." image How did they end up in this mess? Read from the beginning:
Blood Tax
Tahsin's motto: Never stand out. He doesn't say it aloud. That would make him stand out. He survived Varna by not standing out. Now he's been given a mission. A dangerous one. Because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The quartermaster: "Heard you cut King Wadislav's head off." Tahsin: "Something like that." image
"The bite marks were too small to be a wolf. Dozens of them. They looked like the bites of a child." (Quote from "False Light" novella) Brotherhood of the Wolf: A Janissary sent to collect taxes in 1440s Serbia. A "wolf" that isn't a wolf. Missing children. And companions who might be more dangerous than whatever's hunting in the woods. 66 pages of full-color horror + 30k novella:
Blood Tax
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