From the start, Lukas does a great job of presenting and portraying the characters in The Oracle of Stamboul. Each person is well developed, interesting and colorful. He also manages to offer compelling descriptions of this ancient Turkish city. Lukas does lean very heavily upon the use of similes and metaphors, which often distract from the flow of the text as the reader tries to make the same association.
This story is set during the end of the Ottoman Empire and does touch on several of the conflicts faced by Sultan Abdulhamid II as his empire is struggling to survive. Sadly, there are some historical inaccuracies, which although they don't take away from the book, could easily have been correct and not impacted the storyline either. So, why not get it right?? Like who is the father of Abdulhamid II.
The story had potential that ultimately was not met, but was given a good effort. It was a quick and easy read but personally I think this book would fare much better being marketed as adolescent fiction. I would recommend this to some of my book club friends to read with their kids over the summer; there are some good topics for discussion.
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