Rubina P. SEVADJIAN

The Darker Shadow is the sequel to In the Shadow of the Sultan. Eighteen years have passed since the events of 1896. As the Ottoman Empire enters the Wold War I on the side of Germany, teenage twins Bedros and Dzovinar are confronted with the harsh realities of living under the oppressive regime of The Young Turks. Together with their dear uncle and his American friends they are compelled to set off ona journey, which helps them form a better understanding of the treatment of Armenians throughout the Empire.

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As the author notes, The Darker Shadow does not begin precisely where her previous book, In The Shadow of the Sultan, ended. Nothing so neat would be appropriate for a tale set in the hellish year of 1915 when everything the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire could see was a blur. The promise of reform that followed the Hamidian massacres vanished quickly as World War One began, and just as quickly the empire’s Armenian subjects were branded traitors and condemned as infidels. Armenian men who answered the call to arms were enslaved and then slaughtered. Women on their way to market or the fields were assaulted and carried off. R.P. Sevadjian vividly conveys the deepening madness as she tells the story of a young boy and his sister whose uncle leads them on a bold journey that is their only hope for survival. Once again, Sevadjian successfully laces fiction with solidly researched history to educate as well as captivate young readers.
Douglas Kaladjian

"In the Shadow of the Sultan" is set during the summer of 1896 in the Ottoman Empire of Abdul Hamid II. It tells the story of an Armenian boy living comfortably with his family until events lead to his setting off on a long journey with his faithful dog at his side. Along the way he meets various characters, some kind, some hostile, some helpful and some helpless; and forms a better understanding of the history of his people.