The Sultan's Shadow

‘The Sultan’s Shadow’ is a high octane magic carpet, whisking viewers into a heady Arabian atmosphere of mystery, magic and intrigue. This is not the cuddly world of singing cartoon genies, of squeaky-clean heroes and pantomime villains. This is a darker world where the marbled palaces of the nobility stand upon the misery of the poor; a world where disease is rife and life is cheap; a world where heroes and villains are far from clear cut. Into this explosive world, the force of Kismet draws together six unique and unlikely individuals: • The kingdom’s rightful heir, in hiding from his usurping uncle. • A militarily trained engineer and booby trap expert. • A skilled assassin, as deadly as she is beautiful. • A mercantile master of disguises. • The perfect spy. • A sage with a photographic memory and vision of a just ruler of the Empire. Fate has bound these individuals fast and, whether they like it or not, their destinies now lie together. Their path will lead them by the capital’s deadly back alleys, tussling with Imperial agents, through to the treacherous corridors of power where the Sultan’s advisers jockey in dangerous games of political one-up-man-ship. Navigating such choppy waters will take the combined skills and experience of each member of the crew. Yet, even as they engineer the downfall of the Sultan’s allies and thwart his mages from obtaining powerful artefacts, the team is constantly threatened from within as strong characters and differing codes repeatedly clash. While the team battle to maintain unity, the Palace is not free from internal struggle either. Government servants wrestle between conscience and survival as they carry out their ruler’s brutal commands. The Sultan himself is tortured with remittant self-doubt and remorse, even as he employs spies and sorcery to root out his troublesome nephew. The end result? All the escapism of a fantasy world, married to imaginative engagement with the thorny issues of the real one. ‘The Sultan’s Shadow’ is fast, fun, but far from mindless, entertainment at its best.