The Last Egyptian Mamluk

With her first novel, author Joyce Anne Nicholls brings to life a character in Egyptian lore surrounding the (real life) 1811 Massacre of the Citadel. The novel chronicles the life of the sole mamluk who is said to have survived the massacre. The Last Egyptian Mamluk Maxim, a young Russian boy, is rescued from a miserable life as the property of an Arab horse trader. His benefactor takes him to Cairo and trains him as a mamluk, a slave soldier. He dreams only of glory on the battlefield but when he helps an Egyptian woman to escape from her abusive husband and tragedy ensues, it may be the first sign that fate has other plans for Maxim.