Rostam Wrecks the Realm

Abtahi, Olivia. Rostam Wrecks the Realm
June 9, 2026 by Simon & Schuster BFYR
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Far in the future, Rostam Zamini and his mothers, Mamá and Maman, move from Cassini (which is a city on Enceladus, a moon of Saturn) to the planet Pars-1 for a work opportunity. Rostam isn’t happy to leave his friends Jason and Oceana, and even makes a last minute attempt to stay behind. The family had left Earth when Rostam was very young, because it wasn’t safe for two women starting a family. The Interstellar Alliance controls most everything, and Rostam’s goal is to be a pilot for them. Traveling to Pars-1 involves a sketchy ship powered by djinn magic, and after throwing a fit, Rostam is invited into the cockpit, where he meets Mitra, who makes the ship fly when the pilot wishes for it to do so. Rostam starts school immediately, and meets Sohrab and Zal. Pars-1 is inhabited by many people of Persian descent, a background Rostam shares, and many places on the planet, as well as other residents, have names from the legend of Shanameh. After Rostam lies to his schoolmates about having raced ships, they ask him to meet them at night, outside of the airlock. Wearing his EVA suit and using his mother’s code, he meets the other kids and finds that they plan to race using old fashioned ships that were left from a time when the planet was largely water. After a tragic incident leaves Sohrab in a coma, Rostam still has to go to school, and no charges are filed. His mothers admit that they moved because Rostam was becoming a bad person, and they hoped to get him away from his former friends. When Rostam is approached by the evil Zahhak, he jumps at the chance to improve his social standing, and thinks that Zahhak’s plans to free the djinn isn’t a bad one. Rostam agrees to retrieve the golden mace from the top of Mt. Damarand, and give it freely to Zahhak. He manages to do this, but freeing the djinn causes many disruptions in society. Not only that,  but Zahhak causes the sun to start to collapse. All of the residents have to evacuate, but Sohrab can’t be transported because of his injuries. Help arrives from a surprising source and a tragedy is averted, but there is a possibility of a second book, since there are hints that Mitra might lead a djinn rebellion.

Strengths: This was a fast paced science fiction fantasy that incorporated Persian legends into an outer space setting nicely. There are plenty of details about living in space, which are made even more interesting by the inclusion of the djinn and their contributions to the running of society. Rostam’s mothers are great and are very supportive of him, and I was half tempted to make dulce du leche after Mamá makes it several times for Rostam’s breakfast. The big draw here is the interweaving of Persian legends. Other than Napoli’s 2016 Tales from the Arabian Nights (1001 Nights is mentioned briefly when the family arrives on Pars-1), I haven’t seen too many collections of culturally connected tales relating to Iran. Our sixth grade curriculum used to cover myths and legends, but stopped about ten years ago, so I have been debating purchasing some books with the background to support novels like this. 

 

Weaknesses: Rostam is a deeply unpleasant character, and the fact that his mothers move to another planet to try to get him to behave better reminded me of Kavafy’s poem The City. Clearly, moving does not make his behavior better. It seemed odd that the Zaminis had to leave Earth because it wasn’t safe for a same sex couple, although I’m sure this is a reflection on the current cultural zeitgeist. I could have used more information about why Pars-1 had such deep ties to Persian legends. 

What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoy Disney’s Rick Riordan Presents culturally based fantasy adventures, or titles like Zargarpur’s Noorzad and the Ring of Fate or Monsef’s Once There Was.

Fun fact: Pars-1 is the name of an Iranian satellite! I wish that had been mentioned in some notes at the end of the book!