Laudium resident Muazzam Ahmed (Amod Gafoor Butchery) recently published his fantasy fiction book, The Viraqoa, culminating years of hard work and effort into putting his ideas into a book.
The book details the story of a people or nation called the Viraqoa and the reader journeys with them through their triumphs in their conquered lands, their downward spiral due to neglect and ultimately their downfall from rule. The book is filled with characters that on one side epitomize goodness, morality and modesty battling those that resolve to greed, scheming and treachery to obtain power. It highlights the moral issue of moderation versus greediness and shows how each path leads to vastly different outcomes.
The book is filled with many different peoples or nations that live in the made-up continent of Westhorea with their own cultures, traditions, and lifestyles, and as you read on, it shows how these many different peoples unite or collide at a time of upheaval.
Key characters that are unearthed are Khedive Fealtir; Rey Cuir’tariss and Reya Tildoth, the main antagonist that bring about the downfall of the Viraqoa. Battling them is Raumenar, the hero protagonist fighting to keep the morality of the Viraqoa intact and the honorable Reya Meroflis, who valiantly shows the strength of a women. Then there is Rex Recessar, the hero of the Vinaroa who is determined to end the rule of the Viraqoa in Westhorea at all costs. They are surrounded by a myriad of characters, each contributing to the story, each with a part to play.
The setting of the book is primarily eastern orientated with words, cities, titles, and character names disposed towards the east, though there is the corresponding western characteristic embodied by the Vinaroa that give the book a balanced mixed feel.
This is the first of a series of books under the title The Viraqoa, with the author looking to pen two to three more books giving a wider scope of this fantasy world.
The Author
Muazzam Ahmed has always had a passion for reading, specifically book on history, cultures, and wars. This undoubtedly had a significant impact on him when he ultimately made the decision to construct his own fictitious narrative of a world filled with peoples of different cultures and traditions and how greed, power, and pride can ultimately lead to the downfall of even the most noble and honourable.
Says Muazzam, “I am grateful to Allah for having bestowed upon me the strength to complete this passion of mine. My thanks also goes to my late parents Rashid and Roshan, for whom words do not do justice for the upbringing they gave me. And off course to my wife Sugrabanu and my children Raseem and Maseehah, I owe them gratitude for spurring me on and supporting me throughout”.
On the book says Muazzam, “I was always fascinated by different peoples and their cultures and traditions and taken together with my love for history, it inspired me to construct a world of my own. This book particularly is set against the backdrop of Muslim rule in Spain which lasted for near 800 years. The achievement of Islamic Spain is unparallel for that time. The Muslim rule brought culture and refined civilisation to this part of Europe and from it stemmed much of the knowledge the world uses today in the fields of medicine, astronomy, and mathematics. When one reads about the cities of Granada and Cordova in Al-Andalus, it truly epitomises the Islamic Golden Age in conjunction with the Khalifate of Baghdad. What was also profound was the treatment of all peoples under the rule of the Spanish Emirs, there was little discrimination against non-Muslims, showing the homogeneous fabric of Muslim Spain. I studied this in detail and used this exemplary period as the basis for my book and many of the customs and structures of society. I think the reader will find comfort that the book is not slanted to one point of view but considers issues that impact all types of people. I hope the reader will enjoy this edition and take to the liking of the characters”.
“I would also like to thank my publisher, Arts & Creativity. For their guidance, support, and drive in publishing the book”.
If you are interested in purchasing the book, contact Muazzam at 083 707 1032
