Weekly AAR Showcase: A Candle in the Storm - An Islamic Sicily AAR

[El Pip]

An excellent choice by @Von Acturus , continuing to prove their worth even while nominating.

My caveated congratulations to @AxolotlKnight , a fine work let down by a failure to nominate a successor.

Guarded congratulations to @MichOrion , burning Novgorod is always a solid start if only so it doesn't get confused with the far superior Nizhny Novgorod.

 

[Lord Durham]

Any chance of naming a successor, @MichOrion?

 

[dmurgell]

the far superior Nizhny Novgorod

'Nizhny' means lower, actually ...

 

[MichOrion]

I enthusiastically nominate A Candle in the Storm by @jackelgull

In a community full of Norman ambition and imperial hindsight, A Candle in the Storm turns the lens in a braver, stranger, and far more fragile direction. It tells the story of the last flickering hopes of Islamic Sicily. Set in 1066 but grounded in the island’s real political decay, this AAR follows the reluctant rise of Najib ibn Hamid. His greatest battle may be with his own shame.

The AAR features a rare Islamic protagonist whose perspective is rendered with genuine interiority, surrounded by a court alive with authentic religious and political complexity. The writing is witty and immersive, full of moments of irony and grace, as when “everyone but the man who promised the jihad believed in it.” The narrative weaves historical context into an emotionally believable alt-history. Most of all, the author’s voice remains clear and self-aware throughout, never descending into cynicism even as Najib’s struggles grow more complex.

 

[StrategyGameEnthusiast]

Congrats @jackelgull

 

[Cora Giantkiller]

Congratulations @jackelgull! I'm enjoying his Muslim Sicily narrative as well.

 

[dmurgell]

Congrats @jackelgull !
I am also enjoying your AAR and subscribe each and every word @MichOrion wrote about it

 

[The Number 9]

Congratulations !
A very nice AAR indeed.

 

[jackelgull]

Thank you for the nomination @MichOrion and the incredibly kind words, its nice to get this kind of feedback from the readers. And thank you to everybody who's currently reading and following this AAR, I appreciate you all

 

[Lord Durham]

Congrats, @jackelgull. This looks real interesting.

Enjoy your week in the sun and don't forget to nominate a successor by next Monday.

 

[El Pip]

'Nizhny' means lower, actually ...

I'm a tunneller, so lower is indeed superior.

On the actual topic congratulations @jackelgull

 

[Midnite Duke]

Congratulations on your week in the sun, @jackelgull. I have not started reading, but it is on my to read list (hopefully within six months).

 

[Nikolai]

Yours is indeed a good story, about a story seldom told, @jackelgull . Robert de Hauteville would be honored to meet you in battle.

 

[jackelgull]

Yours is indeed a good story, about a story seldom told, @jackelgull . Robert de Hauteville would be honored to meet you in battle.

Well most Najib's successes come from strategic movement to force the enemy to waste time chasing until allies can reinforce him, he hasn't really had a standout battle where he was outnumbered and pulled a victory out of a hat. He's like objectively an excellent commander and good fighter, he's just mostly faced off against enemies who were better at those things than he is. And I already defeated Robert Hauteville, stomped him during his doomed siege of Malta