The City of Shadows: A Romance of Morocco. Edited with Annotations and an Afterword by Rob Couteau. (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781963363074)

The 1908 Battle of Marrakech forms the narrative nucleus of Charles Beadle's first novel, now back in print for the first time since 1911. The battle resulted in the defeat of Sultan Aziz, who was deposed by his brother, the "Pretender" Sultan Moulay Hafid, whom Beadle interviewed a few months before Hafid usurped the throne. Although the details of the skirmish remain murky, historians regard Beadle's novel as the most accurate account of the conflict. The City of Shadows also portrays a story of forbidden love between Zahra, a young native Moroccan woman, and the protagonist, a British adventurer named Paul. Reminiscent of Tristan and Isolde, Zahra's declaration of love violates fundamental social hierarchies and religious traditions, yet she decides that punishment, banishment, or even death is a small price to pay for following her heart.