The Arabian Nightmare
#8323.80 adjusted 3.88 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1983 Reading commitment Low Robert Irwin Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
Robert Irwin published The Arabian Nightmare in 1983. It is set in Cairo in 1486, under the Mamluk Sultanate. Balian of Norwich, an Englishman travelling as a pilgrim to Sinai while spying for the English crown, falls ill on arrival and slides into a series of dreams within dreams. The story is framed as nested tales told by a storyteller, and the narrative moves between waking and dreaming without a clear boundary. It is a standalone novel, and the author's later novels are set in separate worlds.
Historical fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Arabian Nightmare Robert Irwin
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Arabian Nightmare; First published in Britain by Dedalus; revised in 1987 for the Viking edition. | 1983 | 1 | core | 3.80 (810 ratings) |
A standalone dream-fantasy novel set in Cairo in 1486.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Arabian Nightmare? The Arabian Nightmare's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Arabian Nightmare finished? Complete (1983).
- How much reading does The Arabian Nightmare take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is The Arabian Nightmare ranked? #832 in this site's official ranking, based on 810 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #832?
Ranked #832 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.80 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (810 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.08 behind #831, The Great Cities Duology.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 1 book · Complete · 810 ratings · Ranks #832 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment historical fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what The Arabian Nightmare and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Drawing of the Dark Historical fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.93
- The Shadow Histories Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.90
- The Radiant Emperor Duology Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.88
- Ghost Talkers Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.87
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.80 across 810 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 28 universes; 3 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: The Arabian Nightmare Tier 2
- Encyclopedia of Science Fiction: Robert Irwin Tier 2
- Publishers Weekly review Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = The Arabian Nightmare (1983).