The Wanderer by Mika Waltari

Review by: Samantha M. Siciliano

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Quick Summary:

The Wanderer is a historical fiction novel following the life of a former church scholar/trying to practice doctor named Michael. However, this is part two of the duo of books (please see The Adventurer by Mika Waltari here: https://treatyoshelfbookreviews.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-adventurer-by-mika-waltari.html) who becomes a slave to Sultan Suleiman of the Ottoman Empire specifically in Turkey. It picks up right where we left off in The Adventurer during the mid 1520s. There is still plenty of political intrigue (especially with the Ottoman Empire which I knew very little of), religious fascination, more inequality (rich/poor, men/women, unequal statuses), strong friendships, and a thrilling ending. 

The Review:

I know I said that reading about Medieval times wasn’t exciting to me, but I had a pretty good time reading this book. I did struggle with the history because I hadn’t learned about much of it until this read. But the religion, the chess game of politics and social structure, and the relationships between people were fantastically written. 

If you haven’t read The Adventurer, I suggest you discontinue reading here. The history was interesting. I did struggle with understanding how some countries and leaders made the choices they did and to whom they were aligned with, but the culture, the people, and the history was interesting. I will probably have to reread The Wanderer after I educate myself more on some of the people and events that occurred in the book. It is amazing to think about how there is so much history in the whole world, that it is hard to say I’m a historian without adding to what era or country you are referring to. I am an educated historian, but I don’t know much of this history. Therefore, I found it rather engaging and intriguing to where I wanted to ask so many questions while reading, but I didn’t want to take away from the story by diving down a rabbit hole of information. So be warned, if you don’t know much about the Ottoman Empire or this period of time, I would recommend reading about the leaders of the area and how they interacted with each other. Some of the locations that were visited were Istanbul, Buda, Algiers, and Tunis. 

The politics within the Ottoman Empire were engaging, while the politics of the world were less interesting to me. It always amazes me at how much is needed to control and satisfactorily run a country (or empire in this case). As a ruler, there needs to be order and Sultan Suleiman ruled by the Qur'an as well as laws that the empire had established. If a slave (anyone who works for the Sultan) brought dishonor to the Sultan, they were either killed or asked to commit suicide. I was amused at how the Sultan, the Grand Vizier (his right-hand man), the Sultan’s wife, Michael, Michael’s wife, and Mustafa ben-Nakir were constantly conniving to vie for power in some way to the Sultan while the Sultan was trying to build a larger empire. I was consistently playing chess with all the players, the reasons for why they did things, and the outcomes that would likely occur. 

It was captivating to read about how anyone could become a slave to the Sultan in some form, but most of the slaves were governed by different viziers. In American history, slavery is something that was beyond traumatic, violent, and awful (I’m always at a loss of words to bring justice to those forced into slavery in America). Slavery in many different places was quite different. It wasn’t always better, don’t get me wrong, but slavery of Africans and Blacks in America was a true evil. Being a slave of the Sultan was not always a bad gig (unless something went wrong). The higher status slaves of the Sultan were treated well, given lavish presents, and had more freedoms than if they were the slave of an individual. Michael was given a home on the Bosphorus, he was gifted many items including gold and a salary, he was given a job, and he had many slaves himself. I don’t think slavery in any form is okay, however, I did learn quite a bit about social status of the following: ruler, officials to the ruler, military, mutes, eunuchs, slaves, and women. Until I taught social studies to 7^th graders, I wasn’t really interested in social hierarchy. However, my mind has now acquired a how to read historical and historical fiction texts quality and I feel like I gravitate towards that information. 

The relationships were engaging. I loved Andy and Michael’s brotherly relationship, the Sultan and Grand Vizier Ibrahim, and the relationship between Grand Vizier Ibrahim to Michael. They were intriguing and masterfully fun. Andy and Michael certainly act like brothers. They fight together, live together, care for each other, guide each other, and love each other even through their faults. Suleiman and Ibrahim, too, are not brothers by blood, but by friendship and circumstance. And the loyalty that is shown to Suleiman by Ibrahim was amazing and heartwarming. As well as the loyalty from Michael to Ibrahim. All of them knew what they must sacrifice for the future. Brotherhood was a strong symbol throughout the book. 

I was not a fan of Guilia and Michael’s relationship. I did not care for Guilia since she entered the book. Michael’s taste in women was, questionable. Guilia was condescending, rude, a user, needy, and plain awful. Sometimes when I read Waltari’s books (I’ve read three now), I wonder if he has a thing against women because honestly, he writes women as if they are terrible humans. Cheaters, schemers, conniving, betraying, disloyal, condescending, controlling, assholes. And I can also say that about Sultana Khurrem (one of the Sultan’s wives). She was constantly scheming and trying to control the Sultan’s thoughts and the information given to him. 

This book was well written and researched with the historical information I learned on the spot and the ending was truly a satisfying end to this well-crafted duology! I will give it a 4.2/5. 

IN CONCLUSION, READ THE FRACKING BOOK!

Up Next: Haunted French Quarter Hotels by Nicole Beauchamp (ARC read)

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

Review by: Samantha M. Siciliano

Hey friends! First, before you read this fun review, I would love if you could push the blue follow button to the right of this review, maybe even add your email address to get updates, and share with a friend you think may enjoy this (or on your social media of choice)! I would greatly appreciate it!

Also, below at the end of the article is a comment box! Feel free to leave comments, let me know what you loved about the book or the review, any questions you might have, or if you have something to add! I love learning and discussing books! Please be positive and friendly to our writers! Enjoy!

Thank you for reading, sharing, and becoming a part of this reading community!

Quick Summary:

Hidden Pictures is a fabulous fictional, mysterious, thriller that will make you want to speedily turn each page! I did not see this book as a horror novel, but everyone is scared at different levels! Mallory Quinn is a former drug addict that is turning her life around. After getting clean, she is ready to take on more responsibility. She applies for a babysitting position, watching a 5 year old little boy named Teddy. However, Teddy spends time interacting with his imaginary friend which is not so imaginary.

 

The Review:

I try very hard to not let other reviews influence me before I read. I saw this book constantly popping up on my social psychological thriller feeds and I thought, “alright I need to know what the hype is about.” Now that being said, after reading I decided I would see what other people thought of the book and, well, it’s a mess! You have many readers and many different sites rating it as a must read of 2022. I’m only 3 years late to the party! But I agree with the masses. This book was a lot of fun to read and below you might see why. 

I could not get enough of this book! Every page I was trying to peek ahead to see what was going to happen. At the end of every chapter, I kept telling myself, this will be the last one and then I will go to sleep. I felt like a little kid staying up past her bedtime to figure out what on earth was happening! My husband may have complained a few times to put on my headphones and turn out the light so that he could sleep. Don’t worry, no husbands were harmed in any way during this reading! Jason did an amazing job writing this book and telling the story the way that he did. It was very creative. It was easy to read, it always kept me guessing and wanting more (even after I finished it), and the clues that I may have skimmed over, made complete sense once I finished the book.

The characters were so well written. Character development was superb. I think if Jason would have done any more character development, it would have honestly ruined the story. 

As Americans, we love an underdog story. That’s what Mallory is. A former addict, trying to live a healthier life and do the best she can. The whole time I kept thinking, I swear to goodness gracious if she is somehow the sketchy character, I’m going to be so mad. I mean, please don’t make the comeback kid the bad guy! But you will have to read the book to find out! The Maxwell family that Mallory babysits for consists of Caroline (mom), Ted (dad), Teddy (5 year old child), and Anya (the family ghost). Caroline is a dedicated VA psychologist. Ted works in some kind of tech world. Teddy is going to start Kindergarten in the fall. Caroline and Ted need someone to babysit him while they are at work in the meantime. This is where Mallory comes in. She ends up being the one hired, and Mallory moves into the beautifully redone, small cottage in the back yard. In my head, the Maxwell’s family is so carefully crafted. At one point while I was reading, I thought “wow, I wish I could be a part of this family.” 

Then there is Mitzi. Mitzi is the neighbor of the Maxwells. She is the crazy, old, racist, eccentric psychic that befriends Mallory. Mitzi is vital in helping Mallory by using her abilities to speak to the dead through a spirit board (Ouija Board). Of course, I cannot forget Adrian. What a supportive character (and boyfriend) he is to Mallory. He is totally relationship material, and he honestly reminded me of my husband when we first started dating. Super caring, super respectful, and super kind. I don’t really want to go into too much more detail of anyone, because I want the reader to experience the kind of interaction I did with each character.

Here's to the spoiler part of the review! Do NOT read if you want to go into this book as blindly as possible.

Now some of the most common complaints are that this book is racist, transphobic, fatphobic, and atheist hating. And to be honest, I read those complaints and was kind of aggravated by them. There is racism, I didn’t interpret any transphobia, fatphobia, or any atheist hating. I think what Jason was trying to write were fictional people that are flawed like living, breathing humans. 

Mitzi is racist. That is a common stereotypical trait of many older people. And hell, have you seen the America I am living in in 2025? There are racists everywhere, and not just in one age demographic. Would I have wished that Mallory would have corrected Mitzi when she was racist? Yes, I do. But that is just like real life. So many people will not say anything when a racist comment is said. They think comments but saying it out loud is a different story. That takes courage. And Mallory was someone who was kind of shy and didn’t want to start waves. Remember, she is brand new to this community. Making a good impression is important to her. I am not saying it is right, I am saying that I really think Jason was trying to show people are flawed. Mallory doesn’t think that way. You can hear her inner monologue. 

I understand where some readers could interpret this book as transphobic. However, the author wrote Teddy as a boy because the Maxwells were hiding Flora (the girl). They KIDNAPPED a girl and thought it would be much easier to hide a girl if they changed her to a boy. Now this is messed up for many reasons… first, they freaking kidnapped a child. Second, they forced a girl to be a boy. Now, if anyone listens to a truly transphobic asshole, they will say things like “their parents are forcing a child to change genders” or “parents won’t love their children unconditionally if they are a different gender than what the parents wanted.” This thinking process isn’t rational at all. These people make shit up to fit their belief and sometimes their religious ways. As my friend says, “you can’t fix stupid.” The Maxwells were forcing Flora to be a boy to conceal the fact that the adult Maxwells are kidnappers and murders. It is much easier to hide a girl by making them a boy, when the world is looking for a girl. It was not, in my opinion, because they wanted a boy. To all my trans friends out there I see you, I love you, I respect you and your journey. 

As for fatphobia, the only thing I can think of is when Mallory made a comment about her mother losing weight and how her mom had been fat because she was lazy when Mallory was living with her. There are two trains of thought I have. First, Mallory may have just been describing her mom. But secondly, if there was any malice in Mallory’s thinking, it may be because she felt like her mom abandoned her even after she had gotten clean. I don’t remember thinking anything about it. I am a heavier woman, and I don’t love the descriptor, but I mean it’s also a way to describe or distinguish me from other people. I believe Mallory was demonstrating about how her mom changed, as she had, over the years and had started taking care of herself. As for other characters, I can only think of Mallory using terms like slim or skinny or fit to describe other characters. 

Mallory is a religious woman. She goes to church, and she also goes to NA meetings which are usually held in church basements. The Maxwells are atheists and in their house rules, they ask Mallory to keep her religious beliefs as well any supernatural thoughts to herself. This was asked politely, and Mallory didn’t have a problem with that at all. Any parent has the right to ask a nanny to keep certain information to themselves and respect their rules. That comes with the territory. The Maxwells had reasons to hide religion and supernatural beliefs from Teddy because they want him to keep his mouth shut. They had reasons for being strict in their rules. They are trying to keep a very dark secret. This obviously wasn’t to protect Teddy, but to protect themselves.

This book was well written and a great page turner. It was one of those books that when I finished, I was going through everything that I had just read and piecing all the foreshadowing and clues that were within the book together. I will give it a 5/5. I may even pick this book up again in the future.

IN CONCLUSION, READ THE FRACKING BOOK!

Up Next: The Wanderer by Mika Waltari