An Ember in the Ashes

An Ember in the Ashes is strongly influenced by the culture and history of ancient Rome. Tahir researched diligently in an effort to both be true to the history-based parts of the story world and to build a convincing existence in which history, humans, and the supernatural meet. An Ember in the Ashes also incorporates Arabic, Hindi, and West African culture, and the names of the characters from each group are based in these cultures. The name Elias has roots in both Hebrew and Greek, translates to “the lord is my god,” and represents strength and leadership. Laia derives from the Spanish and Catalan languages and translates to “fair of speech,” which reflects how Tahir’s character uses words as power.

Blackcliff’s intense training program is also based in history. Tahir drew inspiration from the ancient Spartan agoge, which translates to “raising,” meaning the intention of raising animals or people toward a specific purpose (in this case, military precision). The agoge was mandatory for all Spartan boys, and they began training at age seven, finishing at age 30. Tahir shortened the length of the training by 10 years and added the allowance of a single female trainee—girls were not permitted to participate in the Spartan agoge. Tahir also strove to make the treatment Laia received as an enslaved person accurate by researching slavery across history and the globe, and incorporating punishments and mindsets into Laia’s daily life with the Commandant.

While much of the story world is steeped in history, Tahir was also inspired by modern-day atrocities, such as war and genocide, that disproportionately affect people of color across the world. While working at the Washington Post, Tahir read a story about the kidnapping of men from Kashmir (the northernmost part of the India subcontinent) by the military. Laia’s story is inspired by the question of what might happen to the women who were left behind. These and other stories of political violence motivated Tahir to create a world where such problems were highlighted as a way to bring awareness. War is often glorified, and Tahir wanted to show the very real costs people face as children are sent to battle and families are torn apart.

Tahir was very careful about her writing process. She began research in 2007, but An Ember in the Ashes was not published until 2015. Once a book is picked up by a traditional publisher, it takes about a year before it hits shelves, meaning Tahir spent at least six years researching and writing. Building an authentic world was of critical importance to Tahir, as she wanted to entertain as well as inform. While the world of An Ember in the Ashes is built from a few specific cultures, the topics it explores have universal application.