SSF Stories with Middle Eastern Leads

This post is focuses on my favorite science fiction and fantasy stories with protagonists whose race and ethnicity is rooted in the Middle East.
Previous Posts: SFF Stories with Native American Leads, SFF Stories with Asian Leads and SFF Stories with Black Leads.

The Aggregate Stats

• Total number of works/series/authors on the list: 15/7/24
• Author with most works on the list: Frank Herbert, with 6 books on the list
• Most consistent pattern: Historical Fantasies.  Rather than take the ideas and culture and build their own world, about half the series on the list placed their stories in a serious historical context.
• Biggest overall surprise:  No fantasies with the magic based on ancient Egyptian mythology.  I would have assumed that would be more popular, but no.

and now for...

My Favorites

Cyoburn

Summary: Not-bad story from a (generally) spectacularly talented writer.  Fans of the Vorkosigan Saga may want to read it to find out what happens next, but be warned that it won't live up to the earlier books.

Cryoburn, by Lois McMaster Bujold, is the latest entry in the Vorkosigan Saga.  Ignore the almost uninterrupted string of cheesy covers and space-opera descriptions.  The saga is about the best science fiction I've ever read.  It's got everything - great primary and secondary characters, great world building, great plot, great dialog, great prose, great everything.  Bujold has no weaknesses; she is the perennially under-appreciated force in sci-fi despite multiple Hugos and Nebulas.   Unfortunately, the latest couple of books in the series haven't been quite to the level of the best of the the saga, and this one in particular was getting mediocre reviews, so I started it with mixed feelings.

I liked it, although it's not my favorite of the Vorkosigan saga.  Here are a couple random thoughts that CONTAIN SPOILERS: