Prayer-Cushions of the Flesh — Robert Irwin

The author of The Arabian Nightmare spins “a wryly subversive and darkly erotic fable” (The Sunday Times).
 
The virginal hero of the tale, Prince Orkhan, escapes from the Cage of the Imperial Harem, in which the sons of the sultan are imprisoned, and finds himself hailed by the Harem's concubines as their new Sultan. He is immediately caught up in the excesses and perversions of the Harem. But evil flourishes in a bed of boredom and, after allowing the viper to drink at the Tavern of the Perfume-Makers, Orkhan enters a maze of complicated relationships, all orchestrated by the devotees of the Prayer-Cushion movement. Temptation, seduction, storytelling, and magic are used to lure the Sultan towards a climax that is designed to be both ecstatic and fatal.
 
Prayer-Cushions of the Flesh is a masterful blend of historical fact, dark humor, and robust fantasy.
 
“The novel sets a furious pace, flitting from one odd room and liaison to the next, giving Orkhan (and the reader) little time to puzzle out exactly who's in charge. Part er*tica, part serious political exploration, this book will titillate some readers and befuddle others.” -- Publishers Weekly