Call of the Caracal — David Morisset

Sohrab's homeland is a benighted theocracy cut off from the rest of the world after a deadly war. The ruthless rule of the sons of god has created a paradise for themselves and their descendants and servants. Ordinary people live in conditions of near slavery and long for the lost days of kings and queens. When Sohrab and his mother, Tahmineh, are arrested for unspecified crimes, Sohrab is drafted into an army patrol that guards the holy city. There he sees first-hand the hideous depravity of the religious elite. He has one chance to escape and rescue Tahmineh from prison - a dangerous plan devised by Hushang, an old friend with an ambiguous past.