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Akmal Shebl is the first Egyptian writer to publish a commercial novel in English. <br /> He is the author of * The Human Effect: A Novel about Murder Magic, and Immortality in Egypt, first published April 27 2007 in the United States http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Booksources&isbn=1419652583 ISBN1419652583
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He was born 1974 Bohn, Germany. Then moved back home to what he discribes as "The Seductive city of Cairo where his book takes place, and now lives in Chicago.
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Akmal is a writer, musician, and architect, with a global, a little bit edgy, percpective of the human condition.
The Human Effect has recently attracted its own Cult-following audience due to an interesting and bizarre story in modern Cairo. With the support of a musical Oriental Lounge album called The Human Lounge, recorded by the author, the book proved to be a controversial incident in 2007. It's contemporay supernatural yet delves into Magical-RealismAlthough its 1st edition earned many prestigious reviews, including Online Reuters and USA Today, there was a catch: The Language. Akmal Shebl writes beautifully and has an original intoxicating voice, according to the critic, but since English isn't his native language, something was awkward. This seemed attractive and interesting to some, and irritating to others. The second revised edition stirs a question though: Will the book lose its ambiguous magic? <br />
The Human Effect tells a story about the two rival architects, the opposite of a coin, competing for building the most artistic building of a century. They both love the same woman, which makes them compete for her in the way they build. On the other hand, there is a catch: No one dies in Cairo anymore for the last seven years. Everyone became immortal. The story is a page turner from the get-go. The twists and turns are cleverly plotted. We follow the lives of the people in Cairo up close and personal in the most supernatural and detailed sense of their feelings and their minds. The book is a curiosity-builder, but sometimes it feels too much is left out, although the climax ties up the story in the best shocking way possible. The Human Effects seems to argue about who we are as human beings. How do we address that we are the good guys or the bad ones. What is the human nature really like? It also addresses an intriguing subject of architecture. What is a building? What does it say about the people who inhabit it? Do build to covet our crimes and our true identity or to create masterpieces like The Pyramids. In a contemporary mix of emotion and storytelling, Akmal Shebl has the ability to squeeze the readers mind. Don't expect to gasp everything. Expect to be highly entertained and thought provoked.}}

References and external links

The Human Effect "Akmal Shebl"

Harp, Grady, takes a lifetime to know if you are good or evil.", USA Today, April 27, 2007.

The Human Effect: A Novel of Murder, Magic, and Immortality in Egypt "Amazon.com", Buy online