The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams by Daniel Nayeri
A young Monkey travels the Silk Road with his newfound guardian, Samir, a larger than life character and the so-called “Seller of Dreams”. The man is a scammer; his biggest skill being the ability to talk his way into getting what he wants - attracting one assassin after another. Monkey decides to try to save Samir from the attempts on his life as a way to pay off his debt. If he can save Samir six times, he’ll be free... but will they all survive that long?