WHO LEFT GOD PLAYING WITH MUD?!
The story begins with what some consider one of the oldest stories: a take on Cain and Abel in rhyming verse. The names are not entirely familiar, but they are easy to determine, and the story itself plays out in a more or less recognizable way. God creates man, God creates woman, man and woman create children, one child kills the other.
But this is not, as some might say, your grandparent’s Cain and Abel. For one thing, there are multiple gods, not the singular from the Abrahamic tales. For another, the story is not remotely reverent. The kindest way to put it would be ribald, which the rhymes (sometimes a little forced, more often inspired if rather ridiculous) drive home intensely. The story is full of sex, laughter at humanity’s expense, even laughter at the deities themselves for causing such madness.
As an introduction to the book itself, it comes on a little strong, though the introduced themes remain throughout. As a way to weed out people who will be turned away by a book focusing on a polytheistic culture with vastly different sexual mores to the heavily Christian cultures of the United States and Europe, I imagine it will do an excellent job.
I found it delightful.
The gods make fewer appearances through the rest of the book, save in myths. The story mainly focuses on humans and their own actions, from King Sargon and his daughter to a priestess of Ishtar with a bloody mission, and many others. I feel bold enough to call it an epic, for even though its scope is limited to a relatively small part of the world (the action centers on Uruk, and the age of that city alone should be enough to say there are no globe-spanning adventures) it feels large. Part of that is due to the sheer breadth of the characters. While none of them receive the same treatment they might in deep realism, they all feel real, or at least real enough, and with so many of them treated so well, the book can’t not feel grand.
I enjoyed this book immensely, and I recommend it to anyone who considers themself interested in humanity of any time period. It is full of irreverence and sexuality, but both of those things have always been part of human nature, and it’s wonderful to read a book that celebrates both while avoiding being nothing more than simple mockery.
Author | ADAM ! |
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Star Count | 5/5 |
Format | eBook |
Page Count | 640 pages |
Publisher | Self-published |
Publish Date | 05-May-2024 |
ISBN | |
Bookshop.org | Buy this Book |
Issue | January 2025 |
Category | Historical Fiction |
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