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class='column-center-outer'> <div class='column-center-inner'> <div class='main section' id='main' name='Main'><div class='widget Blog' data-version='1' id='Blog1'> <div class='blog-posts hfeed'> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Monday, May 25, 2020</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='2724078395031847481' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='5742704193252183119' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='5742704193252183119'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> "What books can I read to inspire my Mythic Babylon campaign?" </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-5742704193252183119' itemprop='description articleBody'> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">This question about the upcoming Mythic Babylon setting was asked recently over on the Mythras forums. Since this turned into a rather lengthy reply and might appeal to people other than gamers, I thought it would be better to post it here.</span><br /> <div> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br />It's a difficult question to answer - there simply isn't much in the way of fiction in any format that deals well with the time and place covered by Mythic Babylon. We didn't use any fiction as inspiration in building the setting - at least, no modern fiction. We built it solely on the work of history writers, archaeologists, and translators of period stories. Because there's so little available in the popular culture, we designed Mythic Babylon to be pretty comprehensive and self-contained, so you don't NEED to read anything else, though of course if you wanted to get lost down some rabbit holes there are plenty of good history books around. Those will have to wait for another post, though.  </span><br /> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">I'm certainly not aware of any TV shows or films that deal with the subject historically, but I do think one could draw a certain amount of inspiration from classic Biblical epics like Ben Hur, Sodom and Gomorrah, or Samson and Delilah.<br /><br />Of the available fiction that covers Ancient Mesopotamia, very little of it deals with the time period that Mythic Babylon covers (The Old Babylonian Period) even though our  period is rich in ancient texts. Let me try to explain why that matters.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">A Mesopotamian History Primer</span><br /><br />Before I talk about what's available in fiction, maybe a short primer on Mesopotamian history would help you to understand the different periods. The term 'Ancient Mesopotamia' typically covers about  3000 years of history, and maybe another 1000 of pre-history, but the Old Babylonian Period as seen in Mythic Babylon only covers about 400 of these years, and occurs about 1000 years before the Babylon of the Ishtar Gate and the Bible fame. </span></div> <div> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></div> <div> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Stories that are set in other time periods can work as an inspiration for the kinds of stories that are appropriate to Mythic Babylon, but might differ significantly in the details of daily life. <br /><br />These are the main periods of Mesopotamian history - the dates are approximate: <br /><br /> 1. Uruk Period lasted from about 4000BC to 3000 BC. This is a pre-historic (i.e. before writing) period during which Uruk was the main city. It colonized other areas and exported its culture to the entire region. Being pre-historic, we only know what archaeology can reveal, so it's hard to write stories about it without being highly inventive. <br /><br /> 2. The Early Dynastic Period - roughly 3000 BC to 2300. A time of several competing city states. Early writing tells us the names of some kings and we can build a sketchy history, but much is still unknown. This is the time that the historical king Gilgamesh lived. Sumerian was the dominant language, but co-existed with the Semitic Akkadian language. <br /><br /> 3. The Akkadian period - 2300-2100. The city of Akkad becomes dominant and forms what might be the first empire under King Sargon. The Akkadian language (named after the city) is dominant. It ends in a collapse and barbarian invasions. <br /><br /> 4. The Neo-Sumerian period - 2100-2000. A short but important empire phase. Ur takes over from Akkad as the dominant city, and the Sumerian language sees a brief resurgence, though Akkadian remains the lingua-franca. This also ends in a societal collapse and invasion. <br /><br /><b> 5. The Old Babylonian Period - 2000-1600.</b> The nomadic and Semitic Amorites have now populated the region and become kings of most cities, so it's heavily influenced by their culture. Many cities form small hegemonic kingdoms that compete with one another - some end up growing very large, like the kingdom of North Mesopotamia under king Shamshi-Adad, and later Babylon will rise to become the most important power. This also ends in a collapse and invasion by the Hittites. <br /><br /> 6. The Middle Babylonian / Assyrian period 1600-1200/1100. Babylon rises again under a new Kassite (another foreign tribe) dynasty and controls the south. The city of Assur and a mainly Hurrian kingdom called Mitani compete in the north. The Hittites dominate Anatolia, and Egypt is influential in the west. Historically, we know very little about Babylon at this time, and much more about the north and west, largely due to the accidental availability of written texts from the period. This period ends with the large Bronze Age Collapse that lasts a few hundred years, leaving us with a dark age. This is the end of the Bronze Age. <br /><br /> 7. The Neo-Assyrian period 900-612 - Assyria is now dominant over Babylonia and extends its empire far to the west into Israel and Egypt. <br /><br /> 8. The Neo-Babylonian Period 626-539 - Culturally similar but with some differences, Babylon has inherited the Assyrian empire. When people think generally of 'Babylon' this is the time period they're thinking of. <br /><br /> 9. The Persian Period 539-330 - the Achaemenid Persians conquer Babylon. It's culture is left largely intact, but political control shifts to Persia, with Babylon as a western capital. <br /><br /> 10. The Hellenic period starts in 330 with the conquests of Alexander the Great. Babylon is conquered. Again the local culture is left largely intact, though of course it has evolved on its own since the time of Hammurabi nearly 1500 years ago.<br /><br /><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">General Categories of Mesopotamian Fiction</span><br /><br /> So, now that you know that Ancient Mesopotamia =/= Mythic Babylon, we can look at what's available in fiction. These books seem to fall into three categories: <br /><br /> 1. Books by historians or history enthusiasts who see the gap and decide to try their hand a fiction. Many of these deal with the detail of history fairly well, though often with errors. But the reviews indicate they also often fall short in the story-telling department.<br /><br /> 2. Writers who are novelists first and foremost and want to write about their favorite period of history. These are generally more successful, though they may take liberties with the history. At least you get a good story, and if you're looking for inspiration for writing your own Mythic Babylon scenarios, this is probably more helpful - especially since we already have the history part covered pretty well in Mythic Babylon.<br /><br /> 3. People inspired by the bible who want to write a 'historical novel'. These seem to have no 'historical' merit, as far as I can tell, though they pretend to it surprisingly often. My basic feeling is that whenever you see the words 'Sumeria' or 'Shinar', that author probably isn't too concerned about the historicity of their setting. Of course, that doesn't mean they can't tell a good story.<br /><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Mesopotamian Historical Fiction</span><br /><br /> Here's what I've found for fiction when browsing Amazon or Goodreads. I haven't read most of these because I'm rather picky and I already have way too much to read, so I won't buy a book just because the subject interests me - I need to see that it's well reviewed. And most of these aren't. So for most of these entries, my opinion is based on the reviews of others and the author's (or publisher's) description of the work.<br /><br /><b>Empires of Bronze (Son of Ishtar and Empires of Bronze) by Gordon Doherty.</b> These are set toward the end of the Middle Babylonian period and are really about the Hittites, so I'm not sure there's much in there about Babylon. They look pretty good, though, and fall into category 2. </span><br /> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/266815-empires-of-bronze">https://www.goodreads.com/series/266815-empires-of-bronze</a><br /><br /><b>The Assyrian and The Blood Star by Nicholas Guild.</b> These are set in the Neo-Assyrian empire and centred on a son of one of the kings. They also seem to fall into category 2 and also, to my eye, look pretty good, though they're set well after the time of Mythic Babylon, and the political context of the Assyrian Empire is totally different than that in MB. </span><br /> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/90398-tiglath-ashur">https://www.goodreads.com/series/90398-tiglath-ashur</a></span><br /> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /><br /><b>The Esskar series by Sam Barone.</b> I'm not quite sure what to make of these. From the description, these are set during the Akkadian period, but the personal names are made up and don't seem authentic, and the kings and rulers mentioned are also made up. So I'd say this is rather a made-up setting than a set of historical novels, but they might capture the kinds of events that could inspire a Mythic Babylon campaign. Until I hear more or read one myself, I'd say 'approach with caution'. </span><br /> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/55754-eskkar-saga">https://www.goodreads.com/series/55754-eskkar-saga</a></span><br /> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /><br /><b>In the Court of the Queen and The Ambassador's Daughter by Elizabeth Roberts Craft.</b> Set supposedly in 2000 BC (the end of the Neo-Sumerian period) these, again, from the description seem to be completely a-historical, but they obviously mash a lot of historical content together to make some perhaps plausible stories. Like the Sam Barone books above, I think the historical value is questionable, but they might thematically be strong. Some reviewers mention not liking the writing, including this very thorough review by someone who undertook some a very impressive piece of sleuthing to try and figure out why another reviewer would think Hammurabi and Zimri-Lim were gay. If you're into the metal ages, check out this reviewer's bookshelves for loads more reviews.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2338467571?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1">https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2338467571?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1</a></span><br /> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /><b>Trade Winds to Meluhha by Vasant Dave.</b> I think this is a category 1 novel. Set ostensibly in 2138 and being about the connection between Sumer and Meluhha (the Indus Valley). The blurb mentions that the main character leaves Babylon (which was a best a little village way up the Euphrates at this time) to go to Meluhha, so this may not be entirely historical - in fact, the author calls is 'prehistorical', which may be a fair assessment given that the Indus script has never been translated. I suspect this has lots of accurate historical details despite being a little loose, and is probably good fodder for Mythic Babylon inspiration. Reviews of the writing seem mixed. </span><br /> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40095826-trade-winds-to-meluhha"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40095826-trade-winds-to-meluhha</span></a><br /> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /><b>The Seventh Sanctuary by Jennifer Malin.</b> The tag-line 'A steamy novella of ancient Sumeria' sets off all kinds of alarm bells for me, but again, this might serve for inspiration to Mythic Babylon. I'm having a hard time judging its quality from the few reviews. </span><br /> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15718845-seventh-sanctuary">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15718845-seventh-sanctuary</a><br /><br /><b>The Prince and the Prophet and other 'novels of Sumeria' by Jesse Hudson.</b> I suspect this is a category 3 and is fiction partially informed by history, rather than a historical novel. I mean this: "For Ammon-Shur the struggle to end the slave trade in Sumeria is not going as planned" is simply not a thing. But in spite of playing fast and loose with fact, he's done a lot of research and is clearly bringing it to bear in the ways that best suit his story-telling needs.  <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40039274-novels-of-ancient-sumeria-box-set-1?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=dmnpGRDY9S&rank=5#">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40039274-novels-of-ancient-sumeria-box-set-1?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=dmnpGRDY9S&rank=5#</a></span><br /> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Here's an excerpt from one text: <a href="https://www.wattpad.com/253325262-etana-the-snake-and-the-eagle">https://www.wattpad.com/253325262-etana-the-snake-and-the-eagle</a></span><br /> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /><b>Claimed by the Enemy by Shauna Roberts</b> - An Akkadian period novel that, in spite of its terrible cover and 'romance novel' labelling, seems like it might not be half bad, at least in terms of story and historical merit. The writer has several other books to her name, which at least tells you she's good enough to have staying power.<br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22699685-claimed-by-the-enemy">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22699685-claimed-by-the-enemy</a><br /><br /><br /><b>Like Mayflies in the Stream is also by Shauna Roberts</b> - a novelization of the Gilgamesh story. Same comments as above. </span><br /> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6920419-like-mayflies-in-a-stream">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6920419-like-mayflies-in-a-stream</a><br /><br /><b>The Priests of Lagash by David Jordan</b> - set at the end of the Early Dynastic period. It doesn't have a lot of reviews, which is common for a lot of these books. My gut feeling is that this book is probably pretty decent. From the blurb, it feels right, historically, and he's picked an interesting time. The reviewers seem to like the writing. Too bad it's kindle only - I'll probably never read it, and yet of all the books mentioned here it's the one I think I'd most like to read. EDIT: One of the readers of this blog has read this since my original post and had this to say: </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Whitney, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; white-space: break-spaces;"><i>much lighter than I thought it would be. It felt slightly anachronistic, like a noir detective thriller in places - ordinary Joe caught up in events larger than he first understands. Not bad though.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Priests-Lagash-David-Jordan-ebook/dp/B004G08YIU/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+priests+of+lagash&qid=1590448668&s=digital-text&sr=1-1">https://www.amazon.ca/Priests-Lagash-David-Jordan-ebook/dp/B004G08YIU/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+priests+of+lagash&qid=1590448668&s=digital-text&sr=1-1</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /><br /><b>Lost in Mari: Rise of a Mesopotamian Demon by Jayneela</b> - Set in the Old Babylonian period, the same as Mythic Babylon. There's very little information about the book itself, and no reviews. My gut feeling is that it's rather too fanciful to be considered a historic novel, but that doesn't mean its not good. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33591773-lost-in-mari">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33591773-lost-in-mari</a><br /><br /><b>The Flame Before Us by Richard Abbott</b> - Set on the verge of the Bronze Age Collapse c.1200 BC and on the coast of Syria and Canaanite hills (which is on the fringe of the territory we cover in Mythic Babylon.) This is a novel about the arrival of the sea peoples and how that affected local populations. I quite enjoyed the book, and I thought Richard did a really good job tackling the subject matter. Richard is a friend of mine and I've read several of his other books, my favourite of which is called Scenes From a Life, about a Canaanite who brings his craft to Egypt where he makes a living. Richard has impressive historical chops and I like his writing, so I'd say he's one of the more successful category 1 authors I've encountered. As inspiration for Mythic Babylon specifically, this book offers something for those who want to focus on migratory populations. It's characters and situations are rather domestic in scope, though, rather than 'mythical'.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25323363-the-flame-before-us">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25323363-the-flame-before-us</a><br /><br /><b>She Wrote on Clay by Shirley Graetz</b> - set in the Old Babylonian period during the reign of Hammurabi. I have read this one and have mixed feelings about it. This falls in category 1, and the historical research is very good (though there are a few oddities - there was no such thing as the briefly mentioned 'cavalry' at the time, for example.) However, the story is a little lacking and the main character has very little agency, always being rescued by others. However, as a 'slice of life' story that illustrates the unique quality of the life of a naditu priestess, you won't find much better. I think roleplayers will find this particular 'slice of life' a little too dull for gaming inspiration, but you never know. </span><br /> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18698033-she-wrote-on-clay" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18698033-she-wrote-on-clay</a><br /><br /><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">I, The Sun by Janet Morris</b><font face="georgia, times new roman, serif"> - Set c.1400 BC about the Hittite king Suppiluliumas, this is a very good and well researched historical fiction novel, but not really something to read in preparation for Mythic Babylon. I have a fuller review here: https://www.ttrpbc.com/discussion/139/novel-review-i-the-sun-by-janet-morris#latest </font><br /><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17878917-i-the-sun" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17878917-i-the-sun</a><br /><br /> <font face="georgia"><b>The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate by L. Sprague de Camp</b> - A category 2 novel set in the Persian era. It's a travelling tale that goes to the far west corners of the Persian empire and told in a style that would appeal to fans of pulp Sword and Sorcery (of which de Camp wrote a lot) or swashbuckling fiction. But De Camp was widely read in ancient history, so the book is well-researched. I have this on my shelf, but haven't read it. I have read other books by the author and quite liked them, including (in the same series) The Bronze God of Rhodes, which we read with our book club to generally positive reviews. De Camp's dialogue is often playful, and that can come across as pretty campy to some. There's a recent review on Goodread that points out (in detail) all the flaws with the novel when seen from the woke perspective of the 20-teens. This was written in the '60s, so temper your expectations accordingly. And don't expect much Babylonian content. EDIT: Having now read this, I can say it has a bit more Babylonian content than I would have expected and I may write a separate review. In short, though, I found the action in the novel to be a little less interesting than I would have expected, and the book gives a lot of space to the mistreatment of women in society without any meaningful comment or examination of that, which will turn a lot of people off.<br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/122051.The_Dragon_of_Ishtar_Gate">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/122051.The_Dragon_of_Ishtar_Gate</a><br /><br /><b>Dark Priestess by Juanita Coulson</b> - a 1977 category 2 novel; Coulson is primarily an SF author and even wrote some Star Trek and Ravenloft books, in addition to her own original material. This is described as a 'Searing Romance in Fabulously Wicked Babylon at the dawn of History'. I know the publisher wrote that, but since Babylon really only comes to the fore a thousand years after the dawn of history I think we can take this as a clue to the level of historicity. One reviewer calls it a novel about 'Sumeria'. There isn't much to go on in the blurb apart from the name of the main character (Ki-Inanna, which might sound authentic but isn't), so I can't even establish which period of history this is supposedly set in. It likely mashes things up to create a 'Babylonian pastiche', so probably best to think of this as a fantasy novel along the lines of what Guy Gavriel Kay writes.<br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1701348.Dark_Priestess">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1701348.Dark_Priestess</a></font><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><b>Gilgamesh The King by Robert Silverberg</b> - another category 2 novel by well regarded SF&F author Robert Silverberg, in which he rationalizes the myth of Gilgamesh into a historical narrative. The mystical elements are also rationalized, with Humbaba turned into a volcanic landscape. I somehow doubt that Silverberg was aware enough of the distinctions between the various historical periods to make this truly historical, but you never know. My guess is that it's a historical pastiche, but nevertheless a useful for gaming inspiration. In fact, I suspect historical pastiche is the preferred method by which gamers relive history. There's a distinctly less historical sequel called <i>To the Land of the Living</i> that finds Gilgamesh in the afterlife with Helen of Troy and Picasso (!)</span></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/114134-gilgamesh">https://www.goodreads.com/series/114134-gilgamesh</a></span></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;">The Writing in Stone by Irving Finkel</b><font face="georgia, times new roman, serif"> - This is a category 1 novel by renowned Assyriologist and biblical scholar Irving Finkel. I was familiar with Finkel's historical work and role as a curator in the British Museum, but I never knew he wrote fiction until a reader pointed this one out to me. Here's the description from Good Reads:</font></span></span></div><div><font color="#b51200"><br />The landscape of this dark and powerful story is the ancient world of Assyria some 3000 years ago, a time when writing was in the world's oldest script, cuneiform, and the domination of unseen forces firmly in the hands of the state's leading Exorcist. In the capital, Nineveh, resides a deep and complex man, the power behind the King of the World. Faced with unforeseen disaster that threatens his authority, he emerges as a psychopathic killer. The author uses his familiarity with ancient writings preserved in the world's museums to recreate a vanished world in which those who step from the shadows in ruthless violence to pursue ultimate control show themselves at the same time to be disconcertingly human. The tight prose and graphic illustrations make this a gripping and unusual tale not of this world, but at the same time weirdly familiar.<br /><br /></font><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Finkel is a good author and I think you can trust in this being a quality book, however if you read the GR reviews, you'll notice a trigger warning about violence against women by some of the characters, so proceed with caution.</span></div><div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36027243-the-writing-in-the-stone"><font face="times">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36027243-the-writing-in-the-stone</font></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">The Tower of Babel by Ted Chiang</b><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> - this is a short story by this highly regarded author which appears in his collection Stories Of Your Life And Others (though I think you can purchase the single story, electronically). It follows the fortunes of an Elamite tradesman who is climbing the Tower of Babel (still under construction) so he can join the work crews near the top and help complete the project. Along the way, we encounter other Babylonian locals and situations. It takes quite a while, since the tower is very tall. Eventually, the tower is completed and reaches the firmament, and our Elamite climbs up into the clouds to find something unexpected. This is a nice story and has a great mythical quality - it could certainly inspire a Mythic Babylon scenario. It was nominated for a Hugo and won a Nebula.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/29864598">https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/29864598</a><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Fantasy Novels Inspired by Ancient Mesopotamia </span><br /><br /><b>Between the Rivers by Harry Turtledove</b> - Vaguely based on Sumerian myth and beliefs, this story is set in a not-Sumer where gods walk the earth and malicious spirits abound and can fly up your nose. It's an interesting read for gamers (and I have read this one), though probably too difficult to relate to Mythic Babylon. A mash-up between the two would be interesting, if anyone wanted to put the work in. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/101600.Between_the_Rivers">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/101600.Between_the_Rivers</a><br /><br /><b>The Moonlit Cities series by Marcin Wrona</b> - fantasy inspired in part by Mesopotamia. These seem well reviewed, but only available on Kindle at the moment which means I won't likely read them. I quite like the cover designs, for whatever that's worth. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Pale-Queens-Courtyard-Moonlit-Cities-ebook/dp/B004XTTVCC/ref=sr_1_3?qid=1590447319&refinements=p_27%3AMarcin+Wrona&s=digital-text&sr=1-3&text=Marcin+Wrona">https://www.amazon.ca/Pale-Queens-Courtyard-Moonlit-Cities-ebook/dp/B004XTTVCC/ref=sr_1_3?qid=1590447319&refinements=p_27%3AMarcin+Wrona&s=digital-text&sr=1-3&text=Marcin+Wrona</a></span><br /> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><font face="georgia"><b>The Ship of Ishtar by A. Merritt</b> - another fantasy inspired by Mesopotamia, this novel doesn't take place there, but a contemporary archaeologist gets sucked into fantasy adventure along the lines of Moorcock's Sailor on the Seas of Fate, travelling about in Ishtar's ship and caught between her and the god Nergal. I read it, but don't remember being especially moved.<br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6345033-the-ship-of-ishtar">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6345033-the-ship-of-ishtar</a></font> <div> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></div> <div> <span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">So that's my round-up of Ancient Mesopotamian fiction. Please feel free to let me know of any that I missed. I may post a follow-up on non-fiction in the future, and will certainly keep posting reviews of individual books.</span></div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='https://egunnu.blogspot.com/2020/05/what-books-can-i-read-to-inspire-my.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='https://egunnu.blogspot.com/2020/05/what-books-can-i-read-to-inspire-my.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2020-05-25T16:35:00-07:00'>May 25, 2020</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-1282338224'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2724078395031847481&postID=5742704193252183119&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons goog-inline-block'> <a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-email' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=2724078395031847481&postID=5742704193252183119&target=email' target='_blank' title='Email This'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Email This</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-blog' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=2724078395031847481&postID=5742704193252183119&target=blog' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=270,width=475"); return false;' target='_blank' title='BlogThis!'><span class='share-button-link-text'>BlogThis!</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-twitter' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=2724078395031847481&postID=5742704193252183119&target=twitter' target='_blank' title='Share to X'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to X</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-facebook' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=2724078395031847481&postID=5742704193252183119&target=facebook' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=430,width=640"); return false;' target='_blank' title='Share to Facebook'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Facebook</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-pinterest' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=2724078395031847481&postID=5742704193252183119&target=pinterest' target='_blank' title='Share to Pinterest'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Pinterest</span></a> </div> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'> <span class='post-labels'> Labels: <a href='https://egunnu.blogspot.com/search/label/Assyria' rel='tag'>Assyria</a>, <a href='https://egunnu.blogspot.com/search/label/Babylon' rel='tag'>Babylon</a>, <a href='https://egunnu.blogspot.com/search/label/Bronze%20Age' rel='tag'>Bronze Age</a>, <a href='https://egunnu.blogspot.com/search/label/Classical%20Antiquity' rel='tag'>Classical Antiquity</a>, <a href='https://egunnu.blogspot.com/search/label/Fiction' rel='tag'>Fiction</a>, <a href='https://egunnu.blogspot.com/search/label/Iron%20Age' rel='tag'>Iron Age</a>, <a href='https://egunnu.blogspot.com/search/label/Mythic%20Babylon' rel='tag'>Mythic Babylon</a>, <a href='https://egunnu.blogspot.com/search/label/Near%20East' rel='tag'>Near East</a> </span> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'> <span class='post-location'> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class='comments' id='comments'> <a name='comments'></a> <h4>1 comment:</h4> <div class='comments-content'> <script async='async' src='' type='text/javascript'></script> <script type='text/javascript'> (function() { var items = null; var msgs = null; var config = {}; // <![CDATA[ var cursor = null; if (items && items.length > 0) { cursor = parseInt(items[items.length - 1].timestamp) + 1; } var bodyFromEntry = function(entry) { var text = (entry && ((entry.content && entry.content.$t) || (entry.summary && entry.summary.$t))) || ''; if (entry && entry.gd$extendedProperty) { for (var k in entry.gd$extendedProperty) { if (entry.gd$extendedProperty[k].name == 'blogger.contentRemoved') { return '<span class="deleted-comment">' + text + '</span>'; } } } return text; } var parse = function(data) { cursor = null; var comments = []; if (data && data.feed && data.feed.entry) { for (var i = 0, entry; entry = data.feed.entry[i]; i++) { var comment = {}; // comment ID, parsed out of the original id format var id = /blog-(\d+).post-(\d+)/.exec(entry.id.$t); comment.id = id ? 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I haven't been given an ETA either, but I know these things are in progress. </p><span class="comment-actions secondary-text"><a class="comment-reply" target="_self" data-comment-id="4336821454069769645">Reply</a><span class="item-control blog-admin blog-admin pid-1282338224"><a target="_self" href="https://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=2724078395031847481&postID=4336821454069769645">Delete</a></span></span></div><div class="comment-replies"><div id="c4336821454069769645-rt" class="comment-thread inline-thread hidden"><span class="thread-toggle thread-expanded"><span class="thread-arrow"></span><span class="thread-count"><a target="_self">Replies</a></span></span><ol id="c4336821454069769645-ra" class="thread-chrome thread-expanded"><div></div><div id="c4336821454069769645-continue" class="continue"><a class="comment-reply" target="_self" data-comment-id="4336821454069769645">Reply</a></div></ol></div></div><div class="comment-replybox-single" id="c4336821454069769645-ce"></div></li></ol><div id="top-continue" class="continue"><a class="comment-reply" target="_self">Add comment</a></div><div class="comment-replybox-thread" id="top-ce"></div><div class="loadmore hidden" data-post-id="5742704193252183119"><a target="_self">Load more...</a></div></div> </div> </div> <p class='comment-footer'> <div class='comment-form'> <a name='comment-form'></a> <p> </p> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/comment/frame/2724078395031847481?po=5742704193252183119&hl=en' id='comment-editor-src'></a> <iframe allowtransparency='true' class='blogger-iframe-colorize blogger-comment-from-post' frameborder='0' height='410px' id='comment-editor' name='comment-editor' src='' width='100%'></iframe> <script src='https://www.blogger.com/static/v1/jsbin/2315299244-comment_from_post_iframe.js' type='text/javascript'></script> <script type='text/javascript'> BLOG_CMT_createIframe('https://www.blogger.com/rpc_relay.html'); </script> </div> </p> <div id='backlinks-container'> <div id='Blog1_backlinks-container'> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class='inline-ad'>  </div> </div></div> </div> <div class='blog-pager' id='blog-pager'> <span id='blog-pager-newer-link'> <a class='blog-pager-newer-link' href='https://egunnu.blogspot.com/2020/06/campaign-report-john-of-patmos-mythic.html' id='Blog1_blog-pager-newer-link' title='Newer Post'>Newer Post</a> </span> <span id='blog-pager-older-link'> <a class='blog-pager-older-link' href='https://egunnu.blogspot.com/2020/01/how-admu-sorceress-acquired-spear-of.html' id='Blog1_blog-pager-older-link' title='Older Post'>Older Post</a> </span> <a class='home-link' href='https://egunnu.blogspot.com/'>Home</a> </div> <div class='clear'></div> <div class='post-feeds'> <div class='feed-links'> Subscribe to: <a class='feed-link' href='https://egunnu.blogspot.com/feeds/5742704193252183119/comments/default' target='_blank' type='application/atom+xml'>Post Comments (Atom)</a> </div> </div> </div></div> </div> </div> <div class='column-left-outer'> <div class='column-left-inner'> <aside> </aside> </div> </div> <div class='column-right-outer'> <div class='column-right-inner'> <aside> <div class='sidebar section' id='sidebar-right-1'><div class='widget Text' data-version='1' id='Text1'> <h2 class='title'>What Is the Many Coloured House?</h2> <div class='widget-content'> <span ="" style="font-coming soon:";">Welcome to The Many Coloured House, a blog about ancient and medieval history. Here you'll find posts covering the stories, myths, customs, and wisdom of the ancient and medieval world, including archaeological news, book reviews, and sometimes game reviews.</span> </div> <div class='clear'></div> </div> <div class='widget Profile' data-version='1' id='Profile1'> <h2>About The Many Coloured House</h2> <div class='widget-content'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/06226516133657970887'><img alt='My photo' class='profile-img' height='77' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0r97yC4PKlwqitOa9vDDaG-CFT4h8QKa-cPY9pvoSce5NNpQDwkLDKBeymWhYiGqS4HeKHJNflmwMWEtxZ-vNeW9-ijy3DKug4nHD6MrOXePYQuz6W2huVdcR2CxHiQ/s117/Akkadian_01.jpg' width='80'/></a> <dl class='profile-datablock'> <dt class='profile-data'> <a class='profile-name-link g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/06226516133657970887' rel='author' style='background-image: url(//www.blogger.com/img/logo-16.png);'> Chris G </a> </dt> <dd class='profile-textblock'>I'm an history enthusiast with a particular interest in the Bronze Age Near East and Dark Ages Britain. I'm also the creator and co-author of Mythic Babylon, a setting for the Mythras Role Playing Game that lets you play characters in 1764 BC Babylon. </dd> </dl> <a class='profile-link' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/06226516133657970887' rel='author'>View my complete profile</a> <div class='clear'></div> </div> </div><div class='widget Label' data-version='1' id='Label1'> <h2>Labels</h2> <div class='widget-content list-label-widget-content'> <ul> <li> <a dir='ltr' href='https://egunnu.blogspot.com/search/label/Alexandria'>Alexandria</a> </li> <li> <a dir='ltr' href='https://egunnu.blogspot.com/search/label/Assyria'>Assyria</a> </li> <li> <a dir='ltr' href='https://egunnu.blogspot.com/search/label/Babylon'>Babylon</a> </li> <li> <a dir='ltr' href='https://egunnu.blogspot.com/search/label/Bactria'>Bactria</a> </li> <li> <a dir='ltr' href='https://egunnu.blogspot.com/search/label/Bet%20You%20Didn%27t%20Know'>Bet You Didn't Know</a> </li> <li> <a dir='ltr' 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