BY THE GODS OF BABYLON

A debut novel offers a story about ancient palace intrigue, inspired by the Epic of Gilgamesh.

The author opens this Sumerian tale with Gaga, the court jester, entertaining the cruel King Sargon. Gaga sings a blasphemous version of the beginnings of humankind at a pre-coronation gathering of noblemen. When the priest En-shakush and Gaga argue, Sargon orders both to their knees and tells his henchman Naplanam to choose which one to behead. Relishing the fear emanating from the two men, Naplanam takes his time, which Sargon enjoys while chomping on pomegranate seeds: “It was good…to make” all present “think twice about betraying him.” Plots and subplots abound among the multitude of characters. Ibrahem, the king’s sculptor, was cheated by the high priest Ishullanu out of final payment for his likeness of “the great god Anu.” Ibrahem convinces Sargon that the monarch is the true representative of the deities and that Ishullanu is plotting to overturn him. Soon, Enheduanna, Sargon’s virgin daughter, who is secretly involved with Isaa, Ibrahem’s son, learns that her father has promised her to the pharaoh. She and Isaa plan for her to lose her virginity (his also, it turns out) in "a ritual" honoring Ishtar, goddess of love. The polytheism practiced is highly sexual, as in the spring equinox festival, a celebration during which the high priest plays the role of god and plunges “his mighty plow…into the virgin earth” (a virgin selected for the ritual). Ishullanu, unable to perform, tries to fake copulation but is exposed and disgraced when the crowd angrily demands that he “show the plow...!” The last third of the engaging novel deftly connects the stories of the principal characters and ultimately delivers an unpredictable conclusion. The author’s pseudonym is the same name as the 13th-century B.C.E. scribe who compiled the Epic of Gilgamesh ("I just hope that Sin Leqi Unninni would forgive me for plagiarizing parts of his epic story…and his name"). Vivid imagery and courtly formal dialogue, often followed by the characters’ thoughts, bring both the players and the period to life, as in this passage where Ibrahem meets a local merchant: “ ‘Gudea!’ Ibrahem exclaimed in greeting, his face chiseled into an expression of happy surprise that hid his distaste.” But many readers may find themselves squirming at some of the graphic descriptions of torture.

A lively and intriguing tale about polytheistic Sumerian society; sexually explicit, with a surprise ending.