It’s 1914. Tensions are about to erupt in Europe. John Somerville, however, has problems of his own to worry about. He’s excavating what he believes to be a forgotten Assyrian palace in Mesopotamia, part of the gigantic Ottoman Empire. Unluckily for him, the Germans are coming with a railroad that will go right through Tell Erdek, his precious site, the excavation of which he has self-financed for three years in a desperate bid to make a name for himself. Along with him is his younger colleague, Palmer, who has a passion for ancient writing; his wife Christine, who thrives on Somerville’s enthusiasm and purity of passion; Patricia, a grad student who is at the forefront of the feminist movement and very outspoken; and Jehar, an Arab man who feeds Somerville information in exchange for the gold to win him the love of his life. Into this mess arrives Elliott, an American geologist masquerading as an archaeologist to gain information about oil. Every character’s loyalties are tested as tensions escalate not only between European powers but at the excavation site itself.

I’d heard, before starting this book, that others really struggled with it, abandoning it and giving it away. I thought it was going to be terrible. Once again, I put it off. When I finally did read it, I could see in some cases what those who disliked this book thought about it. For one thing, it’s quite political. A lot of time is spent discussing the importance of the oil and the conflicts between the countries who are racing to get it. Nor are all the characters likeable. Christine spends time feeling disdainful towards Patricia because she is too outspoken. The mere idea that women could vote shocks Christine, who desires nothing more than to spend her life supporting a powerful and influential man. Can you tell that Christine made me gag a little? Okay, a lot.

On the bright side, though, despite its faults I found myself loving the book. I have to say being an aspiring historian and secret fan of the exciting part of archaeology really helped me in that. If I didn’t feel as excited about Somerville’s discovery as he did, the book would have totally fallen flat for me. There is something fascinating about pulling history out of the ground and this is just what Somerville is doing and what he’s passionate about. How could I not love a guy like him? This is even if he is a bit uncertain about himself, especially given that it’s hard to blame him. As soon as he realized that there was something amazing down there, I was hooked.

I also found this book incredibly politically relevant. I’m often irritated that so many of the problems in the Middle East have to do with European powers stepping in and carving up arbitrary countries for their own benefit. Here we have a novel that is set just as this is happening; we have a character who is unearthing the enthralling past of these areas which are now war-torn from intervention and internal turmoil and conflict. And hardly for the last time, it is all about oil. While set firmly in the past, this book also sheds light on how we got to this point in history ourselves. I think it also shows how our disregard for history leads us to repeat the mistakes we have made over and over again.

In conclusion, this is definitely a book worth reading. I highly recommend it, especially to those who love history and/or secretly wish they could be on Time Team. While I wait for that day to come, I’ll be seeking out more of Barry Unsworth’s works.

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Land of Marvels just sounded like it would be fun. I love archeology! Somerville makes a MAJOR discovery: an unknown tomb. This could only be good.

But oh, I was wrong. First, the characters are extremely dull and flat. Christine, the wife, has no thoughts beyond being a perfect society wife. She reminds me of a paper doll, beautiful to look at and fun to dress up, but absolutely lacking in personality. Patricia, the only other major female in the novel, is supposed to be extremely clever and bright. But her major role seems to be to ask the ‘intelligent’ questions so the big strong men can answer and catch the reader up via the celebrated art of mass information dumps. (Minor pet peeve: the women and foreigners are referred to by their first names, but the men by the last name.) Somerville, our hero, is so utterly fixated on the railroad the Germans are building near his archeology site that little else attracts his notice, and reading a man’s fretting brain natterisms is not captivating narrative.

The story’s meant to educate readers on why Iraq’s politics in the last century are so screwed up and why oil is the major currency in the Middle East. It also seeks to warn about empires inevitably collapsing. But it’s so heavy-handed! I feel like the archeologists are hitting me over the head with their tools, shouting “THIS. IS. SYMBOLISM. PAY ATTENTION. THIS. IS IMPORTANT.” Yeesh. I didn’t want a lecture.

Finally, the ending is SUCH A FUCKING COP-OUT. So much so that I did not censor my cussing as would have been proper. I can’t bitch about why it was so bad, as that would be a major spoiler, but it was such a terrible way to end the story that I actually threw the book across the room. I’ve never done that before; I usually protect my books as precious! It’s like the author wrote himself into a corner, couldn’t figure out how to untangle the plot to get out of it, and just gave up. (I suppose that is better than believing he planned such a craptacular ending from Day One.)

I was a little angry when I finished the book. Angry at the horrible ending, angry at the interesting concept gone horribly wrong, and angry that I felt I’d wasted my time to finish the story. Land of Marvels? I am marveling that Barry Unsworth apparently won the Booker Prize for a previous novel. This is the first time I have ever read one of his books, so hopefully this is just the exception proving the rule, and his quality is normally higher. But seriously, folks, skip this book. It will only leave you unsatisfied and disappointed at a great idea gone sour. ( )

It is 1914, and Barry Unsworth's The Land of Marvels opens on a frustrated archeologist, John Somerville, digging in Mesopotamia. The narration then alternates between Somerville and those who make his acquaintance (a cast of con-men and murderers). Some bent on glory, others greed, but all wish to exploit the land of modern day Iraq. By the story's end everyone will have compromised themselves as oil mania consumes the region.

The plot is good, but the novel reads more as a political commentary about modern international diplomacy and worldwide oil greed. No country is rendered favorably. As the novel strives for importance, much of the story takes a co-starring role. The characterization is lacking as the male characters are all one note, the women are portrayed as dull and naïve. The story doesn't find a steady rhythm, so it is slow to engage the reader, and it only begins to pay off in the last few chapters when everything does tie up nicely. Devoted Unsworth fans, or those interested in Mesopotamian history will likely find this novel the most enjoyable. ( )

Take yourself back to the tense times in the Middle East just before the outbreak of World War I. The world is beginning to fully wake up to the need for oil in the new modern world and the importance of securing a steady supply. The world powers are manouvering for access to the newly discovered desposits in what will become modern day Iran.

However, as many of us will know from ancient history, Mesopotamia was the birthplace of civilisation, and a British archaeologist, Sommerville, dreams of finding fame and reknown. His wife is wondering about her marriage, while Sommerville's assistant has fallen for a young female research assistant. This little community of Brits is living together and tensions are heightened when the British government sends an America geologist posing as an archaeologist to work with them. Sommerville is in a constant state of nerves as he fears that the building of a German railroad will cut through his digsite.

Outside this community there is Jehar, a local who carries messages for Sommerville and dreams of making a life with the woman he loves. It is his desire to earn her bride price, along with Sommervillles fear of the approaching German railroad that ultimately leads to the surprising climax of the novel.

This novel skilfully mixes politics, intrgue, espionage, history and human nature. The growing desire for oil in the early twentieth century is still present today, especially in the context of the Middle East. The novel is an easy read, although there are scholarly passages on geology and Assyrian history. The characters are what make this novel shine. ( )

Passion, mystery, history, espionage… what more could you want in a novel? I was unfamiliar with Barry Unsworth’s work before I was offered this novel to review. I have to say that I was not disappointed. At some points, it felt like this book was written directly according to my tastes. I’ve always been interested in archeology, but I haven’t read much fiction about the topic. This book was a great blend of history, technical archeology talk, as well as personal conflict and relationships.

The characters are nowhere near perfect, and that’s what makes them great. They are real, and you almost wonder if they once walked around where Unsworth could observe them. I always enjoy a novel when I can watch characters grow, and this is no exception. However, this does not mean the characters improve. Much of this novel can be read with an apathetic eye to the decline of morals, values, and personal character. There are tricks, trades, and desperate attempts to find what they crave most in the world. Once again… this is real.

My only critique of this novel would be that scenes with Rampling, and indeed many of the highly technical discussions of oil, can feel a bit drawn out and overwhelming. The archeology talk is fascinating because it is history, and it tells a story. I almost feel as though I read more about oil than those in the oil industry have even read, and none of it really told a story. It felt like a dramatic break in the story, and fell flat in my eyes. That’s disappointing, because the rest of the story was exciting and dramatic. From the very first pages, I was worried about the railroad, the dig site, the relationships between characters… everything. To stop and read political discussions on oil felt like hitting a brick wall.

This story is still a good one, and I think anyone interested in the artifacts of history would enjoy it. The characters are the best element. Unsworth, at least in this novel, shows a unique ability to create extraordinarily real people, which he then uses to advance his plot. ( )

Land of Marvels grows on you. Its pace is rather slow, sort of like the times it is evoking. It takes place in 1914, just before what we come to know as World War I starts, in Mesopotamia, or what we now know as Iraq. In some respects it reminds me of Agatha Christie's Middle East novels, which made me like it quite a bit.

This book tells three stories and how they intertwine with ironic and tragic results – the story of the search for oil and the big money and power behind that search, an archaeologist’s search for proof of Assyrian occupation at the archaeological site that is the location for most of the novel, and the story of a local man who is in love and wants to marry a young girl.

I liked the tension of this book. Everybody is on edge. Things will explode soon. Somerville’s wife Edith is unhappy in her marriage, Somerville is distracted and distant because of his all-consuming desire to find something, anything, that will make him a famous in the world of archaeology. Elliott, geologist posing as an archaeologist is consumed with finding proof of huge oil deposits and is playing off Germany and Britain against one another. Somerville’s assistant is in love with a brash “modern” young woman and they can’t wait to get back to England and the beginning of their lives together. Britain’s empirical and old-fashioned view of the world is on display as it decays and is threatened by America. Jehar, a local thief and con artist is in love with a young girl and desperate to win her in marriage. There are railway politics behind the scenes, British, Turkish, and German, that heighten the tension and may affect what happens at the archaeological site.

It really took me half of the book to figure out what was going on. The ending is quick and explosive and ties all the stories together satisfactorily. I loved the irony of how the book ends.

I thought the language was uneven. There are very lyrical passages describing the oil fields and the geology of the region, yet the characters are occasionally two-dimensional and stereotyped. But then there is a brilliant scene or insight into a character that moves the story forward.

The Assyrian and Babylonian history was exhaustive and somewhat confusing. I did like Somerville's wild assumptions of how things happened to explain what he found at the site and how he twisted history to suit his needs. His love for what he did clouded any objective interpretation of what he found.

The novel is billed as a prelude to America’s foray into Iraq after 9-11, and you can stretch to see it. Oil does become the change agent of the 20th Century, and the search for that oil changes everything. ( )

The setting of Barry Unsworth's Land of Marvels is the Middle East, just before the start of the First World War. The story weaves together a British archeological dig, a German railroad, and an international struggle over oil. When reading fiction, I usually look for characters I can empathize with and a carefully developed sense of place. I found neither in this book. None of the characters were particularly likable and I found that I kept wishing the author had included a map so I could better visualize what was happening. Rather than focussing on characters or setting, Unsworth's story is plot driven. Tension builds as the railroad, the oil, and the dig slowly converge upon one another and collide in a dramatic conclusion. ( )

In 1914, on the eve of World War I, the British archeologist Somerville is in his third season of excavating a mound in Ottoman-controlled Mesopotamia. As he begins to uncover a palace and realizes its significance to the world's understanding of the fall of the Assyrian Empire, he is overwhelmed by the impending threat to his dig posed by the Germans' railway, which is planned to cut through the dig, and the European and American interest in the oil fields surrounding the dig. The convergence of the railway, the dig, and the oil has a fiery ending, reminiscent of the fire and brimstone of Genesis invoked by visiting Swedish missionaries and the ancient fires that consumed the Assyrian Empire and partially excavated palace. Consumed by the dread of impending doom, Somerville's drive to protect the treasures and his future ends up destroying both.

Land of Marvels is timely, taking advantage of the world's current interest in Iraq. Unsworth uses his characters as symbols to convey the conflict and contrasting interests Mesopotamia has witnessed for thousands of years. Imperial interests are exploiting the region's resources: archeological treasures, oil, and its people. With the backdrop of the perpetual cycle of falling empires and empire building, these financial imperialists are exploiting the struggling-to-survive Ottoman Empire, for immediate gain and positioning for impending war. The British Empire is trying to survive in light of expanding French and German industrial interests.

Somerville, a self-educated archeologist who sold his family business to pursue his life-long passion, is juxtaposed with Palmer, his assistant, who is a dry formally educated archeologist who prefers the British Museum to field work, and Elliot, an oil geologist. Both Somerville and Elliot look to land formations for clues to the treasures they seek below ground. Somerville represents the past - the past that is only survived by relics in the sand, and the once noble endeavor of digging for the relics. Elliott represents the future - the modern view of the land as a harbor of natural resources to fuel the future rather than as a caretaker of the past.

Christine is Somerville's wife and counterpart. She strives to uphold Victorian feminine propriety and disapproves of Patricia, a young, educated suffragist. Christine believes a woman's role is to provide a supportive home life for the fostering of her husband's works, while Patricia is the new, and future, face of femininity - educated and striving to be included as a vital participant in society inside and outside of the home.

In contrast to these Western characters are Jehar and Ninanna, two of the poor native inhabitants of the region who struggle to survive on the scraps of the European ventures and who will never enjoy the spoils. For them ancient and modern empires are the same - oppressive and exploitive.

At times, Unsworth forgets his audience. The story gets bogged down with detailed geographical and historical information for which the average reader may not have any context. Such a reader's enjoyment of the story can be hindered, as they may not appreciate its value in the story. While the text does not need to be simplifies, the use of a simple editorial device such as a map on the inside cover (e.g., a rendering of the hand-drawn map obtained by Jehar) would lend itself to the reader's understanding and enjoyment of the story. In addition, Unsworth's over-use of passive voice, negative phrasing, and pronouns tends to disrupt the flow of the story. ( )

I don't usually review books I don't finish but when the book is sent to me as a Review Copy I feel obliged to at least give my reasons for not liking or not finishing the book.

I couldn't finish this book. I made it to page 69 but found the book just wasn't to my tastes. The word thriller is used in the description and I guess I just expected some thrills. I really couldn't concentrate on the book at all. I love the time-frame, early 20th century, and that is what made me think I would enjoy this book but there was too much ancient history, (Sumerians this, Assyrians that) and too much politics. Not my cup of tea at all. Perhaps it will be more to your liking. ( )

In Hesiod's eighth-century Greek poem about the origin of the gods, the Theogony, the Muses boast that they know how to tell "lies like the truth." The foundation of myth, of poetry, of storytelling is the telling of lies that compel belief or, at least, the suspension of disbelief. Sometimes we tell stories to beguile others, and sometimes we manage to convince ourselves with our own storytelling. Can we ever tell the whole and unadulterated truth, or is reality always our version of it, shaped and distorted by our need for structure and meaning, by our desires and fears?

Questions like these lie behind most of Barry Unsworth's fiction. He's interested in storytelling and what compels it. He's interested in how people reconstruct events and find meaning in them. One of his most popular novels, Morality Play (1995), is a medieval mystery in which a band of traveling players investigate and reenact a murder. The murder mystery is a perfect genre for Unsworth, because it's about reconstructing events, telling a story that makes sense of them, finding meaning in the past.

His 2004 novel, Songs of the Kings, imagines the Greek army preparing to set sail for Troy, modernizing Homer in light of the build up to the Iraq War. It's about propaganda and the manipulation of the news—about "lies like truth" and the ways in which storytelling can shape events. Unsworth is also fascinated with greed and obsession. His characters are insatiable in their desire for money or power or knowledge. In his 1999 novel Losing Nelson, the main character is obsessed with the life of Admiral Nelson, and in particular with a specific incident in Nelson's career. His obsessive research, his obsessive need to shape events into a story, ultimately consumes him. Perhaps history repeats itself because we become trapped in stories of our own devising. Perhaps stories shape reality, rather than the other way around. We tell stories about the link between Iraq and terrorism, for example, and our obsession with that story makes it so. Stories can become self-fulfilling prophecies.

Land of Marvels is set in Mesopotamia—modern Iraq—in 1914, on the eve of the First World War. John Somerville in an archaeologist excavating what he hopes will prove to be a significant Assyrian site. Meanwhile, the German railroad is inching its way toward him, and he becomes convinced that it will destroy his work. Complicating matters is the intrigue of international investors who are prospecting for oil in the region, and making plans for how the Ottoman Empire will be divvied up after a war that seems increasingly inevitable. It's vintage Unsworth in its historical setting and its obsession with storytelling, and with obsession itself. Somerville is obsessed both with reconstructing the Assyrian past and with the looming threat of the railroad. That obsession shapes Somerville's narrative. In various ways, several characters in the book become convinced by their own stories, and those stories shape events.

There are big themes in Land of Marvels, about history and the rise and fall of empires, but it's a relatively small book. It moves quickly, both because of the excitement and suspense it generates and because, at times, it feels insufficiently fleshed out. I was left wanting more. The novel seems to rush headlong to its inevitable conclusion. For me, it lacked the texture and atmosphere and vividness of character that I find in some of my favorite "historical novels," like J.G. Farrell's The Siege of Krishnapur or Louis de Bernière's Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Unsworth, like his protagonist Somerville, seemed too obsessed with how things would come crashing down.

Unsworth is a skilled writer who can speak volumes in small and carefully-wrought scenes, but the novel, being a literate version of an historical thriller, suffered slightly from heavy-handed exposition—the bane of thriller writers. How does the author provide the reader with important historical background information? He has the archaeologist explain it to his assistant, who has convenient gaps in his or her knowledge. Unsworth occasionally falls prey himself to this unfortunate convention of the historical thriller, and I was distracted as I read by the annoying echo in the back of my head of Dan Brown explaining the Fibonacci sequence.

Land of Marvels is a flawed novel, but it's also a compelling read, and definitely a cut above ordinary historical thrillers. ( )

In the Middle East very little is as it appears on the surface, an essential lesson for anyone working or doing business there. Those spending much time in the region are often reminded that “a signed contract is just a pause in the negotiations,” just when they have invested so much into a project that they can no longer afford to walk away from it. Barry Unsworth’s "Land of Marvels," set in 1914 Mesopotamia, is a reminder, however, that this way of conducting business is not necessarily as one-sided as some would like to think.

Mesopotamia in 1914 is a volatile region. The world is on the brink of war and many European nations are trying to place themselves in advantageous positions that will allow them to pick up the pieces when the already weak Ottoman Empire finally loses its grip on the area. The region that will one day be renamed Iraq is rich in oil and chrome ore, two resources vital to a war effort, and various European factions want to control those resources.

Oil and chrome ore, however, are not Mesopotamia’s only attractions. The region, for thousands of years home to some of the most powerful civilizations the world has seen, is also a favorite hunting ground for archeologists from around the world. One of these, John Somerville, is well into his third digging season at Tell Erdek and is desperate to find something to justify his efforts before it is too late. Not only is Somerville, who self-finances the project, running out of money, a German-built railroad is fast approaching his work site and threatens to run its line right through it.

Joining Somerville at the dig site are his wife, an assistant archeologist, a young Englishwoman, and various government representatives, military men and schemers from all over the world. Somerville’s dinner table becomes a place for all to meet and discuss what they see for the future as well as Somerville’s own progress in discovering the secrets of the past. Even at Somerville’s table, however, all is not as it seems, and the conversation and evolving relationships among those sharing the table are as filled with deceit, danger, and double-dealing as the bigger world around them.

Somerville, so focused on his own problems and impending doom, manages to remain oblivious to all of the intrigue going on around him and his efforts finally pay off in the kind of major discovery that he hopes will save his project and make his name. All of this leads to the book’s symbolic ending, a satisfying and somewhat startling one despite the way that most readers will have seen it coming several pages earlier.

"Land of Marvels" is not without its flaws. One or two of its main characters are more stereotypical than they should have been, even to reminding the reader of movie types from the 1940s era. In fact, some of the comings and goings around the little base camp, as two characters barely avoid each other at a crucial moment, are reminiscent of films of the same period but this kind of thing can be forgiven in a book that is otherwise so well done.

"Land of Marvels" is a trip back to the future.

Rated at: 4.0 ( )

Barry Unsworth's "Land of Marvels" is set in the Middle East in 1914, in an area that would become Iraq. The novel takes you into the desert with Somerville, an archaeologist searching for his big discovery. Somerville is in a race against time and circumstance--the railroad is about to be built through his dig site and all of Europe--and by extension, the Middle East--is on the edge of war. Will he make his big discovery, or will forces larger than him--the war, the railroad, the quest for oil--get the better of him.

Unsworth's novel is full of historical detail and political intrigue. It is well written and complex. However, it is missing, for me, a critical element--character development and emotion. Unsworth's characters are flat--nothing that happens to them over the course of the novel changes them at all. This surprised me, for Unsworth is a novelist that was praised for his character development. The characters in the novel also lack emotional depth. It was unbelievable to me that any of these characters cared about each other because they were all so cold and unfeeling.

I would recommend this book to people interested in Iraq before WWI and the political intrigue of the era. However, if you like books with more emotion and heart, I would recommend that you look elsewhere. ( )

I chose to read this book because I once dreamed of becoming an archaeologist, and having lived in the region, I was especially interested in the early history of the search for oil. Let me start out by saying that the book is definitely a better read than the flap copy might lead you to believe. The narrative focus on this small group works extremely well, and serves to underscore the myriad of competing interests focused on the region at the time.

Unsworth is a skilled writer, and all of the characters (no matter how unlikeable) are fully drawn and add value to the story. The main problem I had was that I really just couldn't get myself to like any of the characters, despite their backstories. Even when I found their actions completely understandable, I still didn't really feel that invested in the outcomes. In the end, the utter futility of the entire enterprise was crystal clear, lending itself so well to disturbing comparisons to the current situation in Iraq.

This was a solid read, 3.5 stars for me just because I never felt that emotional connection to the characters. I will certainly look for Unsworth's Booker Prize winning Sacred Hunger to read. ( )

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