Between the Rivers

A stand-alone historical fantasy set in Ancient Mesopotamia, dealing with free will and the relationship of a god with his worshippers.

Sharur is a trader from the city of Giblil; the city god, En-Giblil, is lazy and doesn’t bother to micromanage his worshippers as other gods do. As a result, the Giblut are an inventive and industrious people, who have taken to thinking for themselves, helped by the preponderance of smiths and scribes in the city.

A trading trip to the mountains is a disaster; the mountain gods have forbidden their people to trade with the Giblut. It seems something was traded from the mountains which should not have been - a vessel of the god’s power. Terrified by the loss, the mountain gods threaten Sharur...

An show more excellent read, although the writing style may be rather off-putting - it’s very rhythmic and repetitive. Of course, those who have read The Epic of Gilgamesh will recognise the style.

Highly recommended, especially as a resource for Mythic Babylon or Dara Happan Glorantha. show less

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Even though it is alternative history, Turtledove's description of ancient Mesopotamia is pretty accurate. His premise on how the ancient gods lost their powers is clever and insightful. I loved the interaction between the gods, ghosts, and living characters.

In standard Turtledove fashion, this feels like a historical fantasy. It is set in a 'mythical' world with 2 rival cities that have just developed enough civilization to need trade, and to be able to conduct full scale war on each other. The book follows the rulers of one city and a merchant family. It was quite interesting, I just wish there was another after it.