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Bessas of Zariaspa is a young officer in the Immortals regiment, sworn to protect and obey his King at all costs. The King wishes immortality and to that end tasks Bessas to find items that make an immortality potion, including the blood of a dragon and the ear of a king. The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate is a swashbuckling historical novel with larger-than-life characters, set in a detailed historical background that only a scholar such as de Camp can create. "Possibly ... the author's most show more breezily amusing venture into fictionizing classical lore," in which "[c]omic opera attacks and nocturnal ambushes abound ... There obviously is a lot of fictional hocus-pocus in all this, but there's also a shimmering mirthfulness in the writing."-Henry Cavendish "Colorful, vigorous, and outspoken tale."-Booklist show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
One of de Camp's Hellenic historical novels, this time focusing on the end of Xerxes's reign.
A picaresque travelogue of travellers from Xerxes' court being sent to find a sirrush (as depicted on the Ishtar Gate). Again, much period sexism is on display but at least one of the female characters has some agency (being based on a semi-legendary Arab warrior princess).
Recommended.
A picaresque travelogue of travellers from Xerxes' court being sent to find a sirrush (as depicted on the Ishtar Gate). Again, much period sexism is on display but at least one of the female characters has some agency (being based on a semi-legendary Arab warrior princess).
Recommended.
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Author Information
325+ Works 25,044 Members
L. Sprague de Camp, winner of the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, was fluent in several languages and traveled the world. He was chased by a hippopotamus in Uganda and sea lions in the Galapagos Islands. He saw tigers and rhinoceroses from elephantback in India, and he was bitten by a lizard in the jungles of Guatemala. His fascinating show more autobiography. Time and Chance, won the 1997 Hugo Award for best nonfiction. L. Sprague de Camp passed away in May 2000 show less
Series
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1961
- Important places
- Persian Empire; Kush; Babylon
- Dedication
- To Sam Freiha of Beirut, the best tourist guide in the whole Middle East.
- First words
- Golden lamps, hung by chains from the sooty ceiling, smoked and flickered, sending forth an olivine odor.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The rising sun, striking slantwise down the narrow street, splashed the robes of the men and the rumps of the camels with crimson.
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, General Fiction
- DDC/MDS
- 813.52 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English 1900-1999 1900-1945
- LCC
- PZ3 .D3555 — Language and Literature Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction in English
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 95
- Popularity
- 337,662
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.57)
- Languages
- English, German
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 7
- ASINs
- 5
