In the Court of the Queen: A Novel of Mesopotamia [Hardcover]

There is nothing on this page about the plot of this book. So before I review, I'm going to leave the plot blurb as seen on the front and back covers of the book. I did not write this, it is here for informational purposes only.

I DID NOT WRITE THIS:

"2000 B.C. The old queen of Ur is nearing the end of her days. Ten beautiful, young virgins have been chosen to live in the palace to comfort and entertain her. Hana-Ad leaves behind her rural life and enters an opulent world of lavish meals, expensive garments, and hours of leisure interrupted only by lessons in harp and dance. But what Hana-Ad does not realize is that this new life involves a great sacrifice. In the tradition of a renowned past queen of Ur, Queen Ku-bau plans for her ten lovely maidens to escort her into her tomb--and into the next world.

When Daid, Hana-Ad's newly betrothed, learns of the queen's plan, he vows to rescue her. A voyage to deliver tablets for Nanshe, the high priestess of Ur, takes him to the palace of the great King of Babylon, Hammurabi. Daid is confident that this will convince the king to free the queen's maidens, but all of his hopes are dashed when the letters are confiscated and he is captured and enslaved.

When the tablets are finally recovered, Daid's only route of escape from Babylon is to learn medicine, and fast. His skills are put to the test when a smallpox epidemic threatens to decimate the population. Working day and night, the only thing that keeps him going is the knowledge that his position as master physician could gain him access to the palace of Ur, if he ever makes it back.

Meanwhile, relations in the palace of Ur are strained. The old queen's daughter-in-law will stop at nothing to gain power. Ashnan, one of the queen's virgins, carries out cruel schemes to disrupt the harmony between Hana-Ad and the other maidens. And Uttu must thwart any attempt to interfere with her burning desire to accompany Queen Ku-bau into the grand world of the beyond.

Away from home, both Hana-Ad and Daid learn lessons about the politics of survival, the power of the gods, and the importance of friendship. But the overwhelming force that drives each of them is the undying hope that they may someday be reunited, and return home to be together with their longing families."

I DID WRITE THIS:

Ok, so the premise of this book is very good. However one thing it doesn't mention is that this book takes place over about four and a half years, so there's no tension, no sense of immediacy about rescuing Hana-Ad, like the blurb seems to intimate. Instead there's a whole lot of tension between the maidens, a lot of petty fights and alliances and make-ups that happen when everything seems hopeless between them.

In a way, Hana-Ad's part of the story is a little boring because it's all about playing the harp and dancing, picking out clothing and jewelry and the fights and friendships between the girls. Also I just couldn't relate to them-most of the girls actually wanted to die and "live" in everlasting luxury with the old queen in the afterlife. It's a mindset that is hard to imagine ever really existing, but I guess it did.
Daid's part of the story has a bit of action in it, but I really wish there had been more detail. I mean, here is this guy earning how to be the most skilled kind of doctor that existed back then and there's hardly any detail about what he learns, the rational for things he prescribes and does. I would have enjoyed more detail.

The person who's story I enjoyed the most was Nanshe, the high priestess. Her tale of the lost child she had to give away because her brother made her priestess right after she married is poignant and her longing for her lost daughter and a new child by her husband relates something other than the blind devotion that nearly ever other character shows towards the gods. It's relatable.

Also, as in every book that takes place far enough in the past that it's hard to imagine, I think maps and diagrams are really important. There were a lot of descriptions in this book, but non of them really helped me visualize the palaces, ziggurats, homes and temples that are the settings for the story.

And I found the writing of the book to be a little weird. It's kind of...childish. What I mean by that is the writing isn't very sophisticated. The dialog is a little weird, the pot needs more intensity to it and the characters are both hard to understand and not all that distinct from one to another.

I don't want to seem like I'm just bashing this book because I did enjoy parts of it and I am planning on reading more of this author's works. It's just that the aspects of this novel I didn't like stuck out more than the ones I did like.

Three stars.

› Go to Amazon.com to see the review  3.0 out of 5 stars