Ancient Mesopotamia/Sumer

[Samantha_kathy]

I'm looking for historical fiction about ancient Mesopotamia and ancient Sumer. I know about Sam Barone's Eskkar Saga, and of course Gilgamesh the King. Do any of you know of any other books?

Samantha

[michellemoran]

Have you tried Brad Geagley's Egyptian mystery series? His second novel in the series, Day of the False King (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Day-of-the-False-King/Brad-Geagley/e/9780743250818/?delay=y&PV=y), is set in Babylon.

[Ariadne]

Juanita Coulson's Dark Priestess is another. It's about 30 years old. The cover makes it look like a romance, but it really isn't.

Also Justin Allen's Slaves of the Shinar, which came out last year.

[annis]

Nicholas Guild's novel "The Assyrian (http://www.amazon.com/Assyrian-Nicholas-Guild/dp/0440201977)" is a good read. There is a sequel "Blood Star", equally good, but for some reason very expensive to buy second-hand (both books are OP). Thank goodness for the inter-library loan system!

[Margaret]

Marek Halter has written several novels about Old Testament women. Sarah is the only one I have read (see review at http://www.HistoricalNovels.info/Sarah.html), but it was wonderfully atmospheric and was a "real" historical novel without the pious Bible story atmosphere of some novels that use this setting.

[diamondlil]

I've read all three of those. The first one was good, the other two were pretty average though.

[annis]

I recently came across these two, so thought I'd add them to the list. I haven't read them myself, I don't know if anyone else has?

Elisabeth Roberts Craft

"In the Court of the Queen: a novel of Messopotamia"

"The Ambassador's Daughter: a novel of Ancient Mesopotamia"

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=elisabeth+roberts+craft&x=0&y=0

[annis]

A novel by an author i've just been reminded of
Amin Maalouf "Gardens of Light".
Set in Mesopotamia, 3rd century AD, it's the story of Mani, founder of Mancheanism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manichaeism), a religious system known as the "Gospel of Light".

<Mani is born into a time of war — 3rd-century Mesopotamia. Despite being the son of a warrior, he becomes a painter, physician, mystic and prophet, preaching in the battlefields, a doctrine of humility, tolerance and love that becomes known as "Manicheanism".>

Manicheanism influenced Christianity at several points in time and one charge levelled against the Cathars during the Albigensian crusade was that they practised Manicheanism.
http://www.cathar.info/120401_manichaeans.htm

[Shauna Roberts]

I have a novel about Sumer in the time of Gilgamesh coming out in late 2009 or early 2010 from Hadley Rille Books, http://www.hadleyrillebooks.com/. Like Mayflies in a Stream is one of a new series of archaeology-related novels from Hadley Rille Books. Like Mayflies in a Stream is the story of a priestess of Inanna who tries to save the great city of Uruk from the overbearing rule of the arrogant king Gilgamesh.