Babylonia by Costanza Casati

From the author of Clytemnestra, Babylonia by Costanza Casati, is a searing tale of the rise of an Assyrian Queen - Semiramis. When kings fall, queens rise...

The poets say that men are made for glory, but gods want glory for themselves. So to make men vulnerable, they gave them the gift of love.

 

Babylonia

Babylonia: The Rise of Semiramis

It is the 9th Century BC and Semiramis is a woman grown. Orphaned by a mother who drowned herself in a river. Raised with an adopted father who beat her at a whim. Semiramis has a skill for climbing and combat and a will to escape Eber-Nari, her home in the western province of the Assyrian empire. Hope comes when King Shamsi-Adad the Fifth (or 'Ninus' for short) overcomes and kills his brother and takes control of Semiramis's province.

A Shot at Escape. An Alliance of Hope

Ninus's victory see's his best friend, Omnes, secure power in Eber-Nari and, sensing her chance for escape, Semiramis vows to secure his favour and leave for the Assyrian capital of Kalhu. After a particularly violent beating from her father, she sees her chance for mercy and hope and convinces Omnes to take her with him. As they travel, a relationship of respect rises. Omnes sees the raw ambition of Semiramis and Semiramis sees the truth of Omnes. Neither appears strictly in love with the other, but a sense of trust rises - something neither of them has great experience of. An alliance of respect emerges and the pair give each other strength.

Kalhu - the Assyrian King's Landing

Arriving in the capital, we are introduced to a cast of characters not dissimilar to Game of Thrones. We have the wise, whispering eunuch (Sasi), the scheming king's mother (Nisat) and a slave who dreams of being set free (Ribat). The arrival of Semiramis is a minor inconvenience for those in power in the capital. Omnes's desire for her to be his bride thwarts the plans of Nisat, who seeks to cement her son's place on the throne with a more proper alliance. Omnes, not one to seek to please the king's mother, is unconcerned with the matches made for him - he only has trust for Semiramis.

A Twisted Love and a Twisted War

Successfully wed, Semiramis subtly increases her influence but the king's opinion of her is blinded by his own love for Omnes. A love complicated by the badly-kept secret that Omnes is not only his friend, but his half-brother....ahem. Ninus's contempt for Semiramis grows with his jealousy until war entrenches his army, far from home. With his army away from home or a year, staring defeat in the face, Semiramis sees her chance. She travels to war and formulates a plan to lay a siege which successfully, if brutally, ends the war with victory. From this moment on, the story changes pace and now, Semiramis need not worry about gaining power - but just how much power she will gain and the price it will cost.

A powerful saga of power

In Babylonia by Costanza Casati, the author paces her story superbly. The progress of Semiramis from pauper to power is packed with a narrative punch which never feels too weighty, despite the careful drawing of a shady cast of supporting actors. The book is based on a true story and I loved learning about a civilisation and character I would otherwise not have known.

Babylonia by Costanza Casati


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