Customer Reviews

Assyrian

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I was a teenager, I absolutely loved this novel. Nicholas Guild's "The Assyrian" is probably one of the best introductions to Mesopotamia I can think of, and it propelled me to further study ancient Middle Eastern history, especially that of Assyria and Persia. This story is a colosally juicy read, with a fantastic amount of detail, and it mainly involves the adventures of the wronged yet virtuous prince, Tiglath Ashur, and his conflicted relationship with his brother, Esarhaddon, and his love for the lady Esharhamat, Esarhaddon's promised bride. There's lots of bloodshed, brutality, sex, and luridly described battle scenes, exotic religious rituals, and- most interestingly- visions of gods and other descriptions of ancient Assyrian spirituality. The Homeric/biblical style of the novel is flawless, and there is- thank God- no annoyingly preachy Judeo-Christian overtones. The inventive energy of the story is very engaging, and there's no boring exposition; nor does the plot seem to drag at any point, which is one of the biggest problems I have with epics of this sort.

However, I don't mean to say that "The Assyrian" doesn't have its share of problems. I've read this novel three times, and like such movies as "The Incredibles," this book does not seem to hold up on subsequent readings. Upon analysis and study, the number of cliches in this book are absolutely staggering. For starters, our hero Tiglath is dismayingly like a male Mary Sue (the fanfic term for a too-good-to-be-true protagonist). Not only does he have unusually light-colored hair and eyes, but he's brave, good, loyal, handsome, honest, romantic, etc. etc. In fact, I began to wonder: "does he have ANY faults?" His flawed half-brother, Esarhaddon, is a far more engaging character, and on my third re-reading, I began to wish that the story was about him, as opposed to the rather tiresome Tiglath. Also, Tiglath's girlfriend, Esharhamat, is basically Guinevere/Juliet in ancient Assyrian costume; she has no family or friends, her only reason for living is to be Tiglath's girlfriend, and what's more, given the lack of character development, there is absolutely no reason given for her and Tiglath's passionate love, other than that it's in the script. The other female characters fare no better, and are about as wooden as Pinocchio. Naq'ia, Esarhaddon's mother, is The Wicked Queen; Merope, Tiglath's mother, is basically the Good Mommy; Shaditu, Tiglath's sister, is the Hot Crazy Nympho who hangs around ghetto taverns to sleep with lower-class guys, a la Messalina; and Zabibe, the Arab spy who shows up in the second half of the novel, is the Evil Spy Chick Obsessed With S&M. The male characters are generally more interesting, although a number of them come perilously close to becoming the hoariest cliches imaginable- King Sennacherib is one of those distinguished-elder-statesmen types Sir Cedric Hardwicke always played in the 1950s, and Kephalos, Tiglath's slave, is pretty much the Clever Rogue Servant on hand to provide the comic relief.

Another thing which I find odd about the book is that Guild's depiction of royalty doesn't really make sense in a lot of ways. The portrayal of the royal harem in the beginning seems to have more in common with something out of a Robert E. Howard "Conan the Barbarian" novel, as opposed to an actual, believable home for the King's wives. There are hardly any children and no old people living in this place, the King's favorite wife- the evil Naq'ia- has, incredibly, only one child (with no mentions of any dead kids or miscarriages), and all the women in the harem, what's more, seem to be random girls pulled off the street, with no mention of noblewomen, princesses or political matches that had been made, i.e. in the manner of King Solomon's harem.

There is another thing which is very odd. Over and over again, we are told how all the royal princes- even the King and his chief general- sleep on the floor in pallets, which is ridiculous. They had plenty of beds at this time, and any cursory knowledge of ancient art or literature would tell you this. For example, King Solomon, who lived 400 years before this story takes place, would have never slept on the floor, and even a wealthy merchant at this period would have had a folding bed even when traveling. Also, Tiglath is considered admirable by his men for eating the same food as the rank-and-file when on campaign, and not having any luxuries about him; again, this is ridiculous. Ancient Middle Eastern royalty- just like the royalty of any period- did not live the lives of the great unwashed. They had fancy tents, ate good food off of gold plate, slept on beds and did not hang out with the enlisted. Neither would any democratic fraternizing have been considered admirable either; it would have been considered unfitting for a prince's dignity.

I know that I'm probably over-analyzing a popular novel, but it is an unfortunate fact that there are very few books of any literary merit whatsoever written about the Assyrians. "The Assyrian" is actually well-written; the constant incidents are entertaining, the style of the prose is a delight to read, and- his cluelessness about royalty notwithstanding- the author has generally done his homework. I just wish that there had been more thought given to the characterization, and that Mr. Guild didn't rely on cliches and stereotypes to portray this most interesting, and overlooked, period of ancient Middle Eastern history.

While reading this wonderful book for the first time I felt I personally took part in all the great battles and adventures of the protagonist of this book, Tiglat Assur!

The books contains everything that marks an extraordinary book:
A significant protagonist, some strong opponents, a great love story, a story full of intrigues, little cruelties and unforgettable battle scenarios.

In addition to all these singular incidents the author tries to emphasize why such an august realm as the Assyrian one which was the greatest realm of its time could perish!

If you ever find this book in any bookstor or library, then go buy it!

This is simply the best book I ever had the honour to read, better even than "The Lord of the Rings" by Tolkien.
You will find many fictional elements in book as well:
Different godhoods that really seem to exist, and a floridness atmosphere on all the places the plot takes place!

All the approximately 550 pages are fraught with tension and interesting information about the Assyrian realm.

Being a German national who happens to read English, I cannot accurately express my admiration for Mr. Guild who has written this magnificent story. And for those who like to read the seond part, it is available under the name "The blood star"

I can only implore (is that the right word ?) Herr Guild to write more about Tiglath Ashur. His work ranks right alongside with Wilbur Smith's novels.

Guild's "The Assyrian" is right at the top of my favorite book list, right on with Tolkien's masterpiece. I study Assyrian culture at university level, so my interest has its source there. Guild gives a very nice and detailed description of the Assyrian culture in a genuine historical setting, and even manages to write one of the most exciting storylines I've ever read; a good mixture of adventure, love, war, sex and violonce. Guild tries not to veil any Assyrian custom which would not fit in our culture; on the contrary: he seems to take delight in describing them in detail, albeit through the eyes of someone who has just a little bit (but not too much) of Western conscience, so the reader will more easily feel at home in the rich Assyrian culture. It's also nice that Guild doesn't try to write around the religion being dead; by using divine incidents, but also by describing superstition, you get the idea that all the Assyrian gods and goddesses really exist, giving this book an almost Tolkien-like fantasy flavour. This means you will find no ethical Biblereferences or settings a la Ben Hur here. The fantasy effect is made even stronger by the adventurous kind of story, in which you will also get descriptions of other cultures through the eyes of an Assyrian. Love and sex are also certainly not neglected. If you like ancient cultures, fantasy and adventure I recommend this one. Too bad Guild never wrote a sequel (for as far as I know), as he half-so promised in the epilogue. Also too bad this title is out of print... I wonder why?

I have never read a better book in my life. I have been reading avidly since I was 8 years old. I have read thousands of books over the years. I do have a soft spot for Historical naratives, whether fictional or true, but I have never read a book the equal to this one. I purchased the book the night before I started a 5o mile hike with a boy scout troop, intending to use the book to go to sleep with. After the first night, I found myself reading the book constantly, while walking down forrested trails or sitting beside a water fall. I don't remember anything about that hike other than the book. I finished the book 2 days into a 6 day event, and decided to read it again, the work is masterful. Upon returning to civilization I ran right down to the book store to buy the sequal Blood Star. I knew it was coming. It took me 2 years and 30 stops at the book store to get my hands on the sequal. It is every bit as good as the first. I then went to all the used book stores and bought every Nicholas Guild book I could find. Unfortunately the rest were average of worse. Nicholas if you read this, get back to Historical novels where you shine! DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK!!

This book is an absolute must read for lovers of historical novels and even fictional books.

Tiglat Assur, the protagonist of this book, is a really great and strong hero who has to face intrigues and great battles as a commander of the Assyrian army.

There is not much what this book does not give to the reader.
It includes fabulous battle scenes, some hot sex, a true love story, many intrigues, a hero like protagonist and many interesting random characters.

Reading it I wished I had once seen the majestic Assyrian empire which was the world's greatest power at its time.
Thereby I now have an idea why this Assyrian empire could be doomed and you might feel so after having read the books as well.

In all it is on me to wonder why this author, Nicholas Guild, never became an absolutely well known name in the author business.
The book is simply marvelous for me because it includes many elements, even fictional ones, but all this makes the story even better.

At last I have to promt you to give this extraordinary book a try.
It will not disappoint your expectations for sure.

It is quite a shame that this book seems to be out of print. If you are lucky maybe you can find it in your local library. It is a magnificent book with cultural notes on the different peoples which lived during that time. It also delves deep into the main character's soul whom you cannot help but to admire for his loyalty to others and love of honor. I love epic tales and this is definitely one of them. I have already read the book more than 3 times in the 5 years that I have owned it. It just gets better each time. Its a must read.

Best book I have ever read, folks, and I have read quite a few. If you're eyes are burning and you're tired and just surfing the web, it must be fate that brought you here. Find the book. Read the book. Live the book. It is, without a doubt, a masterpiece.

This story is one that does far more than give an entertaining, deep, beautiful story, though it does that hands down. It also gives more than a better idea of what the Assyrian people were like than any other book will ever give you. This story is about everything that makes us human; the loyalty, betrayals, love, pain, sorrow, and so much more. It makes you understand exactly what power can do, the lives it can ruin. It is complex, invovled, and once you start reading it, you'll be up till two in the morning.

IF YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE,WAR,LOYALTY, AND FRIENDSHIP
YOU MUST READ THE ASSYRIAN. IT HAS EVERYTHING A BOOK
NEEDS, PLUS A SPICE TO IT. THIS BOOK SHOULD BECOME
A MOVIE IF ANYONE DISCOVERS IT. IT IS BASED ON
THE MIGHTY AND POWERFULL ASSYRIAN EMPIRE. I READ
THE BOOK AND IT FELT LIKE I WAS IN THE BATTLEFIELDS,
THE MARKETPLACE, FROM THE TEMPLE TO THE BEDCHAMBER
THIS BOOK WAS BASICALLY NIRVANA. I COULDN'T PUT IT
DOWN. I AM AN ASSYRIAN, AND NICHOLAS GUILD DID MY
ANCESTORS JUSTICE WITH THIS BOOK, YOU SHOULD READ IT
HEY IF ANY OF YOU OUT THERE ARE DIRECTORS, MAKE THIS
BOOK INTO A MOVIE!!!! TRUST ME IT WILL BLOW AWAY
BRAVEHEART OR ANY OTHER MOVIE LIKE THAT. I HOPE
YOU ENJOY IT AS MUCH AS I DID. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME :)

DANNY YOUMARA (A STRONG AND PROUD ASSYRIAN)