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Interviews | June 19, 2009

All posts by Dave Jim Lynch Makes Landscape Art... Out of Text

3 comments By Dave

If Carl Hiaasen set one of his novels on a residential stretch of boundary line between British Columbia and Washington, or if Richard Russo's characters had relatives in the Pacific Northwest, the result might be something like Jim Lynch's Border Songs. Continue »

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More copies of this ISBN:

Slaves of the Shinar: An Epic Fantasy of the Ancient World

by Justin Allen

Slaves of the Shinar: An Epic Fantasy of the Ancient World Cover

ISBN13: 9781585679164
ISBN10: 158567916x
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Set against the chaotic and bloody backdrop of the Middle Easts first great war, this fantasy epic brings readers into a gritty, realistic world where destiny is foretold by gods, and death is never more than a sword-stroke away.

Review:

"'Ancient Mesopotamian civilizations clash in Allen's promising debut. Uruk, a thief and warrior from the jungles of Africa, and Ander, a slave escaped from the brutal Niphilim people, cross paths in the megalopolis of Kan-Puram, where Uruk has gone seeking a friendlier place to ply his trade and where Ander has gone to rally opposition to the coming Niphilim onslaught. The 'fantasy' label is perhaps misapplied; Uruk and Ander fight their battles — brutal enough for an Erikson set piece — with mundane weapons, brawn and brains, and only the wholly fictional Niphilim society prevents it from being legitimate historical fiction. No part of the story involves any significant supernatural element. Yet despite the lack of wizardry, gods or strange beasts, something in Allen's writing raises the mundane to the level of the fantastic, and the feel of magic crackles through the pages, even if it's nowhere to be found in the words. (July)' Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
carol macgregor,phd, October 10, 2007 (view all comments by carol macgregor,phd)
Justin Allen, Slaves of the Shinar, New York: The Overlook Press, 2007.



Fresh imaginative insight into how the world before the Great Flood might have been drives this swashbuckling tale of a war between tribes in the Shinar, land that is now Iraq. Larger-than-life men and women stage epic battles in a world of crude dimensions and violent possibilities.

Savage pre-humans are forced into battle by blonde warrior-invaders called Niphilim, who possess advanced technology and have subjected legions of slaves to amass riches and expand their empire. Cruel Niphilim Amazonian-type women warriors and their troops of men stage a war of subjection upon the indigenous people. Local farmers have already been threatened and have moved to marginal settlement towns where thieves and priests rule. Into this chaotic world enters Uruk, who has lost his great love in Sub-Sahara Africa and has struck out alone to cross the desert and seek adventure and riches. Strong, agile and opportunistic, Uruk, with only the dog that he finds along the way, by accident, finds purpose in the Shinar.

Coincidence of the escape of Ander, one of the Niphilim slaves, and the arrival of Uruk into the bleak landscape of the Shinar brings about the climatic event that defines the future of the region and the development of the characters of this colorful story. The fate of freedom is the stake of this war. Valorous acts and the sustenance of hope against bad odds challenge cruelty, slavery, and avarice in Slaves of the Shinar.

Justin Allen’s language is his own, and it takes the reader galloping through pages to see what happens in his debut novel. Free of embellishment and cliche, Allen’s story entertains as well as stimulates the reader. The book would make a movie as unique as the book proves to be.

Carol MacGregor
historian
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781585679164
Subtitle:
An Epic Fantasy of the Ancient World
Author:
Allen, Justin
Publisher:
Overlook Press
Subject:
Middle East
Subject:
Ur (Extinct city)
Subject:
Fantasy - General
Subject:
Fantasy fiction
Publication Date:
August 2007
Binding:
Hardcover
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
429
Dimensions:
9.22x6.38x1.37 in. 1.44 lbs.
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