Ninshubar - (The Sumerians Trilogy) by Emily H Wilson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The conclusion to the enthralling and lyrical fantasy Sumerians trilogy, retelling The Epic of Gilgamesh, that will captivate readers of Madeline Miller, Jennifer Saint and Lucy Holland.

"A god is nothing without a good story."

It has been six months since the fall of the great cities of Ancient Sumer. Six months since war and chaos scattered everyone to the wind.

Ereshkigal, the queen of the underworld, finds herself trapped in the rubble of her realm with only one thought: to rescue the man she loves.

In the realm of light, Harga and Marduk mount a hopeless resistance against the vast Akkadian forces, whilst Gilgamesh, once king of Uruk, travels to Egypt in search of a legend that could save them.

High above them all, in the kingdom of Heaven, a goddess with no memory lies imprisoned and helpless whilst a faint voice on the wind whispers a name... Inanna.

And, wandering between the realms, a lost and lonely spirit named Ninshubar desperately tries to find her lost mistress.

But as their search for one another begins to draw them closer, Tiamat, the many-headed dragon-queen of Heaven, is preparing for an assault on the realm of light that could crush all life on Earth.

Don't miss the thrilling conclusion to the Sumerians trilogy as the threads of destiny pull ever tighter, and the fate of the entire world lies perilously in the balance.

Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR THE SUMERIANS TRILOGY

A wonderfully evocative novel... whisking the reader away to ancient Sumer with its dry humour, atmosphere and complex characters.--Grimdark Magazine

"The kind of original, exciting, sexy, funny, ambitious storytelling that the world simply needs more of." Caroline O'Donoghue, New York Times bestselling author of All Our Hidden Gifts

"I love it! Spectacular storytelling, vibrant prose, wonderful handling of multiple narrators, and genuinely gripping. I haven't read a historical novel this good for years: it's reminiscent of Rosemary Sutcliff at her peak." Joanne Harris

"Inanna may take Gilgamesh as its source material, but it is wholly its own creation. In this richly rendered world of gods, mortals and monsters, the pace never falters, and neither does the sense of an epic being constructed - like the temple to a new divinity - before your eyes. The most enjoyable novel I have read this year." Lucy Holland, author of Sistersong

"Beautifully crafted and elegantly told, I was carried away to a world both familiar and unknown - Inanna has an enthralling magic all of its own" Claire North, World Fantasy Award winner and author of Ithaca

"I devoured this divine, dazzlingly witty retelling of Sumerian myths. Wilson brings the world's most ancient texts to life as never before in this joyful, slick, and effortlessly funny novel. Her gods and heroes are heartbreakingly human, fabulously brave, teeth-gnashingly wicked and loin-stirringly sexy. I was awed by Wilson's achievement in creating a fresh, but eternally meaningful, modern epic, while staying true to the tone, language and themes of the ancient poems. This is a glittering gem of a book: rare and exhilarating; a sensation!" Nikki Marmery, author of Lilith

"Inanna is a deft, mesmerising novel, with a cadence true to its epic roots and an entrancing blend of historic depth, intoxicating imagination and sheer heart. Emily H. Wilson is an author to watch, and Inanna is a gorgeous myth retelling with a very timely message about power and empowerment, and who gets to set our cultural narratives." Lorraine Wilson, British Fantasy Award winning author

"A brutal and powerful story...Emily H. Wilson is an author to watch" Grimdark Magazine

"Inanna is an epic fantasy, with wars and high-born people competing for high stakes with incredible skills, but set in a world recognisably ours, a world you could imagine yourself living in if you squint a little. It will appeal to fans of any retelling, especially those who have feasted on the recent glut of retellings from Ancient Greek mythology and can't get enough of gods behaving badly and what that tells us about ourselves." British Fantasy Society

"In Emily H. Wilson's Inanna, the author makes the Gods flawed and interesting, but also otherwordly." SFBook Reviews

About the Author

Emily H. Wilson is a full-time writer based in Dorset, in the south of England. Emily was previously a journalist, working as a reporter at the Mirror and Daily Mail, a senior editor at the Guardian and, most recently, as editor-in-chief of New Scientist magazine. You can follow her on X (formerly known as Twitter) @emilyhwilson or on Instagram @emilyhwilson1, and you can find her website at emilyhwilson.com.