Historian Barbara Tuchman wrote a book titled A Distant Mirror, about how we can see ourselves in 14th Century politics. I found the same is true when looking at the 9th Century BCE. For example, we’re still engaged in siege warfare. From ancient Assyria to modern Iraq, now to Venezuela, and probably next to Iran, […]
Archive | The Stars in their Courses
Reviews, and a Holiday Sale!
I’ve just had both books reviewed by Amos Lassen, a gay activist and scholar of Jewish history. A somewhat abridged version of the reviews is below. And these came just in time for the holidays! So I’m announcing a special holiday sale of the second volume, The Stars in their Courses. Normally you can buy […]
Books for the Holidays
The holidays are coming. What better present than a book? You can purchase The Throne in the Heart of the Sea and The Stars in their Courses in three ways: if you live in Portland, you can go to St. Johns Booksellers. Both books are also available through the publisher’s website, www.ebisupublications.com. And if you […]
The Mighty Hunters–Now and Then
Assyrian king portrayed as a lion hunter Many of you have read about the dentist who paid $54,000 for the privilege of luring the lion Cecil out of a wildlife sanctuary, shooting him, and taking his head and skin home as trophies. People were outraged, but it wasn’t a unique occurrence. Just in the last […]
Medusa Coils review
Medusa Coils has reviewed The Stars in their Courses! An excerpt: “Yes, the second book in this trilogy is as good as the first. I look forward to the publication of the third.”
Surgery in Ancient Egypt
Last week I blogged about how copper, known to the ancient Egyptians as a means of fighting infection, is being revived now as an antimicrobial agent in hospitals. The Egyptians were good at surgery as well. You were more likely to survive an amputation in that time and place than in Medieval Europe, because the […]
Medusa Coils mentions Stars in their Courses
Martha’s The Stars in their Courses was mentioned in Medusa Coils. “I have started reading Martha Shelley’s latest novel, The Stars in their Courses. I hope to have a full review in a month or so after I have recovered from carpal tunnel syndrome. But I wanted to let you know that if what I’ve […]
Martha Shelley reading in Portland
Martha Shelley is doing a reading at the St. Johns Booksellers of her book, The Stars in their Courses. There’s not a huge crowd but they’re very lively and interested. Martha just read a scene where a Canaanite medical student and priestess of Anat assists in an amputation in Sais, Egypt. Martha is happy to […]
Martha reading right now! in Santa Cruz
We’re in Santa Cruz where Martha is reading from her new novel, The Stars in their Courses. The energy in the room is great! People keep asking Martha to read more so she keeps reading more. Right now she’s reading a passage where Bez, the female guard, takes down four drunks who attacked her in […]