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Category: The Throne in the Heart of the Sea

  • Siege Warfare, Then and Now

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    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, the weaponry and some of the tactics have changed, but the basic principles remain the same. Surround your opponents and try to starve them out. Then, when they have exhausted their stores and are in a weakened condition, break through the fortifications, kill anyone who resists (and plenty of those who don’t), take prisoners, loot whatever valuables you can carry off. And if you are building an empire, be really vicious to the defeated. Make an example of them so no one else dares to resist you. I described such an event in the first novel of the Jezebel trilogy, The Throne in the Heart of the Sea.

    Below is the Assyrian king’s account of his destruction of the rebellious city of Halupu (warning—it makes for very unpleasant reading):

    In the valor of my heart and with the fury of my weapons I stormed the city. All the rebels they seized and delivered them up…I built a pillar…and I flayed all the chief men who had revolted, and I covered the pillar with their skins; some I walled up within the pillar, some I impaled upon the pillar on stakes, and others I bound to stakes round about the pillar; many within the border of my own land I flayed, and I spread their skins upon the walls. As for the chiefs and royal officers who had rebelled, I cut off their members…

    But the besiegers don’t always win. If they did, nobody would have bothered to build fortified cities in the first place. Often the attackers are driven off or give up and go home for one reason or another. Sometimes both sides are able to negotiate an agreement. The agreement may require paying tribute to the besiegers and becoming a vassal state. I described a couple of unsuccessful sieges in the second novel of the Jezebel trilogy, The Stars in Their Courses, with two more in my upcoming novel, A Meteor Shower. (It will be published this year.) The passages are considerably less bloody, but too lengthy to quote here.

    Here’s how this works out in the 21st Century. The idea is to expend minimum force to get the maximum result. Let’s say a small nation wants to go its own way rather than allow its resources to be drained as tribute to a more powerful nation (the U.S. in this case, or rather our corporations). When possible, the C.I.A. may sponsor a coup. If that doesn’t work, the empire imposes “sanctions.” That is, instead of deploying our troops to encircle a city, we cut off trade. We deprive an entire nation of food, medical supplies, parts to repair broken equipment, etc. We encourage the inhabitants to blame their suffering on their own government and rebel against it, hoping that they’ll replace it with a puppet administration. Blasting propaganda over the airwaves is much more efficient than having heralds shout demands for surrender. Then, if all else fails, we catapult large rocks over the walls of the city—oops, send in the B-2 bombers—and when these have had the desired effect, follow up with ground troops.

    Propaganda is as important as any other weapon in the arsenal. It works best when aimed in both directions, at the people we’re trying to conquer and at our own citizens, to justify the war. We have to convince our people that the “enemy” is so terrible, so much of a threat, that it’s worth spending our treasure and sacrificing a few (thousand) of our own soldiers to defeat them.

    And this brings us back to Venezuela: a socialist government under Hugo Chavez was elected in 1998. Venezuela began to assert control over its own oil reserves—remember, it has the largest such reserves in the world. Subsequently there were several failed coup attempts, which may or may not have been sponsored by the U.S.; in any case, certain public figures in this country repeatedly called for Chavez’ assassination.

    In more recent years, we imposed sanctions, resulting in widespread hunger. The reason we gave was human rights violations. (Note that we have not imposed sanctions on the nation with the second largest oil reserves, that great champion of human rights—Saudi Arabia.) Now we have an unelected puppet-in-waiting to be named president once the current regime is overthrown.

    Week after week, for many months now, the mainstream media has been publishing articles about how terrible the Venezuelan government is. Occasional op-ed pieces try to justify U.S. military intervention. Various anti-war organizations have spoken in opposition, just as they did prior to our invasion of Iraq. Maybe they will succeed this time. I try to remain hopeful, despite what I know about the history of empire.

     

  • Reviews, and a Holiday Sale!

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    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 it at this website for $15 plus postage, but from now until the end of December, it is $10 flat–but only if you send a check for that amount to Ebisu Publications, 9026 N. Syracuse Street, Portland OR 97203. Please note that since I am out of town until November 20, all books will be mailed out starting on November 21. Here are the reviews:

    The Throne in the Heart of the Sea: Tyre was a major maritime empire in the Ninth Century, B.C.E (for those of you who are not aware, Jewish readers of the Bible and history do not use the initials B.C. but rather B.C.E. referring to that period as Before the Common Era). The king’s daughter, Jezebel, feels that the gods have chosen her to rule Tyre. Elijah, an Israelite farm boy, is bitter and swears to avenge his father’s death at the hands of the king [of Israel].

    There is another character, Tamar, a poor, dark-skinned young woman who yearned to be a scribe yet who is also a lover to Jezebel.

    I am totally in awe of author Martha Shelley ’s prose and her command of Biblical facts here and I cannot even imagine the amount of research that went into the writing of this book.

    We enter the worlds of Ancient Israel and Canaan as well as the lives of the three main characters. It was a world ruled by men and for men and to challenge required great strength and self-assuredness. What Shelley has done here is create characters that although they lived at a very different time in history, somehow seem to be quite contemporary and whose lives mirror ours to a degree. Jezebel, for example, dared to question her father and, in effect, doing so made her also question the status quo. As readers, we get to watch her development just as we watch Elijah transform from an Israelite farm boy into a prophet. (All I can say is WOW!!!).

    I have spent a great of my life studying the Hebrew Bible (The Five Books of Moses) and Elijah has always been one of the most mysterious characters in it but here he comes to life and seems so real that I believe everything he says and does. The three major characters come across as being very real and there was a moment when I looked up from the pages of the book and expected them to be in my study with me. I also must mention that the prose is gorgeous. This is a book that must be read. It is not often that we get a treat like this and the best news of all is that there are another two volumes to complete the trilogy.

    The Stars in Their Courses: In Book II of her Jezebel trilogy, Martha Shelley gives us a large story of sexual politics and religious wars as well as the clash of empires. Once again we go back to the ninth century; this time to the Levant and once again we see the characters that we read about here much differently than we see in the Bible. Our main characters are Jezebel, Elijah, Tamar and her guard Bez. Bez is a mutarajjul, a woman dressed in male clothing who usually works as a soldier or harem guard.

    At the beginning of the book, Tamar is in Egypt with Bez. She has come to further pursue her studies in medicine. Jezebel who had been her lover is now married to Ahab, king of Israel. She knows that if she wants to keep her position, she must give birth to an heir. She also flirts with the women in her husband’s harem. It seems that Elijah, by accident, has begun a massacre and is now on the hit list as the most wanted and dangerous man in Israel. When Ahab is away at war Jezebel takes over the reigns of government. The characters come together in various ways and eventually they will have to deal with Assyria, the mightiest and strongest empire in the world. We see how the characters came to their places in history as well as how they lived their daily lives. We also learn a bit about how they were psychologically— their loves and their hates, what they thought and how they became part of history.

    This is a sequel but it is not necessary to have read the first book as this stands on its own. The paths of the characters change in this second volume. There is a lot of drama and a lot of adventure here. There is also a great deal of tension that the reader feels as we move toward the war that has been brewing but to which the characters seem oblivious at times.

    Shelley brings history and fiction together and makes it a bit difficult (and a bit fun) to decide which is which. Her research is impressive and she uses it beautifully to weave the stories of these characters. I have one problem with this book is that I have to wait for the third volume and knowing that is a trilogy that will be the end.

    Now I have a bit of confession. I have always considered myself something of a gay activist and I know many others who were far more active and vocal than me. However, I ashamedly admit, that I had not heard of Martha Shelley before and after reading about who she is, I am a bit embarrassed to not have known. But now I know that she has been of the leaders in our liberation movement and an excellent writer to boot. She is a marvel of a person and I am so proud to have met her through her writing.

  • Books for the Holidays

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    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 prefer to read that way, they are now available on Kindle—thanks to technical help from Sylvia Allen!

    Here are some recent reviews:

    1) In The Stars in Their Courses Martha Shelley illuminates the world of Biblical figures such as Jezebel and Elijah, leading to great understanding of their places in history and what brought them there. In this captivating series, she vividly portrays their lives (what did they eat? Where did they live? What was the land like, or their art?), their motivations, their loves and hates, and how they become swept up in bigger social and political movements. Shelley’s touch is personal and immediate, fleshing out her characters fully and making the reader care deeply about them. This is a great and thrilling book. – Nadine Fiedler, poet, editor

    2) I received The Stars in their Courses as a gift and it was a while before I picked it up and started reading. What I discovered right away is that, while I had not yet read the first novel in the series, Martha provides just enough background that I was able to connect with the characters and understand and enjoy them even without having read the first book.

    Initially my favorite character was Jezebel—which is surprising for me. As the novel progressed I began to appreciate the authenticity Bez brings to the story and she became the character I identify with the most.

    I don’t want to give away the ending, but let me just say that I am eagerly awaiting the third book in this series. Martha does leave the reader wanting more. In the meantime, I will be ordering the first book because I want to learn the details of how these characters, some of them historical figures, got to the place I found them in The Stars in their Courses.

    Martha Shelley interweaves history with fiction to bring ancient ways to life. She is a skilled researcher and beautiful writer. – Mary Ann Aschenbrenner, President, Waterlink Web

    3) The Stars in their Courses, the second book in Martha Shelley’s historical trilogy, is every bit as superb as the first.  The first, The Throne in the Heart of the Sea, takes us into the 9th century BCE world of her four major characters. We follow the training of Tamar, a would-be physician. We get to know Bez, the palace guard, Tamar’s protector and friend. We understand the fears and longings of young Princess Jezebel, about to become Queen of Israel. And we walk along with Elijah the prophet, lost, scared, powerful, distrustful and distrusting. The adventures and misadventures of these four people are embedded in a rich tapestry of 9th century life.

    The second book, a wonderfully good read, full of amazing historical detail and breathless cliff-hanging moments, draws these four towards each other and almost to their deaths. The King of Israel conscripts Tamar into service as an army doctor, and she and Bez follow the troops into battle. Jezebel competes with the royal concubines in order to produce heirs to the throne. Then, when her husband goes to war, she takes his place, becoming the power in the land.  Finally there is the problematic prophet Elijah, family to Tamar, in and out of love with Jezebel, puzzled by Bez, and unable to stay out of trouble. Dramatic tension builds until the terrible moment when we all realize that war is coming. Always there are wars, but this one is with Assyria, the most dreadfully cruel empire of its day.  Seldom are novels this gripping, its characters so unique and the story so rich.  Read it and be amazed. – Barbara Joans, author, Bike Lust

  • Assyrian Empire: Blood at the Banquet

    This week the big news in the U.S. has been about torture, as conducted by the C.I.A. after 9/11. I’ve spent some time with the comments section in my hometown newspaper: the majority of readers are outraged, while some defend the practice. Some even seem naïve enough to be shocked. However, most ruling elites, ours included, achieve and maintain their power by violence or the threat of violence.

    My novels about Jezebel take place when the Assyrian empire on the rise. A major predator without much in the way of natural resources (they didn’t know what to do with all that oil yet), it devoured the wealth and slave labor of other nations through conquest. Still, life was good for the elite and for what you might call the Assyrian middle class.

    In writing historical novels, I do my best to absorb historians’ and archaeologists’ descriptions and present the reader with snapshots that convey the color and flavor of an ancient civilization without descending into tedious academic detail. Below are a couple of the snapshots of ancient Assyria, from The Throne in the Heart of the Sea.

    Assyrian banquet1) The new Assyrian king has invited guests from other nations to celebrate the inauguration of his new capital. These guests include our heroine, Tamar. Wealthy and middle-class citizens are also in attendance.

    Hundreds of brightly striped awnings stretched from the riverbank up along the gently rolling terrain. Thousands of people milled about. Somewhere at the front of the mob the king was offering a sacrifice to Ashur. Tamar came late, so she waited at the edge of the crowd, hearing nothing of the ceremony, seeing nothing over the heads of those in front of them except smoke rising from the flames that would prepare their dinner.

    When the offering had been made, she threaded their way to the women’s section. Finely dressed ladies pushed ahead of them, trailing expensive scents, burbling effusive apologies without relinquishing a hair’s breadth of space, squatting knee to knee in every available bit of shade. Eventually they squeezed in across from a group of ladies in white linen, who seemed as cool as a school of fish in the Tigris.

    Servants carried jars of beer and copper trays up and down the aisles. The first course was roast chickpeas, pickled locusts, and pomegranate seeds, and a towel for the ladies to wipe their fingers.

    An enormous pastry arrived. They broke through the crust cover and found it stuffed with songbirds cooked in milk and sprinkled with mint. Then more beer arrived, along with the main course—a huge bowl of beef simmering in onions, surrounded by heart-shaped loaves. Within moments the ladies had torn the bread apart and were scooping up thick chunks of fragrant stew.

    “This is delicious!” Tamar exclaimed. “I’ve never had anything like it.”

    “Oh, I’m so glad,” said an Assyrian lady. “I do it this way at home. It’s one of my husband’s favorite recipes.”

    “How do you make it?”

    “Easiest thing in the world. Simmer chunks of fresh cow spleen with salted stomach, add milk, onions, and crushed dodder seed. While it’s cooking you pound more onions and some leek with fresh beef blood, add that during the last few minutes, sprinkle in a little mint and serve.”

    “Blood?” Tamar stared at the dripping hunk of bread in her hand. Dear Goddess, forgive me this sin against Your law and don’t let me throw up in front of everybody.

    2) Later, Tamar wanders through the city and accidentally encounters one aspect of the violence that supports the Assyrian empire and the comfortable life of its more fortunate citizens.

    Tamar was intending to stroll along the riverbank. After a while, however, she found herself in an unfamiliar quarter and realized she’d taken a wrong turn. She turned to retrace her steps and saw a large man coming on rapidly, hand on his sword belt. He yelled something. She began to run.

    In the distance she saw a flickering light and heard what sounded like drumming. A military band. She’d be safe with them. The man behind her increased his pace and she ran faster, until the stitch in her side became a stabbing. Then she rounded the last corner and arrived at a construction site. It was bathed in torchlight and surrounded by guards.

    She was standing at the edge of a plaza where naked men and women dragged stone blocks up ramps. Others squared the stones with chisels and shoved them into place. Work gangs slapped courses of bricks atop the foundation stones. Tamar forgot the stitch in her side, almost forgot the man behind her, as the syncopated ear-splitting hammering engraved this night in her heart forever: she drank in the stench of slaves who hadn’t bathed since their capture, drank the fetor of blood and the crack of whips, the black fumes of stone oil torches—

    Two men approached, hitched like donkeys to a heavy cart, its solid wooden wheels clattering on the cobblestones. She drew back to let them pass. The cargo of bodies was piled neatly, feet to front, heads lolling back at the rear. She gasped, and the donkey-slaves turned to look at her, displaying the brands on their cheeks, and something new in the world: the Assyrians, with their genius for organization, had tattooed numbers on their captives’ foreheads.

  • Elijah and Olive Oil

    Olive Press Ancient IsraelPeople have asked me how I went about researching a historical novel. Here’s one example.

    Developing Elijah was a major challenge, both in my first and second novels. He appears in the Bible quite suddenly, a full-blown champion of justice, complete with miracles. All we know about his past is that he was from a town called Tishbe, in the province of Gilead. Moses, by contrast, has a childhood and plenty of motivation for his actions. You can understand why he loses his temper and kills an Egyptian, why he flees the country, and why he eventually takes up the cause of his people.

    In Jewish (and Christian and Muslim) tradition, Elijah can do no wrong. He orders his followers to kill the priests and priestesses of a rival religion, but all’s well, because the one true God wants it that way. My pagan friends, who subscribe to some variant of that rival religion, see Elijah as a villain. I don’t believe in angels, devils, or miracles, so I had to create a complex, believable human being.

    He needed a childhood. The province of Gilead was known for production of herbal medicines (the fabled balm of Gilead). In studying maps of the area, I found that it is also olive-growing country and gave his family a large olive orchard. But it’s not enough for a writer to say that her character makes a living from olives; she has to show him doing the work. The best source was History and Technology of Olive Oil in the Holy Land. Of course the technology changed over time, so I had to decide what types of equipment and what methods of processing oil were most likely to prevail in the area during the 9th Century BCE. Then I could show Elijah rising in the damp morning, climbing on a primitive ladder, picking fruit or shaking it off the branches, and so on.

    He also needed a motive for challenging the existing power structure. Part of the answer was in the Bible: he must have been a child during the civil war in Israel (885-881 BCE). Half the people sided with General Omri, who prevailed and became king. My Elijah’s father Ben-Hanan dies fighting on the losing side. As we all know, winners take the spoils. Now the scene is set:

    Elijah is still mourning the death of his father. He and his mother and young aunt are preparing summer oil, an expensive product.

    Elijah squatted beside the mortar stone on the edge of the grove, tending the fire under the pot. Mama and Aunt Eglah stood on the mortar itself – a limestone shelf pocked with cup-shaped depressions – and pounded fruit. Fragrant green droplets glistened in the sun. It was the end of Etanim and would have been a lovely summer afternoon, except that Elijah had a hole in his heart and the pestles slammed into it like a gravedigger’s spade.

    Tsaduk the carpenter, who fought on the other side, comes through the trees. He proposes marriage to Eglah, and offers the rest of the family a home with him.

    “We already have a home,” Eglah said frostily.

    “Yes, for now. But Ben-hanan had no brothers who could claim it, and your nephew isn’t old enough to take on a man’s responsibilities, so Omri agreed to give me this land.”

    Elijah felt as though he’d been kicked in the chest. Mama was pale as dry grass. “You mean, you asked him for it?”

    “My dear Milcah, I just thought I’d be the best person to look after you. I’m trying to make it as easy as possible, but sooner or later I’ll have to take possess-”

    “It’s mine! You can’t have my inheritance!” Elijah threw himself at Tsaduk, who simply grabbed the boy and hurled him into the dirt. He jumped up and was knocked down again.

    “I don’t want to hurt you,” Tsaduk said, retreating. “And I don’t want to be unfair. You’ve tended the trees all year, so you can keep three-fourths of the harvest. I’d say that’s pretty damn generous. But after that” – he looked at Eglah – “you’d better think about my offer.”

  • Medusa Coils mentions Stars in their Courses

    The Stars in their Courses by Martha ShelleyMartha’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 read so far is any indication it’s at least as good as the previous novel in this trilogy, Throne in the Heart of the Sea, which I reviewed here.”