Between the Rivers

Between the Rivers		Rating
		B
Harry Turtledove
Series	Related Books
N/A	N/A

At the dawn of civilization, the city of Gibil prospers, thanks mainly to its merchants. They trade in spices and gems and in the new metal, bronze. But suddenly the gods of the other cities have decreed that none are to trade with those of Gibil. Somehow they have offended the gods, perhaps because their own god is lazy and lets men rule in his stead for most things. If the city is to remain ruled by men and not with a god riding in his head every waking hour, it will be up to Sharur, master merchat's son, to find out how to make things right. What he finds instead will prove to be a dilemma beyond his imaginings.

This is a prime example of the wonderful worldbuilding of which Turtledove is capable. The picture he paints is incredibly vivid, and by the time the book ends - well before that, really - one feels almost that this could be real, that is is how it really was. It helps that he depicts these early civilizations very well and quite believably. Possibly even accurately, given Turtledove's training and education.

There aren't many stories set in the Bronze Age, and the setting should be reflected in the plot. If the story is merely one nation fighting another, there's no reason not to place it in a more contemporary fantasy setting. Turtledove does quite well in this regard. Indeed, the plot is very nice, almost unique. There's little chance that you've read anything quite like this in some other novel.

My one complaint is in regards to the speech patterns and even the style of narration throughout the book. Everyone talks... oddly. It is difficult to describe, and so I will simply quote an example:

"A man who walks past an oasis, thinking it a mirage, dies of thirst in the desert," Sharur replied. "If I do not wed Ningal, I know my heart will break within me. If I search for the thing and fail to find it, perhaps my heart shal break and perhaps it shall not. If I search for the thing and do find it, of a certainty my heart shall not break. You are a merchant, Father. Which of those strikes you as the best bargain?"
"Bargains are for copper. Bargains are for tin. Bargains are for barley. Bargains are for wine of dates," Ereshguna sais. "For my son's happiness, for my son's safety, I do not speak of bargains. I care nothing about bargains. With some things, a man should not bargain."

The extreme repetition of words and the short, choppy sentences can get very wearying after a while. It is, however, not all bad, since that same style is a large part of what makes this book feel like it takes place when and where it does. Somehow, it feels right that they speak like this, no matter how hard it is to take at times.

It's hard to imagine how this story could have been written any better than it was. The fact that I don't consider this an excellent book is a reflection more on that irritating speech pattern, constantly picking at my brain with its now-unnatural rhythm. This is a great book, and one of Turtledove's rare books that isn't a part of some humongous series. As such, it makes for a good introduction to his works. And for those who are already familiar with them, it is simply a nice story set in a very unusual time period.

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