Chronicling the rise to power of Semiramis, the only female ruler of the ancient Assyrian empire, Babylonia by Costanza Casati is a spellbinding work of historical fiction.
It’s in the small village of Mari on the western outskirts of Assyria where readers first meet Semiramis, the adopted daughter of a prominent, widowed shepherd. However, her father is cruel, and Semiramis is determined to escape this life. Orphaned when her birth mother took her own life after her lover’s rejection, Semiramis has always felt like an outcast, taunted by other children in the village.
That is, until Onnes arrives. Onnes, half-brother and closest friend and advisor to King Ninus, is the new governor of Semiramis’ province. She catches his eye, and they are drawn to one another. She knows this is her chance of bettering her fate, and she grabs it with both hands.
Onnes and Semiramis are wed, and they travel back to the glittering, dazzling capital city of Kalhu to begin their life together. Though the king soon becomes jealous of the love between them. Babylonia, while a fascinating portrait of this corner of the ancient world, now largely plays out like a soap opera.
There is a complicated love triangle that leaves these three main characters forever altered. However, their duty toward the empire does not rest. In between deep displays of emotional turmoil, King Ninus, Onnes, and Semiramis expand the borders of Assyria through conquest and war.
Semiramis is fierce and determined to hold onto power at any cost. Once she has tasted this life, she will not let it go.
We see how war changes and complicates these characters and their relationships toward one another. Some characters also foster deadly secrets that, when brought to the light, wreak havoc.
As the novel progresses, Semiramis gains more power and influence. Two of her closest confidants are her slave, Ribat, and Sasi, the court’s eunuch spymaster. Both have ambitions of their own.
The king’s mother and the empire’s former queen, Nisat, is a veritable yet worthy foe, who mistrusts Semiramis and her intentions. The power play dynamic serves as one driving force of this novel.
In the final act of the book, through a series of tragedies, Ninus and Semiramis are thrown together. They eventually marry, yet even as personally she feels secure, the empire is close to crumbling. Assyria’s largest enemy is the city of Babylon, and shortly, the two are plunged into a brutal war.
The aftermath sees Semiramis rising higher still — this time the sole ruler and queen of Assyria. Unfortunately, this is also when the novel ends. After spending so much time with Semiramis and cheering for her, readers are largely stripped of the opportunity to read about her ruling with ultimate power.
According to history, the empire thrives under her rule. For this book, the author chose emotions over politics; once the dynamics of the three main characters dies down, she chooses to end her tale. But it is a sign of a good book to want more.
Babylonia is Casati’s latest novel, yet its predecessor, her debut Clytemnestra, felt stronger. She has a distinctive and alluring writing style, but here it almost seemed to take center stage. This novel flows by slowly, like a lazy river, and its beautiful words and world-building do not seem enough to garner five stars.
Semiramis is a strong female character, and the novel — from the front cover and its tagline of “Kings Fall, Queens Rise”– promises to be her story and hers alone. What it delivers is a fascinating, slow burn, but it details many characters’ lives. The author’s note does add some context and additional information about the real-life Semiramis, explaining some of the choices Casati made.
Casati’s signature lyrical style pops off of every page, but at times it felt as if she was caught up in prose rather than focusing on story. Each scene seems to describe the distinct color of the sky, or how much moonlight shines in every room. If the author had been a little more sparse, it may have worked better.
Overall, Babylonia covers a time and place of the ancient world that has not been written about much before. It does have lush descriptions, Casati ensuring it’s brought to life beautifully. The city of Kalhu, with its verdant hanging gardens, luxurious palaces, and impressive temples and ziggurats, is a wonderful setting.
This novel also strongly resembles and pays homage to the Epic of Gilgamesh, breathing new life into one of the world’s oldest stories and introducing it to modern audiences.
We will be following Casati with whatever she writes next. She tackles each novel with a signature style and grace that no other author can lay claim to. We especially hope her next novel brings to life yet another historical empire, setting, or character never written about before.
Amanda Larch Hinchman
Amanda Larch works as a writer and editor when she’s not in the middle of a good book. Learn more about her work and view her portfolio at www.amandalarchwriter.com/ and keep up with her on Goodreads @_groovyginger_.
