The Prince of Eridu

Novels of Ancient Sumeria, Book 1

By: Jesse Hudson

Narrated by: Austin Vanfleet

When the jealous high priest of Enki murders the king during a holy festival and stages a takeover of the palace, Crown Prince Ammon-shur must flee for his life with nothing more than the clothes on his back. His faithful bodyguard, Balashi, saves him from capture and death at the hands of his enemies, and together the two make their way to the ancient city of Uruk, home of the ancient and powerful temple of Inanna. Ammon goes to the temple to seek allies that he might recruit to his cause to unseat the high priest of Enki and retake his throne. While at the temple, he meets Iltani, the fascinating and beautiful high priestess of Inanna. Ammon scarcely gets to know her before discovering that she is enmeshed in her own struggles against the members of the temple council, who maintain her as a powerless figurehead. Far from finding aid for his own cause, Ammon finds himself promising to help Iltani free herself from the influence of the temple council as well as to help her investigate a darker plot....

©2016 Noel Jesse Hudson (P)2016 Noel Jesse Hudson

Fast-paced and engrossing book!

Prince of Eridu is a great book, well worth the time and money. Look elsewhere for slowly plodding, dry drama. This is an easy page turner with engaging characters and an plot that draws you in. As I approached the end I actually started really slowing down in the hopes of delaying the inevitable end of the book. I think it would be well-suited for conversion into to a Hollywood screenplay, too.

I hope to see more installments from this author. If you are interested enough to read this review, there's a very good probability you will like this book. Get it now or at least put it on your wish list.

Not what I expected but delightful nonetheless

This is not a typical historical fiction novel, depicting actual events re-imagined since so often there is very little historical detail for an author to go on. Rather it is a tale of derring-do and good humored interactions between the characters, each of which is non-stereotypical, with an exciting and interesting plot. Not great literature or a grand saga but a rip-rollicking good read, exciting to the last word. There are quotes from Gilgamesh and some other ancient texts which adds a nice touch.

Fun read, interesting setting

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to others, since it had great insights to a culture that was new to me. I love being "transported" to other worlds I've never encountered. In this case, it was ancient middle east. I know very little of the setting, but felt the author had a good amount of details that made it authentic.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I love the main character. He was funny, clever and dumb all at the same time. Hmm, pretty much the same way I see myself... I guess thats why I like him. What does that say about me?

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The climax where the main character had to do some rescuing (don't want to give away the ending) was a lot of fun.

Engaging Story

I loved this engaging story. The writing was great and I smiled several times at the intergection of modern language in a 1700's setting. Great story to listen too at work or when your mind can be engaged in other things. SMO

WOW and WOW

If you could sum up The Prince of Eridu in three words, what would they be?

Jesse Hudson has an amazing ability to tell a story. His book captures your imagination right from the beginning and doesn't let you go until the very end and then it just leaves you wanting more which doesn't always happen with every book you read.

What other book might you compare The Prince of Eridu to and why?

I would compare this book to the Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and The Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb and The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson just to name a few other books that are at the same level of storytelling as this book is at.

What does Austin Vanfleet bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

You are really able to feel the emotions and the complexity of the characters through Austin's voice and intonations which adds additional depth to the story. Austin really does an amazing job in this book. He is a world class narrator!

Who was the most memorable character of The Prince of Eridu and why?

Balashi. by far Balashi!

I quite enjoyed the story. Creative and fun.

Pretty fun read, or listen as it were. Now on to the next book. The author is pretty creative. I liked it.

Amazing book

This book was really great to listen to. It captures you and leaves you wanting for more.

EXCESSIVE HISTORICAL & GEOGRAPHICAL ERRORS

Eridu was conceivably the "first" city, albeit Uruk is considered the First true City-State, meeting the five basic requirements for civilization's emergence. Despite this forgivable detail, there are major, blatant inaccuracies as follows:
1. The Sumerians occupied the mouth of the Euphrates River, which consisted of nothing short of water, mud, and reeves forming a flat, marshy landscape. Hence, there were scarcely any trees anywhere until at least 200/250 miles away.
2. Neither the Sumerians, nor the Akkadians, and their descendant Babylonians used currency, as we know it (coins, notes, etc.) and all payments were exchanged in terms of bales of wheat and barley, or Jars of Oil (similar to Olive), or herds of goats, sheep, and oxen. The first coins scarcely appear (in copper) during the late Neo-Assyrian Empire (940-610 BCE) and with full weight (gold) only in Lydia (on the Western Anatolian Coast) under King Croesus.
3. Given the precarious "hints of civilization" that may have existed in Eridu (during its glory) circa 4000-3200 BCE, it is rather unlikely that there were no kings in place (let alone spoiled princes), for the early Sumerian city-states were governed by Ensi's (the priestly class).
Consequently, it is unforgivable that Austin Vanfleet failed to conduct the bearest historical background setting. At least the god Enki was correctly identified as the patron deity of Eridu...

ok

I was expecting more lessons in the story. With so many lies in the story and negative behaviors, I thought there would some connection to consequences and the end was anti-climatic. I know there is a second book where the story may continue, but I just can't bring myself to do it. The voice though, was great.