Download Ebook The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate, by L. Sprague De Camp
As known, book The Dragon Of The Ishtar Gate, By L. Sprague De Camp is popular as the window to open up the world, the life, and also extra point. This is what individuals currently require a lot. Also there are many individuals who don't such as reading; it can be an option as referral. When you actually need the ways to develop the following motivations, book The Dragon Of The Ishtar Gate, By L. Sprague De Camp will truly assist you to the way. Additionally this The Dragon Of The Ishtar Gate, By L. Sprague De Camp, you will have no regret to get it.
The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate, by L. Sprague De Camp
Download Ebook The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate, by L. Sprague De Camp
The Dragon Of The Ishtar Gate, By L. Sprague De Camp. Join with us to be participant right here. This is the web site that will provide you reduce of looking book The Dragon Of The Ishtar Gate, By L. Sprague De Camp to review. This is not as the other site; the books will certainly be in the forms of soft data. What advantages of you to be participant of this website? Get hundred collections of book link to download and install and also obtain always upgraded book every day. As one of the books we will offer to you currently is the The Dragon Of The Ishtar Gate, By L. Sprague De Camp that includes a really satisfied idea.
When getting this e-book The Dragon Of The Ishtar Gate, By L. Sprague De Camp as referral to read, you could obtain not only motivation yet additionally brand-new expertise as well as sessions. It has more than common benefits to take. What kind of book that you read it will serve for you? So, why should get this publication qualified The Dragon Of The Ishtar Gate, By L. Sprague De Camp in this article? As in link download, you can get guide The Dragon Of The Ishtar Gate, By L. Sprague De Camp by on the internet.
When obtaining the publication The Dragon Of The Ishtar Gate, By L. Sprague De Camp by online, you could review them wherever you are. Yeah, also you remain in the train, bus, hesitating list, or various other places, on the internet e-book The Dragon Of The Ishtar Gate, By L. Sprague De Camp could be your buddy. Every single time is a great time to review. It will enhance your knowledge, fun, enjoyable, session, and experience without investing even more cash. This is why online book The Dragon Of The Ishtar Gate, By L. Sprague De Camp comes to be most really wanted.
Be the initial that are reading this The Dragon Of The Ishtar Gate, By L. Sprague De Camp Based upon some factors, reading this e-book will provide even more advantages. Also you require to read it pointer by action, page by web page, you could complete it whenever and also wherever you have time. As soon as a lot more, this online publication The Dragon Of The Ishtar Gate, By L. Sprague De Camp will give you very easy of reviewing time as well as task. It additionally provides the encounter that is budget friendly to reach and acquire considerably for far better life.
Bessas of Zariaspa is a young officer in the Immortals regiment, sworn to protect and obey his King at all costs. The King wishes immortality and to that end tasks Bessas to find items that make an immortality potion, including the blood of a dragon and the ear of a king. *** The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate is a swashbuckling historical novel with larger-than-life characters, set in a detailed historical background that only a scholar such as de Camp can create.
- Sales Rank: #2653920 in Books
- Published on: 2013-09-20
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.02" h x .85" w x 5.98" l, 1.23 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 382 pages
Most helpful customer reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful.
Ian Myles Slater on L. Sprague de Camp's Antiquity
By Ian M. Slater
I have discussed this book in a review of the paperback edition, in which I addressed some of the issues raised by previous reviewers. In this review I will point out some other characteristics of interest to possible readers.
This is an adventure novel, set during the reign of Xerxes, Originally published in 1961, it was the third written, and earliest in chronological order, of five loosely-related historical novels. The others are: "An Elephant for Aristotle" (1958), in the reign of Alexander the Great, involving a trek across Asia with a rather large gift for the philosopher; "The Bronze God of Rhodes" (1960), in which the background is the struggle among Alexander's successors, with the construction of the Colossus of Rhodes only one of the incidents; "The Arrows of Hercules" (1965), a story of war and military inventions in the time of Plato; and, finally, "The Golden Wind" (1969), concerning sea-borne trade and exploration in Hellenistic times.
"Dragon" is probably closest in mood to de Camp's fantasy novels, while "Bronze God" and "Arrows" are closer to his science fiction, with their description of engineering problems, and personality clashes among researchers and engineers. "Dragon" also reflects de Camp's then-recent acquaintance with the Conan stories and other works of Robert E. Howard. Bessas, the huge Persian nobleman, is not only a close match for Conan in physique, but his mood swings, fixation on his mother, and tendency to toss off verses, seems a reflection of Howard himself. (Fortunately, his poems reflect de Camp's verbal dexterity and wit, not Howard's melancholy.)
Earlier editions include the original Doubleday hardcover, and a paperback edition from long-defunct Lancer Books (which also published most of de Camp's editions of the Conan stories). The illustrated edition is perhaps the most desirable, but readers who love high adventure, exotic locales, authentic detail, and more than a little humor, will enjoy it in any format.
{Please note that Amazon's after-the-fact decision to link editions has left me with two (non-duplicating) reviews for this title; I have decided to leave them in place for the time being, instead of merging them, or deleting both and creating a new version.}
{Additional Note: Amazon has since re-separated the reviews; my other review is now found with the Donning (illustrated) edition only.}
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
Ian Myles Slater on History as Heroic Romance
By Ian M. Slater
I will try to keep this short and factual, despite my enthusiasm for a book I have admired for over thirty years.
This is one of a series of loosely-linked historical novels set mainly on the margins of the classical world (from India to the interior and coasts of Africa), and covering the period from the reign of Xerxes to late Hellenistic times. (Think in terms of the Battle of Salamis to the rise of Rome). They all share de Camp's meticulous detail, plausible characterization, and sense of the comic side of human nature. Readers familiar with de Camp as Robert E, Howard's posthumous editor and collaborator will find in them the same mix of exotic adventure and (to most of the participants) magic, but in de Camp's own urbane and quietly erudite voice. Those already familiar with his own fantasy and science fiction writing will not be surprised to see his characteristic virtues at work in a different genre.
This, my favorite, concerns a journey from the heart of the Persian Empire to the sources of the Nile, in pursuit of an imaginary beast. A giant Persian nobleman, in serious trouble as a result of innocent involvement in a (real) court scandal, is sent off on a quest with his Greek tutor as advisor. They take turns playing Sancho to the other's Don Quixote, as their personal traits prove helpful or dangerous in changing circumstance. Along the way they acquire and lose companions, stumble into and out of trouble, and provide the reader a tour of the ancient world from western Asia to central Africa.
The suggestions for the story came from the presence of a now-rare African animal on a Persian royal monument and an archaeologist's speculation on a possible priestly fraud in ancient Babylon. (The latter reflects the story of "Bel and the Dragon" in the Greek version of the Book of Daniel, found in the apocrypha of Protestant Bibles, and appended to Daniel in Catholic editions). Those interested in this background should seek out "Lands Beyond," by L. Sprague de Camp and Willy Ley (originally 1951). (It should be pointed out that the word "sirrush" in both books is now generally read as "mushhush"). Some of the Asian material is also covered in de Camp's "Great Cities of the Ancient World" (originally 1972).
The African scenes are based on a combination of de Camp's travels and the best information available when he was writing. Those readers familiar with early European accounts will not need de Camp's acknowledgment of sources to spot the origin of several scenes. Those who are familiar with current studies of ancient Africa should bear in mind that no author, no matter how careful, can be expected to be in advance of the state of knowledge. (The solution to the "what is the most dangerous beast in Africa?" will now be apparent to far more readers than when the expedition's pygmy guide tried to answer it.) De Camp returned to Africa in his 1969 historical novel "The Golden Wind," set in Hellenistic times, this time from the point of view of a Greek sea captain seeking a water route to India.
The Donning edition added illustrations to a book originally published by Doubleday in 1961, and reprinted by Lancer in 1968. The Lancer edition had a glorious but uncredited cover, which was apparently the work of Roy G. Krenkel, perhaps still best known for his covers for the early Ace edition of Tarzan, and the illustrator of "Great Cities".
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful.
An erudite/literate adventure tale: no longer an oxymoron!
By Stuart W. Mirsky
When Xerxes, the Persian King of Kings, fearing the onset of decrepitude and old age, turns to his personal alchemist and sorcerer Ostanas, for a magical solution, the game (as Holmes used to say) is afoot. Reprieved from an untimely death (decreed for his unknowing complicity in the rape of a young noble woman), Bessas of Zariaspa (a big hulking, mother-loving, heroic lug, formerly of the King's own troops) is saved at the eleventh hour from an untimely seat on the royal stake and charged with two tasks: bring back to Xerxes the ear of a king; and find and capture a live dragon (said to dwell at the headwaters of the Nile, deep in unknown Africa). His companion on this mission is to be his former Greek tutor, Myron of Miletos, who just happens to also be the man who brought Bessas to the attention of the King, in time to save the big warrior's life.
What neither of these adventurers knows, however, is that the King's sorcerer needs a third item as well: the heart of a hero, which presumably will be readily available -- once Bessas returns from his labors with the two items he has been sent to retrieve. Myron, a simple scholar with philosophical pretensions, sees their excursion as an opportunity to explore the world and create some grand theory out of the knowledge he garners, to make a name for himself among the Greek philosophers back home. Bessas, on the other hand, has other concerns since Xerxes has placed his mother in protective custody -- as a guarantor of the hero's ultimate return.
These two set out on a fascinating journey which takes them through many of the lands of the old Persian Empire. In the process, they pick up a tubby local boy whose chief claim to fame seems to be his voracious sexual appetite, a Syrian mystic of dubious talents and loyalties, and a Judean of Philistine ancestry with the skills of a metal smith. Fleeing numerous attacks on their persons by the minions of the raped girl's family (who begrudge the King's decision to free Bessas), this motley company finds its way to Egypt. There they become involved in a little grave robbing, before heading farther south to the barbarous country of Kush, where the local ruler adds a further task to their assignments as a fee for letting them pass deeper into the African interior.
Having linked up with a bandit Arab clan, headed by an old shaykh and his clever and beautiful daughter, the whole gang proceeds south along the Nile into "pestilential plains," the abode of unfamiliar and savage peoples. How the tale ends up is worth the read, as is the fascinating protrayal of this time and its inhabitants. Suffice it to say they have a number of rather close encounters, not least of which with a kingdom of local cannibals, and generally squeak by -- though not without a good deal of bloodshed and mayhem.
The tale is not the usual sword and sorcery fare (though its author was known for writing that stuff) since, while there is a great deal of talk about wizards and magic, there is no attempt to portray these as anything more than the grossest of superstitions. The heroes are also men of their time and do not scruple to kill an enemy in cold blood. In fact, this book is almost hardheaded in its realistic approach to human conflict. The dialogue's rather cleverly done, too.
Unfortunately, the tale was penned back in 1961 (although I read the Donning book, issued in 1982) and so it's not attentive to some of the politically correct niceties of our own era. Blacks are generally presented as savages and unattractive (which may actually have been how characters like our travellers would have seen them -- especially in the context of the encounters described -- but this will certainly offend some readers who are more attuned to contemporary sensitivities). Similarly, the Judean Shimri (really a Philistine and an idolator) is described as having a receding chin, spitting when he talks, stammering and as being generally annoying -- all for no very obvious reason. Perhaps de Camp based the character on someone he knew, but it does seem a trifle gratuitous. I suspect some would find him an offensively stereotypical character, as well.
Finally, the female characters have no individual vitality at all. The Arab princess is supposed to be the real leader of her band but at critical times she recedes unaccountably into the background. The other two females who join the expedition in Africa are slaves and get used as such. Probably not unrealistic, but again not attuned to our present, more enlightened age. And their main role (even that of the bold princess) seems to be to fawn over our hero, Bessas.
While the female characters have little life in them, the males, who are somewhat more interesting, are not more deeply drawn. Myron and Bessas do come to life, as does the sterotypical Syrian wizard, but none of them seems to have a substantial inner life. But this is a plot driven by events -- not motivation -- and, as such, it does its work. If you can bear with the extremely poor editing (typos on nearly every other page) and the mid-twentieth century sensibility, this is a book well worth the read -- both for its vivid and historically convincing depiction of the ancient world during the height of the Persian Empire (just before Alexander the Great Hellenized things) and for its fast-paced adventure in exotic lands.
Stuart W. Mirsky
author of The King of Vinland's Saga
See all 10 customer reviews...
The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate, by L. Sprague De Camp PDF
The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate, by L. Sprague De Camp EPub
The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate, by L. Sprague De Camp Doc
The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate, by L. Sprague De Camp iBooks
The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate, by L. Sprague De Camp rtf
The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate, by L. Sprague De Camp Mobipocket
The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate, by L. Sprague De Camp Kindle
The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate, by L. Sprague De Camp PDF
The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate, by L. Sprague De Camp PDF
The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate, by L. Sprague De Camp PDF
The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate, by L. Sprague De Camp PDF
