All Our Broken Idols
Apr 2021 · Bloomsbury Publishing
4.5star
2 reviewsreport
Ebook
368
Pages
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About this ebook
'Superbly told' The Times
'Richly imagined' Sunday Times
'An engrossing, seamlessly written deliberation on the enduring power of art' Mail on Sunday
Assyria, in the reign of Ashurbanipal. For Aurya and Sharo, every day is a struggle for survival. One evening, everything changes. Soon, they are on the barge of King Ashurbanipal, bound for the city of Nineveh. Their fates become inextricably bound to that of the king – and the injured lion captured by his men.
Twenty-six centuries later, British-Iraqi archaeologist Katya joins a dig in Mosul to protect the ancient ruins of Nineveh from looters. But the real world crashes in to their studious idyll when ISIL storm Mosul – and take Katya, Salim and local girl Lola hostage.
'Dual timeline novels often fail: one strand is more interesting than the other, or the links between the two are contrived. Not here. Both stories are superbly told and share the same preoccupation – the coexistence of cruelty and creative beauty' The Times, Historical Novel of the Month
'Richly imagined' Sunday Times
'An engrossing, seamlessly written deliberation on the enduring power of art' Mail on Sunday
Assyria, in the reign of Ashurbanipal. For Aurya and Sharo, every day is a struggle for survival. One evening, everything changes. Soon, they are on the barge of King Ashurbanipal, bound for the city of Nineveh. Their fates become inextricably bound to that of the king – and the injured lion captured by his men.
Twenty-six centuries later, British-Iraqi archaeologist Katya joins a dig in Mosul to protect the ancient ruins of Nineveh from looters. But the real world crashes in to their studious idyll when ISIL storm Mosul – and take Katya, Salim and local girl Lola hostage.
'Dual timeline novels often fail: one strand is more interesting than the other, or the links between the two are contrived. Not here. Both stories are superbly told and share the same preoccupation – the coexistence of cruelty and creative beauty' The Times, Historical Novel of the Month
Ratings and reviews
4.5
2 reviews
About the author
Paul Cooper was born in South London and grew up in Cardiff, Wales. He was educated at the University of Warwick and the UEA. After graduating, he left for Sri Lanka to work as an English teacher, where he took time to explore the ruins both ancient and modern. He has written for magazines, websites and also worked as an archivist, editor and journalist. He also hosts the podcast Fall of Civilizations. His critically acclaimed debut novel, River of Ink, was published by Bloomsbury in 2016.
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