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 Yeehaw! I've actually finished writing the Lakshmi Rising major plot line. It was quite a feat because of how much I changed the second half of the first draft. I wanted to show more supernatural elements and give the readers better insight into the supernatural realm. That being so, I'm now reworking the secondary plot line that deals exclusively with the spirit realm (without the main characters). Because I intersperse the secondary plot line throughout the book, linear consistency is a challenge. I dealt with it by yanking out those chapters to work through separately from the whole.
Wouldn't you know it? I immediately encountered an issue. This is a fantasy. That means I can manipulate events to suit myself. In theory, that's fine, but then the amateur historian in me demanded a bit more attention to historical detail.
So which do I heed? Well, I compromised and reworked several pages of chapter two to better reflect the relationships between the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians and Israelites. Want to see what I mean? Here's a sneak peek.
Scenario: Marduk has just awakened from stasis after several millennia. He's rehashing the events leading to his demise.
Lakshmi Rising, Chapter Two
Excerpt
It’d been a rash act retaining his human body—a last act of defiance. For hundred of years, the Babylonians had battled against the Assyrians. With each Assyrian victory, they’d plundered his temple and made off with his statue. To be treated like war booty was an indignity that still rankled. Inevitably, Marduk’s soldiers would oust their oppressors and retrieve his statue but it didn’t make the disgrace sting any less.
Other nations had tried similar tactics but their warriors weren’t up to the task. One by one Babylon assimilated them. He’d taken particular pleasure in demoting the Israelite god Yah to a minor deity in his own pantheon.
The sweet taste of victory hadn’t lasted long enough. Less than 30 years later, the Persians, under their weak-kneed, goody-two shoes god Ahura Mazda, attacked.
And won.
He’d rather Yah had won. Despite being a minor deity, Yah had been a significant force at one time: a warrior who didn’t flinch at genocide. Marduk could respect a god like that.
Ashur of the Assyrians would have been an even better option, despite his perverse need to flaunt his prowess by stealing Marduk’s statue. At least Ashur equaled himself in strength and skill. The same couldn’t be said of Ahura Mazda. He might have used brute strength to win, but then he coddled the people to assure their loyalty.
The thought soured Marduk’s stomach.
End Excerpt
What fun, what fun. I hope you enjoyed reading that as much as I enjoyed researching and writing it. I doubt that will be its final form, but the content is there. Bare bones, as one could say. Civilization began at Sumer (in Mesopotamia). After millennia of mankind simply plodding along, there came a moment when mankind intellectually jumped--with the plow, axel, military strategies, agriculture, etc.--and it happened here. What could be more fascinating? |
