Babylonia

Though I haven’t read Costanza Casati’s debut novel, Clytemnestra, I was instantly curious about her newest release, Babylonia. That stunning cover drew me in, as did its title, evoking ancient times in Mesopotamia. The book is out today and absolutely worth picking up.

Why I Chose This Book:

There is so much historical fiction set in Ancient Greece, but I’ve been craving something set equally far back in time but in another civilization. Babylonia immediately captured my interest for its setting in Mesopotamia in the 800s BCE. I’ve never read a book about the Assyrian Empire! I also love its focus on a woman who rises from nothing to become a ruler.

What I Liked:

• Ancient Mesopotamia setting and the Assyrian Empire
• A woman rising from nothing to becoming a ruler
• Intricate politics, from the king to his governor, mom, spymaster, and more
• Love triangle!
• Queer characters (and acceptance of them)
• Perspectives from Semiramis (an orphan who becomes a governor’s wife), Ninus (the bookish king), Onnes (the governor), and Ribat (a slave)
• Leopard!
• Excerpts of ancient poems and epics
• The author’s use of language. Such beautiful, simple, evocative sentences. Very thought-provoking.

Final Thoughts

It got off to a slow start, but bit by bit, Babylonia completely absorbed me. It’s written so beautifully, with sentences that make you pause and ponder them. I loved that, instead of the overdone retellings of Greek mythology, this one takes readers to a difference ancient civilization: Assyria. With royal dynamics, a woman rising up from nothing, a love triangle, and war, Babylonia offers so much. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Costanza Casati.

Special thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy Babylonia here – it’s available as a hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.

Babylonia by Costanza Casati
Audience	Adult
Genre	Historical Fiction
Setting	Ancient Mesopotamia (Syria-Iran)
Number of Pages	448
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	January 14, 2025
Publisher	Sourcebooks

Official Summary

From the author of the bestselling Clytemnestra comes another intoxicating excursion into ancient history, painting the brutal and captivating empire of gods and men, and the one queen destined to rule them all.

A common woman. The governor she married. The king who loved them both.

Babylonia across the centuries has become the embodiment of lust, excess, and dissolute power that ruled Ancient Assyria. In this world you had to kill to be king. Or, in the case of Semiramis, an orphan raised on the outskirts of an empire: 

Queen.

Nothing about Semiramis’s upbringing could have foretold her legacy. But when she meets a young representative of the new Assyrian king, a prophecy unfolds before her, one that puts her in the center of a brutal world and in the hearts of two men – one who happens to be king.

Now a risen lady in a court of vipers, Semiramis becomes caught in the politics and viciousness of ancient Assyria. Instead of bartering with fate, Semiramis trains in war and diplomacy. And with each move, she rises in rank, embroiled in a game of power, desire, love, and betrayal, until she can ascend to the only position that will ever keep her safe.

In her second novel, Costanza Casati brilliantly weaves myth and ancient history together to give Semiramis, the only female ruler of the Assyrian Empire, a voice, charting her captivating ascent to a throne no one promised her.