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I, The Sun (1983)

by Janet E. Morris(Favorite Author)

4.67 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0988755092 (ISBN13: 9780988755093)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Perseid Press

review 1: In this age of formula fiction and uber-mass market storytelling, historical fiction has become the instrument of the romance market. A hundred romances set in medieval Scotland or Renaissance Italy, or Victorian England. It is the mainstay of a class of fiction that is as prolific as it is average.And that is profoundly disappointing to me. I love history. I love reading historical nonfiction and I itch to read fiction that can bring history to life. It could be—it should be—the greatest fiction—stories of historical, bigger than life figures that actually lived—people whose real lives are at least as interesting and filled with drama as Aragorn’s or Tywin Lannister’s or Luke Skywalker’s.I, the Sun is that story.This book is, far and away, my favorite book o... moref the year—and I read a lot of books. Anyone with a penchant for historical fiction or fantasy fiction should find a reason to sit down, open this one up and throw themselves into it—body and soul.The ancient world is a time that has interested me in the past, but could never really lure me away from my deep love of history in feudal Asia and Europe. But, this book changed many of my predispositions, and stoked in me a new interest in the ancient world.One might think that a work of this caliber would require some knowledge of the history of this great civilization, but I knew nothing of the Hittites or their greatest King Suppiluliumas before reading this story.I didn’t need it.In this excellent work, the reader quickly becomes immersed in the world. The description is so sharp and beautiful and real, that the reader feels transported into the Bronze Age world, surrounded by all the cultural and physical realities of a dark and very real existence. It closes in on you, sweeps you away. The world of the Hittite king is more deep and thrilling and filled with intrigue than any fantasy world.What’s more – this story is filled with all of the great things that I love about stories of conquest, imminent death, a bigger-than-life leader, bloody combat and the lamentations of the vanquished. I can now officially say – I rode in a chariot, side by side with a conqueror, dust filling my nostrils, my eyes, choking, clinging for my life.King Suppiluliumas is not your typical story book conqueror. He is a man of ever-developing character, responding with great, decisive strokes to the many conflicts he finds in the world and events around him. No flat character here: he is filled with regret, but never dissuaded by continuous inner combat with dark insecurities and strong beliefs that challenge the status quo in a world where that meant death.You will know him. You will grow with him from a young person shunted off into a brutal childhood to the ruler of (arguably) the most powerful empire of the time. His was not an easy life, and his rise to power was no easy path. You will experience it all in grim reds and browns: a story steeped in trail dust, blood and tears.If you like fantasy. If you like history. If you like adventure. This is the story for you. I dare you to open this book and delve into its dark, and very real story.
review 2: I,the Sun is a magnificent literary remake of the mighty king Suppiluliuma’s prosperous and powerful Hittite kingdom of the 2nd millennium BC(1344-22 to be exact) between the 558 precious pages. The book is in 1st person narration – as dictated by the king himself. This should be noted as an important feature, a cleverly added one to be exact. Applauses for the author’s genius- for, the reader actually starts to savor the whole story through the senses of the king himself, that he/she will eventually develop a particular liking for the king- whom history labels as arrogant and violent(Not to mention his treatment of women). Because the reader is so close to the king as he perceives the whole tale through the King’s eyes. So that deep inside he/she starts to acknowledge the circumstances or environments in which King Suppiluliuma had to act as such; as arrogant, violent and cruel. The reader involuntarily arrives at the agreement that it was all for the sake of an empire! For the Hittite empire, for its people, for its progress and prosperity. The historic observation that the Hittite empire reached the peak of prosperity and power under king Suppiluliuma strengthen this. Referring to this I, The Sun could be described as a brilliantly written book on the Hittite empire(among the other few) in an entirely different perspective. The literary strategy of choose king Suppiluliuma as the protagonist and leading the story through him, has its distant resonation to the introduction of “anti-hero” by Fyodor Dostoevsky (for example the axe murderer’s portrait in Crime and Punishment), “Randamoozham*” by Malayalam writer M.T. Vasudevan Nair*- where the whole story of Mahabharata is retold through Bhima’s perspective ,”Ini njan urangatte”* by P.V.Balakrishnan*-the story of Mahabharatha through Karna’s perspective, Asura, the tale of the Vanquished* by Anand Neelakandan*- “Ramayana” through the villain Ravana’s perspective. The magic that these exceptional works bring about is that they completely redraw the mental image of a historic/ epic figure that history and society had for long made. The impression gets replaced with a new , more compassionate one.With a thorough reference to the Hittite history one can understand that every account in “I, the Sun” really happened in the life of Supilulimas. This enlightment (better to someone who had not heard about the Hittites before and is referring for the first time) leaves the reader in absolute thrill. At this point it is impossible for one to do away with appreciating the dexterity and brilliance with witch the author had created the novel, enjoyable and intriguing, yet with good justice to the historical accounts- for it could have ended simply as a boring history lesson if it was just history and history alone. There is romance, rage, bloody battles, defeats & victory, like a colorful action cinema, I must say.The only negative point that caught my attention is the confusing title “I, the Sun”, but that too for a person with good knowledge of the Hittite culture and ways will appear as the “most appropriate”. I had to do a little study of the topic to know the deep meaning and relation of the usage. I could find that the name is connected to the “Hittite way” of calling the king by the title “Mu sun”. to readers who had marked this Janet Morris masterpiece as “to be read” my advice is to do a slight study of the Hittite period that you can enjoy it better, like it will be an entirely different experience , even if the book itself tells the whole history. I mean, it will be more enjoyable to a reader with some knowledge of the Hittite.StoryKing supillulima was the king of the Hittite kingdom who had fame as a fierce worrier and a successful ruler. He acquired his throne by force and consolidated his power suppressing all domestic oppositions. Suppiluliuma then bean to channel all his efforts in rebuilding (and in that way strengthening) the Hittite kingdom. Supilulima I eventually amazed a strong army and an indomitably loyal intelligence network. With his forces he manages to annihilate all the enemies of the Hittites and widens the borders of his kingdom successfully nullifying his enemies like the Mitanni. At the height of his power, he is met with the tragedy of his son Zannanza’s murder at the hands of Horemheb’s forces. It drags the king to utter remorse and anger as his son was travelling to Egypt to marry the young widow of Tutankhamun in response of a letter sent to Hittite King by Tutankhamun’s wodow pleading to have her married to the Hittite king’s son. Raged by his son’s death king Suppiluliuma wages war against all territories of Egypt and ultimately turns victorious. But quite unfortunately they become defenseless against the devastating disease of “plague” that the Egyptian prisoners bestowed. The disease kills King Suppiluliuma and his eldest son Arnuwanda II. less

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