Empires of Bronze: Son of Ishtar

By: Gordon Doherty

Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble

Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Four sons. One throne. A world on the precipice.

1315 BC: Tensions soar between the great powers of the Late Bronze Age. The Hittites stand toe-to-toe with Egypt, Assyria and Mycenaean Ahhiyawa, and war seems inevitable. More, the fierce Kaskan tribes - age-old enemies of the Hittites - amass at the northern borders.

When Prince Hattu is born, it should be a rare joyous moment for all the Hittite people. But when the Goddess Ishtar comes to King Mursili in a dream, she warns that the boy is no blessing, telling of a dark future where he will stain Mursili’s throne with blood and bring destruction upon the world.

Thus, Hattu endures a solitary boyhood in the shadow of his siblings, spurned by his father and shunned by the Hittite people. But when the Kaskans invade, Hattu is drawn into the fray. It is a savage journey in which he strives to show his worth and valour. Yet with his every step, the shadow of Ishtar’s prophecy darkens....

©2017 Gordon Doherty (P)2019 W. F. Howes Ltd

A fantastic story.

A magnificent story brought to life Keeble.
Nidway through this book, I purchased the next book in the series.
From start to finish this book had me spellbound.

Fantastic narrator, decent story

Empires of Bronze is a solid bit of historical fantasy, but struggles to rise beyond being just above average. Jonathan Keeble elevates the entire experience.

Fresh air for historical fiction.

Tired of generic Greco-Roman settings?
Want something fresh and rarely done?

Then BOY do I have a story for you. What we have here in Empire's of Bronze is a story that revolves around the ancient Hittite empire of bronze age Anatolia and revolves around the life of the Hittite prince Hattusili III (Hattu) as he comes of age in this violent and uncertain time. Enemies assail the Hittite empire on all sides even from within. And the very stability of the world cracks as we near the Collapse of the bronze age.

Solid characters with believable goals against the backdrop of a world on the brink of catastrophe makes for good coming of age story with plenty of war, intrigue, romance and suspense. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves history and action adventures all together.

Great story!! Cant wait for book two!

I am really glad I got this book. Well written and excellent narration. More books in this series asap and hopefully more books set in this time period. Fascinating stuff.

Great story, fresh subject

Finally, someone realizes that all history doesn't revolve around Rome. By creating a story centered on the Hittite peoples, Gordon reminds us that other advanced civilizations existed besides Hellenist peoples. And some of them even had brown skin. I can’t wait to start book two.

great well researched book

I can't wait to read the next one. This book was well researched and well written I've been reading about the bronze age for sometime and this really captured the spirit. Sort of works well as a sequel to I, The Sun.

Excellent!

Loved this! The writing is very fine, the characters memorable. Some of the best fighting/combat scenes I've encountered. Match that with the stellar narration, and the fight scenes are remarkably tense. I really appreciate the research that has gone into the book, as well. This might seem like a small thing, but I loved, for example, the explanation of the construction/engineering method of the Hittite chariots.
And I will repeat my praise for narrator Jonathan Keeble - this book wasn't simply read, it was lived. Excellent work by all involved. I don't often read historical fiction, but I was really happy with the wonderful storytelling here. I found the Hittite world fascinating, and I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.

Fascinating from beginning to end

When I first learned of Hattusili III, I thought his story would be well-suited for a novel or movie. This book delivers on the novelization of his story and does a damned good job of it. Between the fascinating story and excellent narration, I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. Though I would add the caveat, this book has some moments of unsettling brutality. Modern literature of this quality featuring Ishtar is pretty scarce. I will definitely be listening to the next book.

Too much gore

I love historical fiction. I thought this would start me on an understanding of the Hittites. Instead this book glories on hand to hand combat descriptions which grew tedious especially given the narrators over enthusiasm. Would pass for a better time.