The DIOMEDEIA

Unlike other reviewers, I am not blessed with any sort of knowledge or understanding of the Peoples of the Sea, the Hittites or the Bronze Age itself including the neighbouring cultures of the time, the deities that were prevalent, the hierarchy of rule. But, that being said, I was ready for a different kind of read - and “The Diomedeia” did not disappoint! A very engaging narrative that was, at the same time captivating in its storyline as well as informative and illuminating about the period without being too “teachy” or pedantic. How could it be? After all there was brutal fighting and swordplay and torture and love and vivid sex and camaraderie and deceit and . . . well, you get the picture. My ‘different kind of read’ turned out to be quite the page turner.

The author, Gregory Nixon, is impressively well-versed in the comings and goings of the Bronze Age, and in particular its demise. He seamlessly marries his very accurate mythical and historical characters with compelling fictional characters as he develops a convincing plot line and paints a credible setting and zeitgeist, all of which makes for a most delightful literary journey. Some of the issues of the era in question involve challenging long held religious beliefs, experiencing climate change questioning gender roles and recognizing an impending new world order. Sound familiar? Worth the effort if you’re looking for a different kind of read. I look forward to the sequel (and perhaps the movie).

“The Diomedeia” is a must read for anyone interested in a cohesive integration of adventure, intrigue, spell-binding drama, and the history and cultures of early societies in which myth, ritual, and everyday life co-existed as a single entity. Gregory Nixon’s book, subtitled “Diomedes, the Peoples of the Sea, and the Fall of the Hittite Empire,” has all of the above qualities in spades. The author has an almost fanatical commitment to historical veracity while maintaining and incrementally escalating the dramatic suspense central to Diomedes’ adventures within the Hittite kingdom, all the while remaining responsive to the intimate ties between humans and their gods. This historical (and mythic) novel, singular for its evocative prose and its focus on the collapse of the bronze age, begins on a deceptively meditative note that allows readers to fully appreciate the historical and linguistic variations as well as the rhetorical nuances common to the period (some readers may find all the names with variations a challenge, but the author has thoughtfully included a very helpful and comprehensive glossary at the end of the book). Nixon then works toward a suspenseful, dynamic, and psychologically gripping conclusion from which emotional disassociation is impossible, and the entire narration, including significant erotic content, is infused with the intertwining co-existence of kings, queens, warriors, and high priestesses with their gods and all the attendant rituals. Readers are emotionally embedded into the culture and beliefs of the period while simultaneously retaining a somewhat objective and “outside” perspective. The book’s historical authenticity and compelling appeal is significantly reinforced through the seamless integration throughout of thoughtful and well-chosen quotations, chants, and paraphrases from historical sources dating back to original clay and copper tablets of the period. A major theme underlying the novel is that of the ouroboros, or the eternal shedding of one’s mortal coil (serpent eating its tail); life feeds off of death for the cyclical regeneration of human existence.
NB: When nearing the climax, readers are encouraged to place hands firmly on head to negate danger of mind explosion! The conclusion to this novel had my hair standing on end.

I just cringe when I see an inexperienced reader do a a review of a fine work of literature like this. I see that on March 16, “eternal optimism” gave this book one star and put it down after chapter 1 calling in, among other things, “pretentious” and full of “affectation”. Sorry, reviewer, this is an actual novel based in history, NOT some myth-stealing fantasyland of romance written for quick sales. It is literature.

In my long experience as a reader, critic, & author, I recognize that when an immature or shallow reader encounters sophistication and depth in books or movies, they tend to dismiss it as “pretentious”. The first few chapters are rich with detailed description and challenging for action lovers, but they certainly set the stage in a little-known historical era. Not just another time and place, but another culture, so its people will not be familiar stereotypes.

“Eternal Optimism” will Never know what they missed. The pace and action pick up as the chapters go on, yet the book remains historically accurate, realistic, but somewhat demanding in its engagement with a now gone people who took their myths and rituals very seriously indeed (as did most ancients). This book is literature first, and escape adventure-romance second.