Amazon Category:  Historical Fiction Publisher: Zumay Publications ISBN-10:  1894869257 Type: Fiction Pages: 289 Copyright: Jan 1 2002 Sargon, a slave, trusts a vision that foretells his destiny--to win an empire from the chaos of Mesopotamia. Stranger still, the maiden's song will lead him in this newfound quest. Along the fertile plains of ancient Mesopotamia a slave finds he must trust a vision given to him by an unearthly stranger. Will Sargon be the first man in history to forge an empire? The maiden's song might just unlock his destiny; this ethereal melody sung by the beautiful woman he rescued from death. Sargon might win his dream and it could be the woman he comes to love who may help him claim it. Excerpt Her lovely face tilted up, revealing her slender neck, She began: "Bridegroom, dear to my heart, Goodly is your beauty, honeysweet, Lion, dear to my heart, Goodly is your beauty, honeysweet..." The words were more than sound, so much more than music. She sang a song of love, of long and endless dreams. It was his song just as much as as her tears were given to him alone. Sargon closed his eyes. He was on the sea again with the sunlight scattered across the water. H remembered the feel of her skin, like a garment woven of the finest cloth. She was his, no other man's...

Book Review Cafe
A wonderfully crafted novel set in ancient Mesopotamia. Any historical fiction fan will devour this love story! Naram-tani, otherwise known as The Maiden, was to die with the king, as it was the custom. Her beautiful voice lulled the king to his death, then she was gone. She had run away to escape her inevitable death. She ran to hide on a ship that was leaving the city. Sargon was the man who headed this ship with its trade and slaves aboard. When he ever found a woman on board, he knew immediately, he could make a small fortune off of her. Right here is when a budding relationship was forming, without either of them knowing it! Being a little confusing for me at times because of the different names, I thought the story was great. And with Ms. Tash being an expert on this subject, it makes this book that much better, and I bet a lot of fun for her to have written. Nice Job!

My Shelf.Com
Beautiful Naram-tani is just sixteen years old and sings for the Sumerian king, but when he dies she is sentenced to be killed to serve him in the afterlife. Too young to die and full of zest for life, she runs away and hides on board a ship belonging to the master of slave Sargon. Soon the two are in love and their lives seem destined to be entwined. Sargon buys his freedom with Naram-tani's jewellery but this only begins a series of adventures (and misadventures) with slavers, the dead Sumerian king's evil son, the court at Kish and life in Egypt as the lovers are separated and while Sargon dreams of building the world's first true empire, a supernatural being has told him that the maiden's song will hold the key. Novels set in ancient Sumer are few and far between and if you enjoy stories set in the ancient world as much as I do, then you will enjoy reading one set in a different place and time to the norm. To its detriment the characters don't have any great depth - it is what they do that counts in the story - and more descriptions of the places visited and the way of life would have really brought the book to life. It is well paced however, and exciting, as the pair is put through a series of surely Old Testament inspired escapades and somehow there isn't a dull page. The supernatural episodes are well handled especially and appear to be a part of life in those long ago times; it could be explained as a dream or it might not be and the author keeps it all very low-key as befits a historical novel that is not a fantasy.