He conquered more than forty nations and brought fear and war to the very doorstep of Eighteenth Dynasty Egypt, but he could not conquer the one woman he truly loved.
I, The Sun
by Janet Morris
Genre: Ancient Egyptian Hittite Historical Fiction
“I, the Sun is a masterpiece of historical fiction. It tells a great story while accurately creating the world of the Hittites and their best known emperor,” — Dr. Jerry Pournelle.
Suppiluliumas I and the Amarna pharaohs:
Biographical novel of the greatest Hittite king.
From palace coups in the lost city of Hattusas to treachery in the Egyptian court of Tutankhamun, I, the Sun, the saga of the Hittite King Suppiluliumas, rings with authenticity and the passion of a world that existed fourteen hundred years before the birth of Christ.
They called him Great King, Favorite of the Storm God, the Valiant. He conquered more than forty nations and brought fear and war to the very doorstep of Eighteenth Dynasty Egypt, but he could not conquer the one woman he truly loved.
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Then, as Kantuzilis’ white claws came down on Tuthaliyas’ shoulder, I shouted: “You are nothing. You have made a mockery of this kingship before the people. Let the Oath Gods decide between us, or cede me the seat you cannot hold!” I whirled around, checking to be sure that my men awaited me, that their resolve was strong, that their courage would hold. Then I faced the Great Ones, the Chiefs, and the lords, saying, “I give you each warning! Make your decisions!”
Even as I spoke, Kantuzilis screamed “Take them!” springing on Zida a moment before I loosed my men and, with bare sword and ax, waded into the battle suddenly boiling around the Great King. To get there, I hacked my way through a Meshedi’s neck with my ax, tore another off my back – too late to avoid a long slash on my chest. Then I could see no king, no brother, no allies, just the enemy: the Meshedi, the hostile lords. Never have I laid about me with more satisfaction. An uncle went down under me and a chief took my ax in his mouth. Long did we fight there, until a hoarse voice calling repeatedly for a halt to the carnage could be heard, and heeded.
When I had wiped the last blood and sweat from my eyes, I was standing calf-deep in Hittite high-born. Shaking gore from my ax, toeing away corpses, I peered around me: most of the men left standing were mine. Far from the fighting ground, my mother, two Arinnian lords and a few palace officials huddled; from behind the halentuwa-house, the clergy peeped, lamenting.
The hoarse voice had been Kuwatna-ziti’s; in it he now proclaimed the day ours. I turned corpses until I found Tuthaliyas. Digging down to him, I found Kantuzilis, his fat body split like a slug’s; it looked as if they had died in each other’s arms.
Then only did I take thought to whom I had lost, and whom I had not. My brother Zida limped toward me – a sign that he had fought for me in the fray; I had put Hatib to watch him closely, with orders that he should not survive if he raised hand against us. Hatib, unscathed, was bending over a richly-clad body, drawing a jeweled girdle from its hips. As I counted heads, I found that I had lost two of my Sutu and five Hittites. Kuwatna-ziti, too, had lost a few men. But the Meshedi and the foul officials we slew were uncountable.
Best selling author Janet Morris began writing in 1976 and published more than 30 novels, many co-authored with her husband Chris Morris or others. She contributed short fiction to the shared universe fantasy series Thieves World, in which she created the Sacred Band of Stepsons, a mythical unit of ancient fighters modeled on the Sacred Band of Thebes. She created, orchestrated, and edited the Bangsian fantasy series Heroes in Hell, writing stories for the series as well as co-writing the related novel, The Little Helliad, with Chris Morris. She wrote the bestselling Silistra Quartet in the 1970s, including High Couch of Silistra, The Golden Sword, Wind from the Abyss, and The Carnelian Throne. This quartet had more than four million copies in Bantam print alone, and was translated into German, French, Italian, Russian and other languages. In the 1980s, Baen Books released a second edition of this landmark series. The third edition is the Author’s Cut edition, newly revised by the author for Perseid Press. Most of her fiction work has been in the fantasy and science fiction genres, although she has also written historical and other novels. Morris has written, contributed to, or edited several book-length works of non-fiction, as well as papers and articles on nonlethal weapons, developmental military technology and other defense and national security topics.
Janet said: ‘People often ask what book to read first. I recommend “I, the Sun” if you like ancient history; “The Sacred Band,” a novel, if you like heroic fantasy; “Lawyers in Hell” if you like historical fantasy set in hell; “Outpassage” if you like hard science fiction; “High Couch of Silistra” if you like far-future dystopian or philosophical novels. I am most enthusiastic about the definitive Perseid Press Author’s Cut editions, which I revised and expanded.’
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What is something unique/quirky about you?
Together we breed Morgan horses. We consult with Morgan breeders to help them choose crosses to their stock to achieve a desired result.
We are also musicians; Janet plays bass guitar, Chris sings and plays guitar. We have an album on MCA records. Look for Christopher Crosby Morris on Soundcloud or N1M.com
Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
Janet wrote her first novel, High Couch of Silistra in 1975; a friend sent it to an agent who chose to represent her; she had already written the second book in the Silistra Quartet and her agent told her not to disclose that until they finalized the contract for the first one. When the publisher learned of the others, Bantam Books bought the succeeding three. When the fourth book was published, the series already had four million copies in print. Suddenly Janet was a novelist specializing in environmental, gender, historical and political subjects. In the process, Chris started as her editor and ultimately a co-writer. Since then, she and Chris have co-authored many books.
Who is your hero and why?
Heraclitus of Ephesus, a pre-socratic philosopher, whose Cosmic Fragments foreshadow our knowledge of reality and how to perceive it. Among his precepts is the statement that change alone is unchanging. We’ve worked Heraclitus’ fragments in here and there throughout our books.
Which of your novels can you imagine being made into a movie?
I, the Sun. Writing is very cinematic for me, very visual, so all my stories seem suited to the screen. The make or break in movies is the screenplay, what to include and more importantly what to leave out, because it’s impossible to fit an entire novel into a 2 ½ hour feature. Screen writers welcome.
What inspired you to write I, the Sun?
Years ago, I took a course in self-hypnosis and one of the exercises was to go to a deeper level and imagine meeting a person who would serve as your helper and guide. At a deep level I watched as a door like that of an elevator slowly opened to reveal someone inside. As he stepped out I couldn’t help but notice a large conical crown he wore and immediately asked him who and what he was. He replied, “I am a Hittite.” Then I asked, “What’s a Hittite?” To which he responded, “You’ll find out.” The rest as they say is history.
Convince us why you feel I, the Sun is a must read.
Only recently have archaeological efforts yielded enough biographical information in the form of writings on tablets, usually transcriptions of treaties between powers. Taking time to read these texts tells a story of an evolving empire which I find irresistible to explore. My job then becomes to share with you what made it so exciting.
Who designed your book covers?
Most of our covers, including I, the Sun, are realized by Roy Mauritsen, a gifted graphic artist.
Advice to writers?
As for advice to writers, here is all we know: write the story you want to read. Start at the beginning, go to the end, and stop. Seriously. From start to finish you must inhabit the construct in a manner that makes the reader choose to continue; if we as writers can’t feel what it’s like being there, our readers can’t either. Close your eyes, look at your feet where they are standing on the story’s ground; tell us what you see. Tell us what you hear. Ask at the end of each paragraph ‘what happens next?’. If you lose touch with it wait until you’re back inside it. Tell the story that comes to you, and from you, to us.
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Looks like a good read
I like the cover art. Looks great. Sounds like a really good story.
An interesting story line, for sure; sounds great and I hop to get a chance to read it :)
this looks like a good book.
I like everything about this book – genre title and cover!
Thank you for sharing the excerpt.
The book details are interesting.
This so sounds like a great read and one that will keep me interested for sure!
Thanks for the great blurb and excerpt. The book sounds fascinating. I love historical fiction!
Very nice cover.
Sounds like a great book.
this sounds interesting
Never heard of this particular historical figure, which is one of the reasons I love historical fiction–learning something new while reading something interesting.
Hi Carol – This comment makes us at Perseid really happy. To make history come alive on pages takes a lot of research and always results in a wider view of a figure’s time and place. :)
Sounds good
It looks like a good read.
Sounds like a interesting book.
Looks very exciting Do you write in a daily journal?
I like the book details.
Sounds good!
This looks like a good one
This sounds like an interesting book and I also like the cover.
Very interesting excerpt and title. Great job.
I enjoyed the guest post. Thank you for the giveaway!
Question for Author–What inspired you to become a writer?
interesting
I love the unusual genre and the cover!
Great cover!
Do you have any advice for new writers?
The book details are intriguing
Is the protagonist similar to the first draft?
Hi Bunna – Our first draft goes through a minimum of changes so yes, the protagonist, in this case a Hittite king doesn’t change much if we are being faithful to the historic record. We actually read tablets of treaties written by Suppiluliumas and became familiar with how he spoke. We kept him in that voice throughout. I hope you’ll pick up I, the Sun and read it. :)
It looks interesting!
This sounds like an incredible read.
sounds like a great book