All Our Broken Idols

In the historical novel "The Lion's Gate," set in Assyria during the reign of Ashurbanipal, Aurya and Sharo face daily struggles for survival. When they are taken hostage by King Ashurbanipal's men, their fates become intertwined with the king and a wounded lion. Twenty-six centuries later, British-Iraqi archaeologist Katya joins a dig in Mosul to protect Nineveh's ruins, but ISIL storms the city and takes her, Salim, and Lola hostage. The novel seamlessly weaves two stories, exploring the coexistence of cruelty and creative beauty.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 368 pages
Publication date: 15 April 2021
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

‘Richly imagined Sunday Times
‘An engrossing,seamlessly written deliberation on the enduring power of art Mail on Sunday
‘Assyria,in the reign of Ashurbanipal. For Aurya and Sharo,every day is a struggle for survival. One evening,everything changes. Soon,they are on the barge of King Ashurbanipal,bound for the city of Nineveh. Their fates become inextricably bound to that of the king – and the injured lion captured by his men.
‘Twenty-six centuries later,British-Iraqi archaeologist Katya joins a dig in Mosul to protect the ancient ruins of Nineveh from looters. But the real world crashes in to their studious idyll when ISIL storm Mosul – and take Katya,Salim and local girl Lola hostage.
‘Dual timeline novels often fail: one strand is more interesting than the other,or the links between the two are contrived. Not here. Both stories are superbly told and share the same preoccupation – the coexistence of cruelty and creative beauty
‘The Times ,Historical Novel of the Month

Weight: 258g
Dimension: 129 x 198 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781408879351