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All Our Broken Idols
'Superbly told' The Times'Richly imagined' Sunday Times'An engrossing, seamlessly written deliberation on the enduring power of art' Mail on SundayAssyria, 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 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
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 28, 2020
62 people are currently reading
1072 people want to read
About the author
Paul M.M. Cooper
3 books311 followersPaul Cooper was born in South London and grew up in Cardiff, Wales. He was educated at the University of Warwick and the UEA, and after graduating he left for Sri Lanka to work as an English teacher.
Paul has worked as an archivist, editor and journalist, and has a PhD in the cultural and literary significance of ruins. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, The BBC, The Atlantic, National Geographic, New Scientist and Discover Magazine.
His first novel, River of Ink, was published in January 2016, and his second novel, All Our Broken Idols was released in May 2020. His upcoming work of nonfiction, Fall of Civilizations: Stories of Greatness and Decline will be released in April 2024.
He writes, produces and hosts the Fall of Civilizations podcast, which has charted in the top ten British podcasts, and gained upwards of 100 million listens since it launched in 2019.
He is on Twitter as @PaulMMCooper
Paul has worked as an archivist, editor and journalist, and has a PhD in the cultural and literary significance of ruins. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, The BBC, The Atlantic, National Geographic, New Scientist and Discover Magazine.
His first novel, River of Ink, was published in January 2016, and his second novel, All Our Broken Idols was released in May 2020. His upcoming work of nonfiction, Fall of Civilizations: Stories of Greatness and Decline will be released in April 2024.
He writes, produces and hosts the Fall of Civilizations podcast, which has charted in the top ten British podcasts, and gained upwards of 100 million listens since it launched in 2019.
He is on Twitter as @PaulMMCooper
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
August 17, 2020
At its best, a thematically beautiful story of how history is made; in its weaker portions, slow and somewhat oddly paced, but always enjoyable. Curiously, the two are often the same moments.
The story flows seamlessly and it is beautifully written, but there are times where the language and the soft, steady flow of the narrative actually hurt individual scenes -- action scenes, mostly, which rarely feel very fast-paced; but also expository, calmer scenes where no major progress is made in the story. One particular example is an episode, early in the book, where Katya, one of the main characters, begins working on an archaeological excavation, digging down through layers of history. The process of going down into the dust is beautifully described and really captures what is so fascinating about the study of history. At the same time, this episode grinds the story to a halt, and nothing (story-wise) really comes out of the whole scene. There are many similar instances throughout the book; bits that paint the themes of the story very vividly, yet hurt the pacing of the overall chapter.
I mean this less as a critique and more as... a point of interest, I suppose. It never comes close to ruining the book; in fact, I was surprised at how much of a page-turner it was, especially after the first hundred pages. I'm not even sure I would say it's a negative... but it is definitely something I took notice of. A stylistic quirk, perhaps.
Overall, though, I warmly recommend this book and I very much look forward to whatever the author comes up with next.
The story flows seamlessly and it is beautifully written, but there are times where the language and the soft, steady flow of the narrative actually hurt individual scenes -- action scenes, mostly, which rarely feel very fast-paced; but also expository, calmer scenes where no major progress is made in the story. One particular example is an episode, early in the book, where Katya, one of the main characters, begins working on an archaeological excavation, digging down through layers of history. The process of going down into the dust is beautifully described and really captures what is so fascinating about the study of history. At the same time, this episode grinds the story to a halt, and nothing (story-wise) really comes out of the whole scene. There are many similar instances throughout the book; bits that paint the themes of the story very vividly, yet hurt the pacing of the overall chapter.
I mean this less as a critique and more as... a point of interest, I suppose. It never comes close to ruining the book; in fact, I was surprised at how much of a page-turner it was, especially after the first hundred pages. I'm not even sure I would say it's a negative... but it is definitely something I took notice of. A stylistic quirk, perhaps.
Overall, though, I warmly recommend this book and I very much look forward to whatever the author comes up with next.
March 14, 2022
Kādā ziemas vakarā notika brīnums, un YT algoritms iemeta man ar kaut ko jēdzīgu - podkāstu Fall of Civilizations. Iekritu tajā ar aizrautību, par kādu Netfliķis var būt krietni greizsirdīgs. Pols prot aizraut ar stāstiem par sen zudušajām civilizācijām un iedvest tajos dzīvību, tāpēc es biju gatava pamēģināt arī viņa literāro mēģinājumu, lai gan zināma skepse man bija.
Romāna darbība norisinās divos laikos - Asīrijā 7. gs. p.m.ē. un Irākā 21. gs. Autors ir prasmīgi savijis seno un moderno - Nīnivi un tās ļaudis Ašurbanipala dzīves un varas norietā un Mosulu, kur senās Nīnives drupas slēpj brīnišķīgus dārgumus, kurus Islāma valsts uzskata par zaimiem. Lai gan grāmatā ir veiksmīgi apvienoti vēsturiskie un spriedzes elementi, tās nopietnākais trūkums ir vāji izstrādātie personāži. Diemžēl ar “back-story” vien nepietiek, lai tēls kļūtu dzīvs un pārliecinošs. Tāpat arī ir jāzina - ko tu ar to personāžu iesāksi, ja reiz esi viņu iebāzis grāmatā. Un tad tur mētājas pa vidu kaut kādi pusdzīvie, no kuriem jēgas tik, cik kaķim zem astes. Un diemžēl vāji uzrakstīti personāži liek zaudēt interesi pat par spraigu stāsta sižetu :(
Romāna darbība norisinās divos laikos - Asīrijā 7. gs. p.m.ē. un Irākā 21. gs. Autors ir prasmīgi savijis seno un moderno - Nīnivi un tās ļaudis Ašurbanipala dzīves un varas norietā un Mosulu, kur senās Nīnives drupas slēpj brīnišķīgus dārgumus, kurus Islāma valsts uzskata par zaimiem. Lai gan grāmatā ir veiksmīgi apvienoti vēsturiskie un spriedzes elementi, tās nopietnākais trūkums ir vāji izstrādātie personāži. Diemžēl ar “back-story” vien nepietiek, lai tēls kļūtu dzīvs un pārliecinošs. Tāpat arī ir jāzina - ko tu ar to personāžu iesāksi, ja reiz esi viņu iebāzis grāmatā. Un tad tur mētājas pa vidu kaut kādi pusdzīvie, no kuriem jēgas tik, cik kaķim zem astes. Un diemžēl vāji uzrakstīti personāži liek zaudēt interesi pat par spraigu stāsta sižetu :(
May 28, 2020
I loved this great and well researched story that mixes past and present creating a great plot and featuring a cast of fascinating characters.
I found it enthralling and I couldn't put it down because I was fascinated by what I was reading.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I found it enthralling and I couldn't put it down because I was fascinated by what I was reading.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
January 21, 2021
Thrilling book linking 600BC in and around ancient city of Nineveh and a few years ago in modern day Iraq. Just finished it a few hours ago and I'm still on edge.
December 13, 2022
"All Our Broken Idols" is an enjoyable read that could have been better.
It's really two stories in one book; one set in ancient Assyria, the other in Mosul during the rise of the Islamic State. While the thought behind telling the stories together is pretty clear, I would argue that the stories should have been told apart. As it is, the book neither fleshes out the individual story-lines nor brings alive their settings. Which is even more painful since the author often sacrifices pace to tell the stories in parallel - meaning the book is a bit slow in parts.
This is a bummer, because the stories have absolutely fantastic bones. There are multiple fascinating angles here, of which the underlining unifier of the two story-lines - namely the making of history and its discovery 26 centuries later - is the least interesting one. The book deals with the universal and the personal, science through history and its denial and destruction, and it is, at its core, ultimately painfully human both in the good and the bad.
It is, therefore, well worth a read despite its shortcomings.
2.5-3 stars.
It's really two stories in one book; one set in ancient Assyria, the other in Mosul during the rise of the Islamic State. While the thought behind telling the stories together is pretty clear, I would argue that the stories should have been told apart. As it is, the book neither fleshes out the individual story-lines nor brings alive their settings. Which is even more painful since the author often sacrifices pace to tell the stories in parallel - meaning the book is a bit slow in parts.
This is a bummer, because the stories have absolutely fantastic bones. There are multiple fascinating angles here, of which the underlining unifier of the two story-lines - namely the making of history and its discovery 26 centuries later - is the least interesting one. The book deals with the universal and the personal, science through history and its denial and destruction, and it is, at its core, ultimately painfully human both in the good and the bad.
It is, therefore, well worth a read despite its shortcomings.
2.5-3 stars.
February 17, 2021
I found this book very frustrating, I'm just disappointed overall.
Imagine being from the land known as the Cradle of civilization, having ancestors who created writing and city states, yet your cultural identity is that of war, terrorism and destruction! It's no fault of this book's author that my country is the way it is now, but it still hurts that I can't simply enjoy a story set in Assyrian times without having to also put up with a bizarre take on ISIS and the fall of Mosul, which is something that happened only a handful of years ago so it's still recent enough that you risk running into bad taste territory!
I will start by pointing out some positives, I liked Aurya's story and her relationship with her brother, it had a strong emotional core and I thought the way the story sets up the time period was very smooth and engaging. I liked the motif of the epic of Gilgamesh running throughout both timelines (though I'm not sure what was the point of it) , and I liked the style of the book, it's quite beautifully written.
While unrelated to the book itself, I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator excellent.
Where I started to have problems is with Katya's portion of the story, and while I did like Katya herself as a character, her story fell flat to me, in no small part because I was put off by all the inaccuracies and strange decisions. Women don't all wear the Abaya in Baghdad's international airport! also fun fact, no one stands at the arrivals hall to pick you up, the airport is closed off! so from minute one I knew this book wasn't meant for anyone who is from Iraq, but then the question becomes, who is it for? the Abaya detail is unimportant, but other details are, like why would deeply fundamentalist ISIS just lock up an unmarried woman with a man? I can respect artistic license but this is a story that is personal to many, and this feels very Hollywood (for lack of better term) treatment of it, the main character heroically escape after a daring mission, the Yazidi girl kills her would-be rapists, and in the end the heroes embark on a mission to save the stolen artifacts, while in the real world residents of Mosul live refugee camps to this day! It feels hollow and callus. I am aware that Katya's story is somewhat open ended, but since she sees deja vu all the time I just took it as it is what actually happened.
I also found the connection between past and present too on the nose and literal, I was able to predict much of Sharo's story through the clues left, I personally feel the connection should have been more thematic, problem is, I'm not even sure what the themes of the book are, or if I care for what I think they might be? at a certain point we start seeing the cruelty of Ashurbanipal and his rule contrasted with that of ISIS, so what's that's supposed to tell the readers? that's it's inevitable? that violence is in Iraqis' DNA? I want to go with more charitable reads of this parallel, like history repeats itself or religious zealously is bad? that latter one is obvious but the book doesn't do the minimum with it, there is no discussion of religion in the book, we are never clued in to what faith Katya or her father believed in, if any, we are not aware of how devout any of the Iraqi characters are and weather that causes in sort of internal struggle with the invasion, we never learn what's the deal with Abu Ammar, he spouts Quran verses, even ones that don't fit the situation, yet he drinks alcohol and says the rules don't apply to him, which granted, is very realistic for terrorists to also be hypocrites but that character was so vague none of it made sense! There are also some strange misunderstandings of the political situation too, the story does mention the army leaving and abandoning Mosul, so there is some level of awareness to the political landscapes around that time, but then Saleem makes Saddam Hussein jokes 11 years after the fall of his regime, I assume because our humor was frozen in time after 2003?!
What does the story of Gilgamesh add to the overall narrative? that story is about finding immortality in the figurative sense by being remembered for your great deeds, how does this relate to any of the characters? Is it just because it's cool to add Gilgamesh to your story? because I get that, if I ever wrote a book I'd want Gilgamesh in there too! but to have the epic heavily feature in both timelines I expected more payoff.
I do not blame Paul Cooper for not being able to capture this rich and complicated situation, and I would not say that is not his story to tell, but no one can blame me for having a bad taste after reading something that doesn't accurately portray my culture! And I can not with good faith recommend this book to anyone for fear they might get the wrong impressions of the situation. I do however recommend the fall of Civilization podcast by the same author, that one is great!
Imagine being from the land known as the Cradle of civilization, having ancestors who created writing and city states, yet your cultural identity is that of war, terrorism and destruction! It's no fault of this book's author that my country is the way it is now, but it still hurts that I can't simply enjoy a story set in Assyrian times without having to also put up with a bizarre take on ISIS and the fall of Mosul, which is something that happened only a handful of years ago so it's still recent enough that you risk running into bad taste territory!
I will start by pointing out some positives, I liked Aurya's story and her relationship with her brother, it had a strong emotional core and I thought the way the story sets up the time period was very smooth and engaging. I liked the motif of the epic of Gilgamesh running throughout both timelines (though I'm not sure what was the point of it) , and I liked the style of the book, it's quite beautifully written.
While unrelated to the book itself, I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator excellent.
Where I started to have problems is with Katya's portion of the story, and while I did like Katya herself as a character, her story fell flat to me, in no small part because I was put off by all the inaccuracies and strange decisions. Women don't all wear the Abaya in Baghdad's international airport! also fun fact, no one stands at the arrivals hall to pick you up, the airport is closed off! so from minute one I knew this book wasn't meant for anyone who is from Iraq, but then the question becomes, who is it for? the Abaya detail is unimportant, but other details are, like why would deeply fundamentalist ISIS just lock up an unmarried woman with a man? I can respect artistic license but this is a story that is personal to many, and this feels very Hollywood (for lack of better term) treatment of it, the main character heroically escape after a daring mission, the Yazidi girl kills her would-be rapists, and in the end the heroes embark on a mission to save the stolen artifacts, while in the real world residents of Mosul live refugee camps to this day! It feels hollow and callus. I am aware that Katya's story is somewhat open ended, but since she sees deja vu all the time I just took it as it is what actually happened.
I also found the connection between past and present too on the nose and literal, I was able to predict much of Sharo's story through the clues left, I personally feel the connection should have been more thematic, problem is, I'm not even sure what the themes of the book are, or if I care for what I think they might be? at a certain point we start seeing the cruelty of Ashurbanipal and his rule contrasted with that of ISIS, so what's that's supposed to tell the readers? that's it's inevitable? that violence is in Iraqis' DNA? I want to go with more charitable reads of this parallel, like history repeats itself or religious zealously is bad? that latter one is obvious but the book doesn't do the minimum with it, there is no discussion of religion in the book, we are never clued in to what faith Katya or her father believed in, if any, we are not aware of how devout any of the Iraqi characters are and weather that causes in sort of internal struggle with the invasion, we never learn what's the deal with Abu Ammar, he spouts Quran verses, even ones that don't fit the situation, yet he drinks alcohol and says the rules don't apply to him, which granted, is very realistic for terrorists to also be hypocrites but that character was so vague none of it made sense! There are also some strange misunderstandings of the political situation too, the story does mention the army leaving and abandoning Mosul, so there is some level of awareness to the political landscapes around that time, but then Saleem makes Saddam Hussein jokes 11 years after the fall of his regime, I assume because our humor was frozen in time after 2003?!
What does the story of Gilgamesh add to the overall narrative? that story is about finding immortality in the figurative sense by being remembered for your great deeds, how does this relate to any of the characters? Is it just because it's cool to add Gilgamesh to your story? because I get that, if I ever wrote a book I'd want Gilgamesh in there too! but to have the epic heavily feature in both timelines I expected more payoff.
I do not blame Paul Cooper for not being able to capture this rich and complicated situation, and I would not say that is not his story to tell, but no one can blame me for having a bad taste after reading something that doesn't accurately portray my culture! And I can not with good faith recommend this book to anyone for fear they might get the wrong impressions of the situation. I do however recommend the fall of Civilization podcast by the same author, that one is great!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2021
Well I seem at odds with the majority of readers- I felt generous giving this book 2 stars. Research seemed limited - the ancient story was based on the carvings and library - the two most iconic points of the city at that time. You really could have been in anyplace though - the book gave no sense of place or life of the times. The modern day story was simply put a kidnapping and again had no sense of place. The characters were 1 dimensional and the plot was well signposted - no surprise in how the book progressed. The plot was thin and every action was a vehicle for taking the story to its conclusion. Attitudes and aspirations changed on whim to fit the plot - it all felt very contrived. Sorry, this just wasn’t for me.
October 9, 2023
A really good read. Historical fiction sometimes feels like it’s not actually set in a time period entirely and this definitely does a good job of being historical and still relevant. Switching characters back and forth is sometimes not good because one is better than the other. In this case, it’s the opposite, each switch is hard simply because you are so engrossed in that character. Great themes of survival, culture, politics, and propaganda.
November 13, 2024
Got slightly distracted with current events 🫠 but this book… absolutely stunning. The way Paul was able to weave both Aurya and Katyas stories together across centuries was great and his writing made it feel so real. Definitely recommend everyone pick this up and give it a read!!!
February 15, 2024
This book was absolutely phenomenal and it is a travesty that so few people have shelved it! I was so engrossed in the dual narratives here, thousands of years apart but subtly touching on one another and in the most beautiful of ways. I was utterly invested from start to finish and want to read everything I can get my hands on from Paul Cooper.
February 16, 2022
In a way, I almost feel bad to give this book 3 stars. The story was okay, and there were many qualities to the book, which makes it all the more frustrating to feel dissatisfied and short-changed by the book it ended up being.
In All Our Broken Idols, Cooper weaves two stories of the two female protagonists: Aurya in Nineveh during the Neo-Assyrian empire, and a modern story set in Mosul under the control of IS featuring Katya. While an ambitious effort, the braiding of the two stories together worked, in my opinion, to the detriment of the entire book. Each story had its weaker points, and during such periods you're just begging to get back to the other story. When the stories were reaching a moment of tension and it gets cut away, it feels like watching a TV show and it had cut away to a commercial break. While it heightened tension, it destroyed momentum. Furthermore, I'm not entirely certain if the stories benefitted being one half of a whole book. While there were some tenuous links between the two, the plots did not have a consistent through line that echoed each other, no common theme that really brought them together.
That being said, the plots were interesting, and I did enjoy the characters enough. The research that Cooper had done in preparation for the book was evident, and I think he did the cultures he portrayed justice. It seems that he was perhaps all too eager to demonstrate this knowledge, as some parts of the story were a bit too descriptive and explanatory. Fortunately, they were the minority of scenes and had not too negative an impact on my overall impression of the book.
One minor thing I would like to note is that you can see some phrases the author really liked to use, like his repeated description of faces as masks of whatever feeling the character was experiencing at the moment (mask of sorrow, mask of pain etc.)
Overall, while there are parts left to be desired, I think the stories hold their own and are both interesting reads, especially for history buffs.
In All Our Broken Idols, Cooper weaves two stories of the two female protagonists: Aurya in Nineveh during the Neo-Assyrian empire, and a modern story set in Mosul under the control of IS featuring Katya. While an ambitious effort, the braiding of the two stories together worked, in my opinion, to the detriment of the entire book. Each story had its weaker points, and during such periods you're just begging to get back to the other story. When the stories were reaching a moment of tension and it gets cut away, it feels like watching a TV show and it had cut away to a commercial break. While it heightened tension, it destroyed momentum. Furthermore, I'm not entirely certain if the stories benefitted being one half of a whole book. While there were some tenuous links between the two, the plots did not have a consistent through line that echoed each other, no common theme that really brought them together.
That being said, the plots were interesting, and I did enjoy the characters enough. The research that Cooper had done in preparation for the book was evident, and I think he did the cultures he portrayed justice. It seems that he was perhaps all too eager to demonstrate this knowledge, as some parts of the story were a bit too descriptive and explanatory. Fortunately, they were the minority of scenes and had not too negative an impact on my overall impression of the book.
One minor thing I would like to note is that you can see some phrases the author really liked to use, like his repeated description of faces as masks of whatever feeling the character was experiencing at the moment (mask of sorrow, mask of pain etc.)
Overall, while there are parts left to be desired, I think the stories hold their own and are both interesting reads, especially for history buffs.
February 4, 2023
Just going to lay it out straight - I don't understand literary fiction. What is the point of spending time with imaginary people, just to trudge through their ongoing suffering and eventual unhappy endings?
Couldn't I just read a news report for that? I suppose not, in this case, since it's historical fiction. There are no true first person accounts. And it probably is stuff worth remembering, and seeing through their eyes. But there's a huge difference between 'worth remembering' and 'actually fun to read'.
At any rate, I made it to the end, of this rather depressing novel that has a modern day depressing timeline and an historical age-of-Assurbanipal depressing timeline. They fade in and out of each other, chapter by chapter, and the transitions are very well done.
That said, I am very glad to be done with it.
As for the historical stuff, I was never a huge fan of Assurbanipal's carvings anyway. They may have been carved later, but they seem inferior to Assurnasipal's to me.
All in all, from the beginning you could see that the ending was going to be downhill into unhappiness. There weren't even moments of joy and levity to make the journey worth it. Just different versions of suffering. I get that people choose to read literary fic, but I sure af don't understand why.
Couldn't I just read a news report for that? I suppose not, in this case, since it's historical fiction. There are no true first person accounts. And it probably is stuff worth remembering, and seeing through their eyes. But there's a huge difference between 'worth remembering' and 'actually fun to read'.
At any rate, I made it to the end, of this rather depressing novel that has a modern day depressing timeline and an historical age-of-Assurbanipal depressing timeline. They fade in and out of each other, chapter by chapter, and the transitions are very well done.
That said, I am very glad to be done with it.
As for the historical stuff, I was never a huge fan of Assurbanipal's carvings anyway. They may have been carved later, but they seem inferior to Assurnasipal's to me.
All in all, from the beginning you could see that the ending was going to be downhill into unhappiness. There weren't even moments of joy and levity to make the journey worth it. Just different versions of suffering. I get that people choose to read literary fic, but I sure af don't understand why.
August 14, 2020
Paul M.M. Cooper's new book caught my eye with a blurb on Twitter. Ancient Iraq/modern Iraq; archaeology, brother/sister; civil war; ancient gods/modern gods;; ancient love stories/modern romance.
Lots of boxes ticked off! I jumped into his novel ALL THE BROKEN IDOLS
In ancient Iraq, Aurya and her brother Sharo live a life below the level of common peasants. Their drunken father does not bother to feed or clothe them, and their mother is dead. Sharo is a seer of a somewhat autistic modality. He draws. He loves lions. When they escape to Nineveh in a thoroughly outlandish way and find themselves among the king's employees, their world expands in a thousand ways.
Cooper conjures up the excesses of the king while enumerating the work of the thousands under his thumb. The details of the sculpting artisans are fascinating.
Interlaced is the story of Katya and Salim in modern Iraq. They are excavating a site, hoping to find something to put their names in the records for all time. Katya is housed at the mostly shrouded and destroyed national museum, which gives her both safety and a place to muse about the antiquities of a once-great nation.
Danger is not far away. Iraq is under siege from extremists who desire to destroy the present in order to raise the future. Katya and Salim are always just a misstep away from death. The conclusion rides to a harrowing finish.
The two storylines mesh well. The reader grows in the mystery as clues are added. I found the book quite satisfying in action and historical details. (I am not scholar on Iraq's history and cannot vouch for the accuracy of either era.)
Lots of boxes ticked off! I jumped into his novel ALL THE BROKEN IDOLS
In ancient Iraq, Aurya and her brother Sharo live a life below the level of common peasants. Their drunken father does not bother to feed or clothe them, and their mother is dead. Sharo is a seer of a somewhat autistic modality. He draws. He loves lions. When they escape to Nineveh in a thoroughly outlandish way and find themselves among the king's employees, their world expands in a thousand ways.
Cooper conjures up the excesses of the king while enumerating the work of the thousands under his thumb. The details of the sculpting artisans are fascinating.
Interlaced is the story of Katya and Salim in modern Iraq. They are excavating a site, hoping to find something to put their names in the records for all time. Katya is housed at the mostly shrouded and destroyed national museum, which gives her both safety and a place to muse about the antiquities of a once-great nation.
Danger is not far away. Iraq is under siege from extremists who desire to destroy the present in order to raise the future. Katya and Salim are always just a misstep away from death. The conclusion rides to a harrowing finish.
The two storylines mesh well. The reader grows in the mystery as clues are added. I found the book quite satisfying in action and historical details. (I am not scholar on Iraq's history and cannot vouch for the accuracy of either era.)
January 1, 2023
This was the perfect follow-up to the Assyrian episode of Paul M.M. Cooper's Fall of Civilizations podcast. All Our Broken Idols follows two young women - Aurya, a girl from a small village in the neo-Assyrian empire and Katya, an archaeologist from England who finds herself in Mosul, Iraq . I expected the transitions between the two stories to feel choppy and jarring and ruin my overall experience, but as you can tell by my 5 stars, that didn't happen. The author has paced both stories such that the elements of their plots match each other. This is something I really appreciated since the switches between the stories felt seamless and made for a great reading experience.
Individually, I enjoyed reading about both Aurya's and Katya's journeys as they adapted to their new environments and overcame the challenges they faced. I really liked the subtle parallels that Paul M.M. Cooper draws between both stories as the book progresses. I love how he paints such a detailed portrait of life in the ancient neo-Assyrian empire, from the royal palace at Nineveh to slaves from different parts of the world interacting with each other.
There were two things that I wish were different though. I'm glad that Aurya's story was kept as realistic as possible, in spite of the limited material that has survived from that period, but I found a little too hard to believe. Also, I would have liked it if the author had explored ISIS and their motives a little more in Katya's story. These don't take too much away from the book in terms of enjoyability, however, and I still feel that All Our Broken Idols is a fantastic book!
Individually, I enjoyed reading about both Aurya's and Katya's journeys as they adapted to their new environments and overcame the challenges they faced. I really liked the subtle parallels that Paul M.M. Cooper draws between both stories as the book progresses. I love how he paints such a detailed portrait of life in the ancient neo-Assyrian empire, from the royal palace at Nineveh to slaves from different parts of the world interacting with each other.
There were two things that I wish were different though. I'm glad that Aurya's story was kept as realistic as possible, in spite of the limited material that has survived from that period, but I found a little too hard to believe. Also, I would have liked it if the author had explored ISIS and their motives a little more in Katya's story. These don't take too much away from the book in terms of enjoyability, however, and I still feel that All Our Broken Idols is a fantastic book!
August 25, 2023
Paul M. M. Cooper munkásságát elsősorban a maratoni hosszúságú, zenei aláfestéses podcastjeiből ismerem, amelyekben letűnt civilizációk múltjáról mereng irodalmi hangulatban, így annyira nem is lepődtem meg, hogy egyszer csak a könyve megjelenéséről is beszámolt, ami az ókori Asszíria világába kalauzol minket fiction formátumban.
Nyilván óriási bónuszpont a setting, hiszen személy szerint nem sok i.e. 7. századi Asszíriában játszódó könyvet olvastam a korábbiakban, és ezt a felütést nagyjából sikerül is végigvinnie, az ókori történetet egyszerre sikerül "hitelesnek" és távolinak érzékeltetni ebből az értelmezhetetlenül nagy időbeli távolságból. A ködbe vesző múlt azonban úgy tűnik, hogy nem bírt volna el egy egész kötetet, így arra ráépítve kapunk egy modern szálat az Iszlám Állam alatti Moszul (az iraki Moszul az asszír Niniveh-re épült rá) viszontagságairól.
A szerző mindent megtesz, hogy ezt a dupla narratívát organikusan kösse össze, de ez minden párhuzam és Gilgames-eposz idézet ellenére nem különösebben sikerül, így két történetet kell értékelnünk: az asszír tényleg archaikus, különleges, de nem különösebben csavaros, a modern pedig kicsit elnagyolt, de azért olvasható.
A könyv befejezését követően pedig nyilván jön egy órányi Wikipedia-olvasgatás.
Nyilván óriási bónuszpont a setting, hiszen személy szerint nem sok i.e. 7. századi Asszíriában játszódó könyvet olvastam a korábbiakban, és ezt a felütést nagyjából sikerül is végigvinnie, az ókori történetet egyszerre sikerül "hitelesnek" és távolinak érzékeltetni ebből az értelmezhetetlenül nagy időbeli távolságból. A ködbe vesző múlt azonban úgy tűnik, hogy nem bírt volna el egy egész kötetet, így arra ráépítve kapunk egy modern szálat az Iszlám Állam alatti Moszul (az iraki Moszul az asszír Niniveh-re épült rá) viszontagságairól.
A szerző mindent megtesz, hogy ezt a dupla narratívát organikusan kösse össze, de ez minden párhuzam és Gilgames-eposz idézet ellenére nem különösebben sikerül, így két történetet kell értékelnünk: az asszír tényleg archaikus, különleges, de nem különösebben csavaros, a modern pedig kicsit elnagyolt, de azért olvasható.
A könyv befejezését követően pedig nyilván jön egy órányi Wikipedia-olvasgatás.
July 15, 2022
It's a split timeline story, twisting together the invasion of Mosul by ISIS in 2013 and the story of two poor siblings becoming embroiled in Ashurbanipal's court in the 7th century BC court of Nineveh. On the one hand, the more modern (2013) story is greatly strengthened by the historical storyline, and takes a lot of its nuances from parallels of the early timeline, as well as using it to answer questions poised and left open in the modern day. The modern story gains a lot from it and so many of the most excruciatingly bittersweet moments of the book come from the dramatic irony of knowing the second storyline.
However, it is fairly clear that that is why the historical storyline exists. It feels, at least to me, like the 7th century storyline exists only to serve the latter story, and while this is great for the modern story, it leaves the world of Nineveh feeling less than fully fleshed out and the characters rather one dimenstional; I would have loved to have a more thorough exploration of this world.
On the whole, an emotional, engaging read with a few lackluster moments, but an ending that does justice to the characters you come to love.
However, it is fairly clear that that is why the historical storyline exists. It feels, at least to me, like the 7th century storyline exists only to serve the latter story, and while this is great for the modern story, it leaves the world of Nineveh feeling less than fully fleshed out and the characters rather one dimenstional; I would have loved to have a more thorough exploration of this world.
On the whole, an emotional, engaging read with a few lackluster moments, but an ending that does justice to the characters you come to love.
September 3, 2021
Power is often an occurrence of excellent art and art threatens this same power.
This sentence isn't from this book you see. It's a realization I came across by getting introduced to this book by Paul Cooper.
Tincture of histories spanning the Neo-Assyria of Esarhaddon and Asshurbanipal.... The book is a work of art but technical. I don't like infusion of stories in historic tales from the past and I ain't egging on the trope. So will not be reading this whole. But anyone who is interested in archeology and history should look forward to charting discourses with Cooper. I have limited myself to reading Historical fiction only when I am reviewing or contributing in some way to the book and it's growth. Otherwise, fiction only adds upto my excitement in literary genres or purely fictionalized tales these days...
Someone suggested in one of the @amazondotin reviews as to how All our broken idols is an archeological fiction. Archeological fiction. Hmmm. Interesting. Aint it? Need to more of this genre!
This sentence isn't from this book you see. It's a realization I came across by getting introduced to this book by Paul Cooper.
Tincture of histories spanning the Neo-Assyria of Esarhaddon and Asshurbanipal.... The book is a work of art but technical. I don't like infusion of stories in historic tales from the past and I ain't egging on the trope. So will not be reading this whole. But anyone who is interested in archeology and history should look forward to charting discourses with Cooper. I have limited myself to reading Historical fiction only when I am reviewing or contributing in some way to the book and it's growth. Otherwise, fiction only adds upto my excitement in literary genres or purely fictionalized tales these days...
Someone suggested in one of the @amazondotin reviews as to how All our broken idols is an archeological fiction. Archeological fiction. Hmmm. Interesting. Aint it? Need to more of this genre!
May 20, 2022
Very readable bi-partite narrative. In one, we're in the kingdom of King Asherbanipal, and hearing the story of two river children, one of whom ends up a fabulous stone carver and the other who becomes the King's Librarian, cataloguing his extensive library of clay tablets.
In the second, we hear the story of Katya, an archaeologist, who is excavating the site of ancient Ninevah, close to the city of Mosul. Her misfortune is to be trapped in the city during the Iraqi wars. Her archaeological digs reveal famous stone carvings that link back to the earlier story.
The brutality of that earlier world somehow dovetails into the brutality of the current times. Bottom line for Katya is having to decide whether it is worth dying in order to preserve fabulous treasures. And will those treasures survive even then?
I sincerely felt I was in an arid foreign land, and the metaphor extended to the extraordinary destructive outlook of the Isis fighters who Katya came into contact with. They were turning their country into heaps of dusty rubble.
In the second, we hear the story of Katya, an archaeologist, who is excavating the site of ancient Ninevah, close to the city of Mosul. Her misfortune is to be trapped in the city during the Iraqi wars. Her archaeological digs reveal famous stone carvings that link back to the earlier story.
The brutality of that earlier world somehow dovetails into the brutality of the current times. Bottom line for Katya is having to decide whether it is worth dying in order to preserve fabulous treasures. And will those treasures survive even then?
I sincerely felt I was in an arid foreign land, and the metaphor extended to the extraordinary destructive outlook of the Isis fighters who Katya came into contact with. They were turning their country into heaps of dusty rubble.
March 15, 2022
Paul's an articulate incisive researcher and he brought Nineveh to life, through Aurya's eyes. He makes Assyria's literate king, Ashurbanipal, all-round. And I loved, and felt sad, about the lions. As a person who loves learning and imagining about ancient civilizations, this book was an immense pleasure to read. The drawback were the parts about Katya, the archaeologist digging up Nineveh's site. She reads well at the beginning but slowly becomes a kind of stereotype. Her relationship with Salim didn't exactly hold its own. Her narrative seemed almost dragged out to fulfill the novel's structure. Overall, if you are into Mesopotamian histories and want to smell and see Nineveh, this book is for you.
March 30, 2024
I gave up with reading this book. Ultimately, I realised that by page 147 (out of 352) I hadn't yet reached the complication explicitly provided in the synopsis/blurb.
The characters are irritating, and the lack of research and cultural understanding is also irritating.
This is a tediously slow moving book that doesn't invite you into the lives of the characters. Aspects of the early plot lines are easy to guess... And in reading the spoilers on here I am glad I gave up reading it.
The most intriguing aspects of this book are the descriptions of food - Cooper must have been really hungry when writing?
I was really hoping to find a good piece of ancient historical fiction... I guess I'll keep on searching.
The characters are irritating, and the lack of research and cultural understanding is also irritating.
This is a tediously slow moving book that doesn't invite you into the lives of the characters. Aspects of the early plot lines are easy to guess... And in reading the spoilers on here I am glad I gave up reading it.
The most intriguing aspects of this book are the descriptions of food - Cooper must have been really hungry when writing?
I was really hoping to find a good piece of ancient historical fiction... I guess I'll keep on searching.
December 1, 2021
Really good book telling two entertaining and lightly entwined stories set 26 centuries apart.
The writing is good, the characters interesting and the narrative really picks up from a slow start.
Yet the real strength is the historical context of both stories, the tail end of the Assyrian empire and the much shorter lived ISIS 'Caliphate'.
I feel the author could have went even further in this aspect, I found him from his outstanding podcast "The fall of civilisations" he has a huge and detailed knowledge of the time period and a keen human interest. It may be that I just prefer the podcast form! A strong recommendation for both either way!
The writing is good, the characters interesting and the narrative really picks up from a slow start.
Yet the real strength is the historical context of both stories, the tail end of the Assyrian empire and the much shorter lived ISIS 'Caliphate'.
I feel the author could have went even further in this aspect, I found him from his outstanding podcast "The fall of civilisations" he has a huge and detailed knowledge of the time period and a keen human interest. It may be that I just prefer the podcast form! A strong recommendation for both either way!
November 22, 2022
Clash of cultures.
The broken , the loss of Muslim cultures is well served in this sad book.
I could not help though, that all cultures are lost over time and all caused by the greed of the ruling party, be it autocratic or democratic. The hunger to rule the people, whether by cruel or coercive means, is self destructive with the inevitable result.
This book shows how history repeats itself.
It is well written with a unique plot involving two girls of different times, each with the same story in different settings.
You are left wondering if society has progressed and don't tell me that western culture is any different.
The broken , the loss of Muslim cultures is well served in this sad book.
I could not help though, that all cultures are lost over time and all caused by the greed of the ruling party, be it autocratic or democratic. The hunger to rule the people, whether by cruel or coercive means, is self destructive with the inevitable result.
This book shows how history repeats itself.
It is well written with a unique plot involving two girls of different times, each with the same story in different settings.
You are left wondering if society has progressed and don't tell me that western culture is any different.
July 10, 2020
Probably the best book I've read for a couple of years. It's a bittersweet tale set 3000 years ago and in 2014. The way it flipflops between past and present between chapters is sublime and does not jar at all. Personally I preferred the parts set in 2014 but i guess that's all down to personal taste.
The first half of the book is a slow burn but once you get there the rewards are worth the wait. My advice is to rattle through the book as fast as possible to get the most from the plot. By the end I was sad to say goodbye to Aurya, Katya and friends.
The first half of the book is a slow burn but once you get there the rewards are worth the wait. My advice is to rattle through the book as fast as possible to get the most from the plot. By the end I was sad to say goodbye to Aurya, Katya and friends.
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September 25, 2020Can't resist a story set in ancient Assyria. An accomplished follow-up to River Of Ink and it's also a companion of sorts to Paul Cooper's Fall of Civilizations podcast. I wrote my BA dissertation on the years after the collapse of Nineveh and I loved seeing familiar motifs and themes emerge in fiction. Not sure if the thematic depth and myth was exploited as much as it might have been and I feel like Cooper made a decision to constrain flourishes in his writing. Still, it makes the novel fast and accessible. Massive kudos for writing a novel in a period with mostly tricky historical sources.
October 8, 2020
A memorable journey to the past through the eyes of characters living in Ancient Assyria and those looking back to learn about their world. Cooper artfully weaves two storylines together separated by thousands of years in a way that feels connected and purposeful. Some might find the ending leaves a little to be desired but as Cooper says in one of the final chapters, "No story is ever about the ending." I highly recommend this to fans of historical fiction and those interested in archeology. The last 50 pages kept me gripped as the stories came to a conclusion.
May 8, 2022
Very mixwd feelings on this one. It is undisputably an interesting and well-researched novel. Can't fault the structure, pace or the dual narrative approach. I learned a lot and enjoyed most of it. However it needed a better editor - there were just too many jarring moments in the narrative and dialogue where actions and / or words didn't ring true. A shame as I think very little extra work could have turned this from an 'ok' read to a spectacular one. Will be looking out for more of Paul Cooper's work.
May 31, 2023
This book and the story was very good and I did enjoy the read. The author clearly put a lot of work and effort into his research. However, at times it felt rushed like heavily descriptive of non important scenes and then jumping to the next chapter all too quickly without developing other scenes further. Certain characters could of been developed and portrayed more. But being Assyrian and seeing depth from another vision allowed me to read between the two time periods and connect in another form. Overall great read I would recommend.
June 25, 2021
Wonderfully written blending two streams of stories happening 2500 years apart. The descriptive narration took me that place and was almost like watching it standung there. Also I felt it connected both very well, asked many of the happenings though over following another made sense. No loose ends. A very good read. I be started with no expectation after having read the River of Ink before this. Will look forward for more from Mr Cooper.
July 15, 2021
All Our Broken Idols is the sort of book that hooks you early on, with a time hopping story that takes place during the ISIL invasion of Iraq and the dying days of the Neo-Assyrian empire (which you don't see often at all). The themes of crushed innocence, faith, grief and survival are as old as human storytelling.
While setting the scenes, the book does not get bogged down in detail while giving descriptions that he
While setting the scenes, the book does not get bogged down in detail while giving descriptions that he
August 25, 2021
Paul is the host of one of my favorite podcasts; Fall of Civilizations. It’s a wonderful way to learn more about history, specific societies, and their fall. Paul takes his research and narration skills from FoC and turned it into a novel. He writes a wonderful tale between two viewpoints, Katya and Aurya, spaced over millennia. I felt emotionally invested in this book, and that’s a great feeling to have. Well done Paul and can’t wait for the next book and podcast.
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