Number 70 - Miriam: Memoirs of a Goddess 1: Annunciation - SP Somtow

 

I was honoured to be sent a sneak preview of this new book by SP Somtow.

As my regular readers know, I am a big fan of his work and have been since reading Vampire Junction in my mid teens.

This is a book he started over twenty years ago but couldn't find a publisher for. To be completely honest, I can understand why an American publishing house wouldn't touch it. That's nothing to do with the quality of the writing though, more the subject matter.   

The subject matter is quite obvious from the cover artwork. In this book, Somtow does to the Christian mythology what he did to Greek myths in the Shattered Horse.  I can imagine a large chunk of bible belt America wanting to burn this book for what they would describe as blasphemy.

Note the distinction there - "WHAT THEY WOULD DESCRIBE AS"

Taking an alternate viewpoint on the beginnings of Christianity is always going to annoy some people.  As a Catholic I feel that I am supposed to be outraged by this book.

But I'm not.  

It's not an offensive book in the slightest. It's an alternate history to the established lore, dealing with the life of Mary, mother of Jesus. I hesitate to say fantasy novel since so far there have been no unambiguously supernatural events. Everything has been in the realms of the possible despite the talk of Gods and the wild religious ritual which occurs.

Somtow has used Mary or alternate versions of her before. In his Riverrun Trilogy, the mother of the central character is called Mary and just happens to be the mother Goddess in quite literal terms. Here, he's going to the source of the myth, joining the story of the ever-virgin (although even the Bible tells us Jesus had brothers and sisters) Mother of Christ with the other deities common at the time.  Remember that the Romans were in charge at the time of Christ and they, along with the Greeks had their own religions which were contemporaneous with Mary's upbringing. 

At least one element - Miriam's age at the time of the birth - seems wrong to western ears, but was probably entirely normal 2020 years ago. The rather less than virgin birth could be a sticking point for some easily offended religious types. This is the family of Christ as actual people and not just religious cyphers.

This is part one of a much larger novel.  It opens with a 40 something Miriam being visited by P/Saul who wants to use her for his new religion. There is a meeting with the disciples where P/Saul tries to sell them his new vision with rather limited success. We also have flashbacks to her early life and the events that happen close to her betrothal to Joseph and the birth of her first son. It finishes at a fairly random point, but this is, as previously mentioned, only part one.

If it was written by some hack, you could argue that the more potentially controversial elements of the story are there for effect and to garner publicity, but that's not true here.  Somtow has a powerful story to tell and these are necessary elements. 

I can't wait for part 2 as this has well and truly piqued my interest and I really want to know what happens next.