The King Who Refused to Die

September 9, 2013
This awkward quasi-novel, completed (it’s not clear by whom) from an unfinished manuscript by the late ancient civilization scholar Sitchin (1920–2010), is largely a regurgitated version of the Epic of Gilgamesh, with an insignificant framing device and excessive insertions of the author’s belief that Earth was settled by extraterrestrials. Former flight attendant Astra Kouri encounters a strange man at a special Gilgamesh exhibit at the British Museum, and spends the evening with him on the basis of their shared trait of a sixth finger. Citing his heritage and possession of certain artifacts, Adam “Eli” Helios manipulates the passively cooperative Astra into increasingly bizarre interactions, convinced they are the incarnations of Gilgamesh and goddess Ishtar (ignoring all the homoerotic subtext between Gilgamesh and Enkidu). Wooden characters, stilted language (“Words were uttered to me”) perhaps intended to convey a sense of ancient Sumerian dialect, and excruciatingly bad sex scenes will significantly limit the potential audience.