Nikki Marmery (On Wilder Seas) revisits ancient myths through a feminist, humanist lens in the lyrical Lilith. Lilith and Adam lived as equals in the Garden of Eden until Adam insists that Lilith submit to him. She refuses. Both Adam and his god punish her and banish her from Paradise. She watches as a new woman, Eve, is given to Adam and comes to understand that Asherah, the Queen of Heaven, is missing. Lilith develops a plan: give the gift of knowledge to Eve, find Asherah, and restore balance to the world.
As daunting as that sounds, Lilith's journey in this richly woven tale turns out to be more complex and far-reaching than she imagined. Lilith, frequently demonized and ostracized, follows the trail of the mother goddess as seen by cultures throughout antiquity, occasionally rejoining a society that doesn't know the woman in their midst is the mythologized succubus and child killer. She crosses paths with Noah's family at the time of the flood, Queen Jezebel in her court, and a radical preacher called Maryam the Magdalene. All the way to the modern day, she witnesses the catastrophic consequences of inequality--until at last she comes to the realization of what must be done to right the world.
Marmery grounds her novel in myths and noncanonical scriptures, with a thorough historical note at the end that curious readers will appreciate. Those who remember Michael Moorcock primarily for Behold the Man will be engrossed. --Kristen Allen-Vogel, information services librarian at Dayton Metro Library