18 Jun Book Review Enheduanna’s Song From the Sands Ellen Rachlin #HistoricalFiction #AncientHistory #WomenInHistory #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @cathiedunn

FEATURED AUTHOR: ELLEN RACHLIN

I’m delighted to welcome Ellen Rachlin as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour, being held between June 8th – 19th, 2026. Ellen Rachlin is the author of the Historical Fantasy / Historical Literary Fiction, Enheduanna’s Song From the Sands, that will be released by Histria Fiction on August 25^th, 2026 (272 pages).

Below are highlights of Enheduanna’s Song From the Sands, Ellen Rachlin’s author bio, and my 5-star review of the intriguing tale of a a high priestess and powerful religious leader in the 23rd century BCE Akkadian Empire. What is most fascinating is Enheduanna has been recognized as the earliest known named author in world history.

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2026/05/blog-tour-enheduannas-song-from-the-sands-by-ellen-rachlin.html

HIGHLIGHTS: ENHEDUANNA’S SONG FROM THE SANDS

Enheduanna’s Song From The Sands
By Ellen Rachlin

Blurb:

Discover the untold story of Enheduanna, the world’s first named author, as she navigates power, betrayal, and divine destiny in ancient Mesopotamia. A mesmerizing fusion of history, myth, and female leadership that challenges how we see the past—and ourselves.

A high priestess dethroned. A rebel with a dangerous plan. One empire hanging by a thread.

When Enheduanna is named High Priestess of Ur, her connection to the gods makes her a target. Lugalanne’s coup strips her of robes, power, and home, casting her into the perilous underworld. There, amid forests of shadows and treacherous trials, she discovers that divine favor alone won’t save her—only cunning, courage, and a willingness to embrace the ruthlessness of her enemies can restore her.

Drawing on history and myth, Enheduanna’s Song From the Sands follows the world’s first named author as she fights to reclaim her voice and her destiny. Political intrigue, betrayal, and divine tests collide as Enheduanna must decide whether to forgive, to fight, or to harness the power that could shake the foundations of an empire. For readers who love The Song of Achilles’s intimate heroism, Circe’s mythic depth, or The Daughters of Sparta’s fierce women, this is a mesmerizing dive into ancient Mesopotamia where courage and cunning are the only paths to survival.

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Praise for Enheduanna’s Song From The Sands

“In finely detailed prose, Ellen Rachlin brings Enheduanna, daughter of Sargon, to life, as well as the mythic figures of Inanna and Ereshkigal of the Underworld. Enheduanna’s Song From the Sands is filled with conflict and intensity, each quest, not only a matter of achieving power, but of life and death.” ~Regina McBride, author of Stranger from Across the Sea

“Ellen Rachlin’s sumptuously detailed debut novel Enheduanna’s Song From the Sands tells the remarkable true story of the ancient high priestess Enheduanna. Rachlin guides us through the intrigues, secrets, spies and wars of Enheduanna’s times, bringing this gifted woman and the goddess she served to life.” ~ Molly Peacock, Author of The Paper Garden: Mrs. Delany Begins Her Life’s Work at 72

“Rachlin brings her to life in this novel set in 2300 BCE, a novel of sex, war, love, a baby in a basket, and a woman creating a new order of being. It’s historical fiction writing that reminds the reader of Hilary Mantel, you can’t put it down.” ~Kate Gale, author of Under a Neon Sun and Little Soldiers

“Reading Enheduanna’s struggle and overcoming hardships as a high priestess were so inspiring and intriguing to read about. If you loved books like The Song of Achilles then you would love this book as well.” – Elda Rastoder Net Galley Reviewer

“A historical fiction about an almost forgotten but formidable high priestess in Ancient Mesopotamia. Tracing the course of Enheduanna’s rise to power, many important aspects of Mesopotamia 2300 BCE mythology and Enheduanna’s life are explored.” ~ Morgan ARC reader

Any Triggers: SA (potentially distressing content)

Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/472x5R

Amazon US Paperback Link: https://www.amazon.com/Enheduannas-Song-Sands-Ellen-Rachlin/dp/1592117546/

Amazon UK Paperback Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Enheduannas-Song-Sands-Ellen-Rachlin/dp/1592117546/

AUTHOR BIO: ELLEN RACHLIN

Ellen Rachlin’s poetry has appeared in American Poetry Review, Comstock Review, Granta, Court Green, Literary Imagination, and various anthologies.  She has published two collections of her poems, Until Crazy Catches Me (Antrim House, 2008) and Permeable Divide (Antrim House, 2017), winner of the 2018 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Silver Award.  

She has a historical fiction novel, Enheduanna’s Song From the Sands, based on the life of Enheduanna, the Akkadian high priestess and world’s first-named author, forthcoming from Histria Books and a collection of poems, At the Big Bang Resort, forthcoming from Red Hen Press.

She is also the author of two chapbooks, Waiting for Here (Finishing Line Press, 2004), a finalist in the New Women’s Voices series, and Captive to Residue (Flarestack Publishing, 2009).  She received her MFA from Antioch University.  She serves as Treasurer of The Poetry Society of America and is a partner at Blue Leaf Ventures.

Other writing genres include numerous textbook and journal articles on the subject of finance and investing with various publishers including Wiley.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.ellenrachlin.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Ellen-Rachlin-author/61583923434907/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellenrachlin/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ellen-Rachlin/author/B002LFQWRM

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8068457.Ellen_Rachlin

BOOK REVIEW: ENHEDUANNA’S SONG FROM THE SANDS

Enheduanna’s Song from the Sands sweeps you into the ancient legend of Enheduanna—a High Priestess and powerful religious and business leader in 23rd century BCC. She was the daughter of Sargon the Great who rose from humble beginnings as the cupbearer to the King of Kish to a strategic military leader that launched a campaign to conquer other nations in the Mesopotamia to build the Akkadian empire. He decrees that his elder sons inherit his empire while his daughter be anointed as the High Priestess for the patron god of Nanna to consolidate ties between the religious elites at Ur and Akkadian religion. Upon King Sargon’s death, his empire is left in turmoil under the rule of his son who reluctantly appoints Enheduanna as the High Priestess at Ur. Initially trained by the High Priest of all of Akkad, she is kidnapped and violated by the rebel leader, Yahatti, while on her journey to Ur. The traumatic experience transforms Enheduanna from a naive woman into a formidable warrior priestess. With minimal support from her brother, she must put down revolts in the southern empire with brutal force. She becomes adept in political maneuvering, anticipating the moves of her rivals. Other memorable characters join her quest to maintain control of Ur, but spies within her inner circle are ready to strike. 

Author Ellen Rachlin transforms the legend of Enheduanna into an engaging tale of political intrigue, vengeance, and redemption. The vivid details and references to translated versions of Enheduanna’s work highlights the author’s impeccable research. The narrative is primarily told in the first-person perspective of Enheduanna, but it sometimes slips into the third-person point of view of key characters providing insight into the machinations of the various players. The author masterfully captures the essence of the culture and religious beliefs of the diverse, ancient Mesopotamian regions. One of the most interesting rituals is when Enheduanna performs the pit pî ritual whereby a statue is transformed into a god. The author’s note, cast of characters, and glossary help to navigate the story.

Enheduanna is an engaging, complex female character struggling to balance brutal tactics toward suspected enemies with rewards for those who show loyalty. Though she often feels isolated and abandoned, she resolutely pursues the destiny that her father envisioned. A High Priestess from a later time praises Enheduanna for her message of tolerance and her writings of exile and survival that resonate throughout the ages. Her hymns to the gods unified the land “in a way that the wars initiated by men never have.” This legendary priestess is a tribute to women who have made a significant impact on history. What is most amazing is Enheduanna is celebrated as the first-named author in world history that lived in a male-dominated culture.

Enheduanna’s Song from the Sands is a compelling tale that captures the diverse culture, political intrigue, and religious beliefs of ancient civilizations where a ruler cannot build an enduring empire by the sword alone but must also rely on economic integration, political maneuvering, and cooperation of the local elites to govern effectively.

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