A rogue god taking over your hometown, meeting some of the greatest heroes of all time, and befriending a goddess… you know, just your normal 13-year old’s life! 

Sikander Aziz (Sik), is a normal 13-year-old boy in Manhattan. That is, until demons sent from the Mesopotamian god of disease, Nergal, attack his parent’s deli. The demons want to find an item that Sik’s brother, Mo, supposedly found before he died. 

During the attack a mysterious ninja saves Sik from Nergal but fails to save his parents, who get infected with some kind of disease. The ninja refuses to give their name, but Sik figures out who they are the next day at school…   

Sik meets a friend at school named Belet who is suspiciously good at fighting and at being annoying. She also happens to be the ninja who saved him the previous night, and her mother happens to be the famous goddess Ishtar (goddess of love and war). Sik figures out their plan to try to overthrow Nergal - and decides to join them to stop him taking over Manhattan, and possibly the world. 

Do you think Sik can manage: going to the underworld, collaborating with one of the greatest heroes of all time, surviving Belet’s sarcasm, getting rid of Nergal, figuring out what Mo had found before he died, saving his parents, and living through the whole thing? Read this book to find out.

One of the main reasons I like this book is because I LOVE all types of mythology, and this was the first book I’ve read about Mesopotamian mythology with a main character who is Muslim. I also like it because of the humor and sarcasm incorporated in it. This book really pulled me in and I couldn't put it down! I hope I’ve convinced you to read this book, and if you do, I hope you enjoy it! – Isaac (age 9)