The Eye of Istar: A Romance of the Land of No Return

In Short

The Eye of Istar is a sweeping late-nineteenth-century imperial romance following Zafar, a Dervish soldier of the Mahdi’s successor, who carries a mysterious twin-snake mark upon his chest. Driven by his love for Azala, the Princess of Sokoto, Zafar sets out to locate the mythical "Land of No Return" to unravel the origin of their matching brands. His quest leads him through brutal desert captivity, sandstorms, and cannibal-infested jungles to the legendary lost Babylonian city of Ea. Blending adventure and high melodrama, this work remains an enduring example of Victorian lost-world fiction.

The Story

The narrative begins with Zafar recounting his turbulent past within the ranks of the Mahdi's Ansar and his return to the heart of Omdurman under the ruthless Khalifa Abdullah. Deeply wounded in spirit and body, he finds solace in the secret care of Azala, the stunning Princess of Sokoto. Between them lies an immediate, soul-deep bond, symbolized by a identical, cryptic blemish on their breasts: two intertwined asps. This mark carries an ancient legend—its secret is said to lie at the mysterious "Rock of the Great Sin." Forbidden to wed Azala by her royal father, Zafar swears an oath upon the Koran to solve the mystery of the asps and claim her hand.

His journey plunges him into immediate peril. Captured, imprisoned in pestilential dungeons, and traded into slavery, Zafar relies on his wits and the assistance of a loyal dwarf named Tiamo. Together, they escape the Khalifa's guards and navigate the deadly Saharan interior. They endure blinding sandstorms, treacherous betrayals, and ambush by the man-eating Avisibba tribe, from whom they are narrowly saved by a sudden assault and an unexpected alliance with Yakul, a native chief.

Guided by Yakul through the dense, oppressive Forest of Perpetual Night, Zafar finally reaches the towering, grey precipice known as the Rock of the Great Sin. Braving noxious gases and plunging into the dark, subterranean belly of the earth, he crosses the boundary between the known world and the lost domain beyond. On the other side lies Ea, a magnificent, ancient city built in the image of Babylon. Ruled by the beautiful, dictatorial Queen Istar, who claims divinity and enforces her rule through terrifying manifestations of cuneiform fire, Ea is an isolated civilization preserved for thousands of years.

Imprisoned and exposed to the inner rituals of Istar's cult, Zafar uncovers the truth of the asps, the golden star of Istar, and the secret passage into the city. Escaping back to Sokoto with the knowledge he sought, Zafar secures the backing of the Sultan. At the head of an army of twenty thousand men equipped with European rifles and artillery, Zafar leads a invasion back through the secret underground pass into Ea. The expedition succeeds, overthrowing the tyrant queen. Zafar extinguishes the eternal white beacon atop the city's highest tower—the "Eye of Istar"—bringing the isolated land under Moslem rule. Crowned as Prince of Ea with Azala at his side, Zafar distributes ancient relics to the world's great museums, securing a legacy of peace and prosperity.

How It Unfolds

The hidden sanctuary In the city of Omdurman, Zafar recovers from his wounds under the care of Princess Azala and discovers that they share an identical, mysterious tattoo of entwined asps.

The desert escape After facing execution and dungeon confinement, Zafar escapes slavery and flees into the desert with his faithful companion Tiamo, braving a violent sandstorm that nearly buries them alive.

The cannibal village Captured by the man-eating Avisibba tribe, Zafar and Tiamo face imminent death until a surprise gunfire attack breaks the village, allowing them to ally with Chief Yakul.

The subterranean labyrinth Reaching the feared Rock of the Great Sin, Zafar crawls through dark, sulfurous underground caverns and discovers the hidden entrance to the forbidden, golden city of Ea.

The throne of the goddess Inside Ea, Zafar witnesses Queen Istar project fiery cuneiform inscriptions onto marble walls, enforcing her divine rule over a forgotten remnant of Babylonian civilization.

The conquest of Ea Returning with an army of twenty thousand soldiers supplied by the Sultan of Sokoto, Zafar invades the hidden city, quenches the white beacon atop the temple tower, and marries Azala.

The People

• Zafar (El-Motardjim): A courageous Dervish soldier of the Ansar who seeks to unravel his origin. Driven by unyielding love for Azala, he endures slavery, wilderness perils, and hidden subterranean realms to earn her hand and become the Prince of Ea.
• Princess Azala: The fair Pearl of Sokoto whose life is threatened by political intrigues in her father's harem. Possessing the matching mark of the entwined asps, her devotion to Zafar prompts his quest to the Land of No Return.
• Tiamo: Zafar’s faithful dwarf companion whose sharp mind and quick actions repeatedly save Zafar from capture, sandstorms, and death in the wilderness.
• Chief Yakul: The brave leader of the Avejeli tribe whom Zafar rescues from death. In return, Yakul serves as a loyal guide through the Forest of Perpetual Night to the Rock of the Great Sin.
• Queen Istar: The ruthless, captivating monarch of Ea who claims to be the living Goddess of Love, maintaining absolute authority over her ancient Babylonian domain through theatrical displays of fire and terror.

In Its Own Voice

"Upon the breast of Azala, the Princess, I had discovered that which I had sought throughout my eventful life, yet even in that moment evil fortune had befallen me..."

Zafar realizes his beloved shares his strange, inherited mark just as he is thrown into a dark dungeon under sentence of death.

"With mouth and eyes filled with fine sand I experienced a horrible sensation of being stifled, and clutched frantically at my throat for air..."

A sudden, ferocious desert sandstorm engulfs Zafar and his companions on their trek across the arid wilderness.

"Its extinguishment was emblematic of my complete conquest of the Land of the No Return. I have closed for all time the ever-vigilant Eye of Istar."

Zafar reflects on his final victory after extinguishing the ancient light that crowned the lost city of Ea.

What It's Really About

Beneath its melodrama, the novel explores the obsessive search for identity and the collision between ancient pagan civilisations and nineteenth-century imperial forces. Zafar's journey is guided by a literal physical mark, making his search for the origin of the entwined asps a quest to understand his own ancestral destiny. The book contrasts the rigid religious devotion of the Mahdist Soudan with the decadent, timeless luxury of lost Babylonian paganism. It ultimately argues that isolation cannot withstand the march of history; the ancient city of Ea must eventually be conquered, its mysteries categorized, and its sacred relics placed inside European museum cases.

Why Read It Today

The Eye of Istar offers modern readers an authentic taste of Victorian "lost race" adventure fiction in the style of H. Rider Haggard. Readers who enjoy sweeping geographic journeys, ancient secret societies, hidden cities, and high-stakes romantic quests will find much to admire in William Le Queux’s colorful prose. The novel creates a vivid atmosphere, shifting seamlessly from sun-bleached African fortresses and suffocating sandstorms to lush, subterranean ancient temples.

However, readers should approach the text with an understanding of its period context. The novel reflects late-nineteenth-century British Orientalism and imperial perspectives, featuring archaic, elevated dialogue, theatrical romantic phrasing, and standard Victorian depictions of native tribes and Eastern court intrigue. For those interested in the history of popular adventure literature, it remains an entertaining, fast-paced artifact of its era, capturing the thrill of unknown frontiers and lost worlds.