The Last King of Lydia

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The first chapter gives a strong sense of what's to follow: The guards had long since learned the way to make a royal prisoner docile. I did like the exploration of Croesus having his wealth taken away and reduced to being a slave, how he was forced to see the harsh realities of life from the side of those he had previously taken for granted.

He had never seen a king die, and as he cropped the prisoner's hair and trimmed his thick, black beard, he placed little nicks in his scalp and chin, apologizing for his clumsiness each time, even as he keenly watched the royal blood flow. Our features are original articles from our print magazines (these will say where they were originally published) or original articles commissioned for this site. It deals with the sort of intimate themes that would appeal to a child and, while it’s bigger than your average children’s novel, it’s not too long.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book but I found it to be a compelling story of the ancient world. Solon disagrees, stating that it can only be truly known that a man is happy by how he meet his death. Important events are seen from the perspective of unexpected characters which gives the book so much more depth. What did anyone’s life matter, king or soldier or slave, if they could be replaced in moments and the world go on without them? Meeting just Croesus, his immediate family, and one or two advisors felt unrealistic and implausible.

He rules over an empire unrivaled in power and wealth and myths and rumours abound about the vast treasuries he has constructed in his palace.He secured the throne after a struggle with a half-Greek half-brother, and completed the subjugation of the Greek cities on the Asia Minor coast.

Croesus is master of his own destiny and it is only his thoughtless behavior that will bring about his downfall.They were veterans of many wars of conquest, and they knew that a king bled and died like any other man. Power is transient, fleeting when compared with the vast sea of history, yet rulers are prepared to condemn thousands to misery in the hope of gaining more and more of it. We hear tell of his famously interrupted execution by being burned alive (possibly true, if exaggerated). We gradually see what sort of a man can vanquish so many, choose so many destructive wars, and also leave behind a written legacy of religious tolerance that still stands out in a narrow-minded world. The philosophical tone is set early on when Solon, the famous wise man of Athens, comes to visit Croesus.

The Last King of Lydia is well worth reading, whether you know the historical period or not, and I think this is an author who may be worth following. However, the format of the book is not implied or even conventional: it is not an action-packed thriller, although there is action in it; it is not a book of political intrigue (thank God), yet political intrigue features; and it is certainly not a murder mystery or fantasy story. This is a beautiful re-telling of Herodotus’s famous tale and I don’t think I can recommend it highly enough. I had never heard of the Lydian Empire but this book brings it's last king to life and tells a sweeping story of the rise and fall of empires, as well as the intimate story of slaves and kings.Just look at this comparison of the teaching of Solon which saves Croesus’ life: In Herodotus it’s the gloomy “Count no man happy until he is dead. There is something in the collective consciousness that enables these stories to resonate with each subsequent generation, allowing ancient wisdom to put out new roots in fresh soil. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Croesus and Cyrus, the Conqueror and the conquered in an uneasy alliance.