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The Last King of Lydia

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She exploited the myth of Theseus to recreate an imagined bronze age Greece and she made use of the historical Alexander in a wonderful series of novels. Definitely worth a read for anyone with an interest in the classical world or the question of how to have a happy life. Herodotus and other Greek authors recounted a lot of myths that built up around him and threw some of their own in for good measure.

As the wealthiest man in the world, and ruler of the largest kingdom on Earth, Croesus is fairly convinced it’s him. Almost all the characters and their stories can be found in Herodotus: Solon, Cyrus, Harpagus, Adrastus and the rest. Meeting just Croesus, his immediate family, and one or two advisors felt unrealistic and implausible.Trying to find some sort of historical truth in all that and making it feel believable is going to be one hell of a job. Through Croesus's life he sees what his failings as king had been and humbly learns from Isocrates, formerly his slave in Sardis, now also slave to Cyrus.

It was a fascinating read, a great story very well told, and makes me keen to read more about the ancient world. He is depicted as a naive and inexperienced military strategist, which he certainly was not because he conquered Ionian cities (Ephesus, etc. 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. Leach successfully summons up scenes of army camps, vast cities, treasuries and pyres with relatively few words, leaving space for understanding the actions, reactions and motivations of the utterly believable characters. 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.Leach lets us examine a distinctive ancient period of grand gestures and empires, as well as the individual wisdom of characters we come to know and, despite all their failings, admire. His conqueror, the Persian ruler Cyrus, signals to his guards; they step forward and touch flaming torches to the dry wood. When the Athenian philosopher Solon visits his court, Croesus has an opportunity to ask him anything he likes.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Last King of Lydia, not least because it is not exactly run of the mill, but also because of its ability to engage the reader and mix in a variety of settings, battles and courts across Asia Minor whilst remaining focused on the key issues of the book. I can't claim any expert knowledge on the historical accuracy and I suspect Leach occasionally allows a few modern perspectives to infiltrate the minds of his characters, but for me that is forgivable. We follow Croesus through the great siege of Babylon, where he doesn’t really belong but it’s interesting to see anyway. It was a stroke of genius to set this in the time and place of the invention of currency, putting an interesting spin on the old story "does wealth make you happy". We watch as greed and power lead him to gamble his vast wealth and his very kingship in a confrontation with Persia.

Summary: King Croesus experiences a dramatic change of fortune that allows him to evaluate the true meaning of happiness. The first excellent thing about this book is that even if, like me, you’re an ancient history dunderhead, Leach eases you through it effortlessly. Although some customs seem strange to us now, we're fully on board with them while immersed in the story fo Croesus.

Teetered between 4 and 5 but in the end concluded that the extra star was worth it for the originality. But then all his riches could not remove the spear from his dying elder son's chest; could not bring his mute younger son to speak; could not make him as wise as his own chief slave; could not bring his wife's love back; could not prevent his army from being torn apart and his kingdom lost. We march with armies, both in the company of their leaders and their slaves, and we live in palaces filled with unthinkable treasures and mundane daily life. A wonderfully rich story with narration that brings the characters out from the past and reminds you of their humanity.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. Later, as a slave, he lives in fear over the rumors that the Persian general Harpagus killed his brother-in-law and wants to add Croesus to the count. There are many plot twists and as a reader, I soon learned not to judge any of the characters in the story too soon, as my opinion of them would change many times over the course of the book.

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