The Last King of Lydia

Product Information

HNS Awards have helped discover and launch the author careers of Michel Faber, Ruth Downie, Hilary Green, Martin Sutton, Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott, Nikki Marmery, Margaret Skea, Warwick Cairns, Katherine Mezzacappa and Elizabeth Macneal. The story is a gripping tale of ancient kingdoms, yet its central theme should give warning to any contemporary world leader, or greedy corporate fat cat. 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. Reading the story encourages a great deal of self-reflection and analysis which may leave the reader a little wiser by the end of the book. He is depicted as a naive and inexperienced military strategist, which he certainly was not because he conquered Ionian cities (Ephesus, etc.

I heartily recommend "The Last King of Lydia" to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and anyone who has read and enjoyed Herodotus. Set in the Eastern Mediterranean in the 6 th century BCE, this novel, as the name suggests, follows the life of Croesus (the last king of Lydia, in present-day Turkey).

Characters talk out their motivations, their longings, and their regrets, and it is these conversations that are the heart of the story, despite the epic conquests and and empire-spanning travels that serve as the backdrop. Solon disagrees, stating that it can only be truly known that a man is happy by how he meet his death. 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. 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.

This deeply wise novel of what it means to be human is perfect for readers of Mary Renault and David Malouf. We follow Croesus through the great siege of Babylon, where he doesn’t really belong but it’s interesting to see anyway. The second half of the book then covers how Croesus handles the humiliation of losing everything he held dear and the loss of status. The conversation that the two have, where Croesus seeks to unravel the truth and Harpagus is surprisingly frank about his past, was one of my favorite parts in the book.Teetered between 4 and 5 but in the end concluded that the extra star was worth it for the originality. I will only discuss general aspects of the book rather than specific plot points and therefore consider it a spoiler-free review. His subsequent fate soon became the theme of legend: he is cast or casts himself on a pyre, but is miraculously saved by Apollo and translated to the land of the *Hyperboreans or becomes the friend and counsellor of Cyrus. We hear tell of his famously interrupted execution by being burned alive (possibly true, if exaggerated).

They were veterans of many wars of conquest, and they knew that a king bled and died like any other man. For his debut novel, Tim Leach steers clear of the familiar Greek and Roman legends and instead concentrates a lesser-known character, King Croesus of Lydia. Croesus is supposed to be king of an impressive empire, but I didn’t feel as though the story centred me in that empire of vast distances and countless people. Like any good philosopher, Leach doesn’t answer the big questions he asks, but his exploration and hints are the more interesting as a result. 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.By taking on the might of the Persian Empire in the quest for even more wealth, Croesus meets his match in Cyrus of Persia, an expert military strategist. The philosophical tone is set early on when Solon, the famous wise man of Athens, comes to visit Croesus. It is a beautiful comparison between someone who believes he is all powerful coming up against a true giant of a man who will make his mark on history. It is heart-wrenching to read about his reflections on his short life, as he marched to death, fighting for his country.