The Last King of Lydia

Cyrus #1

by Tim Leach

A defeated king stands on top of a pyre. His conqueror, the Persian ruler Cyrus, signals to his guards; they step forward and touch flaming torches to the dry wood. Croesus, once the wealthiest man of the ancient world, is to be burned alive. As he watches the flames catch, Croesus thinks back over his life. He remembers the time he asked the old Athenian philosopher, Solon, who was the happiest man in the world. Croesus used to think it was him. 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. As the old philosopher had replied, a man's happiness can only be measured when he is dead. The first coils of smoke wrap around Croesus' neck like a noose. This deeply wise novel of what it means to be human is perfect for readers of Mary Renault and David Malouf.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Greece, Ebooks, Middle East

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Writer, climber, whisky drinker, chess dabbler and general purpose layabout. London exile currently encamped in the North and loving it. I've studied and taught creative writing at the University of Warwick and worked in bookshops in London and Greece.

If you'd like to know any more about me or my books, just ping me a message. Thanks for stopping by!

Reviews

[George K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Βαθμολογία: 9/10

Το βιβλίο κυκλοφόρησε στην Ελλάδα μέσα στο 2014 και θυμάμαι ότι μου είχε κινήσει το ενδιαφέρον τότε χάρη στο εξώφυλλο και την ιστορία, όμως τελικά δεν το είχα αγοράσει. Γιατί; Μάλλον λόγω των σχετικά λίγων αξιολογήσεων στο Goodreads. Μέχρι που φέτος τον Μάιο πέτυχα το βιβλίο με μόλις πέντε ευρώ στο βιβλιοπωλείο Ποθητός (μάλλον δεν τα πήγε και πολύ καλά στις πωλήσεις...) και το άρπαξα χωρίς να το πολυσκεφτώ. Λοιπόν, μπορώ να πω ότι ξετρελάθηκα. Ειλικρινά δεν θα το μετάνιωνα αν το αγόραζα στην κανονική του τιμή.

Τι λέει η περίληψη στο οπισθόφυλλο της ελληνικής έκδοσης: Ένας ηττημένος βασιλιάς στην κορυφή της πυράς. Αυτός που τον νίκησε, ο Πέρσης ηγεμόνας Κύρος, μ’ ένα νεύμα δίνει εντολή στους φρουρούς• εκείνοι προχωρούν και βάζουν τις αναμμένες δάδες πάνω στο στεγνό ξύλο. Καθώς ο Κροίσος παρακολουθεί τη φωτιά να ανάβει, κάνει έναν απολογισμό της ζωής του. Θυμάται τότε που είχε ρωτήσει τον Αθηναίο φιλόσοφο και νομοθέτη Σόλωνα ποιος ήταν ο πιο ευτυχισμένος άνθρωπος στον κόσμο. Ο Κροίσος πίστευε παλιά πως ήταν ο ίδιος. Όλα του τα πλούτη όμως δεν του έφεραν σοφία• δεν προφύλαξαν την οικογένειά του• δεν του χάρισαν ξανά την αγάπη της γυναίκας του• δεν εμπόδισαν τον αφανισμό του στρατού του, ούτε το χαμό του βασιλείου του. Ο ηλικιωμένος φιλόσοφος του είχε δώσει την εξής απάντηση: Mην καλοτυχίζεις κανέναν προτού δεις το τέλος του... Οι πρώτες τολύπες καπνού τυλίγονται σαν θηλιές γύρω από το λαιμό του Κροίσου. Ένα φιλοσοφημένο μυθιστόρημα για το πώς διαμορφώνεται η ανθρώπινη προσωπικότητα, για το πώς ένας άνθρωπος αποκτά την εξουσία και το πώς την ασκεί• για τις εμπειρίες της ανθρωπότητας στον πόλεμο και στην ειρήνη• για την αξία του χρήματος και για τις έννοιες της ελευθερίας, του θάρρους, της φιλίας και της ευτυχίας. Ένα βιβλίο που θέτει πάνω απ’ όλα το ερώτημα: Τι σημαίνει να διάγεις έναν καλό βίο. Μια εξαιρετική μυθιστορηματική απόδοση της αιματηρής ανόδου και πτώσης ενός θρυλικού ηγεμόνα της Ανατολής, που συνδυάζει την ενδελεχή ιστορική έρευνα με το αφηγηματικό ταλέντο.

Είχα πολύ καιρό να διαβάσω ένα ιστορικό μυθιστόρημα, η ιστορία του οποίου να διαδραματίζεται στα αρχαία χρόνια. Να σας πω την αλήθεια, τώρα που το σκέφτομαι, μπορεί να είναι και το πρώτο! Έχω δει αρκετές ταινίες, αλλά από βιβλία ψόφια τα πράγματα. Και δεν είναι λίγα αυτά που κυκλοφορούν εκεί έξω (και αυτά που έχω στην βιβλιοθήκη μου, εδώ που τα λέμε). Ίσως γι'αυτό να ξετρελάθηκα τόσο με αυτό το βιβλίο. Ή ίσως να είναι όντως τόσο καλό. Μου άρεσε πολύ η όλη ιστορία -η άνοδος και η πτώση ενός μεγάλου και τρανού βασιλιά της Ανατολής-, τα διάφορα μηνύματα που κρύβονται πίσω από την πλοκή, η σκιαγράφηση των χαρακτήρων... Αλλά, πάνω απ'όλα, μου άρεσε η εξαιρετική γραφή, αυτό το απίθανο αφηγηματικό στιλ του συγγραφέα, που πραγματικά με μαγνήτισε από την πρώτη κιόλας σελίδα. Η γραφή του Λιτς είναι πολύ καλή, σίγουρη και εθιστική, με τις περιγραφές των τοπίων και των σκηνών δράσης να μεταφέρουν τον αναγνώστη χιλιάδες χρόνια πίσω στον χρόνο, σ'έναν εντελώς ξένο κόσμο. Όσον αφορά την ατμόσφαιρα, είναι φοβερή.

Γενικά πρόκειται για ένα εξαίσιο ιστορικό μυθιστόρημα, που προσφέρει αξιομνημόνευτους χαρακτήρες, ιστορικές γνώσεις, ωραίες περιγραφές μιας άλλης εποχής, φιλοσοφικά μηνύματα, καθώς φυσικά και αναγνωστική απόλαυση. Μην περιμένετε επικές περιγραφές επικών μαχών (υπάρχουν μάχες και σκηνές δράσης αλλά περιγράφονται σχετικά λιτά και σύντομα), μιας και σκοπός του συγγραφέα ήταν να σκιαγραφήσει το πορτρέτο ενός ανθρώπου που είχε τα πάντα (εξουσία, δύναμη, υγεία και χρυσάφι), αλλά του έλειπε η πραγματική ευτυχία. Το βιβλίο το προτείνω με κλειστά μάτια στους λάτρεις των ιστορικών μυθιστορημάτων, αλλά και στους λάτρεις της καλής λογοτεχνίας γενικότερα.

[Judith Starkston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rich as Croesus
The Last King of Lydia is a thoughtful, philosophical novel. Engaging things happen, but it is clear that the events are less important than what those events mean or how they can be interpreted.

Tim Leach has taken the Greek legend of Croesus, the extravagantly rich king of Lydia whose river, the Pactolus, flowed with gold, and retold it in a smart, meaning-laden manner that I enjoyed. This is a book that pursues the big questions, “What is the meaning of life?” “What makes a man truly happy and how can you tell he is happy?”

The philosophical tone is set early on when Solon, the famous wise man of Athens, comes to visit Croesus. Croesus asks Solon “Who is the happiest man you have ever met?” Croesus expects Solon to say he is, but in this Croesus is disappointed. It is the first of many disappointments. If nothing else, this tale proves the proverb that money can’t buy happiness or wisdom. I think, if I’ve interpreted correctly, Leach suggests that life itself, the long stretch of days, might gain one or both of those but then again might not.

Leach builds for us the great cities of the Near East, Sardis and Babylon, as wondrous places. 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.

Cyrus, the Persian king who conquered a huge empire, has a major role. 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. In some ways Cyrus can be seen as the inventor of the concept of leaving people alone to worship as they please: “permissively plural,” as Cyrus’s theory is jokingly described by a slave in the novel. Cyrus is the king who allowed the Jews to return to Israel from their exile in Babylon and worship that zany notion of a single god, which quite excludes worshipping the great ruler.
Leach is good at both nuance and a cynicism that is cut with generosity and optimism. The world is neither dark nor light, but it is worth exploring. 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.

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. I’ll quote a few “goodies” that I found along the way and hope they’ll hold up taken out of context. If you absolutely hate anything remotely like spoilers, you might want to stop reading now, although I don't think these will qualify as plot revealers. The book primarily philosophizes via action, events, and characters, not pithy comments, but there are such gems scattered through in a pleasant way:
“We have gained a year where nothing will change. We will eat, do our work and sleep. … what a gift that is. To be granted a year of this stillness. There will be no surprises to trap us into making any mistake. If I had my way, I would be happy to wait by this river for the rest of my life.”

Or “He thought of how easily he and the others would be replaced. … Barely had you stopped breathing before you became an irrelevance, as though you had never lived at all. 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?”

Or, to come to a quite different conclusion—though in a subtle manner:
“‘What is happiness to you then?’ …
Isocrates thought for a moment, then shrugged. ‘Eating a good pear with a sharp knife,’ he said. ‘Making love to Maia, when she’ll have me. Falling asleep with the sun on my face. Shall I go on?’
Croesus shook his head. ‘Sensation. Relief from pain. That’s not enough.’
‘It is enough for me. … Would you like me to go?’
‘Stay here, and watch the sunset with me,’ Croesus said. ‘It might be a good one.’”

So here is to a good sunset to go along with this good book. Life is full of pleasures we shouldn’t turn down just because we worry they aren’t permanent or profound.

[Ozymandias · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited when I found out there was a book written about Croesus. He’s such a fascinating figure at the boundary between history and myth. 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. Larger-than-life stories of quests and prophecies and inconceivable wealth. A veritable golden age with a tragic king at the head. 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.

This isn’t quite what this book tries to do. Rather it aims to retell those myths for a modern audience. So we get the tale of Solon’s visit (which certainly never happened). We hear the tragedy of Croesus’ son Atys (heavily mythologized to the point of fiction). We hear tell of his famously interrupted execution by being burned alive (possibly true, if exaggerated). All this is retold and expanded.

The problem with taking this approach can be summed up in just one question: why? Why tell the same story as Herodotus with the same moral and same conclusions? What does this book bring to the tale that Herodotus didn’t already have? Sure, Herodotus’ stories are fairly short, but they’re well told (even by modern standards Herodotus is pretty accessible) and I’m not one of those people who believes that bigger is inherently better. So a more detailed expansion of the same tale that doesn’t do anything different or change anything but the style seems pointless to me. Worse, it no longer has the authentic shared mindset of bloodfeuds and hubris. In retelling the story it becomes more superficial. 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.” Here it’s “Until you die, you can’t be called happy. Just lucky.” I’d have thrown the man back on the pyre!

The expansion itself isn’t particularly impressive. It’s mostly giving dialogue to various characters as well as some establishing narration. There’s little buildup or sidestories. Once the book decides on a narrative it rushes straight through to the end with little distraction. Most of the book is buildup. The main events, when they do occur, are ended with little fanfare. The battle, for example, takes only two paragraphs, one only a sentence long. We never even actually see the death of his son. There’s the strong air of the fairy tale in this: characters are simplistic, motives are haphazard, society barely exists outside the palace, the land is at peace and no outside action can affect it. Croesus is master of his own destiny and it is only his thoughtless behavior that will bring about his downfall.

Fortunately, the book does go in a slightly more inventive direction once we get past the traditional Croesus narrative. Herodotus claimed that Croesus became one of Cyrus’ chief advisors. This novel expands on that idea. Since Herodotus has little to say about specifics (it’s worth noting here that Babylonian chronicles may claim Croesus was flat-out killed) Leach has plenty of room to expand. And so he does. We follow Croesus through the great siege of Babylon, where he doesn’t really belong but it’s interesting to see anyway. And yet... it’s really the same sort of story. The sort of thing you’d tell your children. The slave/free distinction is absolute here. As a slave Croesus lives in a tent with all the other slaves and gets dragged around like one. And yet he advises the king. We’ve got none of the varying degrees of nonfreedom you should see at the Persian court. Nor does Croesus really have anything to do as a slave but observe what others do.

Croesus fell completely flat as a character for me. You know the emperor from The Emperor’s New Clothes? This is him just with a different narrative attached. There’s no depth to him at all. He feels like a child’s view of an adult. His sole concern is his own happiness and his main flaw is that he’s spoiled. When he decides to go to war with Persia it’s because he sees a map of the world and feels sad that he doesn’t have more of it. Also, his son died so he needs some new hobby to fill the hole. He is entirely isolated from real life and the necessities of rule, living like a pampered and passive child with his servants and commanders taking the role of parents. Again: very fairy tale.

Perhaps this story would be a better one for children. 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. This might have appealed to me then. But what do I know? I was reading Tolkien and Dickens in third grade and have no children of my own for comparison. The book does deal with some rather unpleasant situations like rape and murder which I wouldn’t expect to see in a children’s book. And it certainly wasn’t presented as being for that market. As a book for young children I’d judge this book better, but I wouldn’t really recommend it to an audience older than that. Seek out Herodotus. He’s still good after all these millennia. If any of this sounds appealing to you, he’s the one to read.


Plot: 4 (Plenty of interest but not handled well)
Characters: 2 (Distinct but empty)
Accuracy: N/A (Modern fairy tales mixed with ancient ones)

[Iset · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost feel guilty about the rating I’ve given this book. It’s a debut novel that the author clearly worked very hard on, it covers a little-explored figure of history and legend, and I can positively see the pride and ambition oozing from the pages in the philosophical themes… but it fell flat for me. I give it points for being decently written, for the interesting choice of Croesus as subject matter, and for having the determination to try and be a deep, thought-provoking book – I just didn’t think the author pulled it off.

For starters, the small cast and narrow scope hampered the story. 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. Meeting just Croesus, his immediate family, and one or two advisors felt unrealistic and implausible. The story lacked the grand scope of its supposed setting.

Another point that broke my suspension of disbelief was the sheer amount of time skipping. I didn’t feel like I was getting the full, rich story, but snatched glimpses of Croesus’ life, the bare bones of the plot needed to keep it moving on but no real fleshing out of the world. I could almost have called this a novella of key moments, or an abridged version. As a result I found it hard to buy into the deep philosophical tale the book was trying to engage me with because it just seemed like a very calculated sequence of functional, plot-serving events and important name drops, but I didn’t really know the real lives of these characters. I didn’t know the subtleties and complexities of their lives, I often had no idea what characters were thinking, and the philosophy felt ham-handed and straining too hard for my attention.

6 out of 10

[Keith Currie · Rating 3 out of 5]

To base a novel on the life of Croesus king of Lydia might appear to be easier, I suggest, than it actually is. As a study on the nature of hubris and the cultivation of humility there is plenty of raw material in the pages of Herodotus, as well as in other moralistic writers of the ancient world. But that presents problems. How far should the novel follow Herodotus' story and where should it diverge? If Herodotus' details are accepted and used, then is the novel simply some sort of modern homage? In the publicity for The last King of Lydia comparisons are made with among other authors, Mary Renault, who is still considered the best of historical novelists focussing on ancient Greece. 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. Croesus, however, inhabits something of a borderland between myth and history - he undoubtedly existed, but much of what Herodotus writes is unlikely to be true.

In his novel, Tim Leach appears to accept most of what Herodotus writes (although there are a few quiet jokes about the creation of some of the stories about Croesus here and there). This gives the novel a rather unrealistic, slightly dream-like quality. This is not a criticism, but renders the tone of the book slightly off-beat and strange. The written style is very simple, objective and unemotional, at times almost matter-of-fact, most unlike that of Hilary Mantel, another comparison made in the publicity. Almost all the characters and their stories can be found in Herodotus: Solon, Cyrus, Harpagus, Adrastus and the rest. Only Isocrates, Croesus' slave, and his wife appear to be invented for the novel, and they add a level of novelty for the reader who knows his Herodotus.

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.

[kostas vamvoukakis · Rating 4 out of 5]

ευκολοδιαβαστο με πολλες λεπτομερειες για τον κροισο...καλη επιλογη για ιστορικο μυθιστορημα

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5pts rounded up to 4 Stars as it got better as it went & really grew on me & you can't ask for more than that from a story!

First of all thanks to Goodreads as I received this Free as part of a Giveaway.

On picking this up I thought great, Greco-Persian wars, battles, politics, Woo-Hoo! And so I began to read, the opening chapter called The Pyre - Its a flashback style, thats ok! All good & then we have the Philosopher & its about the King of Lydia & his musings about his life, about being a King, about happiness...... Oh says I, where's the rest of the cast? Thought we were getting battles, politics of the time, empires rising & falling & so forth......

So WHY OH WHY some might say have I recommended a one-character book to you all?

Well, its only the initial setting & chapter that is styled so, Our King Croesus & his immediate family are characterised & you start to get a feel for the man, no, for a King & all that goes with it. It's intriguing in that respect & others appear, generals, slaves, politicians, enemies & so forth all dealt with through their interactions with the Last king of Lydia. One of the main characters who I liked was King Cyrus of Persia & the tete-a-tete between the two is excellent. For those not knowing the story of Lydia I wont spoil but the book in reality is the fall of one great empire & the rise of another - that of Persia.

Tim leach has written a very good debut book here & an author to follow I believe.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

My good friend Andy recommended this book to me.

I found it a little hard to get into, mostly because Croesus is an unlikeable sod. However, I persevered and ultimately became caught up in the story.

I know the story of Croesus from my reading of Herodotus, so nothing that happened in the story came as a real surprise.

What I liked about the book was the philosophical themes of it. Hubris. Freedom vs slavery. The nature of slavery. The nature of freedom. All of which combined to make "The Last King of Lydia" a very absorbing and thought provoking read.

It is also hard to believe that this is the debut novel of Tim Leach. The book feels like a master work after years of writing. I can only anticipate what his next book is going to be like.

I heartily recommend "The Last King of Lydia" to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and anyone who has read and enjoyed Herodotus.

[Nick_britten · Rating 5 out of 5]

he year is 558BC and King Croesus is at the height of his powers. 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.

When the Athenian philosopher Solon visits his court, Croesus has an opportunity to ask him anything he likes. The question he asks is thus: ‘Who is the happiest person you have ever met?’ Solon’s answer leaves Croesus perplexed. ‘You can only measure a man’s happiness when he is dead.’

How can he not be the happiest person he had met? Was he not ruler of a vast and rich empire? Did he not have a loving queen and a strong heir? Dismissing Solon from his mind, Croesus turned his attention to a threat from the east.

The Persian Empire is on the move and Croesus decides he has to confront this threat head on. Leading his army out he comes up against one of histories great conquerors.

King Cyrus of Persia will destroy Croesus hopes and dreams and as he awaits his execution atop a pyre, his city being pillaged, his wealth gone and his wife and son dead. Solon’s words will come back to haunt him ‘You can only measure a man’s happiness when he is dead.’

In my alternative life as a book reviewer I am very lucky in getting some great book to review. Regular readers of this blog will know I tend to only review books I have enjoyed and think other people will enjoy as well.

Every now and then I will get a book that is so good that I’m almost too scared to review it in case readers think I have been paid by the author or publisher. The Last King of Lydia is a book that falls into this category.

This is a book without large set piece battles or gallons of blood and core but studies the human psyche and emotions.

The first half of the book deals with Croesus as king and how he deals with ultimate power and the relationships he builds with his family, subjects and slaves alike.

We watch as greed and power lead him to gamble his vast wealth and his very kingship in a confrontation with Persia.

The second half of the book then covers how Croesus handles the humiliation of losing everything he held dear and the loss of status.

I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Croesus and Cyrus, the Conqueror and the conquered in an uneasy alliance. The personalities of the two men couldn’t be more different and I think that is a compliment to the writing.

Cyrus is strong, dominate, ruthless and power oozes from him, he make Croesus seem weak and feeble and a bit pathetic. 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.

This is a beautiful re-telling of Herodotus’s famous tale and I don’t think I can recommend it highly enough.

It may only be April but this astonishing debut book from Tim Leach is without doubt my book of 2013.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully and poetically written novel about the 6th century B.C. King Croesus, the "last king of [the country of] Lydia". In his war with Persia he is defeated and reprieved from being burnt to death on a pyre. Before the war, we first see him speaking with a philosopher, Solon of Athens. What is the purpose of life? What is the meaning of happiness? These questions occupy his mind all through his life. He becomes a slave and advisor to Cyrus, the Persian king. The author never gives these questions definitive answers. 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. The dreamlike manner of narration of events fits the story of Croesus, a historical/mythological figure. The last part set in Babylon was poignant. Money has not bought Croesus happiness, just as power satisfies Cyrus temporarily, then bored, he searches for other lands to conquer.

This book was unforgettable.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the best historical fiction I've read so far. It's intelligently written, often poetic, compelling and even though I knew the story of Croesus, it was full of surprises. It is so thoughtfully written. Important events are seen from the perspective of unexpected characters which gives the book so much more depth. All of the main characters are multidimensional, easy to relate to and to empathise with, and historical fact is woven seamlessly into the storyline. I really enjoyed this book and I know I'll be thinking about it for a long while yet.

[Amy Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one surprised me! Solid 3.5/5. The last 25% really endeared me to the slower, more reflective style of the characters later in their lives, however the hustle and bustle of powerful men starting wars for fun unfortunately does not serve for quality escapism from the modern world rn.

Excited to read the sequel 🫶🏻

[MTK · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional historical novel, a brilliant and fascinating retelling of the life of the fabled king Croiseus of Lydia, the richest man of the ancient world, and a study on the meaning of happiness.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book free as part of a Goodreads Giveaway. I will only discuss general aspects of the book rather than specific plot points and therefore consider it a spoiler-free review.

I haven't read historical fiction for a while, although I would call myself a fan from a distance. This was really a great book to get me back into the genre. It is tremendously well researched, readable and compelling. It follows the life of Croesus, the titular Last King of Lydia, and how he deals with life throwing him around to some of the highest and lowest positions available to people 2,500 years ago.

It is not a long read and flows very well. 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 would recommend this to any fan of historical fiction who values proper research and storytelling of a real, believable life. If you're more a fan of grand battles and noble sacrifices, this is not the book for you. Croesus is not a man one might aspire to be like or be with, but his journey through life is a deep, varied and intimate one which I really enjoyed.

[B. Rule · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a really wonderful modern retelling of Herodotus' account of Croesus, written in a simple but beautiful style that maintains a suitably classical feel while also importing some modern touches. The novel is largely concerned with the ancient philosophical problems of human flourishing. The adventure of Croesus is a heroic quest for the meaning of happiness, and along the way he considers the nature of fate, freedom vs. slavery, and what constitutes good political order. Croesus, at least in this telling, provides an interesting example of how suffering derives not just from privation, but from excess as well. Leach's narrative is largely derivative of the ancient sources, but he adeptly weaves them together and keeps the pacing engaging. He does a great job of giving his characters distinct personalities and worldviews, including some historical and pseudohistorical figures (e.g., Cyrus, Harpagus, Croesus himself). He also plays with Plato a bit, offering up a philosopher-king who becomes more of a philosopher as his station falls in life, resulting in the greatest insights arriving concomitant with his enslavement. Definitely worth a read for anyone with an interest in the classical world or the question of how to have a happy life.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A retelling of Herodotus' story about one king's search for happiness.

Is it wealth?
Is it a having strong, intelligent, capable male heir?
Is it an unconquerable empire?

On the brink of what would be an awful way to die in the hand of an enemy, Croesus realized it is none of those.

Having "known" how the story line would progress beforehand, I found the early part of the plot to be quite bland and unexciting. I also feel that the language is quite light; I found myself going from page to page quite fast, when what I really wanted was to savor each page, to delight in the rich descriptions of an ancient world.

I would also question whether there is such a close relationship between a king and a slave (Croesus and Isocrates, Cyrus and Croesus), it is just too good to be true. The friendship developed between Croesus-Isocrates-Maia after the fall of Lydia did not convince me as well.

My favorite chapter is the one written from one of soldiers point of view. It is heart-wrenching to read about his reflections on his short life, as he marched to death, fighting for his country. It makes one reflective too, on life lives - meaningfully or wastefully.

[Graham Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting book. It hovers between being a well researched Historical Fiction and a book that explores philosophies of life & what makes us happy. 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".

The prose is quite simple but there are some really beautiful and poetic descriptions of life that lift it above the ordinary.

[Hugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

An impressive debut novel centred on the famously rich king Croesus of Lydia. On one level a page-turning romp through the ancient world, on another it is a moving reflective human story full of ideas on the nature of happiness, fulfilment and life itself. 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.

[Rob Wickings · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautifully written and solidly researched but painfully slow. I very nearly gave up on it a couple of times. Some reviewers have expressed astonishment that this is a debut novel - for me it had all the flaws common to the neophyte writer. Characterisation was sparse, and the story unengaging. Disappointing, considering the praise it's been getting from sources I know and trust.

[charlotte, · Rating 2 out of 5]

(2.5)

[Yune · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly meditative for a book that begins with an execution by pyre. I was vaguely familiar with Herodotus's account of the wealthy King Croesus asking the sage Solon who was the happiest man, expecting the answer to be himself, but I hadn't realized the potential behind that tale.

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. So long as you allowed a king the illusion of servility he would go with your calmly, even as you led him to his death.

The barber who was assigned to the prisoner did not observe this principle. 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. The guards did not share the barber's curiosity. They were veterans of many wars of conquest, and they knew that a king bled and died like any other man.

This is a book about expectations and station and their mutability. As king, Croesus has only to speak to make men obey -- a dream about his son's death by iron leads to a ban on all iron weapons. But his elevation actually hampers his perception; he is sometimes even kind or merciful (he spares the life of an inadvertent killer and orders a statue made of a childless slave, to ensure she has some sort of legacy), but some of his questions are baldly ignorant because he can't conceive of different circumstances. He comes to realize that his power has limits because "It's a difficult thing, having one's happiness depend on those one cannot control" -- like his son's guaranteed well-being.

There's a beautiful melding of myth and history here. When Croesus consults the oracles about whether to go to war with Persia, it is a deliberate political calculation to favor Delphi, propped up by a rumor spread by Croesus's most trusted slave Isocrates about how they knew that Croesus was butchering a turtle and a lamb on a certain night -- a "story...so absurd that no one would think you had invented it," Croesus laughs. (A story that Herodotus then passed on to us.)

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. 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. This transformation, from fear to wary understanding, is echoed in Croesus's changed relationships with others once he is no longer king. It is a strange friendship that he strikes up with Isocrates as a fellow slave; an odd respect that he learns for his conqueror, the Persian King Cyrus.

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. It's a book of philosophy as much as history, about what we can and should do to be happy, and perhaps a little about second chances to bring happiness to others.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm never totally sure whether Croesus was a real historical figure or more legendary, although the conflict with the Persians clearly was real, so that does ground the novel in at least some reality. Equally, it often feels like the author is using the philosophical element to push a certain moral on the reader when, let's be honest, we *know* that wealth isn't everything (although it does help if you have at least some money so you don't starve).

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. But again, this did get a bit heavy-handed at times.

But it's a decent book overall, and I think it is the author's first. It was good to see a different part of the classical world and, while I appreciate that a lack of historical resources can make it difficult to write about them, I would like to see more novels that explore some of the lesser-known kingdoms and cultures from the ancient world. This one makes me want to go and learn more, so it has a positive impact in that respect too.

[Louis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teetered between 4 and 5 but in the end concluded that the extra star was worth it for the originality.

The book starts with Croesus on an execution pyre. How he gets there is related via flashbacks before we are brought back to the present time.

What makes this a special book is less to do with the events, the battles, the conquests and so on, but the effect on the characters. To an extent, this is a book about philosophy, but that makes it sound like one of those irritating stories where "the message" is clumsily wedged into the narrative, which it is not.

The key character of Croesus is brilliantly written. He does some dreadful things, but is at times oddly innocent, at least in how he thinks about the world. The story really is about how he thinks about the world, and his relationships with other characters, who I think you could see almost as parts of his own personality.

All of which makes it sound a bit dry, but it's well written and zips along. Give it a go, it exceeded my expectations.

[P · Rating 2 out of 5]

There aren't a lot of novels that cover this period, so while I do applaud the author's efforts, I think the story fell flat. I found it difficult to sympathize with Croesus. He is depicted as a naive and inexperienced military strategist, which he certainly was not because he conquered Ionian cities (Ephesus, etc.). I cringed with second-hand embarrassment when Croesus, after taking a look at the army he had assembled, turned to his general and said something on the lines of "What now?". Again, Croesus sends emissaries to Nabonidus of Babylon but we don't hear from them again. The Battle of Thymbra is barely covered. Then, after the siege of Sardis, we see Croesus' ignoble state as a slave in King Cyrus' household. I doubt King Cyrus would have treated a fellow king like that. He was known for being tolerant and merciful. According to Cstesias, Croesus was given the satrapy of Barene in Media. I'd rather trust Cstesias than Herodotus. The latter was much given to flights of fancy. It was a disappointing read, so I'll not be reading the next book in this series.

[R.rudy.evenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readers who revel in the material details of period costume, weapons and mores may be disappointed in this fabulistic treatment of the ancient king whose name became synonymous with wealth. However, Leach's tale offers a moving answer to the question, "Who is the happiest person on earth?" Leach's characters are believable and the historical context feels real. Although I do appreciate the costume-pageantry details of Colleen McCullough's "Masters of Rome" series or the grit of Robert Harris' Cicero books, Leach's approach to his semi-mythological subject matter works well in its own context.

In fact, for many of the same reasons, I thought the book compared favorably to another recent fabulistic treatment of semi-mythological classical Greek material, Madeline Miller's "Song of Achilles," a lovely re-telling of the Iliad. I highly recommend them both.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book but I found it to be a compelling story of the ancient world. 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. Thers' no "bad guy" as such, which makes it seem more realistic.
The ancient world is so distant from us that at times it feels like fantasy - kings, gods, sacrifices, oracles, mountains of gold, lost cities, myth.
This book is both a look at the history of the final days of and empire, and a small story about one man. We experience the magic and danger of the ancient world from the perspective of kings and slaves. Although some customs seem strange to us now, we're fully on board with them while immersed in the story fo Croesus.
A great book about a lost empire.

[Gibin Mathew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice read!

More of a Philosophical novel.It is very thoughtful and provocative and a journey in search of happiness and happy life from the eyes of king who lost his kingdom and serve as slave to his conqueror. The king turned slave finally discovers truth of happiness . Though written in a historical background,I am not sure about the authenticity of this story. More over the characters seems much modern and liberal in the outlook.

The story revolves around the Lydian king "Croesus" who was defeated by "Cyrus" of Persia. He spend his life as a slave in Cyrus's court. He accompanies in Cyrus's conquest and this did change his life. Overall it is a good read .I will rate it 3/5.

[Tesseract · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never heard of the story of Croesus before I read this, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Certainly not an existential crisis. This book probably isn’t for everyone, but it has forced me to re-examine my own perception of life and the meaning *waves hand around randomly* of it all. I definitely will be rereading this in the future.

[Mrs M A Hockley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last King of Lydia

I know nothing about this period of history but l feel that the author has researched it really well. It was a fascinating read, a great story very well told, and makes me keen to read more about the ancient world. It’s a marvellous debut novel.

[MC · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have made several attempts on this book. I just cannot get the rhythm of the narrative or the characters.