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 rise of *Persia turned Croesus to seek support in Greece and Egypt, but *Cyrus (1) anticipated him: Sardis was captured and Croesus overthrown.

To base a novel on the life of Croesus king of Lydia might appear to be easier, I suggest, than it actually is. 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. 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. His story prompted many lines of inquiry that demanded further exploration outside of my reading time; it incites you to learn more.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. 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. It is only when Croesus has truly lost everything that he reflects on the words of the seer and how painfully true they have proved to be. 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. 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.

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. The philosophical tone is set early on when Solon, the famous wise man of Athens, comes to visit Croesus. Definitely worth a read for anyone with an interest in the classical world or the question of how to have a happy life. 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. Croesus is depicted as a flawed leader, but Leach skilfully persuades the reader to keep rooting for him, despite his mistakes.I wasn't sure what to expect from this book but I found it to be a compelling story of the ancient world.