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. 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). 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. 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.

Croesus notes bitterly that the coinage bearing his family crest will last far longer than their kingdom. 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. 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.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. 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. 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. By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file.

He does a great job of giving his characters distinct personalities and worldviews, including some historical and pseudohistorical figures (e. As a big fan of all manner of historical fiction I would highly recommend this book both for its writing but also how it explores a period not often seen in the genre. Although some customs seem strange to us now, we're fully on board with them while immersed in the story fo Croesus. Almost all the characters and their stories can be found in Herodotus: Solon, Cyrus, Harpagus, Adrastus and the rest.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. 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? I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Croesus and Cyrus, the Conqueror and the conquered in an uneasy alliance. 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.