Dawn of the Greatest Persian: The Childhood of Cyrus the Great [Paperback]

C. J. Kirwin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 25, 2003

One of the greatest men of ancient history is born into duplicity in this fictional novel. Cyrus the Great of Persia (Pars) triumphs by surviving his childhood. His grandfather, the Great King who ruled the Median Empire, is willing to forsake his own family for personal survival. His priest magi cannot interpret his frightful dreams to his satisfaction. He forces a marriage on his only daughter. Then he conspires to kill her baby. Military disobedience puts the infant into the hands of thieves. Corrupt government officials jeopardize his natural parents and his country. After years of separation from his natural parents he is reunited through bizarre family support. Enemies of his family continue to endanger his parents. Lies, hate and revenge surround the child. His father teaches Cyrus his family's history. The boy accepts generations of honor as his standard. This is a story of people losing control, committing crimes, and harboring hate. National conflict spit royal families against each other. Love and honor win. After 2500 years nothing is fundamentally different in the story of mankind.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

C. J. Kirwin retired from a career as an industrial toxicologist. His extensive travels led him to take an interest in ancient history. After a family member introduced him to Cyrus the Great, Mr. Kirwin was surprised to find Cyrus so prominently represented in important segments of the Old Testament, which he had never read. After years of research he decided to integrate historical inconsistencies about the childhood of Cyrus into a fictional novel. Mr. Kirwin lives in Oklahoma with his wife, three daughters and four grandchildren.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (July 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1410764788
• ISBN-13: 978-1410764782
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,206,513 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dawn of the Greatest Persian ( Childhood of Cyrus the Great), December 4, 2003

By 

Risdon W. Hankinson (Bartlesville, OK USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dawn of the Greatest Persian: The Childhood of Cyrus the Great (Paperback)

The "Dawn of the Greatest Persian" is an outstanding historical novel that carries the reader from the court of the King of Kings, the ruler of Media, through arranged marriages, deception, intrigue and murder to the coming of age of young Cyrus who ultimately conquered the known world. A requirement of any historical novel worth it's salt is that it enjoyable at multiple levels of interest. "Dawn" accomplishes that.

Exceeding the primary requirement for any good novel, "Dawn" is a dynamite story that contains absolutely everything. The characters are well developed and interesting. The King of Kings is a paranoid, unpredictable and often cruel grandfather to young Cyrus. Zav is the scheming, ambitious, traitorous Minister of Taxes who conspires with Ispitamu, is a promiscuous, jealous, court princesses and cousin to Cyrus, to destroy the court of Cambyses and murder his wife. Cambyses is the courageous Minor King of Pars (ancient Persia) and father to Cyrus, and Mandane is the daughter of the great King, wife of Cambyses, and mother of Cyrus. These, along with other intriguing personalities, form a fascinating character set. The plot is well developed as the characters weave an intricate fabric of love, hate, friendship, betrayal, sex, and vicious behavior. For the story line alone, "Dawn" is an exceptionally good book.

The second requirement for a historical novel is that it must mirror history and not significantly alter known facts and outcomes. The author succeeds brilliantly in this regard. He intertwines the factual history for the period with uncertainties and myths concerning the parentage and boyhood of Cyrus the Great to create a fascinating story without compromising historical accuracy. The book sent me to reference works to check surprises that turned out to be facts. The book is not only well written it is well researched and presented in an interesting fashion that flows like an exciting novel and not a History Channel documentary.

The final criterion for a viable novel of this genre is that it must reflect the culture, setting, science, and economic development of the period. "Dawn" excels at this with descriptions of the camel trade routes, architecture, military strategy, weaponry, political balances between provinces and countries, and social customs of the people. The reader gains numerous insights into the mores of the culture and picks up interesting commentary of such practices as using roots of certain bushes to both dispatch enemies by poison and prevent unwanted pregnancies.

C. J. Kirwin captures an important chapter in human history while telling a fascinating and stunning story. I recommend it to anyone who wishes to become more familiar with ancient Persia (about 600 BCE) and who enjoys a great, well-written story. I am looking forward to reading next two volumes of the planned trilogy.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My cousin, the storyteller, September 2, 2003

By 

Ray Kirwin (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dawn of the Greatest Persian: The Childhood of Cyrus the Great (Paperback)

Right off, the author is my cousin and I read the book as a courtesy to a cousin whom I've known all my life. After the first several pages I completely forgot he was my cousin and the story absorbed my attention. The characters were well developed, as was the storyline. The subplots were stories within themselves and were suspenseful. It kept me supporting the good people and hoping the bad people would not succeed in their evil plots. The character description at the front of the book was very helpful and I referred to it often, as well as the map at the back of the book. Some fiction and some historical fact were woven together cleverly. A terrific story!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In the name of Iran, April 15, 2007

By 

Peyman ADLDOUSTI (Persian Gulf) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dawn of the Greatest Persian: The Childhood of Cyrus the Great (Paperback)

This book is written about Cyrus the Great's turmoil childhood. It explains that there was a powerful Median King who had a dream that a child is robbing his throne, as the Median King order to murder children in his kingdom in order to secure his kingdom. There is a question did the Median King successed in his burtality to prevent Cyrus the Great to become a king?

Also, would like to bring to readers attention that author cliams that his/her research is fictional, then how Cyrus the Great became King of Iran or Persia?

I hope you will enjoy reading this book.