The Sword of Persia: Nader Shah, from Tribal Warrior to Conquering Tyrant [Hardcover]

Michael Axworthy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2006

Nader Shah, ruler of Persia from 1736 to 1747, took eighteenth-century Iran from political collapse to become the dominant power in the region, recovering Herat and Kandahar, conquering Moghul Delhi, plundering the enormous treasures of India, repeatedly defeating Ottoman Turkey, and overrunning most of what is now Iraq. But suspicion and avarice led him to persecute the Persian people as savagely as any foreign conqueror had done. This book recreates the story of a remarkable, ruthless man, and includes much new research which will prove indispensable to historians and students.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The best biography of the year,  Axworthy's 'The Sword of Persia' had rescued Nader Shah from obscurity and created not such a brilliant human portrait of tyranny, conquest, cruelty and insanity but also a superb introduction to Iran itself which makes this book not just a beautiful-written compelling work but one that is also utterly relevant today." --Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar 

 

"a superb, gripping study of tyranny, madness, and Iran." --Sunday Telegraph

About the Author

Michael Axworthy studied History at Peterhouse, Cambridge and was Head of the Iran Section, Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 1998 to 2000. He has been to Iran many times both as a visitor and as a diplomat. He now teaches Middle East History at Exeter University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: I. B. Tauris (October 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1850437068
• ISBN-13: 978-1850437062
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,272,281 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read, April 26, 2011

By 

Tahmuras - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Sword of Persia: Nader Shah, from Tribal Warrior to Conquering Tyrant (Paperback)

This was a fun read, very informative and well written. I'm no scholar, but I am convinced that this author knows what he is talking about.

Nader Shah was pretty hardcore. For a while, he had an army that would beat you half to death with your own golden curtain-rod and then immediately stop at his command and hand you back your property with a smile and apology, if the boss said so, at least.

But Nader Shah was more than hardcore, he was a genuine badass. He called himself The Son of the Sword (or something of that sort) because that was how he kicked everyones ass. It kind of brings me new meaning to the term Son of a Gun... But anyways, if you have ever thought that anyone, ever, was badass, then I challenge you to read this book; you will probably think very little of your hypothetical hero afterwards- assuming of course that this author is as accurate in his work as he is reputable among the learned crowd who brought this piece to my attention. I don't want to spoil the book for you by giving away the details, but I will say that the reported badassness of Nader Shah even extended to the ranks of his harem. Read the book to find out; it's at the end. It's hardcore, really. I don't want to spoil it for you, but I will just say that I wish I had chicks like this calling me their King.

But Nader Shah was not just some mean thug though, the ladies and sensitive type can appreciate his many pro-woman and pro-family stances, such as his policies against his army raping women and stealing them away as slaves and brides, except for maybe one or two occasions. Read the book and judge for yourselves ladies.

And guys can appreciate that for a long time, he was pretty focused on maintaining justice for the average Joe, or over there, the average "Reza" or something. Kind of... I mean, his military did get expensive as hell, leading to heavy taxation... Read the book to find out.

Anyways, the book was very well written, seemingly well researched (but who am I to say? I mean, there were a ton of attributions and cited material at the end of the book, so it looked pretty convincing to me...) and reading about Nader Shah was incredibly fun and at many times it amazed me that what I was reading was really a person's life in history and not a script for a Hollywood blockbuster. In fact, this would make a badass movie. It would probably be ruined though if it was made for the theaters, it would have to be done by AMC or something- they seem to be doing good with The Walking Dead and it seems like Season 2 is only going to get better. HBO could do good also- they tend to do good casting and I give them total props for putting out The Sopranos and The Wire (which is the greatest show ever. Ever!) If you read this book, you will know what I am talking about though; you wouldn't believe that this guy was real. Lots of potential...

So if it is your first time ever hearing of Nader Shah, or your seventh time like me, I would recommend this book as a great start. Hell, if you know everything about Nader Shah I would also recommend that you read this and say a thing or two afterwards about this book- your opinion would be more useful than mine, probably. But for those reading this for my opinion, then yea, buy this book, it is awesome.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nader Shah, September 3, 2009

By 

Enver Khorasanee - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Sword of Persia: Nader Shah, from Tribal Warrior to Conquering Tyrant (Paperback)

Reading Nader Shah's exploits for the second time (first by Laurance Lockehart 1938) is just like watching all of John Wayne's western. Only difference is that Nader Shah was for real. I am going to read this book again and again just as I have done so many times.
Enver Khorasanee