"Cambyses was a madman. Darius was a huckster. But Cyrus was a father to us."-Persian proverbIn the ancient world kings ruled as despots, their subjects at the mercy of their every whim. But a mule, a half-breed child of two kingdoms, was destined to rule with tolerance and the restraint of law, earning him the name of Cyrus the Great. Warned by a prophetic dream, his grandfather sought to kill him on the day of his birth. But his destiny could not be thwarted.Author J. P. Hall vividly depicts the exciting and thought-provoking life of this historic figure, drawing from such sources as Herodotus' Histories and the Bible. He uses both legend and fact to meld together a thoroughly entertaining tale of a man propelled toward greatness by forces beyond his control.