Sword & Sand

The Simorgh's Fire

De: Kenneth Knight PhD

Narrado por: Sunny Patel

An ousted prince adventures to save the realm from corruption, foreign armies, and a demonic invasion.

In the sixth-century Persian Empire, the Sasanian royal court glutted itself on debauched excesses, cruelty, and tyranny. Neglect and complacency emboldened enemies within and beyond the empire, taking both mortal and monstrous forms. Child-Prince Mihran, having narrowly escaped death in one of innumerable purges in the royal court, fled to a frontier temple to live and die in sheltered obscurity.

Under the care of warrior-priests, ascetic scholars, and desert nomads, Mihran escaped the attention of court conspirators long enough to grow into the embodiment of mythic heroism that the ruling class had forsaken. For those same conspirators in the royal court, a raid to intercept bandits serving as agents of their scheme would reveal that it was Mihran’s attention that they ought to have escaped. In the wake of a plot so vile that it stands to betray the concept of life itself, Mihran will fight with uncompromising severity to excise the rot within his civilization. He will be called to navigate palace intrigues, evade assassins, lead armies against barbarian hordes, slay demons, seduce enemies, incite rebellion, beg the favor of mythical beings, and wield divine power to slam shut the gates of hell.

Yet, as he imposes reform on an unwilling dynasty at any cost, the greatest threat to the realm might be Mihran himself.

©2023 Ken Knight (P)2023 Ken Knight

Pleasant surprise

The novel wasn't what I was anticipating for a historical fiction. Author paints the setting very palpably, which is both a pro for immersion and a con for some of the more visceral realities of the time period.
I enjoyed the mingling of history and fantasy, which to me, feels more fantasy even if is set in lore. I feel the narrator's accent added to the experience, though a little quick at times when trying to digest unfamiliar settings.