{"product_id":"beat-the-kettledrum-kristin-swenson-9798998933950","title":"Beat the Kettledrum: Babylon\/Persia #3","description":"When a troubling find disturbs the peace that Cyrus and his beloved wife Cassandane had worked so hard to establish for their tiny kingdom of Parsa (the heart of future Persia), plans for the palace at Pasargadae must wait. In truth, things are much, much worse. Their infant son Cambyses reveals an alarming trait; and as Cyrus discovers the scope of family connections, alliances of peace actually ignite hostilities as yet unknown.\u003cbr\u003eThat story is but one of three interwoven into a fast-paced narrative of power, piety, and passion. To the east Babylonia's internal unrest in the wake of Nebuchadnezzar's regime pits prince Belshazzar against his father, King Nabonidus and threatens to upend even the order of the gods. A new priestess is installed in the ancient city of Ur, provoking a new set of tensions; and the illustrious Egibi family rises from humble roots to a multi-faceted corporation.\u003cbr\u003eTo the north in Media, Amytis (Babylonia's former queen and Cyrus's aunt), struggles to contain the worst impulses of her paranoid father King Astyages even as she bears terrible griefs both for her son Amel-Marduk assassinated by Babylonian nationalists and for the secret love she left behind in Babylon. When the king's steward, harboring resentment for a grisly betrayal by Astyages, finds his revenge, the course of history shifts again. And the fates of Cyrus II (who in subsequent events will become \"Cyrus the Great\") and Amytis merge into one of the most consequential relationships of all time.\u003cbr\u003eThird in a series of historical fiction by an award-winning writer and scholar of ancient Near Eastern history, \u003ci\u003eBeat the Kettledrum\u003c\/i\u003e continues the story of the rise of the Persian Empire as it brings to life the breathtaking drama of three nations on a collision course into the cusp of a new era.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Kristin Swenson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798998933950\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Pretty Good Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/28\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 290\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.67lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.00h x 5.25w x 0.65d","brand":"Kristin Swenson","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47612018327807,"sku":"9798998933950","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_2267a0bc-0f89-46cc-a023-45b6533a1175.jpg?v=1764517629","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/beat-the-kettledrum-kristin-swenson-9798998933950","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}