Award-Winning Historical Novel Explores Classical Greek and Roman History, in the Critical Period Following the Death of Alexander the Great

Award-Winning Historical Novel Explores Classical Greek and Roman History, in the Critical Period Following the Death of Alexander the Great.
The Central Character is the Brilliant Young King, Pyrrhus of Epirus.  

"Writing with great style, Dr. Crouch brings this ancient age to life once more; maintaining an expert balance between historical accuracy and creative imagination. Dr. Crouch succeeds splendidly in conveying a compelling interpretation of the lives and loves, the achievements and aspirations of great men in a great age."
  ~ Dr. Eoghan Maloney, lecturer in ancient history at the University of Adelaide

 

The phrase "A Pyrrhic Victory" refers to a victory that comes at such a cost that it threatens to destroy the victor. In the debut volume of the new series by this name, author Ian Crouch transports readers to the Mediterranean in the early third century BC where they meet Pyrrhus, the young disinherited king of Epirus, a region of northern Greece.

Pyrrhus is a central figure of his age, the world left behind by Alexander the Great, which in the next century will become the world of the Romans. His struggles and alliances take him from Asia Minor to Greece and then to Egypt, where he is groomed for the great role that will be his to play when he becomes first the protegé and then the son-in-law of Ptolemy, Pharaoh of Egypt. Along the way, soldiers, battles, and luxuries of all kinds bring the ancient classical world to riveting life.

Pyrrhus' eventual return to Epirus with his queen Antigone sees him reinstated as king, a powerful ruler stable in his position, a figure of admiration. Yet Pyrrhus is a warrior at heart, and the Romans are nearing their time of greatness. Can he remain at rest for long in a peaceful Greece? The book's title, The Shaping of Destiny, hints at the answer to this question.

Dr. Crouch comments, "The great days of Greece and Rome are the crucible of the history of the Western World. I have tried to bring that history to life and demonstrate how the Greek struggle for liberty produced the unrivalled heights of drama, poetry, and philosophy all subsequent ages have enjoyed."

For Dr. Crouch's efforts, The Shaping of Destiny received the Gold Medal for Historical Fiction in the 2011 Independent Book Publisher (IPPY) Awards.

Author: Dr. Ian Crouch is a medical practitioner living in Adelaide, South Australia. Since his early days in medical school, his abiding interest has been Greek and Roman history. He is currently at work on the second volume of A Pyrrhic Victory, subtitled Destiny Unfolds.

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