LEBANON, Mo., May 28, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Ancient history is splattered with the blood of the wicked and innocent, spilled by the hands of the greedy and determined. Betrayal, deceit and jealousy characterize the lives of the people throughout history and in the veins of the new historical novel, The Persian Queen: Esther (now available through 1stBooks), by Fenton L. Stuck.
Stuck provides flesh to an age-old story about the Persian Empire from 600 to 450 B.C. It revolves around Darius and his half sister and wife, Partys. Hungry for power, Partys married her half brother, who was set to ascend the throne, following the death of their father. Once atop the throne, the couple has two sons, Arsaces and Cyrus. The first born, Arsaces ascends to the throne after the death of Darius, but Partys, who was always partial to Cyrus, devises a plan to kill her oldest child. The plan eventually fails.
Arsaces, or Ahasuerus as the Jews come to call him, throws a magnificent feast to display his magnificent power and wealth. As a climax to the festivities, he commands the queen Vashti to show her beauty to the guests. When she refuses, Vashti is banished and a harem of four hundred of the most beautiful women in the empire are assembled. Amongst the harem is Esther, whose beauty captures the king. He makes her his queen.
Soon a deceitful Haman enters the kingdom with plans to destroy Persia and reinstate his kingdom of Amalek. He wins the favor of the king and plots Ahasuerus' undoing. With elements that all great stories possess, The Persian Queen is an epic historical novel based on one of the most famous women in Judaism and history.
Born in the San Fernando Valley, Stuck grew up in Poway, Calif. Even as a child, the author longed to write, which he did throughout his life of varied occupations, including farm hand, the Civilian Conservation Corps, aircraft frame mechanic and "oilfield roughneck." Although he has published poems and newspaper articles, The Persian Queen is his first book.
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