Esther: Mystery Queen of the Medes

by Alison Buckley

King Ahasuerus of the Median Empire is perplexed. He wishes to give his beautiful, unsophisticated bride Queen Esther, her heart’s desire. However, he is at a loss. What does she want? He will go to any lengths to please her. Why, he has already offered her half the kingdom. And yet she speaks of celebrations in the street and invites him to private banquets… This is a narrative of high intrigue set within one of the largest dynasties of its time. As a new queen, with a clearly besotted husband, Esther hopes desperately that she has the power to intercede with a royal death decree that was cunningly devised to manipulate the king. The stakes are high. No law of the Medes and Persians can be revoked. Esther must decide – will she try to use her influence to save a nation – her people? King Ahasuerus is not aware of her national heritage, for she is a Jewess. But it is unthinkable to approach the king without his royal summons. If Esther displeases the monarch in this, she could face instant death. She is urged on by her fellow countryman and royal advisor, Mordecai, who encourages her with the words, ‘And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” As she prepares to go to Ahasuerus, Esther gathers her faltering courage. “I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” The result of Esther’s story impacts the rise and fall of nations which still battle for supremacy today in the Middle East.

238 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 24, 2013