Satrap

by Peter Darman 2 books in this series

The Satrap series is set in the sixth century BCE during the rise of Cyrus the Great and the creation of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Kian Mihran, the son of a slave raised in a noble household, enters Cyrus's service and rises through an army that is overturning the old political order of the ancient Near East.

The novels combine campaigns in Persia, Media and Mesopotamia with court politics, religious belief and personal rivalry. Kian's fictional career provides a soldier's view of the transformation from a regional Persian kingdom into an imperial power capable of defeating older states and ruling peoples from the Iranian plateau to Babylon.

Reading order

Books in this series (2 books)

1. Lion of Persia

Peter Darman

First published 2026

4.4(464)

Set in Persia in the mid-sixth century BCE, during Cyrus the Great's revolt against Median supremacy and the creation of a new empire, before the Romans. Before the Parthians. Before Alexander the Great. There were the Persians. In the fertile land of ancient Persia a rising…

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2. Warrior of Ishtar

Peter Darman

First published 2026

4.3(86)

Sixth-century BCE Persia. Kian Mihran, born to an enslaved woman and raised far from power, attracts the attention of Cyrus as the Persian king begins the campaigns that will overturn the political order of the ancient Near East. Military service gives Kian a path upward, but…

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