Fascinating. . . . One vacillates between wonder at the story told and admiration at the genial intellectual virtuosity of the storyteller. . . . A delight. --Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel Vital. . . . Remarkable. . . . Artfully reveals the Zarathustian hinges of Iranian culture. . . . [It] is written with the prescient elegance of a curious traveler and in the hope that ideas that once changed the world may do so again. --Boston Review Intriguing. . . . Engaging. . . . [A] brisk, smart, remarkably detailed journey. --The Memphis Commercial Appeal A fascinating and neglected subject. . . . [Kriwaczek takes] his readers back to ancient times with imagination and style, moving deftly between the present, the recent past, and the mists of time. --The Independent