In history, the Empire of Khazaria occupied southern Russia between the sixth and tenth centuries C.E. In the middle of the eighth century, the Khazar Khagan (king) and nobles adopted Judaism as their religion. The Rabbi King is about a fictional last Khagan of a remnant of Khazaria in the twelfth century. It is the story of David, who is sent to Spain from his homeland in the Caucasus to study Judaism in the same household with a boy later called Maimonides. When the time comes to return home, he leaves civilization to rule an untamed country. It is sparsely populated by pagan nomads and by the descendants of many Jewish immigrants who fled persecution in Persia and Byzantium and intermarried with Khazar converts. David of Khazaria then undertakes a long journey, both physically and spiritually, to save his kingdom from its barbarian conquerors. An interesting subject not often explored...well written...well worth the read. -- The Historical Novels Review August 2001 Combines vivid imagination with ability to portray character...great deal of research...well versed in Jewish practice...I was intrigued. -- The Jerusalem Post February 20, 2002 Internet Edition Monroe (Monty) Kuttner was born in New York City, but suspects there are Khazars among his ancestors in Hungary and Russia. His extensive research on Khazaria resulted in The Rabbi King. The nature of the book also required him to study the geography of the Caucasus and Middle Eastern countries and their histories between 1150 and 1170 C.E. He found the investigatory effort as rewarding as the writing. This is Mr. Kuttner's first novel. Previously, he authored several business books and many articles that were published during his career as a Management Consultant. He has an undergraduate degree in journalism and creative writing and an MBA degree. Between the receipt of the degrees he saw combat service as an Infantry Lieutenant during the Korean War. He later became active in Community Theater, performing locally in a dozen plays over the past twenty-five years. Used Book in Good Condition