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Title: The Virtues of War: A Novel of Alexander the Great
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Manufacturer: Bantam
List Price: $14.00
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| The Virtues of War: A Novel of Alexander the Great by Bantam Hard to read, easy to put down | I guess I was spoiled by Mary Renaults Alexander Trilogy. In Pressfields book Alexander as a person just does not resonate. The admixture of modern military terminology and somewhat of a modern outlook does not gell with the historical setting and mindset as it does in Renaults novels. That said, the strength of this book is its battle scenes, and those are very well done indeed. Researchers have found it hard to recreate the actual battles that Alexander fought from the historical accounts - read Arrian for example to see what I mean - and Pressfield has done a great job of creating descriptions of the battles which ring true.
That said, battles do not make up the whole book and the remainder I personally found unsatisfying and not ringing true. Again, I suspect reading Renaults Alexander trilogy many years previously set expectations which its hard for other authors to live up to. It is very hard to get an idea of Alexander as a person from this novel. Seems very stilted overall. I did read the book through but by the end it was more of a struggle than anything else. If you enjoyed this book, take a look at Renaults trilogy, they will fill in a lot of gaps and present a good alternative view - and a far more sympathetic one for that matter. | | The Virtues of War: A Novel of Alexander the Great by Bantam There's a *reason* Alexander is still remembered | | This superior historical novel really ought to be read before his latest one, _The Afghan Campaign,_ which enlarges on one of Alexander's later campaigns, and from a different perspective -- but they're really two separate narratives, so no harm done if (like me) you read them in reverse order. The narrative is Alexander himself, outlining the history of his conquest of Asia for the benefit of one of the cadets who study military science in the king's tent while on campaign. He begins with his early life and his succession to the throne after the assassination of his father, Philip, himself something of a military genius. But Alexander is a prodigy, being everything his father was and far more, with the ability to look at the ground and foresee the battle that will take place there and to foresee the enemy's battle plan. He also possesses an extreme degree of charisma; his troops adore him, even when (as later in the conquest) they fear his altered personality. By the time the Macedonians have passed through Persia proper and have completely changed their approach to warfare to suit the guerilla action in Afghanistan (the king's doing again), and have reached the frontier of India, they're tired to the soul and want only to return home. But Alexander dreams of standing on the shore of the Eastern Ocean, which he's sure can't be far beyond the Ganges. This is the story of Alexander's mental evolution, from semi-barbarian king holding sway in the remote north of the Greek-speaking lands to Eastern potentate who has acquired a taste for all things Persian. But Pressfield also describes the major battles along the way, especially Gaugamela, in fascinating detail. You can see the action, really see it, and understand why each side does what it does, and why the results are what they are. In that regard, this is almost a classical military science textbook. An excellent piece of work. | | The Virtues of War: A Novel of Alexander the Great by Bantam Mediocrity at its best | | I don't know if the author is trying to make ancient history more understandable for the modern reader, but he turns me off. He talks about lieutenants and captains and regiments and corps as if Alexander's army were a modern one. It wasn't. To compare, try Colleen McCullough's infinitely superior 6-volume historical novel on the Roman Republic of Caesar's time. She uses the right terminology and gives the reader the feeling that both she, and now the reader, really understood how the Roman cities, army, and government were organized and what life was like then. You just don't get that with Pressfield. I assume he did research, but it's just not evident. | | The Virtues of War: A Novel of Alexander the Great by Bantam 4 stars for the battles, 2 stars for the story | Steven Pressfield's novel is listed as historical fiction, and I suppose that it is. However, there is virtually no plot. The whole story is fight after fight- which to some may seem interesting, but I found it boring. Don't get me wrong, the descriptions are incredible, and it seems as if we are actually at the scene of the battle. Steven Pressfield is obviously a talented writer. I enjoy reading about battles, just not an entire book about them. But I didn't feel any emotions. I wasn't excited at the victory, and found myself skimming pages just to see if there would be anything of interest later on in the chapters.
Alexander the Great is undeniably one of the greatest generals who ever lived, and obviously war was a large part of his life. But this story- didn't make me go "Wow". If you're only interested in battles, then you'll probably like this book. But if you're like me, and you want a plot along with the battles, look elsewhere.
I'd recommend Mary Renault's Alexander trilogy: Fire from Heaven, The Persian Boy, and Funeral Games; or A Choice of Destinies by Melissa Scott; or Lord of the Two Lands by Judith Tarr; or even A Murder in Macedon by Anna Apostolou aka P.C. Doherty. All of these books are historical fiction about Alexander the Great. They all have battles, but they also are about his life, his companions (friends/enemies), and his emotions. | | The Virtues of War: A Novel of Alexander the Great by Bantam History as a Novel | | After all the celluloid versions of the story of Alexander the Great, its great to read a book that gives a more realistic version, and a more human version, of the iconic Alexander. | | The Virtues of War: A Novel of Alexander the Great by Bantam Product Description | | I have always been a soldier. I have known no other life. So begins Alexander’s extraordinary confession on the eve of his greatest crisis of leadership. By turns heroic and calculating, compassionate and utterly merciless, Alexander recounts with a warrior’s unflinching eye for detail the blood, the terror, and the tactics of his greatest battlefield victories. Whether surviving his father’s brutal assassination, presiding over a massacre, or weeping at the death of a beloved comrade-in-arms, Alexander never denies the hard realities of the code by which he lives: the virtues of war. But as much as he was feared by his enemies, he was loved and revered by his friends, his generals, and the men who followed him into battle. Often outnumbered, never outfought, Alexander conquered every enemy the world stood against him–but the one he never saw coming. . . . |
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