![]() The concluding novel to Manfredi's Alexander Trilogy is the biggest in the series which reflects Alexander's growing ambition as he turns his sights on the Persian empire and beyond. Like the first few books, the novel moves at a brisk pace and deals with the struggles that the army endures both from the environment and every varying foes. The author must be commended for the exhaustive effort that has gone into the background research for this book as well as for depicting the events of the novel in a way that is easy to follow due to his choice to use contemporary language while depicting the events of the novel in as realistic a way as possible. While it is understandable that anyone who goes to such lengths to research and understand a character, should view him or her in a positive light, the author however seems to give Alexander the benfit of the doubt with regard to the burning of Persepolis where it is portrayed as a tactical decision rather than the result of a drunken orgy. While the author himself admits that this is his version of the event and there are no accounts of what the real circumstances were as to what took place, it felt in a way that the actions of Alexander were detached from the rest of his generals and men which may in fact be what the author was trying to convey. Indeed, when Alexander first entered Persepolis he was even embarrassed to sit on Darius's throne but after the burning of Persepolis in quick succession he married Darius's daughter, adopted Persian customs and his ambitions grew with it. By the end of the novel, Alexander went as far as to create a spectacle out of the funeral pyre for Hephaeston which was a clear example of his excesses. One criticism I have of the novel is that it seems to follow the received wisdom that the downfall of Alexander can be attributed to is embracing of the Persian culture which is presented in a way that is characterized by excess. This is quite surprising particularly given the fact that Macedonian culture for all its aspirations of being a martial culture does give way to these same excesses. One of the things I would liked to have seen in the novel would have been to get a glimpse of what the sentiment was back in Macedon and how Alexander's immediate family coped with his absence. It was also quite disappointing that the story involving Aristotle and his quest to find the true culprits behind the murder of Phillip was left in an unsatisfactory manner. However apart from these, the novel is punctured by some great emotional moments.One of my favourite scenes is the scene of Alexander's companions saluting and standing by Alexander's decision which was a throwback to a scene depicted in the first novel. The scene underlies the role reversal that has taken place from when they first gave the Salute to a Young prince Alexander in the first book when they were fugitives from King Phillip to now where they were masters of their own destinies world. The other strength of the novel is the depiction of the changing landscape and the wonderment of the troops as they push the boundaries of the known world and travel towards the "Ends of the Earth". The ending and the epilogue of the book is bittersweet and it seems that this objective of reaching the ends of the earth does prove to be an elusive goal. Overall, well worth the read.
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December 2023
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