Alexander the Great by Dominic Sandbrook

The life of Alexander the Great is a story of fierce battles, the determination to rule the known world and to discover new worlds to conquer. It is a story that has captivated so many, through the ages and it is brought wonderfully to life in Dominic Sandbrook's  Adventures In Time series.

One summer day in the 4th century B.C., Philip, a young prince from Macedonia, arrived on the island of Samothrace. He had come to experience for himself, "the annual festival, when newcomers entered the inner sanctum, bathed in the blood of the sacrifice and learned the mysteries of the underworld." This was in the Sanctuary of the Great Gods. During the festival, Philip saw a "raven-haired" girl named Olympias, whose father was king of Epirus. She captured his imagination.

In 359 B.C., when he was twenty-three years old, Philip became king of Macedon. In 357 B.C. he married Olympias. The night before her wedding, Olympias had a strange dream involved Zeus. In the summer of 356 B.C., she gave birth to a boy she named Alexandros or Alexander. On the day Alexander was born, his father King Philip captured the sea port of Potidea, his Macedonian army defeated the Illyrian tribes and his prize stallion won an Olympic race. These were all considered wonderful signs, but one event was viewed as an omen. The great Temple of Artemis, in the city of Ephesus, burned to the ground. To the temple priests, this "...foreshadowed disaster for all Asia."

In Alexander's early years, he was watched over by his nanny, Lanike and was taught by tutors chosen by Olympias. But when Alexander grew older, Philip chose Aristotle, son of Nicomachus as a tutor. He had studied with Plato and had authored books on many subjects including, plants, sea life, magnets, music and much more. 

Under Aristotle's tutelage in the village of Mieza, Alexander learned about the first Greek explorers and the wars between the Greek cities of Athens, Sparta, Thebus, and Corinth. He also learned about the battles between the Greeks and their arch-enemy, the Persians. Studying with him were the sons of Philip's commanders, Perdiccas, Ptolemy, Nearchus the Cretan, his closest friend Hephaestion, as well as Cleitus the Black, Lanike's brother.

Alexander and Hephaestion often ventured far during their hunting trips, the two young men eager to be part of war some day and gain glory. Alexander loved the stories of Perseus, Heracles and especially, Achilles whom he believed was one of his ancestors. 

When Alexander was twelve-years-old, he quickly tamed a large, black stallion whom the horse dealer Philonicus had brought to his father and whom no one could ride. Alexander realized the horse was afraid of his shadow and turned him to face the sun. He named the horse, Bucephalas or "Ox-head".

In the summer of 338 B.C., eighteen-year-old Alexander was with his father's army at Chaeronea. Since taking the throne, Philip had managed to unite the northern part of the Greek world. But in the south, in Athens and Thebes, the people, persuaded by the politician Demosthenes, refused to accept Philip as king. He was considered a "dirty Macedonian".  At Chaeronea, Philip won a decisive battle and travelled to Corinth, where he presented a plan to attack Persia to avenge their invasion a century earlier.

In the summer of 338 B.C., eighteen-year-old Alexander accompanied his father's army at Chaeronea. Since taking the throne, Philip had managed to unite the northern part of the Greek world. But in the south, in Athens and Thebes, the people had been persuaded by the politician Demosthenes to refuse to accept Philip as king. At Chaeronea, Philip won a decisive victory and at Corinth presented a plan to invade Persia and seek revenge for invading mainland Greece a century earlier. Philip was recognized as Supreme Commander of the League of Corinth. He felt even more certain of victory against the Persians after visiting the Temple of Apollo at Delphi and consulting the Oracle. There, the Fates told Philip, "Wreathed is the bull. The end is near. The one who will slay him is at hand." Philip understood this to mean that he would win Persia and that Darius, King of Persia would die.

The wedding of Alexander's sister, Cleopatra to the new king of Epirus, was held in the citadel of Aigai. There were guests from every city in Greece. As Philip prepared to enter the stadium for the wedding games, a man darted from the shadows, knifing the king. Philip was dead, murdered by a once-close friend, Pausania. As it turned out, the prophecy of the Fates was the foretelling of Philip's death, not his victory. Now it was Alexander's chance at glory, one he was determined to meet with strength and unwavering courage.

Discussion

Alexander the Great is an exciting account of one of the most well-known figures in history. Historical fiction author, Dominic Sandbrook has brought to life the adventures and times of Alexander, king, soldier and explorer in a way that is both engaging and informative.

This installment in the Adventures In Time series, traces Alexander's beginnings, starting with his father, Philip's military conquests and his marriage to Olympias and Alexander's early life in Pella. Sandbrook incorporates many interesting facts about life in Greece in 4th century B.C. Alexander is portrayed as a youth who dreamed of great adventures and conquests and who grew into a young man believing he could accomplish them. He also believed he was related to the great Greek hero Achilles and later on that he was the son of Zeus.

Alexander the Great succeeds in capturing the immensity of Alexander's accomplishments, his brilliant military battles and his quest to explore Asia, believing he could claim it for Greece. His campaign against King Porus of India with his fearsome elephants makes exciting reading. 

"On the flanks waited Porus's cavalry. But the Macedonians had eyes only for the centre, where the Indian king had stationed his war-elephants.
The elephants were a magnificent, awe-inspiring sight, their tusks strengthened with poison-tipped spikes, their bodies clad in sheets of chain mail. On each beast's back was strapped a carriage, carrying warriors bristling with bows and spears. 

One elephant, a giant towered above all the rest. In its carriage stood a man of colossal stature, clad in armour of silver and gold, his gaze proud and imperious. This was Porus."

In his Author's Note at the back, Sandbrook notes that he used five major sources from ancient historians in his research on Alexander the Great. He also drew on more recent books about Alexander as well as websites including Livius.org and the articles on Alexander (https://www.livius.org/articles/person/alexander-the-great/alexander-the-great-3/)  and much more. Very little has been passed down about Alexander's wife, Roxana or the children he had with her. Sandbrook noted that he resisted the impulse to add "colourful details" to his retelling and so doesn't expand on her life with Alexander. 

Although Sandbrook does include a map at the front of the novel, a much larger map or a series of more detailed maps might have been more helpful. It would have been wonderful to see a book like this illustrated as well, something no longer a feature of children's chapter books.

Overall though, Alexander the Great is a stellar account of this incredible and exciting historical figure. This biography will have much appeal to those young readers aged ten to seventeen, interested in learning about history and important historical figures like Alexander the Great.

Book Details:

Adventures In Time: Alexander the Great by Dominic Sandbrook
Canada: Particular Books   2022
322 pp.