Synopses & Reviews
The year is 330 B.C. Macedonian Alexander the Great has conquered Asia Minor, but with his armies now far from Athens, supporters of Athenian independence are beginning to agitate and plot against him. The climate is especially dangerous for foreigners, like Aristotle who taught Alexander the Great when he was a teenager, and those suspected of befriending foreigners, like Stephanos. A series of threats persuade the two that they had better leave the mainland for a while. Both find acceptable excuses: Aristotle must transport a sick student home to Rhodes, while Stephanos needs to locate a relative of his bride-to-be, Philomela, to clear up an inheritance dispute.
With a varied cast of travelers they set sail across the Aegean to the sacred Isle of Delos, to Mykonos and beyond to the coast of Asia Minor. There they will soon be caught up in investigating conspiracy and murder. But first they need to survive life on the high seas where storms and piracy honour no man, not even the greatest philosopher who ever lived.
About the Author
Margaret Doody is a professor of literature at the University of Notre Dame. She is also the author of The True Story of the Novel and is a regular reviewer for the Times Literary Review.