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Gold Gato
, November 09, 2013
(view all comments by Gold Gato)
This is the printed accompaniment to the television series of the same name. I can be truly objective, as I've never seen the telly portion, so this is reviewed as a stand-alone book. Given the many biographies about Alexander the Great, I was looking for something which integrated the countries and cultures he overran, so this seemed a good fit. While the reader gets the historical overview of Alexander's life and the wars he produced, one also gets a present-day travelogue which actually makes a rather nice combination.
Every biographer seems to have their own perspective on their subject and Mr. Wood comes out on the Alexander-as-power-hungry side. He makes valid arguments and one walks away from this believing that Alexander was a bit of a corrupted maniac who, by the end of his short life, couldn't see the forest for the trees. The photographs and maps are appreciated, as I felt I was right there in the Hindu Kush or the Fortress of Hercules. For such a brief lifespan, I was struck by the lasting impact the young Macedonian made as he basically destroyed each nation he travelled through.
Book Season = Autumn (Persian Gates)
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