cover image Alexander the Conqueror: The Epic Story of the Warrior King

Alexander the Conqueror: The Epic Story of the Warrior King

Laura Foreman. Da Capo Press, $35 (211pp) ISBN 978-0-306-81293-4

Alexander the Great studied philosophy with Aristotle, became king when he was 20, defeated the undefeatable Persian empire five years later and, by the time of his death at age 32, had explored and claimed ""the boundaries of the known world."" Perhaps history's most powerful and revered military leader, the Macedonian king receives more royal praise in this new biography by Foreman (Cleopatra's Palace and Napoleon's Lost Fleet). Given that existing historical sources on Alexander come several hundred years after his death, and that there is ""poor evidence documenting"" Alexander's life, Foreman reasonably extrapolates on the available facts. She begins with the political upheaval and omens surrounding his birth, the rivalries and alliances within his family and his precocious boyhood, during which he cultivated a love affair with Homer's Iliad as well as with the ""sword, javelin and bow."" In his ensuing years, Alexander is portrayed as being prone to bouts of aloofness, drunkenness and murderous vengeance; at the same time, he displays more superhuman behavior, manhandling the Oracle at Delphi and slashing the Gordian Knot (""What difference does it make how I loose it?""). Yet the bulk of the text is devoted to what the conqueror did best--conquering. Foreman's well-written narrative follows Alexander's trek through the Near East and Central Asia, giving the reader a play-by-play account of his battles, victories, strategies and military brilliance. Generously interspersed with impressive color photos of maps, art and ancient artifacts, the book is a fun read for those who aren't bent upon serious scholarship.