Search found 125 matches

by derek
Wed Jan 04, 2012 5:18 pm
Forum: Book reviews
Topic: Child Prodigy, nucleus of novel
Replies: 37
Views: 21064

Re: Child Prodigy, nucleus of novel

Spitamenes, I’ve got the plot fairly well established now and am up to 70,000 words, so I’m afraid it’s too late to slot in a phalanx of Macedonian vampires. But take a look at Scott’s anthology posting above and that’s crying out for a phalanx of Macedonian zombies! Yes, please, by all means share ...
by derek
Wed Jan 04, 2012 5:04 pm
Forum: Book reviews
Topic: Child Prodigy, nucleus of novel
Replies: 37
Views: 21064

Re: Child Prodigy, nucleus of novel

Marcus, I put Ishtar’s name because I thought more people would have heard of her, but in the book she’s a double act with her evil sister Erishkigal, Queen of the Underworld. Ishtar actually plays more of the love interest. Yes, I’ll send you a PM with a more detailed plot summary. Scott, Yes, the ...
by derek
Tue Jan 03, 2012 10:16 pm
Forum: Book reviews
Topic: Child Prodigy, nucleus of novel
Replies: 37
Views: 21064

Re: Child Prodigy, nucleus of novel

Marcus, That’s ok. I spent the best part of 10 years writing those books and sometimes it feels like they’re invisible, so any interest is welcome. When you get to them, hope you enjoy them. Spitamenes, Drat! That’s that idea scuppered! I did see a cartoon series a while back that told the Alexander...
by derek
Tue Jan 03, 2012 6:05 pm
Forum: Book reviews
Topic: Child Prodigy, nucleus of novel
Replies: 37
Views: 21064

Re: Child Prodigy, nucleus of novel

Marcus, Thanks for asking. The books are: The Lion of Macedonia ISBN: 978-1413485493 Covers Alexander’s early years up to the invasion of Persia. Lord of the World ISBN: 978-1425730628 Runs from the Hellespont through to the invasion of India. God of War ISBN: 978-1436363594 Starts with the invasion...
by derek
Tue Jan 03, 2012 3:47 pm
Forum: Book reviews
Topic: Child Prodigy, nucleus of novel
Replies: 37
Views: 21064

Re: Child Prodigy, nucleus of novel

Jan, Yes, we’d all like to be picked up by the traditional publisher, but it’s a crowded market and an unknown author has little to no chance, and the failure of the Oliver Stone movie has killed any interest publishers may have had in Alexander. But if you love your book, think it’s good, and think...
by derek
Mon Nov 14, 2011 5:40 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: something for everyone.
Replies: 21
Views: 9899

Re: something for everyone.

All, I was aware of Alexander as a child through having the Ladybird Alexander; the picture of his men climbing the Sogdian Rock was the one that stuck in my brain. As I got older, I had no special interest in him, but loved anything historical. I always wanted to write and could knock out short sto...
by derek
Mon Oct 03, 2011 2:38 pm
Forum: Comments, help, suggestions etc
Topic: Problem with website
Replies: 2
Views: 12755

Problem with website

All, There seems to be a problem with the main website. On each page, I get line after line of this: Warning: Parameter 1 to cms_module_Lang() expected to be a reference, value given in /home/williamp/www/www/content/lib/classes/class.module.inc.php on line 1812 Warning: Parameter 1 to cms_module_La...
by derek
Thu Jun 16, 2011 5:22 pm
Forum: Art and Culture
Topic: ptsd in Alexanders army
Replies: 34
Views: 13028

Re: ptsd in Alexanders army

I don't know if it can be classed as PTSD, but something that definitely shows Alexander’s men reaching their breaking point was the reaction of the Hypaspists during the journey down the Indus. They were an elite, yet even they started to refuse orders to charge an entrenched enemy, on at least thr...
by derek
Thu May 26, 2011 6:05 pm
Forum: Art and Culture
Topic: Palazzo Mirto
Replies: 2
Views: 1465

Palazzo Mirto

All, I’ve just returned from a vacation in Sicily. While there, we visited the Palazzo Mirto in Palermo, an 18thc baroque palace full of very opulent furnishings. The guides only spoke Italian and nothing was labelled, but it became apparent to us that the original owners, a noble family named Filan...
by derek
Mon Feb 28, 2011 4:57 pm
Forum: Art and Culture
Topic: Own an original Alexander - if you're rich enough!
Replies: 13
Views: 7712

Re: Own an original Alexander - if you're rich enough!

What bugs me is that we know these items have all been stolen. Maybe not recently, but that’s how they came to be in private hands. Only the second item has a background they dare mention, and even then they use the euphemism aquired. It’s been going on for centuries and all over the world, artifact...
by derek
Thu Feb 10, 2011 3:05 pm
Forum: Alexander the Great in the Media
Topic: Ancients Behaving Badly
Replies: 56
Views: 23232

Ancients Behaving Badly

For people in the US Next week, on Tuesday 15th February, at 11pm, the History International channel is showing the Alexander the Great episode of a series called “Ancients Behaving Badly”. The series bombed when it first ran a couple of years ago and they only screened the first two or three episod...
by derek
Mon Jul 19, 2010 2:48 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Latest on Alexander's death
Replies: 37
Views: 11563

Re: Latest on Alexander's death

I'm never able to get past the fact that there was no talk of foul play at the time. Imagine the natural suspicion following the sudden death of any fit and healthy young man in those days; imagine the reaction of the common soldier if there'd been even a hint their beloved Alexander had been murder...
by derek
Tue Feb 09, 2010 5:35 pm
Forum: Alexander's contemporaries
Topic: Coragus' Sarisa
Replies: 44
Views: 21753

Re: Coragus' Sarisa

Yes, that's how I'd imagined the sarissa would work, because it would have been far too unweildy for anything but the most set-piece battle. They'd have unscrewed the middle, attached the butt point to the end of the front half, and then stored the back half and the metal middle joint in barracks or...
by derek
Mon Jan 18, 2010 11:52 pm
Forum: Book reviews
Topic: Books I got for Christmas
Replies: 7
Views: 3715

Re: Books I got for Christmas

Fiona, Sorry for not replying sooner. I’m in the middle of moving house and even Alexander the Great has to take a back seat! No, I’m not on Facebook or any of the various sites, though I suppose I should be. I’m a bit of a dinosaur as far as that goes; I thought twittering was a town in West Sussex...
by derek
Mon Jan 18, 2010 11:50 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: alex in afghanistan
Replies: 44
Views: 24549

Re: alex in afghanistan

Seems like we’re not going to hear from John again. Let’s hope he’s ok, and has just been ordered off for security reasons or whatever.

Derek