Has anyone read this book about Alexander?

[kate]

Hi everyone,In a book club I belong to there is an offer on a book called "Alexander the Great, Son of the Gods". It is by A Fildes and J Fletcher. Has anyone on the Forum read it and if so, is it any good? It's quite cheap to buy, but on the other hand there is no point in adding it to my collection if it is no good. Thanks for any information. Cheers,Kate

[bullhead1]

Kate--Not familiar with this book, but would you be ki nd enough to look at my book on http://www.bullheadedblack.com to see if it would interest most people who like stories about Alexander? Maybe look at the information on Amazon.com and Trafford.com? Appreciate it. Best wishes -- John

[Nax]

Hey John,Why not send a copy to one of the Pothos reviewers (Tre? Nick? Andy? Marcus? etc) & ask them to do a review in full like they did with other books. & wasn't someone reviewing "Alexander the fabulous"?& has anyone seen "The Golden Vine", a graphic novel? What's it like?

[Kit]

Kate,I've got the Fildes/Fletcher book and I must admit I do enjoy picking it up every now and again for a quick read. It's not revolutionary or pushing the boundaries of Alexander scholarship but it is an enjoyable 'coffee table' type book with a good selection of illustrations. It follows a chronological progression, but does have little thematic inserts in some chapters on different subjects, such as, GÇÿThe Divine RulerGÇÖ and GÇÿAlexanderGÇÖs MenGÇÖI would recommend it on that basis. One word of warning, it is drawn primarily from Arrian and Plutarch, tending to avoid GÇÿVulgateGÇÖ sources.ATB.Kit.

[marcus]

I agree. It certainly isn't going to tell you anything new, and you might disagree with some things they say. It's got some lovely illustrations, though, so it's perfect for browsing. I have the original hardcover version and it's very attractive indeed.ATBMArcus

[marcus]

I'd be happy to review "Bullheaded Black", if John would like me to.ATBMarcus

[kate]

Hi,
Thanks to everyone for their comments.
John, I had a look at your page and the Trafford and Amazon pages. Horses are a popular subject and I'm sure several people here on Pothos would enjoy your book. Maybe you should take Marcus up on his offer to review it?
Kit and Marcus, I will probably buy a copy of "ATG, Son of the Gods" as I'm a sucker for nice illustrations!Cheers,Kate

[amyntoros]

Hello Nax,In this novel neither Alexander nor Hephaistion die young, however it isn't your standard "what if?" piece of historical fiction. Instead the book has an alternate universe storyline where Persepolis was never burned; Alexander IV is Barsine's son; Hephaistion is around seventy when the child is in his mid-teens; and our Alexander bears a closer resemblance to an explorer than a conqueror. It would take too long to fully explain The Golden Vine, but the website gives you a fairly good idea of what it is all about. http://www.shotopress.com/titles/golden_vine.htmlI really hesitate to recommend it to Pothosians because it's difficult to know what to make of it. One minute it is complete fantasy and the next minute it is familiar history. The illustrations are beautiful though, and if you like graphic novels or Manga it is certainly worth a look.Amyntoros

[jan]

Thanks, Linda Ann, for the link to The Golden Vine. A piece of fantasy which reminded me that I saw Hercules on NBC last night, and wondered at how he could have been an ancestor to Alexander.

[amyntoros]

An experiment on a disappearing thread to see if the format on Pothos allows for line breaks.Xerxes sailed the slopes of Mount Athos (suchthe lies of poets) and paved the sea with ships;his chariots rolled down a boulevard of decks,(Nope - only paragraph breaks, it seems.)

[marcus]

Good thing I always start at the top; otherwise this would have confused the heck out of me! :-)All the bestMarcus

[amyntoros]

Dang, I was so sure this thread would have disappeared off the forum before anyone discovered my post! :-)I had no other way to try it though. Wonder why this site doesn't recognize line breaks?ATBAmyntoros

[marcus]

I know, it's a bit of a pain, isn't it? I've been caught out a few times because of it.Oh well, here's to this thread disappearing, along with our rambling ... :-)ATBMarcus