Alexander and Alestria: A Novel [Hardcover]

Shan Sa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 22, 2008

Beginning with Alexander's childhood in Macedonia with his abusive father, tyrannical King Philip and his overbearing mother Olympias - educated by Aristotle and trained in the military training - he develops the fierce character, strength, and ambition to overthrow his abusive father and take the crown. Meanwhile, in the wilds of the Siberian steppe, Alestria is queen of the Amazons - the tribe of female warriors who dominate this vast land at the edge of the known world. Switching between the distinct voices of Alexander, Alestria, and Tania (the queen's loyal follower and confidante), Shan Sa brings the reader to the center of harsh physical and emotional battles. After Alexander conquers and unifies all of ancient Greece and Egypt and sets out to the Orient to conquer his rival, King Darius of Persia, Alexander and Alestria first encounter each other on the battlefield; surprised to find that his adversary is a woman, Alexander is instantly smitten: her hair is long and black, her body muscular and bronzed, and her skin scarred from years of battle. And at last, this independent woman who had renounced men has found a reason to leave her tribe. This book is beautifully translated by Adriana Hunter (who also translated the critically acclaimed "Empress").

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An epic fictional romance between Alexander the Great and an Amazon queen drives the latest from Shan Sa (Empress). As a boy, Sa's Alexander is abused by his father, King Philip of Macedonia. Alexander grows into a cruel and narcissistic youth with an unquenchable thirst for revenge. His political ambitions blossom under the tutelage of Aristotle, and after his father's assassination, Alexander sets off to conquer Greece, Persia and Egypt. When he meets Alestria, the young queen of the Amazons (a mythical tribe of nomadic, male-spurning female warriors from the eastern steppes), he has perhaps met his match in love and war. Told in the extravagant voices of Alexander and Alestria, and of Alestria's protector and confidante, Ania, there's little subtlety in this sweeping, heroic romance. But strewn amid the pageantry and clamor are fascinating details about Alexander's world and about the legendary Amazons, who, if they existed at all, might have been his contemporaries—and equals. (July)
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From Booklist

Sa, author of Empress (2006), takes a huge historical leap in this entertaining fictional biography of Alexander the Great. Alexander falls for a mighty Amazon queen—after they battle fiercely—inciting the wrath of Bogoas, his male lover, and the disbelief of Ania, Queen Alestria’s devoted servant. After they marry, Alestria conceives a child despite the machinations of Ania. Pregnancy, however, changes everything for the once fearless and indomitable female warrior. When the call of another battle challenges their new role as lovers rather than fighters, Alexander and Alestria must make compelling decisions that will irrevocably alter their futures. Romance, action, and intrigue combine to set the stage for a page-turning romp through alternate history. --Margaret Flanagan

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harper (July 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061543543
• ISBN-13: 978-0061543548
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,654,581 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not up to par, August 4, 2008

By 

kylastyles (Belleville, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alexander and Alestria: A Novel (Hardcover)

First, I have to say that I loved Shan Sa's other two books, "The Girl Who Played Go" and "Empress". So, with that said, it was really disappointing that this one wasn't up to par. I actually regret buying it. I know that the hope of sex scenes can drive a reader to turn pages (a trick Ms. Sa employed quite well for "Empress"), but to only rely on that one trick for the entire first half of the book-- meaning that the only "meat" sorry to say for the first half of the book is one sexual encounter after another-- was just too low for me. Following that, the remainder of the book is washed out by grandiose talking up of oneself by not one, but three separate narrators.

I'd like to write something nicer about this book but it was honestly hard to stay interested in the thin plot line weighted down with cheap tricks. For the reader that desires more substance in their books, I heartily recommend "The Girl Who Played Go" or "Empress".

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars AWFUL...skip it, November 11, 2008

By 

Samantha L. Sayre (WV United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alexander and Alestria: A Novel (Hardcover)

I received this book free from HarperCollins after becoming a friend of their MySpace page. It is awful. It took me days to get through it because I was dreading it so bad. I hate how Ms. Sa writes. It is like she is trying to write lyrically or poetically, but also stay in the story format. The chapters jump back and forth between Alexander The Great and Alestria the Amazon queen. Obviously this is a fiction book since this event never happened. I wish this book hadn't happened. It is actually one of the worst books I've spent time on in a long time. I felt no interaction with any of the characters and did not find the story realistic in any manner. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone at all.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book- couldn't put it down!, July 31, 2010

By 

Edith (Horton, MI United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Alexander and Alestria: A Novel (P.S.) (Paperback)

I'm not sure why this book has received so many bad reviews, except to say that if you're not a fan of Shan Sa's poetic writing style, you probably won't enjoy her novels. She has a beautiful, artistic style very similar to prose, but I find that it only heightens the feelings of intense passion and agony, love and hate, that the characters themselves are feeling. It is Sa's prose that gives voice to Alexander's internal struggles after a childhood of abuse and identity crisis, and it is her descriptive, imaginative choice words that brings out both the fierceness and playfulness of the Amazon tribe.

In the end, the novel is both a love story and a study of masculinity and femininity as they exist in their extremes within both women and men. She does not portray Alexander as a monster or a weakling, instead she delves into why he feels he is sometimes both, and in fact, especially in the end, neither. The Queen of Amazons, Alestria, appears to be a victim of patriarchy and feminine weakness, until love conquers all and restores her to her rightful place as leader of the wild, independent tribe of woman warriors.

I enjoyed Shan Sa's 'Empress' very much, and was pleasantly surprised to find that I loved 'Alexander and Alexia' even more! I'm glad I didn't listen to the other negative reviews on this site, this is now on my list of all time favorite novels. If in doubt, just read the first few pages of the novel to get a feel for her writing, and go from there.