16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Just Another Revisionist Sour Portrait, April 5, 2007
This review is from: Alexander the Great: Man and God (Paperback)
I find it funny and irksome to read the writings of these armchair kings and generals calling themselves "scholars" sitting on some moral high horse they erect for themselves. I'm just curious what they get out of it. Worthington is certainly a noteworthy scholar with great credentials, but why he sits in his den or office and think he could apply the morals of today to those of some 2500 years ago is not something I could fathom. Clearly, there is an agenda of some sort that belie the thoroughly researched materials.
The book is certainly well-written and it's obvious that Worthington knows his stuff, but his obvious undisguised bias towards the negative over the positive gets a little old. It's so easy to exaggerate the negative (which we ALL have) into something monstrous and totally unsavory. This is exactly what Worthington does time and time again, selectively citing sources or leaving them out to make his point as some sort of prosecutor/judge.
I've read many books about Alexander by noted historians and scholars and they do indeed run the gamut from gushing positivity to dark sourpuss vitriol like this book by Worthington. It's fascinating that Alexander means so many different things to different people - kind of like the German opera composer Wagner. The thing about Alexander is that - no matter what - he'll be studied, admired, revered, reviled, debated over for many millennias to come (assuming mankind survives that long), long after irrelevant books like these have disappeared...
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12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly good, February 9, 2005
This book is a wonderful chronical both of Alexander the Great's life and conquests. It's primary strength is in the amount of sheer details of Alexander's conquests, his social programs, etc. By reading this book you'll get an excellent understanding of the politics during his time, the practical difficulties that Alexander had conquering such vast regions, and the various ramifications of Alexander's decisions.
However, this book does go a bit politically correct when it gets into the issue of whether Alexander the Great should be called "the great" or "the accursed" (which btw the Iranians seem prefer...seems they haven't gotten over Alexander ending their golden age). Although, to be fair the author does lay out a good case for relabeling Alexander "the accursed"...or at least acknowledging that his legacy was mixed.
This book does an excellent job imparting a comprehensive understanding of Alexander the great, his life and his effect on history, etc. You even learn enough to see how thing could have gone differently (if Alexander had an obvious heir when died, if he accepted the proposal of Darius to accept all land west of the Euphrates, if he had lived longer and conquered Arabia and Carthage which he was planning on doing).
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3 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
How can a man become a god? By doing something that a man cannot do., May 4, 2008
This review is from: Alexander the Great: Man and God (Paperback)
The quantity of books that I have read of Alexander the Great are self explanatory in by looking at my comments.
I was born in the first Alexandria that he created and from his dreams. Mixtures of cultures.Italians came centuries ago,hence I was born.
It is very hard to judge Alexander,as all of the papyruses regarding his life and conquest were distroyed when the library of Alexandria was burned down centuries after his death.
However some and other related documents have survived the centuries.It is hard not to admire such a bright kid,who captured the lives of many over the centuries with his astonishing tactics of war.
Many books have been written and I am sure that many more will come.The point however is that nothing new has been discovered,therefore these are all assumptions of his character and megalomaniac attitudes.This book is very well written,with some sections that are new to me.How did these come to be,and not by famous historians I am not sure.
There are more details in this book about Bessus,the women in Darius life,the invasion of Sogdiana,Bactria,the Hindu Khush.Details of the cities that Alexander invaded with the actual modern location is important for the reader.
It is not a stunning book but very well written.
To me Alexander was not born a conqueror instead he was a discoverer.He wanted to discover the world,but in doing so he had to invade in order to go on.He did not seem to be interested in gold and precious things rather he gave them away.
His tactics for war,were cunning and seemed like a little kid playing with tin soldiers with his friends.
I still have not read or heard of anyone in history who has accomplished so much in such a little time in his life.
I liked the maps with the details of the assaults in this book.as well as the maps altogether.I like to follow the trails of the battles.
He certainly was not a God, never the less you can find him in the Bible as well as the Koran.Isn't that strange?
A lot of discoveries and archaeological sights have been discovered in Alexandria Egypt in recent years.Still the mystery remains.Where is Alexander's body? Are we every going to find him? I hope so.
If we do, we may also discover the papyruses that were also buried with him.What a breakthrough in history that would be.
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