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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Alexander: conqueror, explorer, demi-god,
By Lleu Christopher (Hudson Valley, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Alexander of Macedon (Paperback)
Alexander the Great is one of the most fascinating characters in history.In his short life of thirty-two years, Alexander conquered most of the known world and was considered a living god in many places. His conquests not only altered the political landscape of the ancient world, but opened up communications between East and West. This had consequences in art, philosophy and religion as well as trade and commerce. Harold Lamb, who also wrote biographies of other famous leaders such as Genghis Khan, Hannibal and Cyrus, is clearly fascinated with his subject in this book. He reveals that most of it was written in Asia, where he retraced many of Alexander's journeys. Yet I found the book, while compelling at times, to be uneven and somehow lacking a smooth narrative flow. This is no doubt partly due to the problem of reconstructing the life of a man who lived so long ago and left no written documents of his own. Lamb admits to compiling the facts from many different sources. Yet much of the book is written as though it were a work of historical fiction, with scenes and dialogue. I found the switching back and forth between fictionalized accounts and quotes from historical sources made the book a little hard to get into. I also read Lamb's biography of Genghis Khan, which was written in a similar style. In my opinion, he handled his subject more smoothly in that work. I still think Alexander of Macedon is well worth reading for anyone interested in this character and historical period. I am perhaps judging the book too harshly for reasons that are not the author's fault. As Lamb points out, Alexander was an enigmatic man whose motives were often obscure. Although he was one of the greatest military commanders of all time, he was apparently not motivated primarily by the desire for conquest. He had an inquisitive nature. Although he disagreed with his renowned tutor Aristotle on many issues, he shared the philosopher's hunger for knowledge of all things. His relentless marches, in which he faced and defeated many armies, seemed to be propelled by a curiosity about the world, its people and boundaries (in Alexander's day, the size of the world was unknown and no one in Greece or Macedon had ever ventured much further East than Persia). Anyone wanting to become more familiar with Alexander, his empire and military exploits will probably enjoy this book, but will have to explore further as well. A good companion to this book is the PBS video In The Footsteps of Alexander the Great, which I will probably review soon.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bucephalus' Tamer.,
By
This review is from: Alexander of Macedon (Paperback)
Harold Lamb is a skilled history writer. He specializes in biographies of outstanding characters; these are some of his works titles: "Hannibal", "Genghis Khan, The Emperor of All Men", "Tamerlane, The Earth Shaker".He combines a carefully well-researched background with plausible dialogs. His books are never boring and at the same time historically accurate. This is a very satisfying combination. "Alexander of Macedon" is not an exception to his writing pattern, follows Alexander's story since his birth up to his death. Some famous anecdotes are presented with masterful hand as the taming of Bucephalus and Alexander drinking the alleged poison cup from the hand of his doctor. Battles and conquests; ambitions and destiny fulfillment; ideals and driving forces; all the components of Alexander's path through his glamorous life are described in this short book. I strongly recommend this title to teenagers who want to learn something from Ancient History and at the same time avoid dry academic texts. Reviewed by Max Yofre.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
His big fat Greek biography,
By
This review is from: Alexander of MacEdon (Hardcover)
Harold Lamb's Alexander of Macedon sheds much light on the journey of the man, but little on the man himself....In comparison to Mary Renault's biography; The Nature of Alexander; which I have also read,....I don't necessary find 'fault' per se, as I don't feel that this book offered much insight into Alexander himself. While Renault romanticized the man; postulating on his actions stemming from decisions made with his heart;.Lamb's treatise on the same subject matter seems devoid of almost all human feeling whatsoever, and seems to paint Alexander as more of a "brat king' and 'barbarian'; forging ahead by knee-jerk reactions to conquer all of the Hellenistic world, instead of leading with his heart or with a higher purpose in mind. The most lasting impression I think that I get from this book is that it is a "man's man" version of Alexander's life...his same-sex affairs are downplayed to the point of non-existence (typical of the time the book was written in) an explanation of his love of Hephaistion and their friendship is negligible, to say the least, considering his grief upon Hephaistion's death; his choice of Roxanne as his wife is woefully underdeveloped, knowing the reaction it provoked from the Macedonians...all of these key elements of his life are just...missing. What the book has in abundance is bloody battles, suicide, rape, murder, treachery....with little human feeling. Relying almost solely on writings from the time, and historical fact, Lamb blazes that trail of the voyage of Alexander following the murder of his father, Phillip of Macedon. And for that I give him high marks. But while the 'story' offers *some* insight into Alexander's early life, it is unfortunately very little. Following the outset of his quest, the glimpse into Alexander's extraordinary and all-too-brief life becomes merely a chronological description of his travels. There is much to be learned about this man, who at such a young age had so much responsibility thrust upon him. His loves, his losses, his likes and dislikes;...none of this is really explored in a book which bears his name as the title. Alexander seemingly strove to unite the peoples of the Greek lands; but in reality alienated his own, at least according to Lamb. But Lamb does not offer enough insight into Alexander himself to deliver an explanation to the reader. While I enjoyed the book for the overall insight it gave to the journey itself, it feel flat, for me, in offering any new understanding of Alexander.
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