Customer Reviews

Alexander of Macedon

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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.

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.

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.

Alexander of Macedon and Alexander the Great are one of the same. This biographical narrative traces his life and conquests from his youth to his death. The book is further divided into three more books, the first of which shines the most brightly. Lamb's expert prose and brilliant insights lay bare the forces and persons that shape the core of Alexander's being. These first 150 or so pages is the only book I have found to approach the genius of another biographical narrative, "I, Claudius." Unfortunately as Alexander's conquests continue, his motivations become more and more obtuse until it seems he has no reasons at all. I understand Mr. Lamb wanted to rely strictly on historical references which primarily come from fellow officers of Alexander, with no writing of his own, so we cannot know for sure what drove his actions.
Full of action, battles, murders, suicides, robberies, rape, pillages, political alliances and deception it makes for an incredible life and a great read.

Lamb dispells many of the myths of the Alexander legend, but the mystery of Alexander's later internal life remains unsolved.

Harold Lamb portrays Alexander the Great realistically, offering possible explanations of Alexander's goals and driving obsessions. He also summarizes some of the legends that have risen over time, and considers the idea that Alexander slowly slipped into a condition of insanity, or extremely acute paranoia. This can be viewed as a loosely written reference meant more for pleasure and entertainment than scholarly appeal, with a large dose of Lamb's signature personalism and in-depth dramatics. View it as an adventure story that follows a historical guideline. It is not historical fiction, though minor details are certainly embellished. The overall story follows history as Harold Lamb understood it. In my opinion, Lamb was some kind of genius who was extremely gifted at storytelling. He explains with detail Alexander's upbringing and many lifetime achievements, and tries to guess at some of the modern locations of the numerous cities built under Alexander's "renaissance" of the east. He also analyzes some of the darker actions of Alexander, including the execution of some of his top generals and the break-away from, and disdain for, the culture of his own people. This is the saga of a man with incredible curiousity, lifelong dreams, overpowering thirst for knowledge and culture, and superior miliatary strategy at the time, who attempted world conquest, similar to his predecessor Cyrus the Great (or Kurush).

I accidentally stumbled on Harold Lamb's biography of Hanibal,
and was really looking forward to reading more from him. Unfortunately,
most of his books are out of print, but used copies are abundant.
This is a well written, and, I assume, well researched book. However,
it lacks the liveliness of Hanibal's biography. I found the start
engaging, but the battles, adventures and characters seemed
to become less vibrant as the book progressed. Perhaps
that is just a reflection of the increased disillusionment of the
Macedonian army and its leaders as they moved into unknown and
increasingly alien lands, and perhaps it is due to an dearth of
source material. History is what it is, and I should probably
not judge it as one would a novel. But with Lamb's writing
it is hard not to do so, and although both stories end
on a tragic, romantic note, I found Hanibal's far more compelling.

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.

Even if some of his historical facts are outdated for specialized or more knowledgeable readers, they are sound enough for general public.

"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 short life are described in this short book

Lamb's books are very commendable for young audiences without implying any contempt or demerit. By the contrary the commendation is due to Lamb's ability to entertain when telling a story!

Reviewed by Max Yofre.

this is a must read. harold lamb is brilliant. i have read other titles by this author and must say this is one of his best. alexander was quite a man.