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Bullheaded Black Remembers Alexander: The Story of Alexander the Great's Invasion of the Middle East

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Bucephalus (Greek: "Ox-Head") was Alexander the Great's warhorse, which accompanied the conqueror from Macedonia to the portals of India.

BULLHEADED BLACK REMEMBERS ALEXANDER is author John Taylor's severely summarized account (74 pages of the volume's 163 pages of text) of Alexander's campaign against Persia and beyond to the Indus River. Taylor's name for Bucephalus is "Bullheaded Black."

On page 1, the reader encounters a winged Bucephalus sitting on a cloud with Pegasus, the winged horse-god of Greek mythology. In the first four chapters, the two get acquainted. While Pegasus maintains that the Greek pantheon of gods is where the action's at, Bucephalus extols the virtues of humans and life on the ground. The two then set off to visit Mt. Olympus, followed by a brief aerial tour of the known world high above the Mediterranean. Retiring for the night, Bucephalus begins telling Pegasus the story of his master, Alexander.

Well before the end of chapter four, it was apparent both from the format and tone of the story that this isn't a work for the adult reader. To appreciate the book, one must revert to age 10 or so. And, I don't mean this as a criticism.

In the subsequent ten chapters, Taylor, through the first-person narration of an anthropomorphized Bucephalus, introduces the reader to the friendship between the young Alexander and Hephaestion, the boys' teacher Aristotle, and the pair's entry as cavalrymen into the army of Alexander's father, Philip. Then, in quick succession after Philip's assassination, come the Delphic proclamation of Alexander as the son of Zeus, Alexander's solution to the Gordian knot, the first defeat of the Persian King Darius, the capture of Tyre, the conquest of Egypt and the foundation of Alexandria, the second defeat of Darius and the taking of Babylon, the burning of the Persian capital of Persepolis, the discovery of the body of the fugitive Darius, the campaign in Afghanistan, the marriage of Alexander to Roxana, and the invasion of Pakistan and India.

Sprinkled throughout the book are lessons and observations perhaps instructive for the young. As examples:

Aristotle advises: "... the written word is valuable and it is ancient and it is powerful, but that doesn't make a book completely true. Let no person and no book ever close your mind to reality ..."

After his visit to the Egyptian oracle at Siwah, Alexander states to his companions: "It seems the principal gods are one. God is one. It matters not the name."

Camping before Jerusalem, Alexander finds the Jews "a sad, forlorn people who longed for the past", and he observes: "(The Jews) could use, however, I am sure, a new religious leader, maybe someone who could help them believe that there is life after death, you know, like the resurrection the Egyptians believe in. The right man could give these people some hope that there may be a kingdom for them somewhere else, if not in this world." (If I was Jewish, I'd feel patronized, but it should be noted that Taylor was once a Mormon missionary.)

After capturing Babylon, Alexander volunteers: "I envision a collection of states, loosely held together by one protective central government. Peace would be the primary objective. War would be eliminated in the civilized world, and under the new system everyone's customs, traditions and beliefs would be protected and respected ... I can imagine a government that accepts every race and every religion and that is open to new and exciting political experiments."

In the final chapter, Bucephalus and Pegasus soar off again to find Alexander, whom they discover with Roxana carving the name of the former on a large, stone monument.

Bucephalus was fatally wounded at the 326 B.C. Battle of Hydaspes, during which Alexander defeated the Indian King Porus.

BULLHEADED BLACK REMEMBERS ALEXANDER contains a single one-page map of the Greek colonies along the western and central rims of Mediterranean, a map that seems curiously irrelevant since Alexander's conquests were along the eastern Med, and in Asia Minor and the Middle East. There's no map showing the route of Alexander's army. There's also a 9-page timeline showing the crucial dates in European and Middle Eastern history from 9000 B.C. to 1492 A.D., which seems of little use unless the reader could benefit from the general enlightenment.

Alexander's long and arduous slog from India back to Babylon, where he died at age 32, is given short shrift over two brief paragraphs.

I'm awarding four stars as an historical primer, but on the stringent condition that the target audience be pre-teen. I would be much less generous for an adult readership. For the latter group, either one of two books are infinitely more worthwhile, both of which are also minus the author's not-too-subtle political and religious predilections: Alexander of Macedon 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography by Peter Green, or The Nature of Alexander by Mary Renault.

The casting here of a warrior's horse as the book's narrator isn't unique. One previous volume that comes to mind is the novel Traveller by Richard Adams, Traveller having been the favorite mount of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

Bucephalus was one of Alexander the Great's war horses. J.L. Taylor has taken the few things we know about Bucephalus and built a story around events that Bucephalus might have witnessed. The story has some weaknesses, but it is creative and imaginative.

We meet Bucephalus shortly after his death in battle. Bucephalus is conversing with Pegasus, a conversation that takes interesting turns as the two creatures compare their knowledge of life and the afterlife. Throughout the conversation Bucephalus, called Bullheaded Black by J.L. Taylor, keeps turning to events surrounding Alexander the Great. Eventually, after about page 50, the story turns to Bucephalus's remembrances of Alexander.

The story pauses quite a while on activities that occurred during Alexander's youth. We meet his teacher, Aristotle, and his best friend Hephaestion. Though the actual period of time covered by this portion of the book is short, it consumes another 31 pages of text. The final 80 pages of the book cover Alexander's exploits in conquering most of what was considered by westerners to be the known world at the time. Included are encounters with the Oracle at Delphi, the Gordian Knot, conquering Egypt, taking Babylon and making it his western capital, his marriage to Roxana, and the invasion of India.

Some portions of Alexander's vision of the world are included. Though Alexander was a brutal and vicious warrior, he practiced religious tolerance and envisioned a world where all countries were states. Alexander thought that all men should be equal, as long as they were working for the same goal; of course, that had to be Alexander's goal.

This book has a map of the western Mediterranean Sea, which is curious since most of the story takes place from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to India. Also curious is the timeline in the back of the book, which extends from the settlement of Asia Minor by farmers to the voyages of Columbus. Though Alexander is well-known, the length of time that Alexander affected the world was relatively short and the timeline further enhances the mere blink of an eye in which Alexander was a force in the western world.

I was relatively unenthused about the opening of the book. I thought Taylor could have spent less time on the conversations between Bucephalus and Pegasus and more time on Alexander. Once Taylor got into Alexander's story, the book moved along briskly and held my interest. However, one significant proviso: this book is oriented toward pre-teens and teens who are relatively unfamiliar with Alexander the Great. Readers who have already read about Alexander will find that this book covers ground covered better and in more depth in other books.

Taylor also submits interesting comments that border on insulting. One such example is his description of Jews as a "sad, forlorn people" who "still hold to the ancient idea that the written word is sacred..."

J.L. Taylor has provided an interesting fictional perspective of Alexander the Great. Though Taylor spends too much time on reaching Alexander's story, once there the book is a good overview of Alexander's life. However, anyone needing more depth or comprehensive information regarding Alexander's life should seek more comprehensive books.

Good luck!

Although this book is aimed at young adults, I believe it has universal appeal for anyone interested in history and current events. My only exposure to Alexander the Great and his time period was a 7th grade social studies class, and I will say that I learned much more about him through this book than I did in class. The tantalizing bits of history the author weaves through Bucephalus' narrative have inspired me to look up even more information about Alexander the Great and the cultures of the time. This is a brilliant introduction to Alexander the Great's history, and the author makes many subtle parallels between Alexander's experiences in the Middle East and the United States' experience today. In addition to the purely historical aspects, the author makes broad statements about the importance of religious tolerance and an open-minded approach to other belief systems. This book should be mandatory reading for everyone, especially students, and I hope it continues to inform and educate others.

As a life-long student of history, anything that covers the subject will grab my attention. As a man with attention deficit disorder, the litmus test of quality for the historical work is established when once I am grabbed, will I allow it to take hold for more than a nano-second? This wonderful book has me firmly in its grip.

Written for middle school age folks and younger adults, it is an amazing way of telling the story of Alexander the Great and his contributions to the world in shaping its history. Effects that are still felt and seen today. Ironically, with the "Arab Spring" that is happening, this book is very timely and ties in the consequences of the past with present day struggles and hopes.

I will admit that I was skeptical at first when I saw that the story line was told from the perspective of Alexander's trusted horse. At face value, this can be a set up for disaster in getting the seriousness of the story and theme across to the intended audience. Youth are a tough shell to crack at times, especially if there is learning (gasp!!) involved. Mr. Taylor not only has a firm grip on the reins, he has an amazing gift for telling it straight from the horse's mouth. This book surpassed all of my expectations, and I am confident that it will be a success with all of the students that read it. Learning doesn't have to be stuffy. This book makes it entertaining, real, accessible, and a true joy.

Mr. Taylor pulls the reader right into the story and takes you along on the adventure. He has a way of making the reader care and feel true emotion for the characters. I will admit that I was a wee bit teary eyed during the end of the book. Very beautiful story telling indeed!!

Taylor knows his subject very well and is an impassioned storyteller. Though his target audience is youth, I know adults will enjoy this work and will find not only entertainment in reading it, but will come away with a better appreciation for world history as well. I do not stay up late into the night reading especially when I have early morning appointments, but I did with this fine book.

I dare say that it will change and improve your appreciation for Alexander the Great and his amazing contributions to the world. Once you link the past with the present and become energized for what the future can be, your heart will be warmed.

Please join his discussion of the book on Goodreads (www.goodreads.com) to answer any questions that you may have and to expand your appreciation for the book and the subject.