Product Description

The bloody, brutal, brilliant new novel of men at war from the master of the genre.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12768 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-28
• Binding: Paperback
• 464 pages

Synopsis
Alexander the Great's campaign in the Afghan kingdoms began in the summer of 330BC. It lasted for three brutal years and proved the most bloody and ruthless he and his army ever fought...Among the ranks of Macedonian infantry is Matthias. The youngest of three brothers, he is eager to prove himself, but as he joins the frontline, he comes to realise that warfare has changed. The Macedonians face a new kind of enemy, and must learn to fight a new kind of war. Experiencing fear, euphoria, horror and shame, Matthias and his comrades undergo a rite of passage as they, soldiers of a Western force whose code is secular and humanist, confront a proud Eastern warrior people who possess a fervent willingness to die for their cause. Just to survive, Alexander's men must shake off the trappings of 'civilization' and adopt the same unorthodox and barbaric tactics as their foe - but at what cost? Set against the harsh, unrelenting Afghan landscape, this thrilling novel reveals a profound understanding of the hopes and fears of men in battle and has important things to say about the nature of wars past...and present.

From the Back Cover
Summer 330 BC: and Alexander the Great began his assault on the unknown, unconquered part of the world we now call Afghanistan.

IThe campaign was to last for three brutal years and proved to be the bloodiest he and his army ever fought.

Among the ranks of Macedonian infantry is Matthias. The youngest of three brothers, he is eager to prove himself. But the reality is that they face a new kind of enemy: fiercely proud warrior tribes whose beliefs inspire a passionate willingness to die for their cause. Experiencing fear, euphoria, horror and shame, Matthias and his comrades undergo a brutal rite of passage. They must learn to fight a new kind of war. To survive, they must shake off the trappings of `civilization'; to win, they must adopt the same barbaric tactics as their foe. But at what cost?

Set against the imposing, implacable Afghan landscape, Steven Pressfield's powerful new bestseller demonstrates a profound understanding of the hopes and fears of men in battle and has important things to say about the nature of wars past - and present.

About the Author
Steven Pressfield is the author of the classic historical bestsellers Gates of Fire, Tides of War, Last of the Amazons and Alexander: The Virtues of War. He lives in California.

Customer Reviews

disappointing read
Having read "Alexander - Virtues of War" I was looking forward to reading this one. All in all I found it very disappointing. There were brilliant descriptions of the landscape of the region and the tribal conflicts.
The book did make me realise that so little seems to have changed since the days of Alexander. Maybe this was the intention of the author since the story to me appeared to be more about this than Alexander. The main character was not strong enough to carry the book.

The Afghan Campaign
If you've enjoyed his other works you'll enjoy this. Very readable historical fiction.

I have to say I didn't quite warm to the main character hence the 4 instead of 5 stars. It was still a great book though.