Product Description

A huge international bestseller, Alexander, Child of a Dream is the first in Valerio Massimo Manfredi's outstanding trilogy of brutal passion and grand adventure in ancient Greece.

Who could have been born to conquer the world other than a god?

Mesmeric beauty, consuming desires, an insatiable hunger. Then premature death. This is the story of a boy, born to a great king - Philip of Macedon - and his sensuous queen, Olympias. It tells of the stern discipline of Philip and the wild passions of Olympias, and how, together, they formed Alexander, a young man of immense, unfathomable potential, capable of subjugating the known world to his power, and thought of by his contemporaries as a god.

Alexander's swift ascent to manhood, as a protege of Aristotle and close friend of Ptolemy and Hephiaston, and the start of his great adventure to conquer the civilised world is recounted in this awe-inspiring novel.

This is a wonderful evocation of the far-off and fascinating civilisation of ancient Greece, revealed in vibrant tones and scholarly detail.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #313964 in Books
• Published on: 2001-07-06
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

Synopsis
Who could have been born to conquer the world other than a god? A boy, born to be a great king - Philip of Macedon - and his sensuous queen, Olympias. Alexander became a young man of imense, unfathomable potential. Under the tutelage of the great Aristotle and with the friendship of Ptolemy and Hephaiston, he became the mightiest and most charismatic warrior, capable of subjugating the known world to his power. A marvellous novel of one of history's greatest characters and his quest to conquer the civilised world.

About the Author
Italian historian and archaeologist Valerio Massimo Manfredi is Professor of Classical Archaeology at the Univeristy of Milan, and a familar face on European television.He was elected Man of the Year 1999 by the American Biographical Institute for ALEXANDROS, the bestselling trilogy based on the life of Alexander the Great. Manfredi's books have been published in Spain , France, Germany, Greece, and Russia.

Excerpted from Alexander 1 by Manfredi Valerio Massimo. Copyright © 2001. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved
Prologue

The four Magi slowly climbed the paths that led to the summit of the Mountain of Light. They came from the four corners of the horizon, each carrying a satchel containing fragrant wood for the rite of fire. The Wise Man of Sunrise wore a cloak of pink silk that shaded into blue and on his feet he had deerskin sandals. The Wise Man of Sunset wore a crimson gown streaked with gold and from his shoulders hung a long stole made of byssus and embroidered in the same colours. The Wise Man of Midday had a purple tunic decorated with golden ears of wheat and wore snakeskin slippers. The last of them, the Wise Man of the Night, was dressed in black wool woven from the fleece of unborn lambs and dotted with silver stars. They moved as though the rhythm of their walk were marked by a music that only they could hear and they approached the temple at the same pace, covering equal distances even though the first was climbing a rocky slope, the next was walking along a level path and the last two progressed along the sandy beds of dried-up rivers. They reached the four entrances of the stone tower at the same instant, just as dawn draped the immense deserted landscape of the plateau in pearly light. They bowed and looked into one another's faces through the four entrance arches, and then they moved towards the altar. The Wise Man of Sunrise began the rite, arranging sandalwood branches in a square; next came the Wise Man of Midday who added, diagonally, bundles of acacia twigs. Onto this base the Wise Man of Sunset heaped cedar wood, gathered in the forest of Mount Lebanon and stripped of its bark. Last of all the Wise Man of the Night laid branches of stripped and seasoned Caucasian oak, lightning-struck wood dried in the highland sun. Then all four drew their sacred flints from their satchels and together they struck blue sparks at the base of the small pyramid until the fire began to burn - weak at first, faltering, then ever stronger and more vigorous: the vermilion tongues becoming blue and then almost white, just like the Celestial Fire, like the supernal breath of Ahura Mazda, God of Truth and Glory, Lord of Time and Life. Only the pure voice of the fire murmured its arcane poetry within the great stone tower. Not even the breathing of the four men standing motionless at the very centre of their vast homeland could be heard. They watched on enrapt as the sacred flame took shape from the simple architecture of the branches arranged on the stone altar. They stared into that most pure light, into that wonderful dance of light, lifting their prayer for the people and for the King: the Great King, the King of Kings who sat far away in the splendid hall in his palace, the timeless Persepolis, in the midst of a forest of columns painted purple and gold, guarded by winged bulls and lions rampant. The air, at that hour of the morning, in that magic and solitary place, was completely still, just as it had to be for the Celestial Fire to assume the forms and the motions of its divine nature. It was this nature which drove the flames ever higher towards the Empyrean, their original source. But suddenly a powerful force breathed over the flames and quenched them; as the Magi watched on in astonishment, even the red embers were suddenly transformed into black charcoal. There was no other sign, not a sound except the screech of a falcon rising up into the empty sky; neither were there any words. The four men stood dumbstruck at the altar, stricken by this most sad omen, tears welling in silence. At that same moment, far away in a remote western land, a young woman trembled as she approached the oaks of an ancient sanctuary. She had come to request a blessing for the child she now felt move for the first time in her womb. The woman's name was Olympias. The name of her child came on the wind that blew impatiently through the age-old branches, stirring the dead leaves round the bases of the giant trunks. The name was:

ALÉXANDROS

Customer Reviews

An Internationally Acclaimed Novel

Few authors can be better equipped to write about the history of ancient Greece and Rome than Valerio Massimo Manfredi. Professor of archaeology at the the university of Milan, he has carried out many excavations and expeditions in the Mediterranean region. He has produced many factual books on historical matters, mainly military and has still found the time to write several novels and this is one of the best of them.

This book is the first of a triology about probably the greatest warrior and general who has ever lived, bearing in mind that Alexander died at an age when most men are only just starting to make their mark in life. Alexander is of course one of histories most colourful and well know character. Even people with little or not interest in ancient history will have heard of Alexander, a charismatic and larger than life figure.

This first book is the story of a boy born to royal parents. His father, Philip of Macedon, a great warrior and king in his own right and his mother, Philip's alluring queen, Olympias. Alexander was a handsome boy with a quick and ready wit and great intelligence that was nurtured by his tutor, Aristotle and with friends like Ptolemy and Hephaiston Alexander was moulded into a man who was going to conquer the then known world.

Incredible
This book and the rest of the trilogy took my breath away. I was completely hooked to every single page. This author is of exceptional talent, his characters come alive and the depth of historical content used does not seem possible. Valerio Massimo Manfredi is undoudtedly the greatest writer of his generation.

(simple, truthful, organised) History!
I found this book (aswell as the other two in the trilogy) to be one of the best books i have read on the subject of alexander of macedon. From my point of view the goodness that comes from this book is simply that the writer has not tried to add anything too much to a story that is simply brilliant by itself. This book truly made me awe inspired by alexander and his achievements.
In conclusion that in the writing this book mr manfredi has remained a true historian and told a great story of the ages that does not need artisitic flair to be made readable!