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The story of Matthias, a Macedonian youth who slips away to join Alexander’s corps as it treks across Afghanistan on its way to India. A raw recruit, he is taken under the wing of Flag, a grizzled sergeant who sees him grow in military experience and in cynicism. He buys a slave girl who later becomes his lover, but he learns that this harsh desert land, where even women and children are enemies, is totally alien, and can never accept him.
After the excitement of Pressfield's Gates of Fire, this book disappoints, though it’s not a total failure. Matthias’ growth from a tyro who fails to kill a trussed prisoner and cuts his own leg instead, vomiting, into a vet who has seen it all is handled well. And the sharp, sudden brutality of it all --- the mass slaughter of the female prisoners, the gory battles --- is of course shown in all its disturbing glory. But it seems Pressfield tried too hard to draw parallels between Alexander’s wars and the current Iraq war, and while he may have a general point, it’s out of place in a historical novel and the plot and characterization suffer as a result. And it may be that the drama suffers from the scope of the book being too vast; instead of focusing, or even climaxing, on one battle or area, “the Afghan campaign” is just too large for what Pressfield is trying to do. Still, there’s no denying that this book is packed with entertaining and suspenseful scenes, and it’s a highly enjoyable read. I’m just not entirely sure it works as a whole.
After the excitement of Pressfield's Gates of Fire, this book disappoints, though it’s not a total failure. Matthias’ growth from a tyro who fails to kill a trussed prisoner and cuts his own leg instead, vomiting, into a vet who has seen it all is handled well. And the sharp, sudden brutality of it all --- the mass slaughter of the female prisoners, the gory battles --- is of course shown in all its disturbing glory. But it seems Pressfield tried too hard to draw parallels between Alexander’s wars and the current Iraq war, and while he may have a general point, it’s out of place in a historical novel and the plot and characterization suffer as a result. And it may be that the drama suffers from the scope of the book being too vast; instead of focusing, or even climaxing, on one battle or area, “the Afghan campaign” is just too large for what Pressfield is trying to do. Still, there’s no denying that this book is packed with entertaining and suspenseful scenes, and it’s a highly enjoyable read. I’m just not entirely sure it works as a whole.
