The first Army that Afghanistan is renowned for having been the graveyard of was Alexander's. This bit of historical fiction gives us a fighting man's view of why that might have been. I am certain that many a veteran of the current war in Afghanistan will recognize the people and the country from this account.

A fictional account of Alexander the Great's efforts to conquer Afghanistan, it is an enjoyable read - and highly educational for me as it outlined the extremes the Afghans go to preserve their freedom and traditions. The shocking and surprising ending lingered with me for days and summarized why the three greatest military powers of their day - the British, Soviets, and Americans - failed to conquer Afghanistan.

An excellent novel, one of Pressfield's best. Matthias's journey from a young idealistic soldier into a stone-cold warrior is one of the best character arcs I have read in any novel. The parallels between Alexander's army in Afghanistan and the recent experiences of Coalition forces there are haunting.

Another winner from Steven Pressfield, who is rapidly becoming my favorite author for historical fiction. This time he focuses on Alexander the Great's invasion of Afghanistan, primarily from the viewpoint of new soldiers in his army. Characters are well developed, and the cultural differences between the Macedonian invaders and the Afghans are explored in depth. This campaign was a very difficult one for Alexander, and the end result was more of a compromise than a victory. A very interesting read that I learned a lot from.