An imagination of dazzling and epic scope.

With “Steven Pressfield” on the cover, it took less than a heartbeat for me to grab this book—after Gates of Fire, I was more than eager to be caught up again in the author’s enthralling prose of storytelling.

Even with the author’s Note on the Reader expressly stating this as a work of fiction, I soon found myself actually believing that it really was Alexander speaking his own thoughts—as he tasted the first of his numerous victories, received the adoration of his men, and found himself later possessed of an empire that demanded too much for the price of an ambition.

For that alone, I stand in awe yet again of this author’s skill.

Every chapter is vivid with imagery and every conflict a real human drama. The king’s moments of anguish were brutal, eerily honest, and, sometimes, understandable, as he becomes torn between love for his army and the desire to conquer the world beyond India. Indeed, Alexander was thrown in a surreal mix of otherworldliness for his exceptional military prowess and glaring human frailty for succumbing to the snare of arrogance and pride.

There were times when Pressfield’s narration seemed like it was being apologetic of Alexander’s actions towards his men and their growing disquiet, but then I suddenly remember that this book ostensibly echoed only Alexander’s voice; so I suppose it couldn’t help but have that biased feel.

I only wished the book imagined a little bit more outside of the battlefield. Like his relations with his mother during his youth, with his wives (or even just with Roxanne), and with the other soldiers (besides his “dear mates”) who trekked with him across the plains of Asia. There were some parts as well that felt hurried, while others felt too protracted. And, in some instances I was on the verge of becoming almost bored whenever the book took the tone of becoming more of a manual for warfare, what with the winded accounts of the number of infantry, cavalry, archers, etc. But, I suppose you really cannot get to being an exalted commander without being anal about these things...

All-in-all, The Virtues of War is still a highly-recommended read—epic, artistic, and an honest-to-goodness page-turner...

"I have always been a soldier, I have known no other life." (How Pressfield started this book idea)
Book One
Chapter One > Page 5 · Location 258
Those who do not understand war believe it contention between armies , friend against foe . No . Rather friend and foe duel as one against an unseen antagonist , whose name is Fear , and seek , even entwined in death , to mount to that promontory whose ensign is honor . What drives the soldier is cardia , “ heart , ” and dynamis , “ the will to fight . ” Nothing else matters in war . Not weapons or tactics , philosophy or patriotism , not fear of the gods themselves . Only this love of glory , which is the seminal imperative of mortal blood , as ineradicable within man as in a wolf or a lion , and without which we are nothing .
Chapter Two > Page 11 · Location 337
“ My son’s wound is in front , where it should be . ” Chapter Three > Page 16 · Location 394
The freshly commissioned officer imagines that the king rules his army . Not by far ! The army rules him . He must feed its appetite for novelty and adventure , keep it fit and confident ( but not too confident , lest it grow insolent ) , discipline it , coddle it , reward it with booty and bonuses but contrive to make sure it blows its loot on spirits and women , so that it’s hungry to march and fight again . Leading an army is like wrestling a hundred - headed hydra ; you quell one serpent , only to duel ninety - nine more .
Chapter Four > Page 20
His idea of a good breakfast is a night march , and of a good dinner , a light breakfast .
Chapter Four > Page 21
There are further items , Telamon taught , which have no place in the soldier’s kit . Hope is one . Thought for future or past . Fear . Remorse . Hesitation .
Chapter Four > Page 21
A warrior must not advance to battle hopeless — that is , devoid of hope . Rather let him set aside all baggage of expectation — of riches , celebrity , even death — and spur beneath extinction’s scythe lightened of all , save surrender to that outcome known only to the gods . There is no mystery to this . All soldiers do it . They must , or they could not fight at all .
Chapter Four > Page 22
“ For the self - control of the warrior , which we observe and admire in his comportment , is but the outward manifestation of the inner perfection of the man . Such virtues as patience , courage , selflessness , which the soldier seems to have acquired for the purpose of defeating the foe , are in truth for use against enemies within himself — the eternal antagonists of inattention , greed , sloth , self - conceit , and so on .
Chapter Four > Page 22
we too are engaged in this struggle , we find ourselves drawn to the warrior , as the acolyte to the seer . The true man - at - arms , in fact , can overcome his enemy without even striking a blow , simply by the example of his virtue . In fact he can not only defeat this foe but also make him his willing friend and ally , and even , if he wishes , his slave . ” Our mentor turned to us with a smile . “ As I have done with you . ”
Book Two
Chapter Seven > Page 45
For reasons I have never fathomed , birds , too , favor fields of conflict . Swallows swoop now , and clouds of plovers . You will never see a woman and never see a cat .
Chapter Seven > Page 45
Once in contact , Philip’s front will feign retreat . There is a good deal of playacting in war and even such seasoned theatergoers as the Athenians can be hoodwinked in the heat of action .
Chapter Seven > Page 46
Philip has not instructed me in how to attack , nor has he inquired of my dispositions — though Antipater , of course , has relayed every detail — other than to ask was I satisfied that I had what I needed . For this alone I account his greatness .
Chapter Seven > Page 46
My father’s plan is shrewd . By giving me the left of the field , he cedes me abundant scope for glory . If I succeed , Macedon gains a fighting prince and Philip a true heir and deputy ; should I miscarry or be slain , the king knows he can still produce victory out of his own triumph on the right
Chapter Seven > Page 52
Warfare is theater , I have said , and the essence of theater is artifice . What we show , we will not do . What we don’t show , we will do .
Book Three
Chapter Ten > Page 78
At that time I had a tutor named Leonidas . It was this man’s habit , as a means of “ thickening my bark , ” to wake me an hour before dawn and march me down to the river , where I must strip and plunge in , in all weathers . I hated this . The Loudias at Pella is bone - numbing even in summer ; in winter its depth of cold is indescribable . I tried every trick to duck these dousings . Eventually it came to me that , rather than endure them beneath compulsion , which rendered them doubly abhorrent , I would elect to do them on my own . I began arising before my tutor , getting the chore over with while he lay yet in bed .
Chapter Ten > Page 80 ·
I alone am master of my life !
Chapter Ten > Page 80 ·
but to educate myself in all things , to become my own tutor , selecting the subjects I needed to master and seeking instruction on my own .
Chapter Ten > Page 81
happiness consisted in “ the active exercise of one’s faculties in conformity with virtue . ”
Book Four
Chapter Eleven > Page 94
And he had mastered his own emotions . Anger was unknown to him ;
Book Five
Chapter Fifteen > Page 140
Cover and uncover . A commander advances against the foe “ covered ” — that is , with his intentions masked , either by his configuration , his feints and misdirections , or by the ground itself and the elements . At the instant of attack , he “ uncovers . ”
Chapter Fifteen > Page 140
The reason a static defense is always vulnerable is that it is by definition uncovered . The defender by his posture reveals not only his intentions ( as Darius does here , making it apparent that he will send his cavalry from his right , along the sea ) but displays what he believes to be his strengths ( his flanking left wing , the river bluffs and palisades , his massed heavy infantry ) . The attacker , in contrast , uncovers nothing . The attacker maintains the option to counter every move the defender has , by his dispositions , uncovered .
Chapter Sixteen > Page 144 ·
Three battles are fought , each on separate sectors of the field , which on their own , would constitute struggles of epochal scale and complexity . Yet the seminal scheme is simplicity itself . Here . Let us sketch it on this table . What I want you to apprehend , Itanes , is the concept of effective strength . The enemy outnumbers us nearly five to one , yet where the action is decisive , we , not they , possess numerical superiority .
Chapter Sixteen > Page 145
let us consider another element of dispositions in war : the line in defense . When divisions establish themselves in a defensive line , as those of the foe have here along the Pinarus , each must lay out not one but two positions : an initial defensive front , upon which it makes its stand , and a secondary post , to which it can withdraw in the event of being hard - pressed . The defenders cannot simply stack their reserves in infinite depth , lest panic in the front ranks be communicated immediately to the rear , with no interval of containing it . Thus the fallback position . This supplemental front must be close enough to the original — three or four hundred paces — that the division can retire to it swiftly and form up to resume the defense . At the same time , this reserve post must be far enough back that the retreating soldiers can put breathing space between themselves and their pursuers . This formation means two things for our squadrons of Companions as they break through the foe’s first defensive front and wheel left in column to dash across , behind it , toward the enemy’s center . First , it provides us an avenue — the space between the foe’s primary defensive front and his fallback position — down which we can charge . Second , it assures us that the ranks of the foe in deep reserve ( respecting their forward fellows ’ defensive order ) will not flood into the gap to interdict us .
Chapter Sixteen > Page 147
Plates and seams . A plate is a front constituted of a unit under autonomous command . In other words , a section of the battle line — company , battalion , regiment — that is not divisible , that can move only as a unit . The larger the plate , the more unwieldy the formation . A seam is the boundary between plates . When our sarissa phalanx with the brigades of the Royal Guard advances on line , for example , its twelve thousand men appear to constitute a solid wall . In fact , the front is composed of nine autonomous brigades — six of the phalanx and three of the Guardsmen — each capable of independent action , and each subpartitioned into battalions , likewise competent . So that this single front contains thirty - six plates and thirty - five seams , each plate capable of acting on its own , if opportunity or peril so demands , without breaking the seam that unites it to the whole .
Chapter Sixteen > Page 147
This is our order . Now consider the foe’s .
Chapter Sixteen > Page 147 ·
The Mesopotamians intercepting us are one plate with no seams . Their numbers are ten thousand ( a lucky figure in Chaldean numerology ) and they are under one commander , Darius’s brother - in - law Sisamenes , without captains beneath him authorized for independent action . Ten thousand in Mesopotamia is a hundred by a hundred . Can there be a more foot - bound formation ? Further , the ground between them and us is split by rifts and ravines . The foe attempts to charge forward in his cumbersome mass . But the field confounds him . In addition , the Mesopotamians are archers — troops possessed of neither the arms nor the inclination to come to close quarters . I send three fifties at them as they struggle to mount out of a ravine , and these are enough to send the mob tumbling back down the face . The enemy has recognized us now . They launch at us from the floor of the rift and from the far side , but their shafts , flung uphill and into the wind , drop in our train as lightly as pine boughs in a breeze .
Chapter Sixteen > Page 156
“ Fame imperishable and glory that will never die — that is what we march for !
Chapter Sixteen > Page 156
“ Ultimate responsibility for this debacle lies with me . I have not impressed sufficiently upon you , my officers , the code of chivalry by which I expect you and this army to conduct yourselves .
Chapter Sixteen > Page 158
“ I want you to be . . . magnificent . ”
Chapter Sixteen > Page 158
The commander - at - arms manipulates the ungovernable and the unpredictable . In battle , he directs the unknowable amid the unintelligible .
Book Six
Chapter Eighteen > Page 174 What is more natural than to crave the good opinion of our fellows ?
Chapter Eighteen > Page 175
From that day , I vowed never to squander a moment’s care over the good opinion of others . May they rot in hell . You have heard of my abstemiousness in matters of food and sex .
Chapter Nineteen > Page 176
You must command on your own , my young lieutenant , but how you do so cannot be random or idiosyncratic ; it must follow my thought and my will .
Chapter Nineteen > Page 177
Commander’s Intent!
Chapter Nineteen > Page 177 ·That is why we talk here nightlong , my generals and I , and why you and the other Pages attend and listen .
Note - Chapter Nineteen > Page 177
To. Succeed in manuever warefare, everyone must communicate
Nineteen > Page 177
That is why we rehearse fundamentals over and over , until they become second nature to us all .
Note - Chapter Nineteen > Page 177 ·
To succeed in manuever warfare, rehearsal is paramount so that performance is instinctive.
Chapter Nineteen > Page 177 ·
On Philosophy of War
Chapter Nineteen > Page 177 ·
Always attack . Even in defense , attack . The attacking arm possesses the initiative and thus commands the action . To attack makes men brave ; to defend makes them timorous . If I learn that an officer of mine has assumed a defensive posture in the field , that officer will never hold command under me again . TO PTOLEMY , IN EGYPT : When deliberating , think in campaigns and not battles ; in wars and not campaigns ; in ultimate conquest and not wars .
Chapter Nineteen > Page 177
Seek the decisive battle . What good does it do us to win ten scraps of no consequence if we lose the one that counts ? I want to fight battles that decide the fate of empires . TO SELEUCUS , IN EGYPT : It is as important to win morally as to win militarily . By which I mean our victories must break the foe’s heart and tear from him all hope of contesting us again . I do not wish to fight war upon war , but by war to produce such a peace as will admit of no insurrection . On Strategy and Campaign TO COENUS , IN PALESTINE : The object of campaign is to bring about a battle that will prove decisive . We feint ; we maneuver ; we provoke to one end : to compel the foe to face us in the field . What I want is a battle , one great pitched clash in which Darius comes out to us in the flower of his might . Remember , our object is to break the will to resist , not only of the king’s soldiers , but of his peoples . The subjects of the empire are the real audience of these events . They must be made to believe by the scale and decisiveness of our triumphs that no force on earth , however numerous or well generaled , can prevail against us .
Chapter Nineteen > Page 178 ·
The object of pursuit after victory is not only to prevent the enemy from re - forming in the instance ( this goes without saying ) , but to burn such fear into his vitals that he will never think of re - forming again . Therefore , pursue by all means and don’t relent until hell or darkness compels you . The foe who has been a fugitive once will never be the same fighter again . I would rather lose five hundred horses in a pursuit , if it prevents the enemy from re - forming , than to spare those horses , only to lose them — and five hundred more — in a second fight . TO SELEUCUS , IN SYRIA : As commanders , we must save our supreme ruthlessness for ourselves . Before we make any move in the face of the enemy , we must ask ourselves , free of vanity and self - deception , how the foe will counter . Unearth every stroke and have an answer for it . Even when you think you have thought of everything , there will be more work to do . Be merciless with yourself , for every careless act is paid for in our own blood and the blood of our countrymen . On Generosity TO PARMENIO , AFTER ISSUS : Cyrus the Great sought to detach from his enemy disaffected elements of the latter’s forces , or others serving under compulsion . To this end he showed the Armenians and Hyrcanians honor and spared no
measure to make their condition happier under his rule than under the Assyrian’s . In Cyrus’s view the purpose of victory was to prove more generous in gifts than the enemy . He felt it the greatest shame to lack the means to requite the munificence of others ; he always wished to give more than he received , and he amassed treasure with the understanding that he held it in trust , not for himself , but for his friends to call upon in need . TO HEPHAESTION , ALSO AFTER ISSUS : Make generosity our first option . If an enemy shows the least sign of accommodation , match him twice over . Let us conduct ourselves in such a fashion that all nations wish to be our friends and all fear to be our enemies . On Tactics , Battles , and Soldiers No advantage in war is greater than speed . To appear suddenly in strength where the enemy least expects you overawes him and throws him into consternation . Great multitudes are not necessary . The optimal size of a fighting corps is that number that can march from one camp to another and arrive in one day . Any more are superfluous and only slow you down .
Chapter Nineteen > Page 180 ·
All tactics in conventional warfare seek to produce this single result : a breakthrough in the enemy line . This is as true of naval warfare as it is of war on land . A static defensive line is always vulnerable . Once penetrated in force at any point , every other post on the line becomes moot . Its men cannot bring their arms to bear and , in fact , can do nothing except wait in impotence to be overrun by their own comrades fleeing in panic as our penetrating force rolls them up from the flank . Be conservative until the crucial moment . Then strike with all the violence you possess . Remember : We need win at only one point on the field , so long as that point is decisive . Every battle is constituted of a number of sub - battles of differing degrees of consequence . I don’t care if we lose every sub - battle , so long as we win the one that counts . We fight with a holding wing and an attacking wing . The purpose of the former is to paralyze in place , by its advance and its posture of threat , the enemy wing opposed to it . The purpose of the latter is to strike and penetrate . We concentrate our force and hurl it with utmost violence upon one point in the enemy line . I want to feel as if I hold a lightning bolt . By which I mean that blow , poised beneath my command , which when hurled against the enemy will break his line . As the boxer waits with patience for themoment to throw his knockout punch , the general holds his decisive strike poised , careful not to loose it too early or too late . Don’t punch ; counterpunch . The purpose of an initial evolution — a feint or draw — is to provoke the enemy into committing himself prematurely . Once he moves , we countermove . We seek to create a breach in the enemy’s line , into which cavalry can charge . The line soldier need remember only two things : Keep in ranks and never abandon his colors . An officer must lead from the front . How can we ask our soldiers to risk death if we ourselves shrink from hazard ? War is academic only on the mapboard . In the field it is all emotion . Leverage of position means the occupation of that site which compels the enemy to move . When we face an enemy marshaled in a defensive posture , our first thought must be : What post can we seize that will make him withdraw ? The officer’s charge is to control the emotion of the men under his command , neither letting them yield to fear , which will render them cowards , nor allowing them to give themselves over to rage , which will make them brutes .
Chapter Nineteen > Page 182
Entering any territory , capture the wine stocks and breweries first . An army without spirits is prey to disgruntlement and insurrection .

Стивън Пресфийлд има таланта да описва военното дело в доста романтични краски и макар понякога много да му се получава, в случая нещо я е оплескал... или по-скоро не си е дал много зор.

В описанието на живота и битките на Александър Македонски виждаме само неговата (демек на Александър) гледна точка и на никой друг. Може би това е похват на автора, за да влезем в главата и начина на мислене на този очевидно нарцистичен и маниакален човек, за когото не е съществувало нищо друго, освен жаждата за завоевание и всички останали хора, даже най-"близките" му, не са нищо повече от пионки, които да бъдат местени, жертвани и после прежалени след час.

Предполагам точно затова самата книга е доста скучна - подробното описание на всяка битка на тактическо ниво, с всяка военна част, нейното разположение и движение е интересно в началото, но е толкова надребно разказано, че човек губи всякаква ориентация какво се случва.

А друго в книгата почти няма.

Another masterpiece from Steven Pressfield. My first Pressfield book, Gates of Fire, is definitely one of my top 5 books. In Virtues of War, Pressfield produces another amazing piece on ancient Greece. You are brought right onto the battlefield with the Greeks of old. You can smell the sweat, hear the leather creak, see the millions of the foe aligned against you, feel the desperate scrabble of feet as battle lines collide, and sense impending victory as you exert your will on a valiant enemy. In the midst of the swirling chaos of battle, Alexander the Great's genius shines through. Over and over, his forces overcome despite being outnumbered and facing severe disadvantages. His mastery over tactics, training, politics, logistics, and his men is just staggering. You see Alexander at his best and worst as if you were there. And while this is a work of historical fiction, it brings to life the story of one of the world's greatest conquerors and a time period that has fascinated all generations to come after. Amazing book. Highly recommend Steven Pressfield's works. Can't wait to read more of them.

There are three military commanders whom i hold in awe for their genius and prowess : Napoleon, Alexander & Julius Caesar. All men of different times and circumstances but whose feats of valor have still been unmatched in the annals of military history. I read upon the feats of these three men and cant help but think of what grandiose vision, what manic quest for glory drove them forward...Having read and liked Steven Pressfield's rendition of the Battle of Thermopylae here i was with 'Virtues of War'.

The tale is told from Alexander's point of view and it renders an objective analysis of his character impossible. We are given but snippets of his character as it goes from an ambitious young man to a conqueror swallowed by his own glory just by conversations from his comrades and commanders. It is a crack read at points where the battle scenes occur whether it be in Greece or Persia or India. The author sketches the battle scenes in all their bloody glory and grit. These scenes while the boon are also the bane of this book, Pressfield is well researched on ancient warfare but he lavishes the reader with details of the terrain,topography and military formations and these while enjoyed by a reader with a keen historic mind might not be well received by a reader looking for a crack action filled read.

Something the author carries forward from 'Gates of Fire' is that his soldiers while fierce and ruthless are also philosophers which is a mild amusement through the tale. Also this book is primarily on the military aspects of the man and not of his life : his alleged homosexuality, his relationship with women are but briefly touched upon and never given importance.It is slightly incomplete in those areas but then i suppose that is how the author wanted the book to be with a title like 'Virtues of War'.

Recommended for all those who love military history or just an action filled read...

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. The in depth look inside the conqueror’s mind, complete with constructed conversations brings history to life. Historical fact mingled with Pressfield’s imagination made this a joy to read. Anyone enamored with ancient kingdoms and the art of warfare may enjoy this book. My favorite scenes involved Alexander meeting with his foes prior to battle; chivalry and ritual, respect and honor...at least some of the time!

If you like to read about military strategy,Alexander’s army formations,weaponry and tactics used on his biggest battles started from Greece and finished in India,you have it .Alexander was a great conqueror and unbelievable strategic indeed.

2,5/5 Ένα βιβλιο για τον Μέγα Αλέξανδρο. Μια αρκετά μοναδική ματια και ενας Αλεξανδρος με το προσωπικό του Δαιμόνιο και μια μεγαλομανία . Υπήρχε μελέτη σε επίπεδα γεωγραφίας και καταγραφών και αρκετά καλές περιγραφές των μαχών με αριθμούς και σχεδιασμούς που θα κερδίσουν τους αναγνώστες που τους αρέσουν αυτές οι αρχαίες πια στρατηγικές μάχης . Υπήρχε και μια σχετικα όμορφη ανάλυση του γραφειοκρατικού και εκμεταλλευτικού συστήματος που επικρατούσε στην Μεσοποταμία όταν την κατέκτησε ο Αλέξανδρος και οι δυσκολίες να την κυβερνήσει και να αλλάξει τα μυαλά των καταπιεσμένων της ανθρώπων .

Αν εξαιρέσεις τον Αλέξανδρο ο οποίος σκιαγραφείται μέσα από μια συγκεκριμένη οπτική που δεν με κάλυψε δεν υπήρχε και μεγάλη σκιαγράφηση των υπολοίπων προσώπων . Δεν ξερω δεν με κέρδισε προσωπικά . Σίγουρα δεν το θεωρώ ενδεικτικό και δεν θεωρώ ότι είναι ότι καλύτερο έχει γραφτεί για τον Μ.Αλέξανδρο παρότι κάποιες αντιφάσεις του ήταν αρκετά ειλικρινής . Επίσης θεωρώ ότι το πνεύμα που διακατείχε όλο το βιβλιο δεν αντιπροσωπεύει την εποχή του και παρά τις αρκετές θρησκευτικές αναφορές η μελέτη στο κομματι των θρησκειών και του σεβασμού τους ήταν ελλιπής αν οχι ανύπαρκτη .

I have long been a devotee of Alexander the Great (my son's middle name is Alexander), so looked forward to reading this novel. I was not disappointed! The story is told from Alexander's viewpoint as he is telling his story to his young brother-in-law. It is not a complete story of his life. He does start the story before the assassination of his father, Phillip. Most of the remainder of the story tells of his conquest of Persia. Pressfield, who has written several other historical novels based in the era of Ancient Greece, obviously does his research very well. The description of the battles is excellent. The book is quite accurate, the author knows his subject. Even better, the narration sounds like it would actually be Alexander speaking, and giving his version of the various battles and incidents of his life (which may differ from the historical record). I wish the book had been longer and included more of Alexander's other accomplishments, such as the siege of Tyre, the conquering of Egypt, etc. Alexander was fascinating and what he did in his short life (died at 32) is amazing, especially considering the time period it took place in. This novel takes you into that time period, and makes you feel like Alexander is talking to you, sitting by a campfire after a hard days march.

It's a 3 star. For many that translates into a fail, and most of the time it does for me too, but this one does fit well with the Goodreads description of what 3 star book means to a reader. 'Liked it'. Because I did. I liked it. It was not always thrilling or humanised enough for me. I never felt connected to Alexander (this is likely due to the first person narrative style of the book) and yet I did not dislike the book. It was simply one of those steady as she goes, beat the drum slowly kind of books. Which of course does not sit well enough for me in a book about one of the greatest battle leaders of history. It should not be so steady, it should be passionately told and thrilling to behold. Like, dare I say it, Gates of Fire was. What Pressfield did for the Spartans last stand, he did not do for Alexander's foreign battlefields.
Virtues of War was more of a push than a kick. I enjoyed it, liked it, but it was a little disappointing overall.

Αφηγηματικό μυθιστόρημα το οποίο παρουσιάζει την εκστρατεία του μεγάλου στρατηλατη στην Ασία. Μικρές ανακρίβειες, οι οποίες σημειώνονται από τον ίδιο τον συγγραφέα στον πρόλογο, γίνονται εσκεμμένα. Τέσσερα αστέρια λόγω της χρήσης των μονάδων μέτρησης απόστασης της εποχής, γεγονός που κάνει δυσνόητο το μεγαθος του στρατού κατά την παράταξη για μάχη.

A beautifully written story detailing the compelling and euphoric tale of Alexander The Great's ascent to power, his campaigns and exploits. It extols the glory, beauty, and significance of war. The brotherhood and honor that come of purely shared and meaningful struggles. It's introspective and thoughtful and brings to the fore the doubts and misgivings of perpetuating a war endlessly against the foe where there is little meaning to be found. All military members should read it. All who would be leaders should also.