Ένα βιβλίο που πρέπει να διαβάσουν όλοι για να εκτιμήσουν το μεγαλείο όχι της Αυτοκρατορίας του Αλέξανδρου, αλλά το μεγαλείο του μυαλού, της ψυχής και του χαρακτήρα του. Ένας πραγματικός ηγέτης που ενέπνευσε εκατοντάδες χιλιάδες ανθρώπους να τον ακολουθήσουν στο άγνωστο!!!

Steven Pressfield has the gift of speech, I end each book deeply moved, worshiping him and his characters and crying my heart out because every ending in so touching it moves me beyond myself. Thank you so much for your books, you imortatilize even more theese legends and make then even greater.

Solid 3 stars but not because of any fault of the author!! Just too technical for my tastes. His knowledge of Alexander's campaigns is unbelievable and any student of Alexander, I'm sure, will rave about this read. I appreciated, near the end, the description of what is needed to vanquish an army utilizing guerrila tactics and that logic would explain the U.S. inability to have success against such an eney in Vietnam!

I read here some ridiculous reviews (with all due respect). What do you expect from a novel about Alexander, that’s also entitled “The Virtues of War”...?

Correct! War, war and more war.

This is the best historical fiction I have ever read. It explains beautifully Alexander tactics and innovations, along with his crazy drive for grandeur. It’s History in the form of a novel. Beautiful.

This book does that without all the unnecessary garbage for the masses that severely hampers Pressfield’s “Gates of Fire”, I mean things that have nothing to do with war and come out weak and not really believable. The outcome of “The Virtues of War” is far superior in every facet.

Chicken soup for the hoplite soul.

6/10

The first Pressfield novel I've read, and given his reputation, I was expecting a bit more. His writing is enjoyable, and he keeps the reader engaged in what many would consider a potentially boring historical account. I've always been fascinated by the life of Alexander, and Pressfield does an excellent job letting you in on his motivations, and the difficulty he faced. A decent book, and I will still try more of Pressfield in future, but I cant say this is an incredibly memorable book.

“I have always been a soldier. I have known no other life.” This begins Pressfield’s exceptionally fascinating and readable story of Alexander the Great. This dramatic historical fiction account takes through Alexander’s early years of training and learning under his father’s—Philip of Macedon—rule through his final battles. After his father’s brutal assassination, no one thought Alexander could fill his father’s enormous shoes but he does that and much more. Feared by his enemies yet equally loved by his generals and comrades, readers witness the ethos Alexander lives his life—the Virtues of War!

Yeah buddy, another striking title for the "oh yeah zone."

Love me Alexander.
Love me Macedon.
Love me conquest of the largest empire in the world.
'Ate Greeks.
'Ate Persians.
'Ate the Successor Kingdoms.

Men and women of the historical or "sharp end of the stick" professions will be right at home. Alexander waged a war worth fighting, and whatever his political ambitions or your thoughts on them, the man was a fantastic general. Lovers of the old world and its august past will hopefully see the humility and virtue of the conqueror whose name echoes throughout history.

This is my first Pressfield book, recommended by a friend. I loved it. Alexander’s indomitable courage, ambition and willingness to risk his life over and over for a higher (questionable) cause - military conquest and glory - are all foreign virtues in our day, virtues that as a Christian are to be pursued in service to Christ. I was inspired by the depiction of Alexander’s leadership - generous to a fault, ferociously single-minded, always leading the the way into the teeth of the enemy. His deep and abiding love for his friends, and their respect and love for and loyalty given in return, are also sorely lacking in our culture. Yet his monstrous ambition is also the downfall and destruction of many cultures and people.

My favorite part of the book were his speeches. One of them, on the eve of Gaugamela, the decisive battle for the Persian empire:

“This is an article of faith with me, brothers. I believe that a man, witnessing the selflessness of another, is compelled by his own nobler nature to emulate that virtue. No harangue can make him do this; no prize or bounty. But the sight of his fellow's gallantry cannot be resisted.
This is why you officers must always be first to strike the foe. By your example, you compel the hearts of your men to follow. And their courage ignites valor in the ranks of our countrymen succeeding.
And I believe more, my friends. I believe that heaven itself is compelled by witness of intrepidity. The gods themselves cannot stand aloof from an act of true courage, but are impelled by their own higher nature to intercede in its behalf.”

This is an entertaining, edifying read; highly recommended.

Another great book from Pressfield. Alexander was a military monster who didn't take no as an answer. Would recommend this book to anyone into reading about old world military. A+++++

Oda a la dynamis y el aedor.-

Género. Novela histórica.

Lo que nos cuenta. En tierras de la India, no muy lejos del río Hidaspes, con una intención a medio camino entre la catarsis contenida y cierto deseo de confesión, el macedonio Alejandro Magno cuenta a su pariente político, paje de tienda y soldado en formación Itanes sus recuerdos sobre el camino que le ha llevado al frente de su ejército hasta un lugar al oriente que nadie de sus regiones de origen había alcanzado nunca, reflexionando sobre las circunstancias que han marcado ese periplo desde la Antigua Grecia y sobre los eventos más destacados por los que ha pasado.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

Virtues of War is what its title suggests, a treatise on the personality characteristics and decision making process of great warriors. It is, in the guise of narrative fiction, an instruction manual for leaders of troops, and is incredibly effective at what it does. I only wish I had read it before assuming my first command.

Pressfield is a singular writer, and this is on offer in his ability to make Alexander, a historical figure so remote as to be deified, a sympathetic character who resonates with the reader. You may think it impossible to identify with the ruler of the entire western world, and the greatest tactician in history, but Pressfield enables you to pull it off, so that Alexander's longing and loneliness becomes your own. It makes the book at the same time mournful and triumphant, and it is definitely worth your time.