Gee I very much enjoyed the book. It was pretty much as I expected. No fantastic literal achievement, but an honest straight forward, swashbuckling novel that reads quick. I do have two items to point out. 1) The book made me stop to pause a few times with the liberal use of modern language to convey action. The use of "highway" to describe paths was a chuckle. Surely an oversight? Hmmm. and 2) For a book that is promoted as, "The Virtues of War", ...why is there not one battle map? There should have been at least 2 to follow the action as described.

Last, I was left with the impression that this novel might have been better as a two or three book set of Alexander. Now that would have been a treat! To conclude, on the strength of this novel, I recommend this author and look forward to reading some other novels he has written.

"I am the living soul of the army. As blood flows from the lion's heart to its limbs, so courage flows from me to my countrymen. A million mend stand in arms against us. I will rout them by my will alone."

That line absolutely captures the feeling of Alexander in this novel. Even though this work was not a good as Gates of Fire it is still and outstanding work. Reading it alongside another authors rendition of Alexander, this work breathes fire. Pressfield has an absolute masculine energy that is enthralling. I can't get enough of his writing. I wish he would have taken on more with this book, and I do acknowledge that the Alexander that is portrayed may not be historically accurate in character, but man he is epic! He has some serious moments in this book that are so overpowering in scope. The battles are beautiful and frightful all at the same time. The descriptions are vivid and lively. The pacing is perfect. It is always a joy to read Pressfields work.

Solidna knjiga. Radnja se desava iz Aleksandrovog ugla gledista. Pocetak knjige mi se bas dopao ali je iskreno radnja postala repetitivna u smislu: Aleksandrovi vojnici su smoreni i misle da nemaju sanse, Aleksandar pruzi snazan govor koji izaziva hrabrost vojnika, motivisani pobede bitku gde su visestruko nadbrojani, vojnici se ponasaju kao divljaci sa pljackom, ismevanjem neprijatelja i slicno pa se Aleksandar razocara u njih, oni su ponovo tuzni dok Aleksandar ne da jos jedan govor kako su ga izneverili ali da je i on izneverio njih i manje vise se ovo desava vise puta kroz knjigu. Ti govori jesu bili odlicno napisani, ali prosto su nekako izgubili tu moc koju su imali nadamnom kad sam ih citao prvih par puta. Delovi koji su davali imena dosta neprijateljskih vojskovodja su mi bili apsolutno bespotrebni jer ih 99% nisam zapamtio, a ove sto jesam, nisam primetio da su postali bitniji u nastavku knjige. Volim glorifikaciju stvari tako da mi se cela prica kako kralj iz Makedonije uspeva da osvoji Grcku i da je ujedini, da uzvrati Persiji udarac za robststvo svog naroda i da osvoji "ceo svet". Ovo je iskreno sumarizovana prica po mom ukusu. Kada je njegov konj Bukefal uginuo od umora i kad je nazvao grad Bukrfala po njemu, ostavio mi je mozda najjaci emotivni trenutak/utisak, pored svih njegovih govora i razmisljanja. Epilog govori o Aleksandrovoj smrti od bolesti kao i o beskrajnoj tugi koju je ostavila nad Grcima i Persijancima.
Knjiga je solidna, ali repetitivna sa jakim krajem. Stavio bih je malo iznad prosecne knjige, verovatno zato sto mi je ova tematika interesantna za citanje, tako da je sve subjektivno.
Ocena: 6.5/10

There are very few stories in the short history of civilization that can match that of Alexander the Great. The name alone inspires a kind of awe, and after reading Steven Pressfield's impressive historical-fiction account, I feel as though I have a better appreciation for just how amazing Alexander's life was. In his twenties he was breaking apart the Sacred Band of Thebes, assaulting the Persian empire, and conquering further and faster than anyone to the time had dreamed of doing. It's one thing to abstractly think, "Wow, Alexander controlled most of the known world at 32." It's quite another to be dropped into the battles, understand just how outnumbered he was most of the time, and the staggering genius it took to break the Persian empire in two.

Pressfield's style is one that I can understand how a few people might be turned off. Personally, I loved it. I enjoy military history, and so I have no problem with Alexander, in the first person, explaining exactly how the battle is going to go, and then having the actual battle scene follow. Pressfield's basic out is this: he's doing equal parts history and fiction, and not sacrificing either. Not to mention, being a tactician, this doubling up on battles makes a certain sense in the context of who Alexander is.

Aside from fantastic battle sequences, Pressfield found a clear voice for one of history's most extraordinary figures. Pressfield's Alexander is very aware of himself. On the one hand he's Alexander, a man who just loves being a soldier. On the other hand he's 'Alexander,' conquerer of the world, thought by many to be a deity, needing to plant his flag for his age and all the ages to follow by reaching the ends of the earth. He struggles to match his lofty dreams with the realities of a discontented army far from home in the sweltering heat of India. Through his own eyes we come to understand why people were able to love him so easily, and how dedicated he was to a singular ambition. The complexities, rewards and challenges of being the most powerful man to ever live bring life to what is usually the monotone of a history book.

On the fact front, it seems that Pressfield really did his homework. Sometimes when I read historical fiction and research the stuff later, discrepancies begin to appear. With what little I know of Alexander's conquest, Pressfield is as true to history as he is to telling a gripping story. Education and entertainment. What a concept.

Very, very solid novel. A real page-turner. Highly recommended, particularly to anyone interested in ancient history.

"The sarissa's song is a sad song.
He pipes it soft and low.
I would ply a gentler trade, says he,
But war is all I know."

Most of what was known about Alexander was destroyed at Alexandria in 38 BC by the Romans but what we do know about his legendary exploits are on the scales of Achilles at Troy. If you saw the movie by Oliver Stone then you would think that Alexander was a horny bisexual who happened to conquer the known World. But according to Pressfield’s depiction he seeks to tame his desires in order to focus on conquest.
The book is a mastery telling of the greatest General who ever lived and Pressfield pieces together what might have been his train of thought in a brilliant Historical Fiction that lands on one of my all time FAVORITE books list. It focuses on his amazing generalship, his prowess for reading the battlefield, and his ability to make his men love him enough to follow him to the ends of the world.
The Ancient World held completely different virtues... humility was not even known to Greeks! The Romans were even worse! This the backdrop that helped me understand how radical the Hebrew God and their Messiah (Jesus) really were!
Stephen Pressfield is a Screenwriter So he writes his books in a style that is most conducive to our imaginations and keeps you captivated. At first the Antagonist seems to be Alexander’s nemesis, Darius the Persian, but after Darius is killed by treachery from his own men, you begin to realize that the real antagonist is Alexander’s Daemma... a concept foreign to the Western mind and more akin to “The Flesh” mentioned in Paul’s writings.
I rate this book 5 out of 5 because the writing does not seek to elevate the writers own ability to use words you never heard of. The battles are expressed in almost screenshot settings, concepts and traditions are explained so that you don’t have to be a Greek scholar to know what’s going on. An incredible read!

Really enjoyed this

I really enjoyed how adept the author was in describing the tactics used, the mentality of a conquerer and the connection to greek ancestry. I genuinely felt as if I were in the mind of Alexander the great. Excellent read. Why won't it let me submit? This has to be twenty words by now

"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. Here is why: I punished myself. If I caught my thoughts straying to another’s opinion of me, I sent myself to bed without supper. As for women, I likewise permitted myself none. I missed no few meals, no small pleasure, before I brought this vice under control – or believed I had."

*****
Decisiveness
"A decision must be made on which route to take to Babylon. Shall we march south, directly down the Euphrates, or cross east to the Tigris and turn south from there? I call a council.

The foe’s vast numbers dominate all talk. The army prattles of nothing else, and even my generals are spooked and anxious. Old feuds surface. Tempers grow short; mates snap testily at one another."How is one to command? By consensus of his subordinates? Listen indeed. Weigh and evaluate. Then decide yourself. Are you stumped at the crossroads? Pick one way and don’t look back. Nothing is worse than indecision. Be wrong, but be wrong decisively. Can you please your constituents? Never let me hear that word! The men are never happy with anything. The march is always too long, the way always too rough. What works with them? Hardship. Give your men something that can’t be done, not something that can. Then place yourself at first hazard. The Spartan commander Lysander made the distinction between boldness and courage. We must have both. The audacity to conceive the strike and the belly to carry it out.

All that being said, how does one make decisions? By rationality? My tutor Aristotle could classify the world, but couldn’t find his way to the village square. One must dive deeper than reason. The Thracians of Bithynia trust no decision unless they make it drunk. They know something we don’t. A lion never makes a bad decision. Is he guided by reason? Is an eagle “rational?”

Rationality is superstition by another name.

Go deep, my friend. Touch the daimon. Do I believe in signs and omens? I believe in the Unseen. I believe in the Unmanifest, the Yet To Be. Great commanders do not temper their measures to What Is; they bring forth What May Be."

Well, I gave up. Didn't even make it halfway.
This one is a real slog! Stopped for a while to read Hereward; came back, stared at it for a while, then just said screw it. Life is too short, and there are plenty of other books to read.

My only other attempt at Steven Pressfield was Gates of Fire. I made it through that one, but it was tough. Something about Pressfield's style just doesn't do it fore me.

In this one, I couldn't handle the first-person narrative with multiple tense changes. Past, present and future tense all in the same paragraph? Not for me.

I own the book, so I may pick it up again one day . . . but I doubt it.

"The Virtues of War" by Steven Pressfield, continues to knock the ball out of the park, "The Virtues of War" is a sweeping historical epic depicting the life of Alexander the Great and his initial war with the city-state of Thebes and later his conquest of Asia. The story is started "in media res" in the middle with Alexander dictating his memoirs to his brother-in-law, a page (junior staff officer) in the Macedonian military machine. Pressfield is easily one of our generation's preeminent historical fiction authors. I found the novel took very few artistic liberties with the character and life of Alexander the Great. Pressfield paints a broad and detailed picture of the lives of Macedonian foot soldiers, pages, the role of cavalry in warfare, views of the cities and lands that Alexander marches through. I particularly loved Alexander's interactions with his opposite number, the Indian king, Porus. Like Pressfield's other work "the Gates of Fire" I believe "the Virtues of War" will stand in the canon of historical fiction as a measure of excellence for that genre.

An interesting novel which does well to put you in the midst of Alexander's campaigns. Not only does it range from his ascension to the Macedonian throne to his campaigns in India, but the novel also tries to help portray some of the struggles and emotions Alexander would've faced during moments of crisis.

Steven Pressfield's descriptions of the battles were also vivid and very well laid out which makes it feel like you're there by Alexander's side during these epic moments in history. Definitely a good read if you love classical antiquity

I have read many of Steven Pressfield’s books, eliciting accounts of great warriors and generals, of epic ancient battles that most have heard before. In “The Virtues of War” he defies what I assumed not possible, he surpasses the greatness of some of his more well known books. Other may disagree, saying “Gates of Fire or Tides of War” are better and they could be right. They are fantastic books but I have never felt so much emotion while reading a book. I laughed, cried, felt anger, disgust, happiness and a whole range of other feelings. When a book can do all that as many other things in life can’t, you know it’s good. I recommend this book to anyone interested in a great author that even Stephen King said “was the greatest military author of all time”. If you read nothing else, read this book.

**Should Read as 4.5 Stars!**

Read this book in 2007, and its a wonderful standalone book about Alexander the Great.

This tale is set between the years 356 until 323 BC and it will the rise, the conqueror of the Persian Empire before he was 25, and the end of his life at the age of 32.

Alexander was a man of many talents, from the brutal avenger of his father's murder, a student to Aristotle, a commander of genius and the conqueror of nations.

This tale wonderful tale about Alexander is brought to us in a most enthralling fashion by the author, and in which Alexander is pictured in a real lifelike and warlike individual.

Highly recommended, for this is a splendid standalone book about Alexander the Great, and that's why I like to call this book: "An Impressive Alexander The Great"!