My brother and I now have a booktube called The Brothers Gwynne. Check it out! The Brothers Gwynne

Another great Pressfield read - this time taking on the monumental task of portraying the supreme Alexander the Great.

Pressfield is a superb writer, one of the best at conveying war, leadership and comradeship. His portrayal of Alexander is incredible, painting this god-like figure of war and empire into a man. He is a genius tactician, someone who considers all possible outcomes before making his move and it is fascinating to read.

As we've come to expect from Pressfield, the battles are visceral and intense, the characters in the face of all odds is impossible to look away from and it's a very entertaining read.

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.

This Alexander isn't very gay, or very megalomaniacal. He does kick ass, however, and take names, all the way to the Indus and back. Got yer Gaugamela right here, Darius.

"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.

Fictionalized account of Alexander the Great’s conquest of the Persian Empire and the lands to the East. The story is told from Alexander’s perspective and covers his youth, his great battles against Persia, and the following years and his death. Although a work of fiction, the novel is historically accurate with vivid descriptions of battle. The novel also explores Alexander’s motivations and the motivations of his men (which weren’t always the same). A good read.

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/...

"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."

3.5 stars. Historical fiction. Recommended for younger readers, just starting to learn about ancient military history. What I liked: good start and finish, the reconstructed battle strategies of Alexander’s most famous exploits, the creative description of Alexander’s ability to inspire and lead his countrymen and allies, outfight his most formidable foes, and intermittently govern conquered territories. What I didn’t like: long stretches were difficult to get through. I liked Stephen Pressfield’s book on Afghanistan better (The Afghan Campaign).

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.

"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.

As usual Pressfield writes brilliantly, though this isnt one of his best. It was much more exploratory of the philosophy and mindset of warriors than of the story of the men. Of course, middling Pressfield is still better than most.

I really enjoyed this historical fiction novel as it was written as if it was during the time of Alexander III of Macedon’s life, his succession to King, conquest and more specifically the campaigns into India.
The novel shows Alexander’s leadership and how he inspires his men, which has made him memorable not only by his feats of victories in battle but how he lead his men. This legacy of his did not only last for a generation but is still talked about to this day, a mere 2300+ years later.
This novel shows Alexander as a man and doesn’t just talk about the facts and which battles were won, etc. although it has all the battle tactics and numbers of men, etc. that you would find in a non fiction book as well. I believe it is a good combination of both and is a novel that could be enjoyed by both sorts of readers: fiction as well as nonfiction.