I get specific so I’ll put this under a spoiler. The short version is, I took quite a dislike to Alexander as here portrayed - he wasn’t a hero-figure for me. I thought, from an Alexander novel, what I want is a hero figure. But this turned out to quite interest me, with its ambivalence. I’d like to be more certain about the author’s intentions: I don’t suppose I was meant to take so against Alexander.

I was intrigued by the title, and in the end, it’s what most interests me. Alexander’s the spokesperson for the virtues learnt in war, and since we’re in Alexander’s head, he’s the one who gets to expatiate. (He does expatiate, too often he offers you a lesson. The set-up is he’s talking to a page, so you can feel talked-down to.) Pressfield titles his sections after these virtues: The Will to Fight, Love of Glory, Self-Command, Shame at Failure, Contempt for Death, Patience, An Instinct for the Kill, Love for One’s Comrades, Love for One’s Enemy. That looks schematic, and a bit too straightforward, and for ages I thought Alexander, and these virtues, and his belief in these virtues, went too uncriticised.

But then in ‘Love for One’s Comrades’ we’re in Babylon after the victory, where the corruptions of success set in, where he starts to become alienated from his soldiers, at odds with his officers; and this section culminates with Alexander’s assassination of his old comrade Parmenio, on pragmatic grounds that – as written here – only sickened me. So why is this section titled ‘Love for One’s Comrades’? Unless Pressfield orders randomly, and I won’t accuse an author of that unless I have to… is this irony?

The last section, ‘Love for One’s Enemies’ is set in India and… I have to say, of peoples met in the East, I felt only India got treated not with love – that isn’t the question – but with respect. Alexander started to irk me after he was master of Persia, with his civilizing mission, that was too like later European civilizing missions. His soldiers had an honest contempt for Persia and its society, but I felt Alexander had a concealed contempt – underneath his pity for them, his wish to grace them with Greek culture. I know these attitudes were Greek. But in these cases, I crave for an indication from the author, that he sees above, that he’s aware his characters have Greek blinkers on. I didn’t feel sure of Pressfield on this point. Not when he has Darius’s mother agree with everything Alexander says. Wouldn’t she have more to say for her culture, more of a defence when Persian ways are set against the Greek? Next we went to Afghanistan, and I felt very much we only heard an ignorant outsider��s perspective – that is, Alexander’s. It’s made worse when, after a slew of insults, he claims, “I came, myself, to love them.” Maybe, but he didn’t come to respect them, and I’d like the chance to argue to him – nor to understand them. Throughout, there’s this: “In their stead we have free Afghan, Scythian, and Bactrian cohorts. Such tribesmen cannot be trained to fight like Europeans, but with their tattooed faces and panther skin-bedecked ponies, they add a dash of colour and savagery.” Okay, it’s more than possible that Alexander thought thus. And my only issue is, I wish to have an Alexander who was truly open to the foreign cultures he met – I like to think of him that way. And this Alexander annoys because he believes he’s being so great towards them, and so distinct from his ignorant soldiers.

This sentence – though not about his attitudes to the East – sort of captures how and why he annoys me: “Most gratifying of this battle’s issue was its affording of an occasion for magnanimity.”

But in these late stages of the book Alexander is subjected to question. From Hephaestion, who gives a (simplistic perhaps) anti-war speech, declares “I have come to hate war” and critiques the title of the whole: “Or shall we cite Achilles and say we emulate the virtues of war? Rubbish! Any virtue carried to an extreme becomes a vice.” Then we have the soldiers’ revolt, refusal to go further. In this telling, I felt the soldiers’ spokesperson made sense, I was sympathetic. When Alexander shamed this part of his army into a change of heart, I thought, these tactics of humiliation wouldn’t have worked on me.

At last, in India, about its religious sages, we hear the statement – from Hephaestion – “These are not barbarians, Thessalus.” Although I’m afraid he goes on, “They are not slavish, as Babylonians, or idolatrous, as the men of Egypt.” And an old old comrade of Alexander’s joins the sages to find a life after soldiering, and we are left with an image of Alexander as limited by that creed or fact that begins the book: “I have always been soldier.”

A note for those who want to know. In Alexander’s own words: “And let me put this plain, for those of a depraved cast of mind” – there’s nothing physical between him and Hephaestion. Pressfield’s Alexander has a discomfort with the idea.

"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 .

Tis’ rare that I wax lyrical about a book. Rarer still that I would suggest an accolade of five stars.

Mr Pressfield has written many great novels and if you look back at my reviews you will notice that I have enjoyed many of them. Here, with “Alexander, the virtues of war” he has excelled himself. A difficult task methinks as he has already written many excellent novels but here he rises above the glory of his earlier work to new heights. This, I feel, a work of wonder. Worthy of university place and much discussion. One of the best novels I have ever read. I rate this book with the likes of “Lord of the Flies”, “Iron in the Soul”, “Miss Smilla’s feeling for Snow” This is the epitome of historical fiction to my mind and Mr Pressfield is due a laurel for excellence in writing

Incredible Book!!

I really enjoyed this book. there are chapters where I highlighted and made notes on every page.

There are lessons in here I learned as an NCO in the Army, and notes I plan to pass onto the next generation of Soldiers. I couldn't help but notice the parallels between Alexander's army and our own in Afghanistan.

Few books have made me stop and think as much as this one.

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+++++

Here’s the thing about Virtues of War: it doesn’t just grip you; it slams you into the dirt and dares you to stand back up. Pressfield writes like war isn’t a choice but a condition—a fever that boils blood and blinds eyes. His sentences are lean, stripped to the sinew, every word a dagger. This isn’t a book; it’s a battlefield, and you can hear the clash of swords in every line. The air reeks of blood and iron, the kind of stink that stays with you even after you’ve turned the last page.

You don’t read this book; you survive it.

Pressfield captures the unbearable weight of command, the kind that presses a man’s soul into a thin sheet of brittle steel. He digs into the grit of glory—how it’s less about shining and more about not cracking under the grind. This isn’t about heroes with gleaming armor and perfect hair. It’s about men breaking under the weight of their own legend. The hunger for victory that feels like swallowing a mouthful of broken glass—sharp, intoxicating, and inevitable.

And the metaphors? They’re brutal. A cavalry charge isn’t just fast—it’s the earth breaking apart under the hooves of gods. A retreat isn’t just shame—it’s the weight of your ancestors collapsing on your chest. Pressfield makes you feel every inch of the battlefield: the blistering heat, the cold fear, the sticky, coppery taste of failure.

The dialogue cuts like it’s forged from the same steel as the swords. Sharp. Efficient. Honest in a way that only people who’ve bled together can be. Pressfield doesn’t waste time with long speeches or noble declarations. It’s what’s left unsaid that matters—the loaded pauses, the tension so thick you could slice it with a spear tip.

And the ending? It wrecks you. It doesn’t just make you cry—it steals the air from your lungs, leaves you sitting in stunned silence, staring at the wall, questioning everything. It’s not cheap sentimentality; it’s raw truth. The kind that strips you bare and leaves you grateful for the pain because it means you felt something.

This is a book that doesn’t ask for your attention. It demands it. Virtues of War doesn’t care if you’re comfortable. It doesn’t care if you like war or hate it or think it’s noble or vile. It only cares if you’re willing to confront it—its glory, its horror, its undeniable, unstoppable pull. And trust me, you won’t walk away the same.

Me encantan las biografías y ésta con tintes de novela me atrapó desde la primera página. Sin más que decir es la vida de Alejandro Magno, recuerdo que cuando acabe el libro yo quería que fuera mi esposo

120 pages in a week? Inconceivable.

I wanted to like this book, and there were moments when I did. But overall, I was bored out of my skull. Couldn't make it halfway. I already renewed it once at the library and I can't see holding onto it when I'd rather read medication warning labels more exciting stuff.

I think I could like Pressfield, if he'd focus on characters and story rather than play-by-play details of battles. His narrative voice for the first person Alexander is off too. Doesn't make him sympathetic at all.

I'll give it 2-stars. Because it's "ok" rather than something I dislike. But life is too short to mire oneself in "ok" reading experiences.

Няма да мога докрай да се пренеса в тази книга. Макар да е повече военен трактат, отколкото каквото и да било друго - или, с по-прости думи, постоянно описание на бойни полета, армии, разположения и прочие - има нещо в самия образ на Александър, което малко ме отблъсква. Представен е като горд и велик военачалник, сам води разказа, украсява нещата доста талантливо... Но пък имаш и едно такова чувство, че е като някакъв надут пуяк, някак си... В главата му няма нищо друго, освен мисъл за войната. Може би и така трябва да бъде, но го прави допълнително суховат. А пък с каква любов си описва войниците, това вече е друга тема. Видимо е, че не съм в настроение за дълги военни походи, а такива съм преживявала, тъй да се каже, в немалко книги. Ако бях, книгата щеше да ми е безспорно приятна.

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

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!!!

This is the third time I've read this novel narrated by Alexander the Great. I am engrossed in every page! The author gives the reader such clear pictures, colorful imagery, cogent observation of events as well as characters that anyone can enjoy this book, set as it is in ancient times, and covering many facets of military maneuvers and strategy. A must read for ancient history lovers and former Latin pupils!