Anthony Everitt

In this newer biography of one of history's most well-known names, Everitt provides a sweeping narration of Alexander's life, from his birth as the son of Macedonian King Philip and coming into his own power upon Philip's murder, to what he is best known for: vanquishing Darius, the Great King of Persia, and subsequently conquering all peoples from the Mediterranean to India.

I became concerned during the first few chapters that this was going to be partly a work of speculative nonfiction, which I struggle with, but it eventually found more or less stable footing in the historical record. (I'm also willing to be more forgiving when the time period we're talking about is 2000+ years ago.) The writing is effective and strives to provide balance in areas of uncertainty. As someone not naturally drawn to military history, I found the narrative just engaging enough to keep me interested. I'm not sure any new conclusions can be drawn surrounding his puzzling death at only thirty-three years of age, but Everitt lays out multiple plausible scenarios. Understandably, Alexander's staggering military finesse and accomplishments take center stage in this comprehensive history, though occasionally my eyes would glaze over keeping individual battles and their locations straight. To have completely dominated the known world by the age of thirty is an incredible feat, and it's incredible that we know as much as we do about this enigmatic leader. All that said, it's eye-opening and sobering how perspective changes through time. Today, we would consider Alexander a war criminal.… (more)

W/CW: Violence, brutality, torture, slavery, murder, suicide, sexual assault

RATING: 4/5

REVIEW: The Rise of Rome follows the history of Rome from its foundation myths with Aeneas, Romulus and Remus, to the fall of the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC. It examines not only the history, but also the myths the Romans created about their own history and the ways that they justified their more brutal actions to themselves and to the world.

I enjoyed this book, and learned a lot from it about times in Roman history that I do not know well. It was a little dry at points, but they felt necessary to the story. It was also frustrating to hear of all the great works of literature that have been lost, but of course that is the fault of time and not the author! The book is written for a general audience, and not just historians.

I recommend this book to history lovers and those interested in Roman culture and history.… (more)