A historical novel that dramatizes the struggle for control of the Macedonian Empire after the death of Alexander the Great. Created by a stunning string of military victories and alliances, Alexander's empire stretched from Greece to Egypt to the border of India. The book is well-plotted as it covers the major battles, murderous demises, and power plays in the dozen or so years after Alexander's death. However, the writing is sloppy, sometimes to the point of confusion, the style is overly formal, and the book is full of typos. Despite that, it's an exciting story that demonstrates just how extraordinary Alexander was to both have created his empire and then managed to hold it together.
This is the final book in Mary Renault's Alexander trilogy, following "Fire From Heaven" and "The Persian Boy," neither of which I've read. ( )

Ms. Renault's third & final volume of her Alexander the Great trilogy. More of her same engaging brilliance in this great history-based Alexander trilogy. ( )

Alexander's death sparks rivalries for power over his empire.

The first two novels in Renault's Alexander trilogy, Fire from Heaven and The Persian Boy, were outstanding. Funeral Games, however, lacks the strong narrative voice or central character of the first two; not only does Alexander die early in the novel, but the point of view shifts throughout the novel, following various characters as they scheme to hold onto as much as they can of Alexander's empire. Characters are introduced or brought back onstage from the previous books, grasp for power, and are murdered, but the restrictions of historical events make this more of a sequence of events than a coherent plot. It's not a bad book, but not a great one. ( )

Self-consciously valedictory. Renault completists should keep an eye out for a cameo appearance, near the end of the book, by Alexias, the hero of her first historical novel, The Last of the Wine.