An Elephant for Aristotle

by L. Sprague de Camp

What finer way for Alexander the Great to honor his old tutor Aristotle than to send him an actual Indian elephant? *** After capturing a magnificent specimen from an Indian ruler, Alexander tasks Leon of Atrax, a cavalry commander, to deliver the animal to Aristotle in Athens. *** Leon leads a motley crew of companions (and the elephant) from India to Greece, encountering all sorts of dangers and adventures while attempting the long and arduous journey. *** "An amazing narrative vehicle for the display of ... a fairly complete composite of the life and times of which the author writes."-The Chicago Daily Tribune *** "By hybridizing a Middle-Eastern travelogue with an Alexandrine comedy of manners, the author has produced a specimen only slightly less rare then elephants in Westchester-to wit, a historical novel with a sense of humor."-The New York Times

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Ancient, Greece

376 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Lyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction literature. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, both novels and works of non-fiction, including biographies of other fantasy authors. He was a major figure in science fiction in the 1930s and 1940s.

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful novel, gently humorous, about how Alexander the Great sends an elephant to his old tutor, Aristotle, along with other curiosities from India; Aristotle has always been curious about elephants. A varied band of men, mostly Thessalians and other Greeks, but also including Persians, a philosopher, a Syrian sutler, and two Indians in charge of the elephant, led by Hipparch Leon of Atrax makes the journey from India to Athens. The novel tells of their adventures on the way--skirmishes with natives, navigating a narrow pass through the mountains where the elephant blocks traffic coming the other way, a stopover in Babylon and its Hanging Gardens, run ins with bureaucracy, a final sea crossing across the Aegean to Athens with final reunion of Leon and his family in Leon's home town.

I especially thought clever how the author delineated by dialect where the different Greeks hailed from--northern Greeks such as Leon by heavy use of Scots, Attic Greeks by "posh" words, Ionians by Cockney [dropping H's], and Doric-speaking Greeks by an American Southern drawl. The novel was very readable; the story just flowed along.

Highly recommended.

[Brad Lyerla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warning: de Camp’s portrayal of homosexuality among southern Greeks is homophobic. Otherwise, this is an enjoyable account of a trip on foot and horseback from India to Greece to deliver a gift from Alexander to his former teacher Aristotle. Many hazards must be overcome, not the least of which are corrupt local authorities. The tale has the usual qualities one expects of a quest and is well-executed, if a little stuffy at times.

[Charles van Buren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adventures and a sugar coated history and travelogue.

By Charles van Buren on July 22, 2018

Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

L. Sprague de Camp was a noted author of fantasy and science fiction. However, over the course of his approximately 60 year writing career and 100 or so books, he also wrote nonfiction, alternate history and historical novels. According to the introduction by Harry Turtledove, the 1958, AN ELEPHANT FOR ARISTOTLE, was de Camp's first foray into historical novels. As should be expected, the writing and research are outstanding. The book is a combination accurate travelogue, adventure novel and examination of life in the age of Alexander the Great. De Camp also gives us hints into Alexander's character and the flaws, including some signs of a growing megalomania, which led to his downfall. Throughout the novel we see the beginnings of the splintering of Alexander's fragile empire as he continues his conquests rather than governing the far flung empire.

In this novel, Alexander decides to send an elephant to his old tutor, Aristotle. Sending a live elephant from India to Greece proves to be a most difficult undertaking, but Alexander chooses the right man for the job. But will he really be able to deliver the elephant, alive and well, to Aristotle in faraway Athens? How would you send an elephant from India to Greece over poor or nonexistent roads, faced with bandits, hostile nationalities, unreliable allies, burning deserts and frozen mountains?

Mr. de Camp chose a novel way of dealing with accents and language as few readers would be able to read ancient Greek and other languages. And of course none of us in the modern world have ever heard a person from Alexander's time speak so the accents, everyday and coarse language had to be invented. De Camp's method was a little off putting in the first pages but it grew on me until it seemed natural.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I am naturally sober and dignified; but, whenever I try to present a noble front to the world, something like this melon farce occurs.

Classic historical fiction. A road trip from the Indus River to the Aegean Sea. With a pachyderm. Logistics and politics develop alongside the interpersonal relationships of a mixed-nationality, class, religion and gender troop. Necessarily linear and viewpoint limited. Refreshing that the narrator is a portly, not-handsome older soldier.

Tis an old and true saying that the gods help them that help themselves.

Successfully incorporates period authentic people and places. Aphorisms abound: period authentic as well as modern. Leavened with humor. Explores third century BC social issues (when written in the 1950s) better than many twenty-first century authors.

“By ‘allbody’ I didna mean philosophers, who, it is well known, believe aught save plain truths. They even think the world is round, when anybody with eyes can see ’tis flat.”

Dialects (as explained in Harry Turtledove’s Introduction) like Scots, Welsh, cockneys, etc. get thick at times. Suspect they were more fun for de Camp than for current readers. The narrator’s accent waxes and wanes. People and places translated in the Postscript. A map would be nice.

“Are you saying that when you Persians talk of keeping your word of honor, you really mean it?” “Be not more Greek than you can help! Of course we mean it. At least I do.”

[Ozymandias · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot: 7 (repetitive but unique)
Characters: 7 (varied but simplistic)
Accuracy: 8 (well-researched but simplistic)

There's a lot to like about this book. It's essentially a travelogue about a soldier sent from India by Alexander with an elephant as a gift for his old tutor Aristotle. As such, it presents a compelling account of what the ex-Persian empire looked like at this moment in time. It also takes care to explore the different attitudes of all the various peoples encountered along the way, most notably through the various nationalities traveling alongside the Thessalian commander.

Due to the nature of the story, the narrative is lacking in any major dramatic arc, the journey providing the main enjoyment. While they will encounter people in similar roles or who they're familiar with from earlier, once they pass through a region their troubles don't follow behind them. As such, there's no real villain of the piece, nor a continuous conflict beyond the practical difficulties involved in wrangling an elephant. Instead, each region has its own short arc as they pass through. The closest comparison I can make to this story is to the Hellenic Traders series by Harry Turtledove. Like those books, the story told is not one of high drama but of everyday life in the Hellenistic world.

The research here is very impressive. I don't agree with all of his interpretations (and some of it is outdated; see in particular anything to do with Zoroastrianism and Achaemenid religious practices) but they are all there for a reason. His character sketches are good as well. Aristotle didn't immensely impress me as he comes across as more of a modern day feuding university professor than a true Greek philosopher, and he seemed easily confounded when it came to logical arguments, but his take on Alexander is excellent. It captures the sense of enthusiasm, honor, and idealism, while still keeping in mind his callousness, cruelty, impulsiveness, and autocratic tendencies. That's a hard mix to keep up, so I was very impressed to see de Camp pull it off.

The biggest issue I had with the book is the way he chooses to write the dialogue. Instead of writing in plain English he's given each of the regions distinct dialects. Leon, for example, as a Thessalian sounds very much like a Scot. A reeeeeeeaaally colloquial Scot. I found it distracting as hell. If you like hearing your Greek cavalrymen using words like hearken, kenned, whither, dinna, pate, fain, sooth, braw chappie, etc. then this may be the book for you. I just found it obnoxious. I mean, I get why he did it that way. He's trying to get across the different Greek dialects by replacing them with English language ones (although curiously, the Macedonians, who, following this method should be even more indecipherable than the Thessalians, speak perfect English). It's the same approach they used in the film Alexander (utterly undermined by the fact that they then showed no mainland Greeks/English to contrast with Macedonian/Irish). But regional dialects tend to sound extremely lame in print, and having them applied to a whole different culture just makes things worse. I found all the dialogue actively obnoxious (especially Aristotle's Chalcidan lisp that means he sounds exactly like Biggus Dickus!) and really wish he had just written it in plain English or at least toned it down to a tolerable level.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has a really good concept: Alexander the Great, while campaigning in India, decides to send an elephant back to his tutor Aristotle who once expressed interest in seeing such a strange beast. The story is told by Leon of Atrax who is tasked with leading the group of soldiers who will return to Greece with the elephant.

I enjoyed the beginning and the end, but thought it bogged down in the middle. It was a long trip and the experiences were similar in many of the areas that they passed through. This is probably true to how it would have been, but after a while it was repetitive and boring to read. It picked up again with the description of how to get an elephant on a boat and the ultimate delivery.

The introduction by Harry Turtledove commented on the author's use of accents/dialects. He thought this was done well. I disagree. The main character is from Thessaly (in Greece) and the author gives the Thessalonians a Scottish accent. Other characters are written to sound like Cockneys. Aristotle has a lisp (th instead of s on some words). Turtledove says this helps to sort out who is talking and where they are from, but instead it threw me out of the story.

L. Sprague de Camp is better known for science fiction. This is not a science fiction piece.

[Sunhawk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! One of the most fascinating books I've read in a decade. As a writer, I particularly enjoyed the author's use of familiar English-language dialect -- the hero of the piece speaks Scots, some of the soldiers in his troop drop their aitches, the officer class speaks proper stiff-upper-lip British, and toward the end there are even some who do that with a poofter accent -- to impart a sense of class and origin. (The hero comes from the far north of Greece, which is sort of Greece's Scotland?) The story is captivating, a transect in Alexander the Great's time from northwestern India to Athens on foot, an On the Road book.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delight for fans of historical fiction, Alexander, or both. I can see why Harry Turtledove, who wrote the forward to this edition, counts him as an influence. It's a little weird that de Camp also wrote Conan the Barbarian novels, but I'm not judging. Holds up remarkably well after many decades.

* I learned that the U.S. Postal Service motto doesn't exist. To be clear, I learned that by trying to figure out if this passage was de Camp playing around or if it was genuinely attributable to the Persian royal road riders. Turns out, it's Herodotus describing the Persians, and it wound up on the frieze of the Postal Service building in Manhattan. Now everyone thinks it's the USPS motto.

“Does nought stop these lads?” “Don’t you know their motto?” he said. “ ‘Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night shall stay us in the swift completion of the course assigned to us.’ This Persian postal system is a wonderful invention; I don’t see how any large empire could function without it.”

* Cleitus the Black! The only mistake that I could find. De Camp references Alexander's murder of his companion Cleitus (or Kleitos) the Black, but calls him the White. Oops. For what it's worth, Cleitus the White was a contemporary.

"During interviews the thought kept creeping into my mind: what if he fly into a passion and run me through as he did his old friend Kleitos the White?"

* Don't be on the side that runs away. Every history I've read about ancient warfare makes the point that the casualties suffered by the losing side really started to mount after the battle had been decided. De Camp echoes this in his description of a small skirmish.

"Eight Assakenians lay dead. We had many wounds, but only one man dead and one likely to die. The dead man was a camp servant whose head had been split by an Assakenian ax as he tried to pull the foreigner from his horse. The sorely wounded was a Thessalian, Zethos of Larissa, pierced through corselet and chest by a wooden lance. His comrades helped him to the bank, where he lay, coughing up bloody foam. As usual, the losing side had lost out of proportion, because men slightly disabled were caught and finished off when their comrades fled."

* Mud brick that hasn't been fired in a kiln doesn't hold up for very long. Most tels in the Middle East are layers upon layers of former city.

"When the people of a Persian city have been wiped out or driven away by raiders, the city soon crumbles. The Persians, while vigorous builders, have little interest in keeping up a structure once built, and the winter rains soon eat away their mud-brick houses."

* Fun architectural details. The ancients had limited resources, but were no less clever than us.

"The talk then turned upon lighter matters until Houtausa heralded dinner. We went into Thraitaunas’ living room, where small eating tables had been set up. Like all the other rooms, this one was long and narrow. That is the way with Sousian houses, and the reason is this. To make the houses livable in the heat of summer, the builders pile two or three feet of earth on the level roofs. This means that the rooms must needs be narrow, because the only timber that can be had for holding up this great weight is palm trunks. Since palm trunks are not very strong, the roof beams made from them must needs be short."

* Cuneiform and collectors. To the contemporaries of Alexander and Darius III, the Sumerians, the Akkadians, etc., were already ancient history. Surely some of the dawning Hellenistic era were curious about the clay tablets that could be found throughout the Fertile Crescent.

"A slave handed Beliddinos a brick, which he stared at, turning it so that the light struck it slantwise and exclaiming softly in Syrian, the tongue spoken by most Babylonians. “What is it?” I said. “Look here.” He held the brick so that I saw that the surface was covered with little marks. It was as if a flock of wee birdies had run back and forth across it while the clay was yet soft, until the face was wholly covered by their tracks. “That is writing,” said he. “Back to Babylon I must take it to be sure, but I think this is a foundation brick stamped with the inscription of King Tammaritos, who ruled Elamis before the coming of the Persians.” “A strange kind of writing,” I said. “Not at all. For thousands of years we used it in Babylonia. But alas! Yearly the number of those who can read this clay writing grows less. The day may come when the archives of our collected wisdom will lie mute for want of any who can decipher them.” “Then why collect more written bricks?” I said. “Are there men who will pay for them?” “Nay, no such vulgar motive have I. The thoughts of past ages I seek, to keep the noble deeds of the men of yore from utterly perishing. When we get to Babylon, you must see my collection. Inscriptions of Sargon the Conqueror and Chammyrabis the Lawgiver have I.”

* Monotheism from the eyes of outsiders, in a time before the ascent of the Abbrahamic faiths.

“What is his belief?” said Beliddinos. “Why, he is actually an atheist! And such a good man in most ways, too.” “Like the Judaeans?” “What are Judaeans?” I asked. Beliddinos said: “A warlike, godless Syrian tribe whom for rebellion King Naboukodreusor deported. Many were settled in Babylonia, where still they dwell.” “Have they no gods at all?” I asked. “Not quite. They have a bloodthirsty little tribal god called Iaves. But all other gods they impiously deny and contemn. They deem it sinful to make statues of gods, even of their own fierce Iaves.” “It does seem absurd,” said Vardanas. “I am told the Judaeans’ religion makes them haughty and forbidding, so they will not eat or treat with other men.” Kanadas clucked over the iniquities of the Judaeans, whereupon Vardanas burst into coarse laughter. “Behold him who speaks!” he cried. The Indian had the grace to look shamefaced. “Not so hostile are all Judaeans,” said Beliddinos. “Many are men of sense and virtue, and some have even come over to Mardoukos. But hard to deal with are their priesthood. I fear their intolerant doctrines are subversive of good order and morality. For, while we may argue points of doctrine among ourselves in an intellectual way, the sinful mass of men need impressive religions, with many gods, exciting myths, and beautiful images and ceremonies, to make them act virtuously. But the priesthoods must respect one another and not strive to undermine one another’s creeds or divert one another’s revenues. This insolent Judaean claim to a monopoly of all religion has in it the seeds of bloody upheavals and persecutions.”

* This is a great detail. I have no idea if it's true, but I'd like to think so. I seem to recall reading about round little boats being used in the British Isles, though I don't remember reading about them being disassembled and sold for parts at the market.

"Strangest were bowl-shaped vessels of stitched hides, perfectly round, floating downstream piled with melons and other cargo, each with a hobbled ass reposing on its side atop the load. The boatman keeps this curious vessel in midstream by an occasional stroke with a square-bladed paddle until he reaches his proper wharf. Then, with much splashing and spinning, he forces the bowl-boat to shore. When he has unloaded, the boatman sells the wooden framework of the boat along with his cargo, rolls up the leathern covering, ties it upon the ass, and sets out upstream again."

* I'm obsessed with coins and the history of coins, so this bit made me happy. If you're not obsessed with coins but you've read the bible, you'll be familiar with this from the temple money changers - different localities, micro or macro, had their own weight standards. I suppose moderns would understand, too, from having to change their X bucks to Y bucks when going on vacation abroad.

"When all had been paid, we went ashore. Our first task was to change our money into Athenian. Hitherto, we had used Alexandrine with little trouble. For years, Alexander’s mints had been melting down Persian treasure and pouring out new coins. Hence, though much Persian coin was still current in the empire, everybody accepted the new coinage. In Greece, however, each state still clung to its own coinage."

* Love, lust, marriage. De Camp winks at us in the last sentence.

"I was, I feared, falling in love. In view of Vardanas’ attitude toward non-Arian suitors, I knew not what to do about my passion. Vardanas would not entertain a suit for honorable marriage, and to ask Nirouphar to become my concubine would affront both Persians. It might even jeopardize our mission. So, for the time being, I kept a tense and uneasy silence. As everybody knows, falling in love is something which a sensible man avoids. The man of sense relieves his lusts with light women, weds a girl of good family and ample dowry chosen by his parents, and goes through life without succumbing to the pleasant madness of love. At least, so our parents teach us. But, despite these wholesome moral precepts, most men seem to fall in love sooner or later and become prey to the follies which that state entails. Perhaps the precepts need revision to make them fit the nature of men more closely."

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want juicy, fat historical adventures, this is one of the best. Set in the tumultuous world of Alexander the Great, it is colorful, funny and fast-paced. Even the title is exciting! Come on, don't you want to find out WHY Aristotle should have an elephant? Sprague De Camp tells us about the elephant and all the rest of the good stuff. Try it, you'll like it.

[Riq Hoelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's always something appealing about a travel story, especially when summer beckons.

Before you read, you should know that unlike with most novels, at the end there is a substantial postscript that tells everything you need to know about weights, measures, placenames and the like. Read this first.

The research in this book is quite good, especially for its era. It's not just making things up, but describes actually geographical names and locations on the route from India to Athens. In fact, it's possible to follow them on Google maps, which is quite fun, though it's a shame that Google cannot provide routing information in some parts of Iran. It's only too bad that he incorrectly puts the Hanging Gardens in Babylon when they were almost certainly in Nineveh.

Even more interesting are the discussions the travelers have about the differing natures of Greeks, Persians, Indians and Judaeans, and their religions. They tend to be humorous as well.

Ancient Greeks could tell where others came from by their accents. Even this the talented author is able to represent. Characters who come from northern parts like Thessaly speak in a Scottish Burr. Athenians speak in BBC English. Ionians from the east sport a Cockney accent. Spartans and other southern Greeks use a southern drawl. The Babylonian he causes like Yoda to speak.

This is the kind of book that you finish wishing it would not end, but that the journey would go on and on and on.

[Argiris Fakkas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good novel that describes the alleged journey of an Indian elephant to Athens, sent by Alexander to his tutor, Aristotle. The plot succeeds in traveling you to distant times and places, the journey is very interesting and even funny at some moments (like when Leon coaxes the elephant with a melon to move on).

It’s noteworthy how Leon and Vardanas, a Greek and a Persian, form an honest friendship, when at the start of the book they almost hated each other. I really liked the philosophical and political conversations in the novel, Pyrron is such a likeable and open-minded character with fresh ideas. Cameo appearances make Alexander, Aristotle, Antigonos, Theophrastos, Xenokrates, well-known historical figures.

The only things that I didn’t like was the length of the novel, I think it could be shortened a bit, I got a little tired near the end. Also, some plot incidents, like Vardanas falling in love with Leon’s sister, appear way too simplistic and conventional.

The first chapter (India) starts after the victorious for the Greeks battle with the Indian king Poros. His elephant Mahankal (meaning Great Death in Indian) is injured but it will survive. Leon of Atrax is a Thessalian cavalryman. He wakes up in the hospital, his wound isn’t serious. He is visited by Alexander, who sees the injured men regularly. Later he is ordered to bring Poros’s elephant to Greece, as a present to Aristotle. He also takes with him a large money sum to give to Xenokrates, another philosopher. At first Leon isn’t happy about the trip, but later he comes to terms with this prospect. The band consists of Kanadas, the elephantarch, Siladites, the elephant keeper, Pyrron the philosopher and a Persian named Vardanas of Sousa, with whom Leon had an argue before the battle at Hydaspes.

The second chapter (Gandaria) describes the start of the journey. The set off from India. Leon has a talk with Pyrron. He’s a little condescending against Indians and Persians, Pyrron is not. They first reach the town of Taxasila. Leon has two offers to spend the night, either to follow Thyestes in an orgy or to accompany Pyrron for some Indian philosophy. He chooses neither. The next morning Leon discovers Pyrron, Vardanas and Kanadas are missing. He goes back and finds them sleeping, after a night discussing reincarnation. The company set off passing though narrow passages and cliffs. The elephant, struck with terror, refuses to pass through a narrow trail. Kanadas can’t provide a solution, but clever Leon coax the elephant to move with some melons. On the trip Leon is forced to flog some Thessalians who steal a goat. They find a river and go for a swim, except for Vardanas and the Persians who find the act of swimming naked indecent. Pyrron tells Leon about Herodotus’s tales about the ants who carried gold. Kavis, their Persian guide, claims the story is made up from the Persians to steal the Great King. The group fights some Assakenias that are more in number but have poor weaponry. They win. Pyrron is forced to fight, he even saves Leon. They arrive at Kavis’s town, Kasipappoura. He hosts them at his house. Leon pays Kavis for his services. There is touching moment, with Leon saying farewell to a wounded soldier of his army, leaving him behind so he could recuperate. He informs us that he doesn’t know if he survived or not. Then they arrive in the city of Kaboura. Searching for food for the elephant they inadvertently cut some boughs from a sacred tree in a shrine. There is an angry mob following them, they seek refuge to the local castle, where the Macedonian garrison protects them.

In chapter three (Arachotia) Niliras, the new guide, flees as Leon doesn’t fulfil his extravagant demands. They reach the city of Gazaka. He asks another guide from the Greek commandant of the city and he gets one, Barmoukas, that has a fame of being honest. The group reaches lake Arachotis and they see a Persian ruined city nearby. There is a dispute between Vardanas and Barmoukas as the latter wanted to piss in the river. Vardanas believes the rivers are sacred. Barmoukas starts to make demands for more money. They reach the city of Haravatis. Barmoukas suggests Leon attends to a funeral there and while attending the priests point at him angrily. A fight begins. The Greek soldiers win and it is disclosed that Barmoukas was saying to them that the Greeks intended to feed them to the elephant. Leon is merciful to most of the citizens. They hire a new guide but he again flees. There is an interesting conversation among Thyestes, Leon, Pyrron, Vardanas and Kanadas. Thyestes considers the Greeks superb, Pyrron is more conciliatory, Vardanas thinks the Persians are superior, while Kanadas also believes the Greeks are the most inferior. They also talk about the subjects of slavery, same sex relationships, and country customs. They reach Kandacha. Their new guide, Dastiger tricks them into believing Parin being Garis. Leon, pretty angry, chases him but he flees through some water well system. Before reaching the true Garis, they pass a stream and the elephant is stuck in the mud. Leon has a hard time convincing the people there to help him, telling them to bring the oxen until he finishes his bread loaf, but eventually they free the elephant with ropes.

In chapter four (Ariana) the band reaches the Chasis river. Vardanas as most Persians is afraid of frogs and doesn’t know how to swim. Leon teaches him. The band discusses about their fears, Leon reveals he’s afraid of high places, Thyestes of snakes, Kanadas of ghosts. They reach the city of Phrada and Vardanas goes away with the Dahas warriors to find some camels. Leon organizes athletic contests. Thyestes taunts Kanadas, dressed up as a ghost but they end up best friends. Vardanas returns finally with some camels. They play a game which reminds horse polo. Two Greek men of the Phrada garrison join them, but not for long. They pass the Waterless plain, they don’t proceed fast and there are violent sandstorms. Some of the band members start to see bad dreams and one Thessalian proposes human sacrifices to be done. Leon dismisses this proposal. The two men from Phrada garrison try to steal the scant water repeatedly and Leon executes them. Leon devises favorable omens to balance out the bad ones. An Asagartian nomad group try to kidnap Vardanas, but fails. They caprture one of them and make him the new guide. Thyestes wants to kill him because of the scant water, but Leon releases him near some villages. They continue to a barren plain. Vardanas tells a tale that this region was once ruled by a dragon. They reach Karmana. They set off from Karmana, a lion tries to attack them. They eventually reach Persepolis, an old city full of ruins. Leon tries to meet the viceroy to ask for supplies, but he’s poorly dressed and he doesn’t pay much attention to him, saying to meet tomorrow with his secretary. Vardanas weeps for the ruined Persepolis and Pyrron ponders the origin of man, telling he’s intrigued by Anaximandros’ hypothesis that humans are descended from fishes. The next day Leon goes with Vardanas, well dressed and meets the secretary, who demands the band to pay taxes. Leon decides to leave immediately. They ride alongside a caravan, a troop of bandits attacks the caravan. The bandits don’t attack the Greek men and they don’t either, much to Vardanas’s disappointment.

In the fifth chapter (Sousiana) the band follows the river Eulaios. One lioness attacks one woman, killing her. In a town called Soustara, Leon goes with the sutler Elisas to fetch some sheep meat. A merchant betrays the sulter, who steal money. Leon is furious and hits Elisas. Later though Elisas offers his apology and work again as sutler of the group. On the road again, they discuss about trading and how Greeks, Persians and philosophers view it. They reach Sousa. Leon meets again a Macedonian officer he knew, Archelaos. He tells Leon to go to Aboulites’ offices for governmental fodder. Vardanas goes to his home. The viceroy isn’t available, so Leon meets with his son, Vaxathras. He is a luxurious man and tells him they could move to the palace to live. Leon agrees and is flattered by his hospitality. Returning to the barracks, Vardanas is weeping, since he learnt his mother died. He warns him not to go to the palace. Aboulites and his son want to robber them. He invites him to live in his father’s place. Thraitaunas greets them. They also meet his daughter, Nirouphar. Thraitaunas talks with Leon and his son about their journey. Vardanas informs him that he can’t take over the family’s business, he has to accompany Leon to Athens. Leon meets Beliddinos who offers to join forces with him, on the road to Babylon. Thraitaunas has a quarrel with Nirouphar. The Greeks are shocked to learn that he plans to marry his own daughter. The next morning Leon accompany Beliddinos as he tries to find written bricks inside the mud. He says he has inscriptions of Chammyrabis. Pyrron lectures Nirouphar about philosophy and asks Leon to translate. Leon is fond of Nirouphar. They leave Sousa for Babylon and Leon discovers that Vardanas took his sister with them, to escape the marriage with her father.

In chapter six (Babylonia), the group continues with Nirouphar. Vardanas says that he wants to marry her, but with an Aryan. Vardanas isn’t particularly happy with his sister riding with them. Leon tells Nirouphar that the hipparchia is not an ideal place for a lady and Nirouphar feels insulted by his remarks. Beliddinos, Kanadas and Vardanas talk about the gods and they mention the Judeans, who are monotheistic. Beliddinos finds a written brick, which he says is an ancient letter about the payment of five sheep. Near Babylon he finds a Soumerian brick, dated just after the Flood. Nirouphar proves herself useful when she assists to a birth giving. Leon wants her to keep her ears open for whispers. A group of Kossians horse thieves attacks them. Leon retrieves a stolen bag, but it is one of Beliddinos’ written bricks. Nirouphar listens to Pyrron’s philosophy. Nirouphar tries to learn Greek, she even has a “library” with an Iliad fragment. Aias tends to favor Nirouphar more than the others. They reach Babylon and they are awed by the city’s walls and grandeur. They see the remains the great Tower of Babylon and they even encounter a commander of traffic, i.e., a traffic policeman, as they reach the temple of Mardoukos. The sound of hymns lulls them to sleep at night. Peithagoras, a Greek who had taken the Babylonian ways, tours them into the city. He seems to be attracted to Vardanas and Kanadas. They arrive at the offices. Apollodoros, Peithagoras’ brother, invites them to a party the next day, at the Hanging Gardens. On the way back they seem to have broken a beastly traffic law, and Peithagoras bribes a guard. At the citadel the Hanging Gardens are spectacular, looking like hillock covered with greenery. The feast seeming goes well, women dance provocatively, later Thyestes and the other men take the women for some privacy. One lass attempts to seduce Leon, but it’s a trap. He wakes up in a prison and is tortured to say where the hipparchia hided its treasures. He tries to forestall them successfully. Leon rejoins with his hipparcia and the leave Babylon. It is revealed that Beliddinos freed Leon, who has a burn on his leg. Vardanas tells Leon to find a way to separate Nirouphar and Pyrron. Leon tells him of his love for his sister. They both tell Pyrron who distances from her. Pyrron suggests that his linguistic studies revealed that Greek and Persian language have many common words, and because of that Leon could be considered Aryan.

The seventh chapter (Syria) starts with the group passing the site of the battle, at Gaugamela. Pyrron and Vardanas talk about democracy and empires. Vardanas thinks a democracy can only work is a small state. The band see a mist and gets terrified as they think it’s ghosts. Pyrron tells them it’s a natural phenomenon. They reach the town of Bezabde and a Kordian man, named Inaudos, joins them, because of his fear for his wife. The sutler, Elisas, nearly drowns, but Leon saves him. Nirouphar wants an explanation from Leon why Pyrron avoids her. Leon tells her that they spend too much time together. He further expresses his love for her. Nirouphar is cordial towards him for the first time. They reach the Nisibis town. Elisas feels guilty because he takes more than the tenth and asks Leon for forgiveness again. They reach Alexandreia by Issos. Leon meets there with viceroy Menes who suggests to him to go Ephesos and look for admiral Philoxenos. The hipparchia reach Tarsos in Syria. Leon has a feast with Harpalos and some other officials. Harpalos says that he should bring Nirouphar to a dinner with him. He tells him they should wait for Pygmalion to reckon the cost of the trip. Later Leon learns that Pygmalion had died. They make Nirouphar appear old so Harpalos wouldn’t be interested. An attempted mutiny against Leon fails but they discover the chests are full of bricks. Harpalos must have his men changed them. While they lament about the expedition, it is revealed that Elisas and Inaudos had hidden the contents of the chest under flour sacks. Leon is relieved. They leave Tarsos to escape Harpalos. It’s cold and they make a tent to cover the elephant. A group of 100 Kappadokian hillmen traps them. Thyestes makes a futile attempt to kill their leader, but he’s killed instead. The leader is Arivarates, son of Kappadokian king. He tells them that they must go with him to Mazaka. They bury Thyestes and Pyrron says a eulogy for him.

In chapter eight (Anatolia) the group arrives at Mazaka. King Arivarates has devised a game of ten philosophical questions for Pyrron to set them free. Pyrron answers correctly, with a little help from Vardanas. Kappadokia is in war with Antigonos, the kings asks Pyrron to help writing their history, while they will be absent for fifteen day to the war. King Arivarates wins the battle. By the time he returns to Mazaka, Pyrron has the Kappadokian history ready. King Arivarates is pleased, he allows them to leave with all their chests intact. Prince Arivarates adds twenty talents to their sum. They head for Derbe. Vardanas lets his sister to talk with Pyrron again. The band reaches Sardeis and Leon meets with Antigonos, the one-eyed. He isn’t convinced about his mission, even after one Thessalian recognize him. Eventually Antigonos let them leave and they reach Ephesos. Leon meets Philoxenos, who agrees to take them by ship to Athens. Philoxenos introduces to them Iason, the naval architect, and they discuss the modifications they have to make to transport Aias by the ship Destroyer. Later Pyrron introduces to them architect Denokrates, who laid Alexandria, and sculptor Praxiteles. They continue to experiment about how they will board Aias on the ship. At a tavern in Teos a drunk elder slaps Vardanas for being Persian. Leon holds him, before he could use his dagger. Leon asks him why. It is revealed he had lost all his relatives in a Persian attack on the city. He starts to cry and Vardanas tries to console him, the whole tavern weeps too. They are ready to set for Athens with the Destroyer but the elephant is hesitant to embark on the ship. Leon sents Elisas to fetch a cake. But when Kanadas and Siladites embark on the ship they tell something to the elephant and he complies. Kanadas is anxious about the elephant mating season.

In chapter 9 (Attika) they reach Samos and Pyrron shows them the birthplace of Pythagoras. Then they reach Naxos after a sea storm, they repair the ship and set off again. The next day they reach Peiraieus. Leon intends to stay for a while in Athens and be educated by philosophers. Nirouphar would also be there. Leon with Vardanas and Pyrron set out to bring the elephant to Aristotle. Leon watches his lesson and intervenes, Aristotle scolds him. Later he makes an impressive entry with the elephant leaving Aristotle speechless. He gives the philosopher the king’s letter. He visits Xenokrates at Akadimia and gives him the 30,000 drachmas. Xenokrates though takes only the 3,000 and says Leon to give back the rest. Leon explains that he can’t go back to India, but Xenokrates insists. Leon meets with Pyrron, Theophrastos and Nikomachos. They converse about the elephant since he has escaped from his steak. Aristotle’s school doesn’t have the money to feed him. At the same time Xenokrates could use the vast amount Alexnander gave to him. Leon has a plan to reconcile the two men. He summons Aristotle and Xenokrates, tells them that he’s the eyes and ears of Alexander. He threatens them that he’ll suggest to close all philosophy schools in Athens if they don’t agree to use the coins to sustain Aias. His plans succeeds, even though Aristotle understood his trick. Leon and Vardanas are welcome as students to Lykeion. Aristotle, Pyrron, Leon and Vardanas discuss about the concept of slavery. Pyrron leaves and then Kanadas. Siladites stays. Leon asks for Nirouphar’s hand, but Vardanas is still hesitant. Eumenes informs Leon that Alexander upped his rank.

In chapter 10 (Thessalia) Harpalos visits Athens and wants to ally with the Athenians against Alexander. The Athenians chase him away. Someone tries to kill Leon, but he avoids his attack. Probably an agent of Harpalos. Harpalos goes to Athens once again and they are more friendly. Leon, Vardanas and Nirouphar flee to Thessalia. They reach Thebes, which was destroyed by Alexander. Thebians are not very welcome to them. Nirouphar and Leon get close together, but Vardanas ruins the moment. He wants Leon to marry Nirouphar. Inuados spots some riders that follow them. They try to outpace them unsuccessfully, passing the Thermopylai. Leon decides to hide and spy them. They hide, waiting. The riders come back proving to be Harpalos’ agents. The Scythian slave of Vardanas flees. Vardanas sends arrows at them, while Nirouphar throws an Egyptian cat, saving Leon. Leon has an injured leg but nothing serious. They reach Atrax, Leon’s hometown, and his family welcomes him. Leon’s mother wants to marry him with one Thessalian gal but Leon declines. His mother understands that he’s in love with Nirouphar and she isn’t happy. Furthermore, Vardanas appears to be in love with Leon’s sister, Phila. Things doesn’t look hopeful until Demonax, Leon’s brother, shares with them the decree of Alexander about Greek-Persian marriages. Leon is to be given an amount of money for his marriage with Nirouphar so his parents give him their blessings. He teaches his wife Greek and they set up a horse trade at Alexandreia by Issos.

[Lee Dunning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a weird one to try to review. L. Sprague de Camp is mostly known for fantasy novels, and I picked this one up simply assuming it was fantasy. It's not, it's historical fiction, and not the usual 19th century or medieval sort. This goes way back.

I decided to read it anyway. I like historical fiction, though I don't usually meander through much before the 16th century. As such, keep in mind any review of mine contains almost no knowledge of the actual goings-on during Alexander's conquests.

I was a little sad that the elephant really serves as little more than a reason for the rest of the story to take place. Alexander has just won a decisive battle against an Indian king and the elephant is part of the "loot". He decides to send it off to Aristotle, and this story is strictly about the difficulties entailed in accomplishing such an endeavor.

If you're looking for an edge-of-your-seat page turner, go elsewhere. This is more like a travelogue with amusing anecdotes thrown in to keep things interesting. For the most part it's a light read, humorous in many spots, and tad sappy at the end. Indeed, the ending reminded me of a typical Shakespearean comedy - every girl gets a boy and every boy gets a girl and all of the many difficulties and misunderstandings that came along the way are resolved. Oh, and by the way, there was this elephant.

The book is less than 400 pages long, but it took me a couple of months to read. Don't take this to mean I didn't enjoy it, I most certainly did, however as I stated above, it's not a gripping adventure. It was easy to read it for a half hour a day during lunch break and not feel frustrated that I had to put it away. I never once considered dropping the book, the writing itself is excellent, and the main character is an amusing chap. I just didn't have a sense of urgency to see what happened next.

So, if you're looking for a casual read, and ever had any curiosity of what the world was really like "back in the day", then I highly recommend "An Elephant for Aristotle". If you're someone who has to have guns going off, cars soaring off of cliffs and damsels in constant peril, you'll wish to find another book to pick up.

[Marty Mayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t rush through this book; I savored it. I am so pleased that I actually bought it as I will return to it again and again I am sure, finding a nugget or two each time I re-read it. The premise of it was intriguing. The characterization was superb and believable. I found the attention to accurate descriptions of clothing, customs, manners, and battles fascinating. The touches of humor were especially powerful, humanizing the people and events.

[M B · Rating 3 out of 5]

The choice to use different dialects of English to represent the different parts of the world the characters come from sounded good in theory, but there are just so many times you can see “puckle” and “maun” before you ask yourself, “Why was this necessary?” The fact that they’re Thessalians and he’s Macedonian and the other one’s Persian and that one guy with two lines of dialogue is from barely matters. Even when the style isn’t getting in the way, the words are frequently there to rip you out of the story and remind you you’re reading a book in one of three ways:

1. A conversation about an ancient philosophical topic or important historical moment shoehorned in in such a way that your first thought will be, “OK, I get it. You did a lot of research.”

2. Detail porn. I sure hope you want an exact description of the boat they get in, because he’ll even tell you the rungs on the rope ladder are not rope as you were probably expecting, but made of wood. And it’s not eight decks of oarsmen as you were probably expecting, but ... There’s a quiz at the end of the chapter, so take notes. I could live with this sort of Tom Clancyish attention to detail if it were consistent, but it isn’t. My theory is that the author worked out himself what kind of boat would be necessary to transport an elephant and was (rightfully) proud of that, so he wanted to share all the excruciating and narratively irrelevant details. Also we go back to point one here, because “conveniently for us the block and tackle were invented around this time,” which is almost an exact quote from one of the characters.

3. Monologues from the protagonist in his recounting of the tale about topics like homosexuality and xenophobia, which are certainly noteworthy for the time when this book was written (its political and social views have aged quite well), but seem like something a person in the time of Alexander the Great wouldn’t need to explain to his contemporary peers as if they were born yesterday.

Any of these flaws could have been overlooked, but they are repeated so often that they accumulated until I started to long for the end. However, that end didn’t come soon, because the book is quite long and the chapter length (roughly 50-60 pages per) makes even the smallest progress feel insignificant.

With the exception of the love triangle, which seemed unnecessary, the plot was definitely tight. I’ll give it that. You won’t have to sit through ten pages of rambling. Every other paragraph is some new intrigue or attack or danger. The characters also felt distinct. Even the relatively insignificant ones, like Vardana’s father, were fully fleshed out individuals.

If this book were 100 pages shorter, I’d give it 4/5. As it is, 2.5 seems fair, and 3 is me being generous because it’s Friday.

[Stan Hutchings · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating historical fiction that is the memoir of Leon Aristou, who was charged by Alexander the Great to escort an elephant from India to Greece, for delivery to Aristotle. This takes place circa 300 b.c., so many modern conveniences are lacking, and the overland route is uncomfortable and dangerous. Even the final trip across the Mediterranean was almost a disaster. How Lean overcame the obstacles to deliver the elephant is a tale reminiscent of the Odyssey. The frequent use of foreign names, places, measures, and vocabulary gives an authenticity to the narrative, though often is confusing. The Postscript from page 269 has a treasure trove of information that will be useful as you read the book, giving a list of real persons mentioned, approximate equivalents of money, calendar, weights and measures, and geographical names and their modern equivalents. You could follow his route from India to Greece on Google Maps for added interest. I wish I'd known about the Postscript when I started the story; it would have saved a lot of time Googling things.
If you like interesting historical adventure, crossing deserts, mountains, seas and rivers, with a cast of dozens of hardy soldiers, foreigners, slaves, wives and mistresses, and facing danger and obstacles at every turn, this is the book for you. This isn't like de Camp's usual fantasy stories, like his Conan series or Enchanter series, so don't expect magic or supernatural events.

[Simon Mcleish · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a nice idea for a historical novel (not at all a fantasy genre story, as de Camp was known for writing). While Alexander the Great is conquering large parts of western Asia, he sets a task to cavalry commander Leon of Atrax to deliver an elephant to the philosopher Aristotle, who had been a tutor to Alexander, and fodder to feed the elephant is sent to another rival philosopher, to try to persuade them to work together. (This whole plot device is made up for the book (as far as the historical record knows, as the afterword admits.) The story is charming to start with, but really ends up being a series crises, which become less interesting as the journey progresses and ideas seem to run out. This is odd, in a way, as de Camp is usually not short with inventive ideas. Long distance travel was extremely difficult until the nineteenth century and the spread of railways, even more so with an elephant to look after.

[John Stults · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good historical fiction

If you are looking for alternate history or fantasy or sci fi this is not the book for you. However, if you are looking for a very good historical fiction story this is the right place. The author tells an intriguing story and delves into the various religious practices as well as social mores of Alexander’s empire. The story moves along very well and is a fairly easy read. One also sees a bit of the politics for this era. Turtledove’s introduction was very helpful. Especially explaining the way the author used different English dialects to represent various Greek dialects. A map tracing the path taken with the elephant would have added to the novel I think. All in all this is a good story, I enjoyed reading it and I recommend the novel.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly charming and randomly illustrative of many aspects of the world of that time.
The continual litany of place names and geographical locations made the absence of map on an end page utterly appalling. If I had not spent the last three years reading about Alexander’s campaigns, the wars of his successors, the history of the Persian empire etc…I would have been beyond lost. Seriously, I’m furious there’s no map.
That said, the only other thing that annoyed me was the accents given to the characters. I’m no linguist but I can’t see any reason to turn the Thessalians into Scottish highlanders. This was absurd and unnecessary.
Once you got used to this, it wasn’t unbearable although it never stopped being silly.
Altogether an enjoyable book with moderately well-drawn characters. The very premise itself was the best part!

[Apocryphal Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first of De Camp's historical novels, and a pretty sound entry into the field. Like all of them, it's a travelling tale. In this case one of Alexander's horsemen is charged with delivering an elephant from Persia to Greece. I found it a little drier and plodding that the better later books, with perhaps a tighter focus on the engineering and logistics behind the feat in this book (though they all have this, to some degree). This novel avoids some of the uncomfortable rape discussion that can be found in The Arrow of Hercules and The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate, though I found those to be better stories with more lively prose despite some cringeworthy moments. Having now read them all, I still think The Bronze God of Rhodes is the best, which in addition to being a rollicking story has umpteen cameos by well-known historical figures. But Elephant is nevertheless quite good.

[William Richard Noyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining Historical Fiction

Never failed to hold my interest. Characters well developed. Anyone with an interest in the times of Alexander the Great should enjoy.

[Fred Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice historical novel, moderately humorous.

[Eric Jewett · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an imaginative travelogue, with small adventures peppered throughout and leavened with wit.

[Julian Abagond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of plodding, but great as time machine tourism, travelling from India to Greece in 326 and 325 BC. Best part: those with Aristotle. Needs a good explanation of the Athenian calendar and, most of all, maps! A bibliographic essay would be good too.

"Elephant" was not as good as his book "The Golden Wind" and cannot touch "Lest Darkness Fall", but it is in the same vein of historical fiction.

I read this with "Cities of the Classical World" by Colin McEvedy, which was helpful since it has some of the very same cities.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any one who has an interest in ancient civilizations and/or philosophy will like this book. You start with Alexanders' army in India, travel through the ancient near east and end up in Ancient Greece. Along the way, the descriptions of the different landscapes and cultures are worth the read alone--but the real value is that the interactions and discussions between the characters makes real the particularities of the cultural differences and at the same time the universality of the human condition.

Aristotle's role comes, understandably, late in the book. I didn't care that much for de Camp's portrayal of him. He seemed too snotty and elitist, but then maybe that is a more accurate presentation than my imagined over-idealized Aristotle. Mainly, I thought de Camp made too much of philosophers, Aristotle included, being out of touch with real life. Second, he made too much of Aristotle's pro-slavery arguments. No doubt these are accurate, but it just came up too often. This is, however, likely due to the theme of the universality of human nature and the interaction of the Greeks, Persians, and Indians.

As in any such work of this kind, there were anachronisms and too much license taken here and there but that said, de Camp does a good job of staying faithful to the ways of the ancient Near East--at least as far as I could tell.

[Andrew Fear · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not an action-packed hero novel like Sprague de Camp's Conan stories rather it is a much slower story or a group of unlikely heroes marching from East to West through Alexander the Great's new empire. Nor is it the sort of Mills and Boon type book the odd picture here on Goodreads implies though sadly a bit of that does creep in towards the end. The characterisation overall is good and Sprague de Camp mixes in a lot of general musings on the world (as much ours as Alexander's) en route. A lot of the characters are drawn from real history and if you have an interest in the period (I have) SdC's fictional flesh on their bones is intriguing. I do think that SdC has a problem with endings, this was true with his Lest Darkness Fall on Ostrogothic Italy. Here after our heroes arrive in Attica the narrative starts to lose its touch and there is an increasing amount of silly romance as time goes by. However as an ancient historian I must say I liked this a lot.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great story idea, but difficult to engage. The story is told by the officer leading the elephant across the known world from India to Greece, as ordered by Alexander the Great. The language is old fashioned and simple, but still manages to use lots of words no one would know unless they had studied ancient cultures. The place names are all from the time of Alexander, with no way of knowing where they are in the modern world. But most of all, the narration by the officer is overly simple and dull - "we went here, then we saw these people, then we went there."

[Linda Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in the time of Alexander the Great, this story focuses on the various lands and cultures the main character encounters as he travels from India to Greece. He has been charged by Alexander to deliver an elephant to Aristotle. Alexander appears only at the beginning; Aristotle appears in the last few chapters. In between, we meet various towns and peoples across the middle east. Leon of Atrax, a fictional character, leads the expedition and remains stalwart and faithful to his charge.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite a road trip - from India to Athens with an elephant. This would be daunting enough in the time of Alexander the Great with only the natural challenges of weather and topography. But added in are bandits, scheming generals and other officials, and cultural differences among the elephant's escorts. Not to mention finding a ship sturdy enough to carry an elephant across the sea from Ephesus to Athens. All of this does make for a compelling novel.

[Pat Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not really alternate history, nor fantasy, but a delightful tale of a group of soldiers sent by Alexander the Great to take a live elephant from India to Athens as a gift for his former teacher. DeCamp at his wry and witty best.

[Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

I knew of de Camp as a great science fiction author, but this is the first historical speculative fiction of his I've read. Very impressive and well researched!