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Alexander and Alestria
Re-creating the lives of two of the most intriguing rulers in history, Shan Sa brings us a novel filled with the sound of hooves, the whistle of arrows, blood, passion, and betrayal. The familiar figure of Alexander the Great comes to new life in this richly imagined tale, which entwines his historical legacy with a fantastic love affair set in a wartime between Western and Eastern civilizations.
Abused by his father, King Philip, who loved and hated his beauty; shadowed by his mother, the mystical and overbearing Queen Olympias; educated by Aristotle who wanted him to be a wise philosopher of Macedonia, Alexander develops a complex character. He becomes a brutal warrior, a pitiless strategist, and a poet longing for the world’s wonders. Meanwhile, in the remote steppes of Siberia, an abandoned girl grows up among the wild mares, then adopted by the queen of the Amazons—the tribe of female warriors who dominates a wild world of snow and volcano. As a future queen, the young girl is trained to hate men and to fight against all invaders.
In the course of his great conquest of Asia, Alexander first meets the stunning Alestria on the battlefield. Surprised to find that his adversary is a woman, he is instantly smitten by the fierce queen. Dazzled by his strength, she decides to kidnap him and make him her “wife.” At last, this legendary king—renowned for his beauty and love of men—has found his equal. And at last, this indomitable young woman has found a reason to leave her tribe. Their love, deeply passionate and problematic, evolves against an exotic backdrop of warfare and political turmoil, sweeps from antique Greece to Egypt, across the ancient Iraq and Iran, unto the mysterious kingdoms of India.
Abused by his father, King Philip, who loved and hated his beauty; shadowed by his mother, the mystical and overbearing Queen Olympias; educated by Aristotle who wanted him to be a wise philosopher of Macedonia, Alexander develops a complex character. He becomes a brutal warrior, a pitiless strategist, and a poet longing for the world’s wonders. Meanwhile, in the remote steppes of Siberia, an abandoned girl grows up among the wild mares, then adopted by the queen of the Amazons—the tribe of female warriors who dominates a wild world of snow and volcano. As a future queen, the young girl is trained to hate men and to fight against all invaders.
In the course of his great conquest of Asia, Alexander first meets the stunning Alestria on the battlefield. Surprised to find that his adversary is a woman, he is instantly smitten by the fierce queen. Dazzled by his strength, she decides to kidnap him and make him her “wife.” At last, this legendary king—renowned for his beauty and love of men—has found his equal. And at last, this indomitable young woman has found a reason to leave her tribe. Their love, deeply passionate and problematic, evolves against an exotic backdrop of warfare and political turmoil, sweeps from antique Greece to Egypt, across the ancient Iraq and Iran, unto the mysterious kingdoms of India.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2008
5 people are currently reading
337 people want to read
About the author
Shan Sa
33 books232 followersShan Sa is a French author born in Beijing in 1972. The Girl Who Played Go was the first of her novels to be published outside of France. It won the Goncourt des Lycéens Prize in 2001 and earned critical acclaim worldwide. Her second novel to appear in English translation is "The Empress" (2006).
Shan Sa was born on October 26, 1972 in Beijing to a scholarly family . Her real name is Yan Ni Ni, then she adopted the pseudonym Shan Sa, taken from a poem of Bai Juyi.
Shan Sa was born on October 26, 1972 in Beijing to a scholarly family . Her real name is Yan Ni Ni, then she adopted the pseudonym Shan Sa, taken from a poem of Bai Juyi.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
April 25, 2012
This book has some really beautiful lines and a poetic quality surrounds the entire story. The parts about Alestria and her powerful Amazonian tribe were fascinating to read. But the story as a whole was ill-conceived and almost carelessly developed. It started and stopped and was overly emotional at times. However, I still strongly recommend reading it. The parts that are great are truly remarkable in their writing style. The tediouss in-betweens are worth it to reach Shan Sa's stunning descriptions of Alexander and Alestria's feelings for each other, and Alestria's feelings on herself.
Here is how I described reading it in a correspondence with someone after first reading it: So... I am furiously reading Alexander and Alestria these days. I love so much that this story is based in historical accuracy. They have just met in the book (the first half is just Alexander and his conquests and there are a few chapters about Alestria and her upbringing as a "warrior woman"-- which is completely fascinating, by the way. One of my fav. quotes from her so far is, "Suffering has carved a deep pit in my heart for life to pour its loveliness into.") Well, they finally meet in battle-- he is fighting her (it's actually pretty violent, the whole book is) and they have this moment where their eyes meet amidst the blood and terror of war and he doesn't see hate or anger as he would usually find in an opponent-- he sees love. And he realizes after she leads him away from the battle and into the "steppes" (where she is from), that this fierce warrior is not a man but a woman. (It's written almost like mythology-- as in there isn't alot of dialogue or detail, things just happen.) Of course, he immediately falls in love with her and they have this strange several day long banter of fighting each other from dawn to dusk and him following her/chasing her-- each day she lets him just a bit closer. Until finally he is able to stop her completely and they make love in this field of wildflowers and he says to her, "Oh, Alestria, give me your wounds and your weapons. All those who have possessed you and all those you have loved shall be erased. I have come to take you, to take you away." So there's that.
Here is how I described reading it in a correspondence with someone after first reading it: So... I am furiously reading Alexander and Alestria these days. I love so much that this story is based in historical accuracy. They have just met in the book (the first half is just Alexander and his conquests and there are a few chapters about Alestria and her upbringing as a "warrior woman"-- which is completely fascinating, by the way. One of my fav. quotes from her so far is, "Suffering has carved a deep pit in my heart for life to pour its loveliness into.") Well, they finally meet in battle-- he is fighting her (it's actually pretty violent, the whole book is) and they have this moment where their eyes meet amidst the blood and terror of war and he doesn't see hate or anger as he would usually find in an opponent-- he sees love. And he realizes after she leads him away from the battle and into the "steppes" (where she is from), that this fierce warrior is not a man but a woman. (It's written almost like mythology-- as in there isn't alot of dialogue or detail, things just happen.) Of course, he immediately falls in love with her and they have this strange several day long banter of fighting each other from dawn to dusk and him following her/chasing her-- each day she lets him just a bit closer. Until finally he is able to stop her completely and they make love in this field of wildflowers and he says to her, "Oh, Alestria, give me your wounds and your weapons. All those who have possessed you and all those you have loved shall be erased. I have come to take you, to take you away." So there's that.
August 23, 2008
This was a frustrating book. The author tells the story of two vivid people -- Alexander the Great and Alestria, Queen of the Amazons -- who come together and are consumed by their passion for each other, a passion based entirely on fate rather than any sense of kindred nature or mutual regard. Their worlds are described in sensual terms. The details are all of sight, feeling, taste. The tale unfolds in a mythic world where emotion is the only truth.
I wanted a story that was a bit more grounded in real life, and lovers who have something besides all-consuming lust binding them together.
I wanted a story that was a bit more grounded in real life, and lovers who have something besides all-consuming lust binding them together.
June 2, 2013
Đây dĩ nhiên là cuốn sách dành cho những ai : mê chuyện tình yêu lãng mạn, ham thích các nhân vật làm nên huyền thoại và say sưa đọc Thần thoại Hy Lạp cùng các áng sử thi xưa cũ. Có lẽ phần nhiều người yêu thích tác phẩm này thuộc nữ giới, trên hết, ấy là bởi lối viết đậm tính nữ của Sơn Táp thu hút họ.
Bìa của bản dịch tiếng Việt không đẹp, với sự bắt chước vụng về bìa bản tiếng Anh và một dòng tên tác giả xẻ đôi bìa sách, quả tình xấu đến ngỡ ngàng. Tóm lại, bìa của cuốn “Hoàng đế và giai nhân” này hoàn toàn là một sự thất bại. Tôi cũng không thích tựa dịch lắm, lý do cụ thể sẽ bàn đến sau.
Nói về nội dung chính, Sơn Táp mang đến cho ta một tác phẩm viết dựa trên các huyền thoại xoay quanh một trong các nhân vật vĩ đại nhất trong lịch sử loài người : Alexandre Đại đế. Cuốn sách sẽ đi từ lúc Alexandre sinh ra đời đến khi ông chết với kha khá các sự kiện thuộc về lịch sử cũng như đi sâu hơn vào chi tiết bằng trí tưởng tượng của nhà văn. Chúng ta sẽ không chỉ biết rằng cha của Alexandre là Phillipe và mẹ là Olympias mà được biết thêm, Phillipe là một ông vua tàn bạo điên cuồng hoang dâm vô độ còn Olympias thì điên loạn, mưu mô và bị ám ảnh. Nhiều nhân vật lịch sử khác cũng được điểm tên.
Và rồi Sơn Táp cho Alestria lên tiếng. Nhân vật nữ chính là nữ hoàng của các cô gái Amazon. Những nữ chiến binh Amazon, được nhắc đến trong thần thoại Hy Lạp, là những chiến binh bất khả chiến bại, những thiện xạ lừng danh, săn đàn ông và rất xinh đẹp. Các tính chất thú vị này đã thu hút nhiều sự thêm thắt của đời sau qua đủ các thể loại từ truyện kể đến phim ảnh. Sơn Táp cũng có những Amazon của riêng mình.
Tình yêu của Alexandre Đại đế và nữ hoàng Alestria được dệt nên bằng ngôn từ đẹp và mạnh mẽ. Đó là tình yêu của sư tử và đại bàng, cháy bỏng, mãnh liệt, điên cuồng, tính chất nào cũng được đẩy đến cực hạn. Tình yêu ấy không lúc nào cạn kiệt thứ năng lượng dữ dội mà nó bộc phát ngay từ khi hai người gặp nhau. Không có chỗ cho những câu chữ nhạt màu, Sơn Táp vô cùng nỗ lực xây dựng một tình yêu hoàn toàn. Alexandre đã mất ba mươi năm để đi khắp châu Âu rồi châu Á mong tìm ra hoàng hậu đích thực cho mình, còn Alestria đã vứt bỏ thần linh, dân tộc, sinh mạng và chính con người nàng để đi theo vị Đại đế. Tình yêu của họ là ngọn lửa rừng rực huy hoàng mà như chính Olympias nói trong tác phẩm này, “chỉ có lửa là không bao giờ bị hủy hoại”.
Ở Alexandre et Astria, Sơn Táp sử dụng lối viết với ngôi thứ nhất và về sau thì không ngừng thay đổi nhân vật giữ vai trò kể chuyện để đa dạng hóa góc nhìn các sự kiện. Ưu điểm là người đọc luôn cảm thấy mình được đưa đến tận cùng của nội tâm nhân vật và một không gian không giới hạn của ngoại cảnh. Khuyết điểm là lối viết này là nếu không khéo thì chẳng khác gì biến tác phẩm thành một trận đấu bóng rổ và người đọc đóng vai chính trên sân, tức là quả bóng. Ngoài ra, Sơn Táp còn dùng đến cách viết mô phỏng các câu chuyện trong truyền thuyết, nhiều hình ảnh gợi cảm giác kì vĩ và liên tục dùng các điệp từ, điệp ngữ để xoáy sâu cảm xúc vào lòng người đọc. Hai đặc điểm trên kết hợp cùng nội dung truyện vốn cũng chẳng hề tuyến tính dễ hiểu đã dẫn đến một kết quả tất yếu : về gần cuối truyện, khi cả Alexandre, Alestria và Ania – thư lại của Alestria cùng thi nhau kể, độc giả ắt hẳn sẽ có một cảm giác hết sức “yo most”.
Cũng cần lưu ý, trong trường đoạn về sự trưởng thành của Alexandre, có các chi tiết tương đối “nặng” đối với bạn đọc nhạy cảm, đó là sự loạn luân, quan hệ đồng tính – thứ rất phổ biến vào thời kì đó của lịch sử.
Nói về bản dịch tiếng Việt, tôi không phải là người tinh ý trong việc cân nhắc câu chữ của các dịch giả nhưng với tác phẩm này, hành văn rất lủng củng. Câu văn thiếu âm điệu khiến cho tôi khi đọc thỉnh thoảng lại có cảm giác như mình đang ăn và bị nấc cụt. Ví dụ ngay đầu truyện đã có câu :
Về phần tựa dịch, dựa trên lối kể nương theo sử thi của Sơn Táp, tôi mạo muội nghĩ, dịch Alexandre thành “hoàng đế” và Alestria thành “giai nhân” thực sự làm giảm đi sức gợi của văn bản gốc. Ví dụ, chúng ta thường gọi Achilles là Achilles chứ không phải “chiến binh Achilles”, gọi Heracles là Heracles chứ không phải “dũng sĩ Heracles”, gọi Rama là Rama chứ không phải “hoàng tử Rama”. Có nghĩa là, các nhân vật này đã vượt ra ngoài phạm vi của một khái niệm phân loại chung. Tên của họ đã trở thành một thứ độc lập, nổi bật hay nói nôm na là thành “thương hiệu”. Alexandre cũng vậy. Dịch thành “Hoàng đế và giai nhân” thiết nghĩ đã làm mất đi không ít tính chất cao vợi của hình tượng vị Đại đế này cũng như mâu thuẫn với cách viết mô phỏng sử thi của Sơn Táp.
Thêm vào đó, trong phần lời dịch giả, có mấy dòng như sau :
Cần lưu ý, dịch giả viết những lời này khi đang bàn về lịch sử chứ không phải nội dung truyện. Tôi đặc biệt nhạy cảm với từ “thực chất”. Những lời trên thật sự có thể khiến người đọc hiểu lầm về sự hư cấu của Sơn Táp nói riêng và các truyền thuyết quanh Alexandre Đại đế nói chung. Những truyền thuyết có thể có một phần sự thật hoặc hoàn toàn là tưởng tượng, chính sử cũng có thể đúng hay có những sai sót. Song điều đó không có nghĩa là chúng ta có thể khẳng định một cách nông nổi, hoàn toàn thiếu bằng chứng rằng Roxane chính là Alestria.
Alexandre et Astria là một cuốn sách đọc được, thể hiện sự cố gắng đổi mới của Sơn Táp về cách viết. Nhưng không rõ có phải nhờ dịch giả góp một tay vào hay không mà tác phẩm đọc rất đuối. Đại khái là, ta sẽ thấy cảm giác như sau: tác giả phóng một ngọn lao ra xa thật xa xong hô rất to rằng trên lưng Pegasus, cô sẽ đưa chúng ta bay vút đến chỗ ngọn lao cắm xuống, thế là chúng ta mải mê chạy theo cho đến khi chợt nhận ra lao thì đúng là cắm rất xa nhưng chúng ta đều đang đi bộ.
Cố gắng quá sức mình không bao giờ tốt cho sức khỏe, bác sĩ thường bảo vậy.
Chiễm Phong (Thảo Dương)
http://readingcafe.wordpress.com/2011...
Bìa của bản dịch tiếng Việt không đẹp, với sự bắt chước vụng về bìa bản tiếng Anh và một dòng tên tác giả xẻ đôi bìa sách, quả tình xấu đến ngỡ ngàng. Tóm lại, bìa của cuốn “Hoàng đế và giai nhân” này hoàn toàn là một sự thất bại. Tôi cũng không thích tựa dịch lắm, lý do cụ thể sẽ bàn đến sau.
Nói về nội dung chính, Sơn Táp mang đến cho ta một tác phẩm viết dựa trên các huyền thoại xoay quanh một trong các nhân vật vĩ đại nhất trong lịch sử loài người : Alexandre Đại đế. Cuốn sách sẽ đi từ lúc Alexandre sinh ra đời đến khi ông chết với kha khá các sự kiện thuộc về lịch sử cũng như đi sâu hơn vào chi tiết bằng trí tưởng tượng của nhà văn. Chúng ta sẽ không chỉ biết rằng cha của Alexandre là Phillipe và mẹ là Olympias mà được biết thêm, Phillipe là một ông vua tàn bạo điên cuồng hoang dâm vô độ còn Olympias thì điên loạn, mưu mô và bị ám ảnh. Nhiều nhân vật lịch sử khác cũng được điểm tên.
Và rồi Sơn Táp cho Alestria lên tiếng. Nhân vật nữ chính là nữ hoàng của các cô gái Amazon. Những nữ chiến binh Amazon, được nhắc đến trong thần thoại Hy Lạp, là những chiến binh bất khả chiến bại, những thiện xạ lừng danh, săn đàn ông và rất xinh đẹp. Các tính chất thú vị này đã thu hút nhiều sự thêm thắt của đời sau qua đủ các thể loại từ truyện kể đến phim ảnh. Sơn Táp cũng có những Amazon của riêng mình.
Tình yêu của Alexandre Đại đế và nữ hoàng Alestria được dệt nên bằng ngôn từ đẹp và mạnh mẽ. Đó là tình yêu của sư tử và đại bàng, cháy bỏng, mãnh liệt, điên cuồng, tính chất nào cũng được đẩy đến cực hạn. Tình yêu ấy không lúc nào cạn kiệt thứ năng lượng dữ dội mà nó bộc phát ngay từ khi hai người gặp nhau. Không có chỗ cho những câu chữ nhạt màu, Sơn Táp vô cùng nỗ lực xây dựng một tình yêu hoàn toàn. Alexandre đã mất ba mươi năm để đi khắp châu Âu rồi châu Á mong tìm ra hoàng hậu đích thực cho mình, còn Alestria đã vứt bỏ thần linh, dân tộc, sinh mạng và chính con người nàng để đi theo vị Đại đế. Tình yêu của họ là ngọn lửa rừng rực huy hoàng mà như chính Olympias nói trong tác phẩm này, “chỉ có lửa là không bao giờ bị hủy hoại”.
Ở Alexandre et Astria, Sơn Táp sử dụng lối viết với ngôi thứ nhất và về sau thì không ngừng thay đổi nhân vật giữ vai trò kể chuyện để đa dạng hóa góc nhìn các sự kiện. Ưu điểm là người đọc luôn cảm thấy mình được đưa đến tận cùng của nội tâm nhân vật và một không gian không giới hạn của ngoại cảnh. Khuyết điểm là lối viết này là nếu không khéo thì chẳng khác gì biến tác phẩm thành một trận đấu bóng rổ và người đọc đóng vai chính trên sân, tức là quả bóng. Ngoài ra, Sơn Táp còn dùng đến cách viết mô phỏng các câu chuyện trong truyền thuyết, nhiều hình ảnh gợi cảm giác kì vĩ và liên tục dùng các điệp từ, điệp ngữ để xoáy sâu cảm xúc vào lòng người đọc. Hai đặc điểm trên kết hợp cùng nội dung truyện vốn cũng chẳng hề tuyến tính dễ hiểu đã dẫn đến một kết quả tất yếu : về gần cuối truyện, khi cả Alexandre, Alestria và Ania – thư lại của Alestria cùng thi nhau kể, độc giả ắt hẳn sẽ có một cảm giác hết sức “yo most”.
Cũng cần lưu ý, trong trường đoạn về sự trưởng thành của Alexandre, có các chi tiết tương đối “nặng” đối với bạn đọc nhạy cảm, đó là sự loạn luân, quan hệ đồng tính – thứ rất phổ biến vào thời kì đó của lịch sử.
Nói về bản dịch tiếng Việt, tôi không phải là người tinh ý trong việc cân nhắc câu chữ của các dịch giả nhưng với tác phẩm này, hành văn rất lủng củng. Câu văn thiếu âm điệu khiến cho tôi khi đọc thỉnh thoảng lại có cảm giác như mình đang ăn và bị nấc cụt. Ví dụ ngay đầu truyện đã có câu :
Đền nữ thần Artémis cháy rụi. Những tia lửa đỏ rực, rừng rực trập trùng khói cuộn nuốt gọn bầu trời.
Về phần tựa dịch, dựa trên lối kể nương theo sử thi của Sơn Táp, tôi mạo muội nghĩ, dịch Alexandre thành “hoàng đế” và Alestria thành “giai nhân” thực sự làm giảm đi sức gợi của văn bản gốc. Ví dụ, chúng ta thường gọi Achilles là Achilles chứ không phải “chiến binh Achilles”, gọi Heracles là Heracles chứ không phải “dũng sĩ Heracles”, gọi Rama là Rama chứ không phải “hoàng tử Rama”. Có nghĩa là, các nhân vật này đã vượt ra ngoài phạm vi của một khái niệm phân loại chung. Tên của họ đã trở thành một thứ độc lập, nổi bật hay nói nôm na là thành “thương hiệu”. Alexandre cũng vậy. Dịch thành “Hoàng đế và giai nhân” thiết nghĩ đã làm mất đi không ít tính chất cao vợi của hình tượng vị Đại đế này cũng như mâu thuẫn với cách viết mô phỏng sử thi của Sơn Táp.
Thêm vào đó, trong phần lời dịch giả, có mấy dòng như sau :
Chính người vợ yêu dấu của ông cũng không phải là người Macédoine, cuộc tình ái của ông với một người con gái mà lịch sử ghi là Công chúa Roxane xứ Batriane thực chất là thiên tình sử độc đáo và đầy nước mắt của một Alexandre Đại Đế kiêu hãnh lừng danh với Talestria, Nữ hoàng của các nữ chiến binh Amazone bí ẩn.
Cần lưu ý, dịch giả viết những lời này khi đang bàn về lịch sử chứ không phải nội dung truyện. Tôi đặc biệt nhạy cảm với từ “thực chất”. Những lời trên thật sự có thể khiến người đọc hiểu lầm về sự hư cấu của Sơn Táp nói riêng và các truyền thuyết quanh Alexandre Đại đế nói chung. Những truyền thuyết có thể có một phần sự thật hoặc hoàn toàn là tưởng tượng, chính sử cũng có thể đúng hay có những sai sót. Song điều đó không có nghĩa là chúng ta có thể khẳng định một cách nông nổi, hoàn toàn thiếu bằng chứng rằng Roxane chính là Alestria.
Alexandre et Astria là một cuốn sách đọc được, thể hiện sự cố gắng đổi mới của Sơn Táp về cách viết. Nhưng không rõ có phải nhờ dịch giả góp một tay vào hay không mà tác phẩm đọc rất đuối. Đại khái là, ta sẽ thấy cảm giác như sau: tác giả phóng một ngọn lao ra xa thật xa xong hô rất to rằng trên lưng Pegasus, cô sẽ đưa chúng ta bay vút đến chỗ ngọn lao cắm xuống, thế là chúng ta mải mê chạy theo cho đến khi chợt nhận ra lao thì đúng là cắm rất xa nhưng chúng ta đều đang đi bộ.
Cố gắng quá sức mình không bao giờ tốt cho sức khỏe, bác sĩ thường bảo vậy.
Chiễm Phong (Thảo Dương)
http://readingcafe.wordpress.com/2011...
July 14, 2023
Một tác phẩm được viết theo thể loại dã sử huyền ảo, với văn phong lãng mạn, và kỹ thuật đổi góc nhìn của “tôi” liên tục cho các nhân vật chính: Đại đế Alexandre, Alestria - nữ hoàng đội quân nữ Amazon, và Ania - người hầu của Alestria. Lẽ ra là đủ thú vị nhưng không biết phải vì bản dịch hơi bị đuối không mà nhiều đoạn không mượt và không đẩy được cảm xúc lên, nhất là đoạn miêu tả tình yêu cuồng nhiệt lúc đầu gặp nhau. Đoạn cuối truyện có lẽ là đoạn hay nhất.
Nhìn chung, đây là tiểu thuyết khá thú vị với sự thay đổi một chút về bút pháp của Sơn Táp, nhưng chưa đủ độ sâu về dã sử cũng như độ phiêu của sự lãng mạn, ít nhất là trong bản dịch tiếng Việt.
Nhìn chung, đây là tiểu thuyết khá thú vị với sự thay đổi một chút về bút pháp của Sơn Táp, nhưng chưa đủ độ sâu về dã sử cũng như độ phiêu của sự lãng mạn, ít nhất là trong bản dịch tiếng Việt.
November 8, 2021
Nhà vua kiêu hùng trong cơn cuồng loạn chiếm hữu mọi thứ, mang một tâm hồn cô độc, ám ảnh bời sự tồn vong của chính mình. Nữ hoàng bay bổng trong thiên nhiên hoang dã nhưng trĩu nặng dấu ấn hy sinh cho bộ tộc. Vậy nên, một tình yêu thi vị có là mảnh ghép cho tâm hồn mỗi người không ? Có lẽ không, vì cái mỗi người đang tìm kiếm là bản ngã của mình.
Và có lẽ, Thiếu nữ đánh cờ vây là tác phẩm hay nhất của Shan Sa.
Và có lẽ, Thiếu nữ đánh cờ vây là tác phẩm hay nhất của Shan Sa.
July 2, 2009
I just finished this book tonight & from the very beginning this book has not been what I expected. The book tells the story of not just Alexander the Great but also of Alestria, Queen of the Amazons. You see the life of Alexander the Great & what he went through depicted by the author, telling of a life led by the son of vicious king & a queen who hid from her husband, but the author leaves the speculation that this soon to be great of all Alexander’s, was never the son of a king. Through this though you see how twisted Alexander becomes because of the life around him. He is innocent & beautiful, his mother treats him like a girl, while his king father berates him for going along with his mother. Alexander is also subject to the sights of his father’s exploits with other men & his father’s fury. And up till the age of six when Alexander is taken away to become a man, a great warrior at a school, which all six year old boys in his country must go to, he lives with all this & more. Struggle more & more everyday, with how he has slowly & embedding becomes his father, causing him to struggle even more in the life he's adopted.
At the same time the book tells the story of a young Amazon queen, who is taken in by the former queen & raised to be the new queen. Her story is told not just by her, but by her friend & servant Ania. You see how Alestria was abandoned & hurt growing up, how she faced similar things as Alexander, but because raised by the Amazons, she becomes another type of person, another type strength.
The more you delve into the story the more you see the twists of Alexander’s mind portrayed by Shan Sa. You see the sadness & strength of Alestria. Who along with Ania, whenever truly an Amazon add a 't' in front of the 'a's' in their names. Like the way of the horses.
As seen in the book; you see Alexander the fire, a destruction & Alestria the ice, a peace. And when the two come face to face in battle, Alexander for the first time meets his match & to his surprise his only true match is a woman. But the passion of war is not the only thing that is shared between the two. For when they meet, love is a surprising thing that rears its head towards two people that never comprehended the word of love & always saw it in a way a form of weakness they'd never encountered.
With love though comes learning & sacrifice & of course Alestria is the one who sacrifices her freedom as an Amazon & as the queen of the women she so leads with strength & of the rules she breaks for Alexander. All those that fought with her though come with her ashamed of leaving their queen, who if they went back to the tribe, would have to proclaim her dead. For to the Amazons, when one falls for a man & chooses to go, she has chosen death & their queen had chosen this.
Throughout this book, showing the change & experience that Alestria goes through to be with Alexander, people would see as another woman lost & given in to what she had to give up to have love. But with Alestria it was never that, she was only ever like a Goddess in slumber. Quiet & still waiting for her God to catch up to her. So that in the end it is truly Alexander who changes & deserts his world for the one he loves. Though it took the bit of an arrow, to show him the truth.
And as I read the end of book, the beauty of how it was written & of how it came to an end, made me cry. For even Alexander did what the Amazons did & choose to become a star to await his Alestria to join him. For it was an amazing beauty that held together & finally truly comprehended in the end.
I think people should really read this.
At the same time the book tells the story of a young Amazon queen, who is taken in by the former queen & raised to be the new queen. Her story is told not just by her, but by her friend & servant Ania. You see how Alestria was abandoned & hurt growing up, how she faced similar things as Alexander, but because raised by the Amazons, she becomes another type of person, another type strength.
The more you delve into the story the more you see the twists of Alexander’s mind portrayed by Shan Sa. You see the sadness & strength of Alestria. Who along with Ania, whenever truly an Amazon add a 't' in front of the 'a's' in their names. Like the way of the horses.
As seen in the book; you see Alexander the fire, a destruction & Alestria the ice, a peace. And when the two come face to face in battle, Alexander for the first time meets his match & to his surprise his only true match is a woman. But the passion of war is not the only thing that is shared between the two. For when they meet, love is a surprising thing that rears its head towards two people that never comprehended the word of love & always saw it in a way a form of weakness they'd never encountered.
With love though comes learning & sacrifice & of course Alestria is the one who sacrifices her freedom as an Amazon & as the queen of the women she so leads with strength & of the rules she breaks for Alexander. All those that fought with her though come with her ashamed of leaving their queen, who if they went back to the tribe, would have to proclaim her dead. For to the Amazons, when one falls for a man & chooses to go, she has chosen death & their queen had chosen this.
Throughout this book, showing the change & experience that Alestria goes through to be with Alexander, people would see as another woman lost & given in to what she had to give up to have love. But with Alestria it was never that, she was only ever like a Goddess in slumber. Quiet & still waiting for her God to catch up to her. So that in the end it is truly Alexander who changes & deserts his world for the one he loves. Though it took the bit of an arrow, to show him the truth.
And as I read the end of book, the beauty of how it was written & of how it came to an end, made me cry. For even Alexander did what the Amazons did & choose to become a star to await his Alestria to join him. For it was an amazing beauty that held together & finally truly comprehended in the end.
I think people should really read this.
October 25, 2019
Như một bài thơ..
December 16, 2019
This book attempts to show the reader what Alexander the Great's life was like as a child, teenager, and young man, and the road that led him to "greatness." It also draws attention to Queen Alestria, the woman he married, and the complex, unusual relationship that they shared.
I was very excited about checking this book out from my library, but only a few chapters in, my anticipation was no more.
This is a book that is not worth your time.
It is clumsily written, as if the author threw together a last minute draft and left it at that.
The characters are horrible, lifeless little sketches that make no sense. I often got the feeling that Shan Sa was trying to impress upon the reader that Alexander and Alestria were not like us. They were gods, beyond the comprehension of mere mortals. No attempt was made to create likable, relateable characters.
The text was dry, and somehow, nothing much ever seemed to happen. The author went on about the events of Alexander's life in an uninspired manner, and I imagined more than once listening to this book on audio and hearing a droning, monotone robot voice reading it to me.
Also, the sexual side of the story seemed strange to me. Alexander has sex with his own mother, and she asks him to? This was not completely clear - but it is certainly very heavily hinted at. However, far more than hinted were the scenes with Alexander's father. His father desires him sexually, and Alexander actually feels the same. What?
Although of course there could be deep, but plausible, psychological explanations for this (the abused forces himself to believe that it's what he wants, still common in victims today), the author has no intention of exploring them. As a result, Alexander comes across as a twisted, perverted man.
Misunderstood? Probably. But not in the author's eyes.
I was hoping for an intricate, well woven love triangle as Alexander struggles between his love for both a man and a woman. That story told from Alestria's side as well would have surely been a heartbreaking one.
However, please do not expect to share in any sort of emotion or feeling from the characters here. Disappointingly, this book is not worth a read.
I was very excited about checking this book out from my library, but only a few chapters in, my anticipation was no more.
This is a book that is not worth your time.
It is clumsily written, as if the author threw together a last minute draft and left it at that.
The characters are horrible, lifeless little sketches that make no sense. I often got the feeling that Shan Sa was trying to impress upon the reader that Alexander and Alestria were not like us. They were gods, beyond the comprehension of mere mortals. No attempt was made to create likable, relateable characters.
The text was dry, and somehow, nothing much ever seemed to happen. The author went on about the events of Alexander's life in an uninspired manner, and I imagined more than once listening to this book on audio and hearing a droning, monotone robot voice reading it to me.
Also, the sexual side of the story seemed strange to me. Alexander has sex with his own mother, and she asks him to? This was not completely clear - but it is certainly very heavily hinted at. However, far more than hinted were the scenes with Alexander's father. His father desires him sexually, and Alexander actually feels the same. What?
Although of course there could be deep, but plausible, psychological explanations for this (the abused forces himself to believe that it's what he wants, still common in victims today), the author has no intention of exploring them. As a result, Alexander comes across as a twisted, perverted man.
Misunderstood? Probably. But not in the author's eyes.
I was hoping for an intricate, well woven love triangle as Alexander struggles between his love for both a man and a woman. That story told from Alestria's side as well would have surely been a heartbreaking one.
However, please do not expect to share in any sort of emotion or feeling from the characters here. Disappointingly, this book is not worth a read.
October 28, 2008
A fictional love story between Alexander the Great and Alestria, Queen of the Amazons. I enjoyed reading this book at bedtime so I could listen to the voices of Alexander, Alestria, and Ania her servant without distraction. Alexander rises from the abuse of his father King Philip of Macedonia and his clinging mother Olympias and leads his army to conquer Greece, Egypt and Persia. His life had been one of pleasing others and being used because of his beauty/handsomeness. The lovers in his life never fulfilled his anger and revenge, nor did the battles and conquests. After taking Persia, Alexander is weary, but still goes forth to the Asian steppes. There in battle he meets his equal as a warrior and soulmate - Alestria, the Amazon queen. She and her warriors are from Siberia and have roamed free for generations. No woman since the first Great Queen died in childbirth is allowed to be with a man or have his child. Alexander and Alestria recognize the equal of the other and race across the steppes for days doing fighting, but camp at night near each other to rest. From their first face-to-face meeting Alexander finally knows peace and real love. Alestria, knowing it's forbidden, falls in love with Alexander. Together they ride back to his soldier's encampment and begin their life. Shan Sa writes with such color and imagination. You feel the joy, sadness, anger, frustration of each character; she brings alive the varied peoples, cultures and scenery of Alexander's conquests. He is one of those historical figures that always fascinated me. What he accomplished at such a young age and dying too soon at age 32. I definitely prefer the ending of Shan Sa's book.
July 10, 2017
When I started this book it was nothing like I thought it would be. I ended up enjoying it anyways because it was so different. I don't understand why more people haven't read this yet. When I read the end and Ania said that she wrote the story I was SO CONFUSED did I read that right? If so that was part of the amazing ending, which the ending was so beautiful even though I secretly really wanted Alexander to still be ruling. I'm even more happy that in the end Alexander and Alestria had long lives together and we're happy even though the circumstances could've been better they were just content with each other.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2015
While I really liked historical point of this book, I didn’t really enjoy the poetic one. You can tell that Shan Sa is a poet, and I’m so so with poetry. But Alexander the Great was a magnificent person. Sex part of this book was fascinating as well. He mostly had it with everything that flies, walks and swims, no matter the gender or transgender, no matter the age, family tie and position. His official biography is spectacular. The ground wept from fear when he walked on it. So many times during this book, I imagined myself hidden, taking photos. He had fucked up childhood with a mother who was a mistress of dark snake cults and a father, who he always looked upon and hated with all his guts.
But, while Alexander served to posses and conquer, Alestria, Queen of the Amazons served to break free from every possible leash and possession. So when you join these two unbelievably strong personas: he is in a way forged in fire, and she is the representative of ice, well, it makes you want to see that live, at the spot. It makes you feel sick of nostalgia for those past days, to be able just to see how it was for a day. To be able to see it all, to see if the legends were that transcendental, and to eventually escape death. Or being raped, haha.
He was 32 when he died. Born in Pella, Macedonia, 2400 years ago, and died in Babylon, not far away from today’s Baghdad, Iraq. But these facts are depressing, when you think of it in a 21st century context and the fundamental oil madness.
But, while Alexander served to posses and conquer, Alestria, Queen of the Amazons served to break free from every possible leash and possession. So when you join these two unbelievably strong personas: he is in a way forged in fire, and she is the representative of ice, well, it makes you want to see that live, at the spot. It makes you feel sick of nostalgia for those past days, to be able just to see how it was for a day. To be able to see it all, to see if the legends were that transcendental, and to eventually escape death. Or being raped, haha.
He was 32 when he died. Born in Pella, Macedonia, 2400 years ago, and died in Babylon, not far away from today’s Baghdad, Iraq. But these facts are depressing, when you think of it in a 21st century context and the fundamental oil madness.
February 27, 2010
I have to say that I was disappointed in this latest offering by Shan Sa for many reasons, not the least of which is the unnecessarily prosaic dialogue. I felt like I was reading a Harlequin novel at times which is quite a departure from her most excellent Empress. I wanted to tell Alestria and Alexander to pull themselves together and dispel these ridiculous illusions they had of one another.
Early on in the book, one almost feels sorry for Alexander having to live his dual life under the domination of Philip of Macedonia and the odd tutelage of his mother, Olympias. One would have thought that, having the strong influence of both male and female aspects, he would have made a better king. Alexander, here, is shown to be a mad, cruel bisexual dictator, molded in part by Philip's rape of his son when he was still a young man. In this tale, Alexander came, saw, romanticised and conquered every person who ever loved him and never really understood much of anything, it seems. I had a hard time dealing with Alestria's loss of her grip on reality in her love for Alexander though, I have to admit, the ending was sort of poetic justice for her.
Shan Sa felicity of style and poetic language usually draws me in and carries me away. This time, however, I found myself skipping over whole passages in an effort to get to the point.
It's a fairly decent book, just not what I had envisioned.
Early on in the book, one almost feels sorry for Alexander having to live his dual life under the domination of Philip of Macedonia and the odd tutelage of his mother, Olympias. One would have thought that, having the strong influence of both male and female aspects, he would have made a better king. Alexander, here, is shown to be a mad, cruel bisexual dictator, molded in part by Philip's rape of his son when he was still a young man. In this tale, Alexander came, saw, romanticised and conquered every person who ever loved him and never really understood much of anything, it seems. I had a hard time dealing with Alestria's loss of her grip on reality in her love for Alexander though, I have to admit, the ending was sort of poetic justice for her.
Shan Sa felicity of style and poetic language usually draws me in and carries me away. This time, however, I found myself skipping over whole passages in an effort to get to the point.
It's a fairly decent book, just not what I had envisioned.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2012
I bought this book because it was a story for Alexander the Great. I love historical novels. But this one really disappointed me. There are historical facts mentioned in the book that are true. But there were moments when I said: Oh, my God, this cannot be true. Reading that Alexander was raped by his own father, that he raped a young boy, for me it was just too much.
If you survive Alexander's childhood in the book, reading after that is not that bad.
There is another character, Alestria, the Amazon queen. The story for her wasn't that disturbing. It was well written. It's a story for a strong woman, a woman who wasn't afraid of anyone,a woman who fell in love with the most powerfull man in the world.
In the reality, Alexander married Persian princess Roxana.She gave birth to a boy, but they were both killed after Alexander's death.In the book, Alexander couldn't marry Alestria because she wasn't a princess. So he forced one of the Persian leaders to adopt her, recognize her as a daughter, give her Persian name Roxana. She gave birth to a dead boy.
I didn't like the poetic storytelling of Shan Sa.It is just not for me.
The story for Alexander as a leader is the one I loved. Making the decisions, fighting at the battlefield, taking care for his soldiers, being a commander, a warrior, and a human after all. This is Alexander that I love.
If you survive Alexander's childhood in the book, reading after that is not that bad.
There is another character, Alestria, the Amazon queen. The story for her wasn't that disturbing. It was well written. It's a story for a strong woman, a woman who wasn't afraid of anyone,a woman who fell in love with the most powerfull man in the world.
In the reality, Alexander married Persian princess Roxana.She gave birth to a boy, but they were both killed after Alexander's death.In the book, Alexander couldn't marry Alestria because she wasn't a princess. So he forced one of the Persian leaders to adopt her, recognize her as a daughter, give her Persian name Roxana. She gave birth to a dead boy.
I didn't like the poetic storytelling of Shan Sa.It is just not for me.
The story for Alexander as a leader is the one I loved. Making the decisions, fighting at the battlefield, taking care for his soldiers, being a commander, a warrior, and a human after all. This is Alexander that I love.
January 10, 2012
I don't have much to say about this book other than I did not enjoy it. It's supposedly about Alexander the Great and Alestria, Queen of the Amazons, but the narrative is too disjointed to really get much out of the story. I think the author is trying to be poetic or lyrical, but to me it just came across as if someone drugged out tried to write historical fiction. There was a lot of homoerotic/incestuous elements to the story. I was also really irritated by the abrupt shifts in narrative without any indication of who was speaking. And, since the author failed to develop characterization effectively, all the narrative voices sounded exactly alike, making it even more difficult to tell who was speaking. I was unsure of why it's Alexander, Alestria, and (the seemingly random servant of Alestria,) Tania who tell this story. Or the purpose to why it was being told.
December 28, 2013
A fictional story about Alexander's life, death, and love. Sa creates personalities for her characters that are entertaining and intriguing, with good pacing for the first 2/3 of the book. However, once Alestria and Alexander are together, it becomes an airless love story, albeit with a very important point about how love can indeed be "conquering." Although arguably Alexander was the main character for most of the book, Alestria (his future wife) and her scribe/servant Ania were much more exciting characters--Amazonian warriors who lived as nomads on the steppe before Alexander found Alestria and they fell in love and moved to Babylon. In the end, the book turns into a long prose/poem about returning to the steppe and the nomadic way of life, which is a bit annoying. It's a decent read but nothing that really stands out.
November 12, 2008
I received this book free from HarperCollins after becoming a friend of their MySpace page. It is awful. It took me days to get through it because I was dreading it so bad. I hate how Ms. Sa writes. It is like she is trying to write lyrically or poetically, but also stay in the story format. The chapters jump back and forth between Alexander The Great and Alestria the Amazon queen. Obviously this is a fiction book since this event never happened. I wish this book hadn't happened. It is actually one of the worst books I've spent time on in a long time. I felt no interaction with any of the characters and did not find the story realistic in any manner. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone at all.
March 11, 2013
This book is a beautifully written and fantastically drawn story of a royal and forbidden love. it has a flowing, poetic quality to it, that is lulling and soothing at times; and haunting at others.
to put it simply, it is a simple story of a great love shared between two great souls, against a backdrop of warfare, lust, treachery and gore.
It does get a bit of drag towards the middle, but its worth the effort to get to the end. I am no historian and hence, am not sure of the historical accuracy of the end; but it was a beautiful example of the symbiotic quality of love. One cannot thrive without mirroring the same intensity in the other.
to put it simply, it is a simple story of a great love shared between two great souls, against a backdrop of warfare, lust, treachery and gore.
It does get a bit of drag towards the middle, but its worth the effort to get to the end. I am no historian and hence, am not sure of the historical accuracy of the end; but it was a beautiful example of the symbiotic quality of love. One cannot thrive without mirroring the same intensity in the other.
June 26, 2016
Occasionally entrancingly poetic, it nevertheless frustrated me with its (perhaps overdone) other-worldliness. I yearned for a more earthy description of Alexander's campaigns rather than his spiritual aspirations as an assumed god. I found it initially captivating to be borne away by tales of fantasy, but they became too frequent, too exaggerated and smothered the story.
In spite of saturating the book with the (mystical) love of the main characters, I still didn't think it much of a love story. Just as in her excellent book The Empress, Sa tells the tale through the first person; but it is often difficult to understand who that person is.
Disappointing, really.
In spite of saturating the book with the (mystical) love of the main characters, I still didn't think it much of a love story. Just as in her excellent book The Empress, Sa tells the tale through the first person; but it is often difficult to understand who that person is.
Disappointing, really.
August 23, 2008
I tried to like this one, I really did - but...ugh. In all fairness to the book, it isn't a genre I usually gravitate towards. I think it's entirely possible that the author's use of flowery, overdone prose is an accurate reflection of the way these characters would have spoken in that time period, but it was nauseating almost to the point of intolerability to me. On top of that, I found the plot to be sincerely lacking. I had a hard time staying awake when reading this, even after a good previous night's sleep and a giant diet coke.
October 16, 2012
This historical roman gives an idea of how Alexander the Great came to be so great and complex. being a pretty boy in those days was not easy. Homophobia was the norm..The author needs all her romantic -styletalent to soften the horrible upbringing of Alexander and explain why he waged war all the time. The meeting with the "Amazon Queen", who leads an all-girl anti-man war-waging tribe , but has a "poetic life " on the side, is a bit too romantic and unbelievable. She and Alexander fall in love and fight wars side by side.... . hmmmm ....interesting how the story ends....
August 26, 2014
Beautifully poetic, but poorly put together. The authors poetic licenses take a rather disturbing turn, *spoilers* when Alexander (who many Historians agree to be a lover of a ethical nature) has relations with BOTH his parents (his mother it is questionable, but she asks for him to conceive a child), and rapes a boy... and this all has little to no development as to why. Very disappointed, was hoping for a historical fiction based on interesting and complex figures of the ancient era. Not, god-like voids with unreadable motivation.
January 24, 2013
I picked this up as I always enjoy historical novels. However, I found this book difficult to get into. The style of writing was in places beautiful, but I found the characters lacked depth, detail and insight.
Overall I felt that an amazing story was not told as fully and as well as it could have been. It was pretty writing, but not enough to hold my attention to read another of this author's works.
Overall I felt that an amazing story was not told as fully and as well as it could have been. It was pretty writing, but not enough to hold my attention to read another of this author's works.
May 11, 2010
this book was very different from what i thought it might be. It's poetic beat flowed like a lyrical ballad... but i found it to drag on at times and repeat itself a lot. Though there were times i really enjoyed this book there were also moments i did not.
February 2, 2011
who is to say what is the real story now that time has passed? if you think that this book is more like reading Homer you will love it more than I did, but you will not be disappointed with the way this woman writes. she is a genius
December 27, 2015
I really liked the prose and the story to start out with but after a while it seemed almost too poetic and I found myself getting confused at some points where more straight forward language would have helped. In the end I didn't end up finishing this book.
January 3, 2009
Nice fantasy with very honest portrayal of what Greek culture was probably like with regards to homosexuality and the role of women in society/culture.
March 10, 2011
Not what I really expected ;(
February 29, 2012
1.) Whether or not the lyrical prose was intended to hinder any ability to empathize with the characters, that is the effect it had.
2.) Alexander's childhood was full of nastiness.
2.) Alexander's childhood was full of nastiness.
June 22, 2012
A quick read, engrossing and vivid.
July 23, 2012
This book has some beautiful moments but overall it leaves a very strange impression. The ending, while dramatic, was bizarre to me and held no historicity of the characters.
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