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Alexander: God, King, Man
A stunningly written new biography of Alexander the Great, based on a series of important new discoveries and the author's own translations of source material from twelve ancient languages.
In 336 BCE, at the age of twenty, Alexander, a wide-eyed boy from the hills of Macedon, inherited a tumbledown kingdom, a pile of debts and an army which answered to nobody. Desperate to hold on to power, he led the army east, into the heart of the vast Persian Empire, and inadvertently began the greatest military campaign in history. The young man became a king, the king became a hero, the hero became a living god, and the god died aged thirty-two, broken-hearted in Babylon.
For centuries, historians have told his story, yet Alexander has remained a mystery. But now, the ruins of his cities have emerged from the bottom of the sea and the dust of Central Asian hillsides. The diaries of Babylonian astronomers who knew him have been deciphered. The tombs of his ancestors have been unearthed. For the first time, instead of the legend, we can meet Alexander the man.
Based on more than a decade of cutting-edge research, Alexander allows readers to feel the desert wind and experience the full horror of battle. Richardson's research has taken him from the catacombs of Egypt to the passes of Afghanistan. Alexander is a cinematic work of non-fiction: a revelatory retelling of one of the most famous and elusive stories in history.
In 336 BCE, at the age of twenty, Alexander, a wide-eyed boy from the hills of Macedon, inherited a tumbledown kingdom, a pile of debts and an army which answered to nobody. Desperate to hold on to power, he led the army east, into the heart of the vast Persian Empire, and inadvertently began the greatest military campaign in history. The young man became a king, the king became a hero, the hero became a living god, and the god died aged thirty-two, broken-hearted in Babylon.
For centuries, historians have told his story, yet Alexander has remained a mystery. But now, the ruins of his cities have emerged from the bottom of the sea and the dust of Central Asian hillsides. The diaries of Babylonian astronomers who knew him have been deciphered. The tombs of his ancestors have been unearthed. For the first time, instead of the legend, we can meet Alexander the man.
Based on more than a decade of cutting-edge research, Alexander allows readers to feel the desert wind and experience the full horror of battle. Richardson's research has taken him from the catacombs of Egypt to the passes of Afghanistan. Alexander is a cinematic work of non-fiction: a revelatory retelling of one of the most famous and elusive stories in history.
480 pages, Paperback
Expected publication September 29, 2026
About the author
Edmund Richardson
4 books60 followersEdmund Richardson is Professor of Classics at Durham University. He was named one of the BBC New Generation Thinkers. He is the author of 'Alexandria: The Quest for the Lost City' (Bloomsbury) and 'The King's Shadow: Obsession, Betrayal, and the Deadly Quest for the Lost City of Alexandria' (2022) (St Martin's Press).
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 20, 2026
Very interesting. An easy read which covers Alexanders conquests fully without glossing over the bad bits.
Makes me wonder why Alexander, who pillaged his way across the Middle East and whose empire collapsed on his desth, is know as the Great whilst Gengis Khan, who who did the same from the other direction but left behind an Empire which survived long after he died, is known as a barbarian?
Makes me wonder why Alexander, who pillaged his way across the Middle East and whose empire collapsed on his desth, is know as the Great whilst Gengis Khan, who who did the same from the other direction but left behind an Empire which survived long after he died, is known as a barbarian?
July 7, 2026
See my review on my YouTube channel "I'll Read It...Eventually"
https://youtu.be/bYQl9UjYBzY
Overall, I am very pleased with this book.
In terms of pros:
Richardson does a good job recreating the tone and atmosphere of the ancient world. He takes ancient religion and culture seriously and on its own terms. He digs into Babylonian astronomy, Sumerian religion, Indian philosophy and more in order to help explain what Alexander’s conquests would have meant to the people in his world, and to him.
Richardson does a great job retelling the battles. If you’ve read a few Alexander biographies, the large set pieces can feel a little stale and well-trod. He punches them up with some good conjecture and color, but without turning it into a Michael Bay movie. His version of the Battle of the Hydaspes, in particular, was very good.
Richardson also sheds some light on aspects of the campaign that are not typically forefronted in other works. He gives some good space to the role of Callisthenes as a court historian, and subsequent attempts to fill that role by others. He highlights the atrocities and general lack of clarity in the Afghan campaign, as the army descended into darkness and madness. He notes the beginnings of Hellenization, especially in the meeting of Greek and Indian culture.
The book is rarely boring, even when it shifts away from Alexander and the main narrative.
In terms of cons:
It is not a particularly in-depth psychological portrait of Alexander (which is something I think the book is attempting to give). Richardson's case relies on largely unsupported assertions about what Alexander's emotional or mental state must have been, but from ancient sources that are not entirely trustworthy on the subject. He makes clear claims, but then later says that the sources themselves are so muddy that it’s largely impossible to reconstruct some facts and certainly personal motivations and views.
Some of the asides are distracting and feel a little too much like filler
He does the flash-forward/flashback trick that killed the Alexander movie from the early 2000s, but without any particular purpose. There is no special reason why he should use Alexander's emotional and mental state before Issus, rather than the moment he becomes a god in Egypt, or any other moment. The book’s weakest chapters are probably the first two, where he deploys this narrative device for no real purpose that I could see.
Overall, a very interesting and readable biography that will appeal to students of the ancient world and laypeople alike. A good introduction to the subject, but not the last word.
https://youtu.be/bYQl9UjYBzY
Overall, I am very pleased with this book.
In terms of pros:
Richardson does a good job recreating the tone and atmosphere of the ancient world. He takes ancient religion and culture seriously and on its own terms. He digs into Babylonian astronomy, Sumerian religion, Indian philosophy and more in order to help explain what Alexander’s conquests would have meant to the people in his world, and to him.
Richardson does a great job retelling the battles. If you’ve read a few Alexander biographies, the large set pieces can feel a little stale and well-trod. He punches them up with some good conjecture and color, but without turning it into a Michael Bay movie. His version of the Battle of the Hydaspes, in particular, was very good.
Richardson also sheds some light on aspects of the campaign that are not typically forefronted in other works. He gives some good space to the role of Callisthenes as a court historian, and subsequent attempts to fill that role by others. He highlights the atrocities and general lack of clarity in the Afghan campaign, as the army descended into darkness and madness. He notes the beginnings of Hellenization, especially in the meeting of Greek and Indian culture.
The book is rarely boring, even when it shifts away from Alexander and the main narrative.
In terms of cons:
It is not a particularly in-depth psychological portrait of Alexander (which is something I think the book is attempting to give). Richardson's case relies on largely unsupported assertions about what Alexander's emotional or mental state must have been, but from ancient sources that are not entirely trustworthy on the subject. He makes clear claims, but then later says that the sources themselves are so muddy that it’s largely impossible to reconstruct some facts and certainly personal motivations and views.
Some of the asides are distracting and feel a little too much like filler
He does the flash-forward/flashback trick that killed the Alexander movie from the early 2000s, but without any particular purpose. There is no special reason why he should use Alexander's emotional and mental state before Issus, rather than the moment he becomes a god in Egypt, or any other moment. The book’s weakest chapters are probably the first two, where he deploys this narrative device for no real purpose that I could see.
Overall, a very interesting and readable biography that will appeal to students of the ancient world and laypeople alike. A good introduction to the subject, but not the last word.
Did Not Finish
June 13, 2026Excellent book if you are historian and enjoy hearing about the strategy about how Alexander obtained power, sustained it, his victories in battle and his defeats and short comings. It is just not for me because I am not into that type of material so much. I did read about a fourth of it and it is good and well written, just did not match my interests enough.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A great read of Alexander, blending multiple perspectives, anecdotes, glimpses of battles, reasoning, and the aftermath of it all, in a digestible cadence never lingering on too long in one area. Highly recommend.
Review of advance copy
Excellent. A vivid and highly readable account of Alexander's life.
(I purchased the ebook several weeks ago off Kobe Books)
(I purchased the ebook several weeks ago off Kobe Books)
July 1, 2026
A lot more than history
You will also learn much about the ancient world. The poems, the thinking, the battles . Also incredible is the picture this book paints of humans.
You will also learn much about the ancient world. The poems, the thinking, the battles . Also incredible is the picture this book paints of humans.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This new biography of Alexander the Great covers how he took control of the bankrupt kingdom of Macedonia after his father's assassination, maintained that control through a series of bloody conquests over the rest of Greece, Egypt, and the Persian Empire, before concluding with his spiraling downfall in Babylon. The book incorporates new information from recent archaeological discoveries and aspires to debunk of some fictions surrounding Alexander. The prose is engaging and exciting, almost like reading an epic fantasy.
Although I think Alexander: God, King, Man is a decent presentation of Alexander’s life, particularly his military expansion, the book is mostly concerned with deconstructing and debunking the representation of Alexander within fictional works from his own time and in the centuries following his death. I think Richardson does a good job of sifting the realities from the fantasies.
Thanks to NetGalley and Saga Press for the eARC.
Although I think Alexander: God, King, Man is a decent presentation of Alexander’s life, particularly his military expansion, the book is mostly concerned with deconstructing and debunking the representation of Alexander within fictional works from his own time and in the centuries following his death. I think Richardson does a good job of sifting the realities from the fantasies.
Thanks to NetGalley and Saga Press for the eARC.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews