[C0O]⋙ PDF Gratis Alexander The Ends of the Earth A Novel Valerio Massimo Manfredi 9780743434386 Books

Alexander The Ends of the Earth A Novel Valerio Massimo Manfredi 9780743434386 Books

Download As PDF : Alexander The Ends of the Earth A Novel Valerio Massimo Manfredi 9780743434386 Books

Alexander The Ends of the Earth A Novel Valerio Massimo Manfredi 9780743434386 Books

Starting off just as Alexander has left the Oracle at Siwa, it's amazing to see how expertly Manfredi chronicles the events from the Battle of Gaugamela to Alexander's death in less than 450 pages.

As is typical of him, his writing style is stupendous, fluid, and with its own balanced mix of lush literate prose and straight-forward technical description.

The writing and the way the events unfold is so rich and compelling that by the time of Cleitus's death in Bactria, you feel the strain of the men as they have been on the march endlessly for years, the grueling pace they move at, and the bleak, deserted environment of the hilly areas where they hunt down Darius's murderers in essentially a guerrilla-type warfare. Looking back only two hundred pages, you're shocked to see that the Battle of Gaugamela was so close by, and yet it feels entire novels away.

The fast pace moving from rich Persia to desolate Sogdia, Arachosia, Bactria, to wet and hellish India, to the blazing hot Gedrosian desert never seems to move too fast, though Steven Pressfield's "The Afghan Campaign" spends an entire novel on just the three years Alexander spent wandering around Sogdia, Bactria, etc (modern day Afghanistan).

Manfredi's handling of such thing as Peritas' death, Bucephalus's death, and Alexander's life-threatening injuries is so tender and yet brutal as to make you feel the same emotional impact, if a bit less.

The army's hatred of Alexander over his adopting Persian customs and favoring Persian subjects is one that feels so real that you find yourself hoping that Alexander doesn't do something stupid to garner the hatred of his men.

The whole atmosphere and aura of this book is so radically different from the previous two as to feel like entirely separate novels of different time periods between them. Book 1 being the childhood of Alexander and the Hellenic wars with Thebes and Athens and such, Book 2 being the harsh wars in Asia Minor and the struggle with Memnon of Rhodes and all the way up to the Battle of Issus and the Oracle at Siwa, Book 3 being a new sort of hell in a totally new sort of war bearing little to no resemblence to that you've just read about.

Manfredi's handling of Alexander's death and Ptolemy's afterword to his dead friend is so magically handled that tears come to your eyes reading them.

My only complaint with this novel as with the previous two is that so much emphasis is placed upon the active will and participation of the supernatural, the Gods, seers, magicians, prophets and prophecies etc, as to leave absolutely no ambiguity to the will of the Gods, much less their existence. As soon as Aristander the Seer comes to Alexander warning him of something or advising him on something, it comes to pass almost exactly or Alexander is saved solely because of his heeding to these prophecies.

Amazing book. Buy now


Tags : Alexander: The Ends of the Earth: A Novel [Valerio Massimo Manfredi] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. All his life, Alexander defied the limits the gods gave mortals. That passion overwhelmed cities and armies...and united a vast empire. Alexander was no longer simply King of Macedonia: The Pan-Hellenic League had named him Supreme Leader. Egypt crowned him Pharaoh. And all Persia acknowledged him as Great King. He was a true heir to Achilles and Hercules,Valerio Massimo Manfredi,Alexander: The Ends of the Earth: A Novel,Washington Square Press,0743434382,9780743434386,FICTION General,FICTION Historical General,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction Historical,Fiction-Coming of Age,Fiction-Historical,GENERAL,General Adult,Greece,Historical - General,Historical fiction,Modern fiction,United States,Western Europe,FIC014000

Alexander The Ends of the Earth A Novel Valerio Massimo Manfredi 9780743434386 Books Reviews

The author brings to life in a very vivid way Alexanders character both good and bad as well as the adventure, atmosphere and hardship endured by him and his Army as they march across unknown territory to carve out an enormous yet temporary empire. This book more than the others brings to life the achievement but also the fact that the realization of his dream was only transitory. He did not live long enough to cement his acts which were quickly swept away by other equally ambitious individuals but that does not tarnish his achievements.
The title of this review should tell you all you need to know. Either you love or hate Manfredi.
Excellent series of BOOKS!!!!! Manfredi is the MAN!!!!
Only he can truly portray the GREEK days with such detail. OUTSTANDING!!!
I think you learn more about Manfredi in this trilogy then you do of Alexander. He takes a lot of liberties, skips over some of the things we do know about Alexander (so little is known and it feels wrong to skip over what little we do know) and embroiders heavily. If you keep that in mind, the books are a good read. However, if you depend on them to give you a true idea of who Alexander was, how he lived, what he did--even to get an idea of the extend of conquest that Alexander did--you will be seriously misguided by this series. Alexander's relationship with Hespastian was pivotal to his life yet Manfredi hardly touches on it. Alexander's relationship with Bagoas was an important aspect of those times yet Bagoas is hardly even mentioned. Most of Alexander's marriages to women were basically political connections yet Manfredi expands on them (to a degree that rings false if applied to Alexander; perhaps if Manfredi had been Alexander, it may have been that way). The marches Alexander lead his army on through the Hindu Kush, through the desert, through hell basically, was not communicated well in the book; they're made to sound like strained hikes. I think Manfredi missed completely what drove the men to follow Alexander through thick and thin, how the men loved Alexander and for most of those years did everything for him. And I especially detested the ending of this book. Yes, Alexander sickened and died not in battle but was brought down by [disease? poison? multiple physical strains?]--and immediately after his death all that Alexander (and the army) had done, all that had been worked for was all undone by his generals all wanting to be king but none of them up to snuff. If you read this trilogy, just keep in mind that most of the fleshing out is pure Manfredi imagination; don't automatically accept that Alexander felt or said or thought this way. I think Alexander had bigger, deeper, more majestic views of everything that Manfredi can't even begin to guess at.
Should have been expanded to 4 volumes to include more of the Indian Odessesy and return.
In accordance with the other Manfredi reviews of the Alexander books, this one is up to par. I found the series intriguing, and couldn't put the books down until I finished. This final one, makes you want more - tell me more about him, his life, his military genius- I am left with a longing.... Fabulous book.
Starting off just as Alexander has left the Oracle at Siwa, it's amazing to see how expertly Manfredi chronicles the events from the Battle of Gaugamela to Alexander's death in less than 450 pages.

As is typical of him, his writing style is stupendous, fluid, and with its own balanced mix of lush literate prose and straight-forward technical description.

The writing and the way the events unfold is so rich and compelling that by the time of Cleitus's death in Bactria, you feel the strain of the men as they have been on the march endlessly for years, the grueling pace they move at, and the bleak, deserted environment of the hilly areas where they hunt down Darius's murderers in essentially a guerrilla-type warfare. Looking back only two hundred pages, you're shocked to see that the Battle of Gaugamela was so close by, and yet it feels entire novels away.

The fast pace moving from rich Persia to desolate Sogdia, Arachosia, Bactria, to wet and hellish India, to the blazing hot Gedrosian desert never seems to move too fast, though Steven Pressfield's "The Afghan Campaign" spends an entire novel on just the three years Alexander spent wandering around Sogdia, Bactria, etc (modern day Afghanistan).

Manfredi's handling of such thing as Peritas' death, Bucephalus's death, and Alexander's life-threatening injuries is so tender and yet brutal as to make you feel the same emotional impact, if a bit less.

The army's hatred of Alexander over his adopting Persian customs and favoring Persian subjects is one that feels so real that you find yourself hoping that Alexander doesn't do something stupid to garner the hatred of his men.

The whole atmosphere and aura of this book is so radically different from the previous two as to feel like entirely separate novels of different time periods between them. Book 1 being the childhood of Alexander and the Hellenic wars with Thebes and Athens and such, Book 2 being the harsh wars in Asia Minor and the struggle with Memnon of Rhodes and all the way up to the Battle of Issus and the Oracle at Siwa, Book 3 being a new sort of hell in a totally new sort of war bearing little to no resemblence to that you've just read about.

Manfredi's handling of Alexander's death and Ptolemy's afterword to his dead friend is so magically handled that tears come to your eyes reading them.

My only complaint with this novel as with the previous two is that so much emphasis is placed upon the active will and participation of the supernatural, the Gods, seers, magicians, prophets and prophecies etc, as to leave absolutely no ambiguity to the will of the Gods, much less their existence. As soon as Aristander the Seer comes to Alexander warning him of something or advising him on something, it comes to pass almost exactly or Alexander is saved solely because of his heeding to these prophecies.

Amazing book. Buy now