Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) became king of Macedonia at the age of nineteen. He fought his greatest battles and conquered the powerful Persian Empire before he turned twenty-five. He died at the age of thirty-three, never having been defeated. His reputation as an exceptional warrior and leader is unmatched in historical chronicles.
In this book, Alexander himself, in an effort to find “someone who can listen without judging and who keeps his mouth shut,” tells his story: “I have always been a soldier. I have known no other life. From a young age, I responded to the call of arms. I desired nothing else...” So this is the beginning. Just the beginning...
The portrait of the greatest military commander of all time, a man capable of the greatest achievements and the greatest mistakes, forms before the reader's eyes illuminated by a new light. The virtues of war combine the confessional tone of a personal diary with the terse writing of military communiqués.
Steven Pressfield uniquely brings to life a legendary hero who could be bold and sensitive, passionate and devoted, yet simultaneously callous and unpredictable. Furthermore, by masterfully describing the conflicts and revealing the tactics of the opponents, he revives the bloody atmosphere of the battlefields, vividly presenting a heroic yet savage era before our eyes.
[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]
