the book "Empire of Ashes"

[canto]

I was wondering if anyone here has read Nicholas Nicastro's book?It implys that Stateira is raped by Alexander and that Arridaeus, his half-brother was the secret weapon of the Macedonians and brought about a lot of Alexander's success. It has a lot of other things in it I have never heard before.lightofdawn

[ruthaki]

Sounds like a load of fantasy.

[marcus]

Certainly it sounds ... er ... interesting. Still, I read worse things.But I am intrigued about this 'secret weapon' business of Arrhidaeus. Can you explain more?CheersMarcus

[amyntoros]

This book is fiction, incase anyone didn't know. Even though I enjoy a good historical novel, I haven't bought this book because I read the reviews - check them out on Amazon. According to Nicastro, not only is Arridaeus the secret genius behind *all* Alexander's successes in battle, but Alexander was physically ugly! A little too far-fected for my taste (an understatement again). And here's our own Ruthie, currently concerned about getting all the historical facts correct for her novel! :-)Best regards,Amyntoros

[canto]

This is from the book concerning the battle of Granicus and Arridaeus:"Marching with the Hypaspists, I reached the enemy camp in time to see Alexander sitting on the ground, being ministered to by a doctor after he was struck n the helmet with an axe.""Someone very much like him, with the same build, same stature, and virtually the same voice, was still directly the attack n the Persian camp.""he wore far more armor than the King, including a muscle cuirass and greaves. coming closer, I could see that he wore a lot of armor, but nothing else - no cloak, no tunic, no groin-flaps. His ass was bare for the world to see!"Can you imagine people thinking this was Alexander with his rear end hanging out. Like he would do this kind of thing.The book makes him sound horrible.It starts out with some guy digging around in his bune hole to pull out a coin he had hidden up there.I thought at the time what a nice beginning.I can't finish the book.I don't understand why anyone would write history in this way. I know its fiction but I thought to some degree it would be in line with the facts.And it not only makes Alexander sound unattractive but even oily-haired. It makes it sound like he had a problem keeping his hair clean.lightofdawn

[marcus]

Well, it does sound as if it's a load of rubbish, and possibly best confined to the rubbish bin.Somebody probably thought it was a good idea - maybe even funny. It seems they might have been very wrong.ATBMarcus

[jay]

How does a piece of crap like this get published? Just who did the author sleep with to get a book deal?I have a friend in Alberta who has written a series of Alexander books. I've read them, they're good, but no publisher (so far) is willing to put them into print. They may never see the light of day, but there sure is a lot of garbage Alexander fiction out there. Such a shame.Jay

[pam]

I guess it got published for the same reasons the National Enquirer and Star (rag sheets here in the US) keep selling at the supermarket check out lines.I must say, I was a bit angry when I first started reading the posts about this book but when I got toward the end I found myself laughing! That's probably the best way to deal with this rubbish.Pam (who is also Pamm - just different computer)

[geo909]

I guess one of the bad things about publishing a book about a beloved character like Alexander is that some people will get upset with you. Having discovered this thread by accident, I have a few responses to make:1. No, I did not sleep with anyone to get a book deal.2. No, the book is not available at supermarket checkout lines.3. No, the book does not say that ALL of Alexander's success was due to Arridaeus, or that he was physically ugly. This is a gross oversimplification by folks who probably did not read the entire book.4. The notion that Alexander or someone in his circle got Stateira with child comes from Plutarch--I didn't make that up. My guess is that the person who questioned this doesn't know very much about the Alexander literature.5. Yes, I do urge you all to read the reviews on Amazon, as well as on my website, Nicastrobooks.com, before you decide to read the book. I think you'll find the reviews (and the book) quite thoughtful, and more interesting than this thread makes it seem.6. No, don't read the book if you want the same old same old about Alexander, who was good at everything, noble of spirit and character, invincible and unflinchingly brave, and never needed any help in winning his battles. Beware--I portray Alexander as a human being.Keep reading,
Nick Nicastro