RECENSIONE IN ITALIANO: QUI.

Hello everyone I’m Elena and thank you for being once again on Alessandro III di Macedonia- Alexander the Great & Hellenism. In this period I can’t read much but today I’m telling you about a little book that came out a few days ago that I’ve already read:

Alexander: The Rise and Fall of an Empire

by Lazaros Georgoulas (Lazaros’ Blank Books)

Independently Published, 2023

ISBN: 979-8373899901, 75 pp.

Alexander the Great is one of the most legendary figures in history, his military campaigns expanded the boundaries of the known world, and his leadership and tactical skills are still studied and admired today. This book is a quick but comprehensive look at the life and accomplishments of Alexander, from his childhood and education to his rise to power, conquests, and ultimately his death. This book explores Alexander’s personal life and relationships, his military strategies and campaigns, and his impact on the world and history. It also delves into the man behind the legend, examining his character, leadership style, and the factors that contributed to his success. Filled with the author’s own research and analysis, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the life and legacy of Alexander the Great. It is suitable for history buffs, students, and anyone who is fascinated by one of the most influential figures in history.

Reading time: January 18, 2023.

This book doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of who Alexander the Great was and what he did. I can’t recommend it because although it’s cheap and quick to read, it contains several errors but not only and if you’re looking for savings, read Wikipedia’s page that’s done better.

This book is meant to be a basic informative biography but the problem is, it’s badly done. The author writes 74 pages divided into 18 parts plus Introduction and Epilogue, but as soon as I open the book I immediately notice that the numbers page are missing (but in this case it’s really the lesser evil) and is written using a font that isn’t very suitable for reading but fills well and quickly the pages because it is quite large and wide.

The author oversimplifies the facts and narrates them in such a trivial way that it isn’t clear how from one thing to another. The chapters are also very similar to each other, they all start and end with the same sentences adapted from time to time and are repetitive as well as being in contradiction with each other because they aren’t explained and contextualized in the slightest. There are several errors and I will quote just two: it says that Alexander was an only child on his mother’s side and he killed Arrhidaeus soon as he ascended the throne to avoid dynastic claims; some errors are due to oversimplifications (since Cleopatra doesn’t exist, the author cannot say that Philip was killed at her wedding).

It continues to say that Alexander was a “powerful and capable leader” but there is nothing that explains why statements like this. There is no battle strategy, no battle descriptions to show military genius, no mention of the speeches he made to the army. Some small chapters are done very badly, such as 10 on the fall of the Persian empire which mixes up the death of Alexander, then the Seleucid empire and finally the conquest of the Romans, or 15 on Personal Relationships because it isn’t clear where some people come from.

Many facts and events, not to mention the characters, are totally missing, the more “obscure” facts about Alexander or the plots are not explained; from the mention of the mutiny on the banks of the Hydaspes it directly passes to his death. Not even a single source is mentioned, there are no bibliographic references and therefore there is a lack of ideas for possibly deepening the story. I think it’s important to mention the sources even in basic books like this one because isn’t writing a great scholar but an ordinary person like me too and for this there is a need for authority and a foundation for what is written.

It’s very important to me that the small price doesn’t justify that is badly written and above all that it contains wrong information because it will also be cheap but is useless to give basic knowledge, but rather it becomes a reading to be avoided. If the author wants to give essential information, that’s fine, but they must at least be correct. For all these reasons I don’t recommend it, in any case, not even to let your children or teenagers read it because although it can be read in half an hour is a useless read. In cases like this I’m happy to play as a guinea pig for you who follow me if you trust my opinion because I’m still curious to read everything I can about Alexander, but some books can be avoided without scruples.

Have a good day everyone,