Immortal Alexandros: An Epic Novel of the Decline and Death of Alexander the Great
Author Geiger’s research is evident in this huge, broad-canvas novel (fourth in a series) that propels the reader across Asia, through Persia, Bactria, India, and back, as Alexandros of Macedon pursues his dream of conquering the known world. Leading his enormous array of troops, Alexandros inventively meets the massive challenges of crossing a vast region with dwindling supplies, enemy attacks, and treacherous officials. His amazing feats in crossing peaks, formulating battle plans, weathering storms, and fording violent rivers are convincingly depicted. Geiger quickly pulls the reader into the narrative with his brisk pace, colorful landscapes, rousing battles, and the cultural details of each land Alexandros conquers.
Alexandros is vividly portrayed as a human, multifaceted character with all his admirable qualities and his flaws: he’s courageous, obsessive, capricious, cruel, kind, moody, determined, gregarious, introspective, and prideful. He seeks glory, and he attracts those in his orbit as moths to a flame, uses them at will, and discards them when no longer valuable.
Geiger juggles a huge supporting cast: Hephaistion, Krateros, Barsine, Koinos, Ptolemaios, Philotas, Roxane—so many that I appreciated the character list—and brings them to life. I found his use of less-familiar spellings of names and modern (sometimes even campy) sounding dialogue somewhat distracting, and I wish maps had been included within the book, instead of on a website. The time slip conceit, while providing a different way to view events, didn’t seem very important, except that whenever Ptolemaios mused about the Prime Directive, I found myself completely jarred out the story. Near the end, Hephaistion’s death and later events at Babylon felt rushed. Overall, though, it’s an entertaining and compelling read that can stand on its own.
