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-Spoiler Warning-
This is one of those easy reads, so easy to read in fact, that it tends not to linger very long in the mind after finishing the last page.
The historical component of the book is actually pretty decent. The author did his research and it shows, but he also doesn't overload the reader with details to demonstrate his encyclopedic knowledge of all things Macedonian. That's refreshing.
However, he tones down the homoerotic relationship between Hephaestian and Alexander. They seem more like Super Good Innuendo Friends with a bit of touching (done tastefully behind the scenes of course). The problem with this is that it doesn't illustrate the kind of relationship that would cause Alexander to go absolutely mad with grief when Hephaestian died later on. The author doesn't really manage to sell us this.
Likewise, Alexander's own personality doesn't really come through. He was clearly a very driven, passionate, and volatile person, but aside from the occasional tantrum in this book we don't see much of it. (Maybe we'll get to more of that in the next volume.)
So- decent historical read, just not particularly memorable.
PS: I thought the author was at his best during a certain assassination scene. Well-written and perhaps the one truly striking bit in the book.
