Alexander the Great: His Life and His Mysterious Death

Anthony Everitt begins and ends his book with the mysteries surrounding the death of Alexander the Great and the myths that developed in the wake of his remarkable conquests. An accomplished historian and writer, Everitt effortlessly transports us through history, setting the stage of Macedonia aspirations and Greek culture of the fourth century B.C. when Alexander’s father, Phillip, shifted the balance of power and then handed it off to his son.

Of the hundreds of books in print about Alexander the Great, this is by far my favorite. In addition to Everitt’s captivating writing, he accompanies the text with excellent maps, a time line, and glossary, and he salts his prose with quotes from ancient sources. Often times the author offers precious detail to bring life to old stories, such as Alexander cutting through Gordian’s knot or the personal history of Alexander’s ferocious mother, Olympias.

Ultimately, Everitt seeks to dispel many of the myths surrounding Alexander the Great, particularly the later fables that arose a few centuries after his mysterious death. The author’s careful dissection of ancient sources logically leads to the unraveling of some of these dark mysteries.