Ghost On The Throne: The Death Of Alexander The Great And The War For Crown And Empire (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
When reading a book on true history, I find that the notes sections are often what makes the overall quality of the work shine through. If I feel compelled to read through the notes, this tells me a few important things. It usually means that the work is well researched, and allows the notes to present a clear basis for the author's statements, as well as alternative interpretations of the evidence. Well written notes give enough context that I don't feel the need to annoyingly flip back and forth between sections. Most importantly, if I'm spending time reading through the notes, it means I didn't want the story to end.The best non-fiction works have a strong narrative without sacrificing academic rigour. My favourite work of this kind, Batavia's Graveyard, by Mike Dash, is an excellent example of a book I did not want to put down, even while reading the notes. Ghost on the Throne, by James Romm, also passes this test and is easily the best non-fiction book I've read this year. This is the story of how Alexander the Great's followers tore up his empire through greed, treachery and old hatreds. If the invokes Game of Thrones, that's no accident. This is how a Game of Thrones plays out in real life. While not mentioned by George R. R. Martin as an inspiration for his Song of Ice and Fire, the parallels are striking. Devastating betrayals, epic battles, brutal child killings, incest. There is even a compelling underdog who plays the game brilliantly but by accident of birth never gets the respect or chance he deserves.Romm's prose is excellent, and he does well to keep the reader firmly aware of time and place, an especially tricky job given how complex the interactions are. While some knowledge of ancient history would be helpful, I never got the sense that this story would go over the head of most readers. The narrative is very tightly written, and plays out like a political thriller mixed with Greek tragedy, a genuine page turner.There are some odd idiosyncrasies in the text, such as constantly adding epithets such as "old man" and "little" when describing a couple of characters. As far as I can tell, these have no historical basis and may simply be to reinforce the uniqueness of a couple of key characters in the reader's mind amid a whole flood of ancient Greek names. Also, there is the amusing use of the word "twit".The story is bookended by sections detailing the discovery in Macedonia of the tombs of Alexander the Great's regal relations, which serve well to give the story its beginning and ending, but is also a conceit that becomes limiting. By tying the story so tightly to the royal family, Romm concludes his work only halfway through a civil war that would play out for another couple of decades and only brushes on it in the Epilogue. A more extensive discussion of the continuing civil war and how it finally concluded would have been good. Perhaps a sequel would be in order (yes please!)This is an excellent book, and would be a great way to introduce people to historical writing, but anyone who enjoys epic tales will love this as well. Alexander the Great was among the greatest (and/or most ruthless depending who you ask) leaders the world has ever known. However, succession planning wasn't his strong suit. When he died suddenly (perhaps from being poisoned), his empire blew apart in spectacular fashion. "Ghost on the Throne" recounts the wars and intrigue amongst those who fought to control the empire. One of the flashpoints Alexander left behind was his attempt to create a multinational empire through his melding of Greek/Macedonian culture with Asian culture. While Alexander's force of will made such an arrangement work, many of his successors despised this cultural melding. Romm does an excellent job giving the reader an understanding of the world that Alexander left behind. Alexander's empire was vast and complex, so there's a lot to cover. The narrative flows very well, but it's also quite confusing at times. With so many characters, it's hard to keep track. Comprehension is also complicated by the alliances that seem to shift every other page. However, Romm does about as good a job explaining the history as can be expected, so this is a good book for anyone with at least passing interest in the subject.
What do You think about Ghost On The Throne: The Death Of Alexander The Great And The War For Crown And Empire (2011)?
Good info on Alexander and the power struggle that took place int he vacuum he left behind.
—ash
Post Alexander; makes a complex story interesting easy enough to follow.
—TokiTori
Loved it, couldn't put it down...highly recommended! Seriously.
—Chris
You'll just have to read Library Journal to find out.
—Hey
