Product Description

A brilliant yet ruthless savage conqueror and poet exhilarated by the world's wonders, Alexander first meets Alestria on the battlefield—shocked to discover his adversary is female and mesmerized by her fierce, dazzling loveliness. At last, the legendary king has found his equal in this indomitable Amazon queen who has been taught since childhood to abhor men and repel all invaders. Alestria, in turn, cannot resist Alexander's strength and beauty, and they unite in deeply passionate, intensely problematic love—pursuing a remarkable destiny against a vast backdrop of warfare and political turmoil that stretches from Greece to Egypt, and across Persia, deep into the mysterious kingdoms of India.

Acclaimed author Shan Sa brings Alexander the Great to richly imagined new life, entwining his historical legacy with a fantastic love affair set in a time of war between Western and Eastern civilizations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1550598 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09-01
• Released on: 2009-09-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780061543555
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
An epic fictional romance between Alexander the Great and an Amazon queen drives the latest from Shan Sa (Empress). As a boy, Sa's Alexander is abused by his father, King Philip of Macedonia. Alexander grows into a cruel and narcissistic youth with an unquenchable thirst for revenge. His political ambitions blossom under the tutelage of Aristotle, and after his father's assassination, Alexander sets off to conquer Greece, Persia and Egypt. When he meets Alestria, the young queen of the Amazons (a mythical tribe of nomadic, male-spurning female warriors from the eastern steppes), he has perhaps met his match in love and war. Told in the extravagant voices of Alexander and Alestria, and of Alestria's protector and confidante, Ania, there's little subtlety in this sweeping, heroic romance. But strewn amid the pageantry and clamor are fascinating details about Alexander's world and about the legendary Amazons, who, if they existed at all, might have been his contemporaries—and equals. (July)
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From Booklist
Sa, author of Empress (2006), takes a huge historical leap in this entertaining fictional biography of Alexander the Great. Alexander falls for a mighty Amazon queen—after they battle fiercely—inciting the wrath of Bogoas, his male lover, and the disbelief of Ania, Queen Alestria’s devoted servant. After they marry, Alestria conceives a child despite the machinations of Ania. Pregnancy, however, changes everything for the once fearless and indomitable female warrior. When the call of another battle challenges their new role as lovers rather than fighters, Alexander and Alestria must make compelling decisions that will irrevocably alter their futures. Romance, action, and intrigue combine to set the stage for a page-turning romp through alternate history. --Margaret Flanagan

Review
"A beautifully written period piece with interesting psychological insights into the character of a world conqueror who built his life on revenge. Shan Sa gives a very satisfying spin to the end of Alexander & Alestria’s story, which I recommend to anyone interested in this period of history." -- Bookloons.com

"A dramatically imagined tale of a love affair between Alexander the Great and Alestria, queen of the Amazons. . . . Written with the unironic portentousness of an ancient myth, the novel nonetheless has modern and moving insights into such hot-button topics such as violence and gender." -- Washington Post

"This reimagining of the life of Alexander the Great by the author of Empress would be a good choice for book groups, contrasting well with Stephen Pressfield’s The Virtues of War. . . . She writes here as a poet, blending image, action, and character in a rhythmic stream." -- Library Journal

A sweeping, heroic romance. . . . Fascinating details about Alexander’s world and about the legendary Amazons, who, if they existed at all, might have been his contemporaries -- and equals. -- Publishers Weekly

Sa, author of Empress (2006), takes a huge historical leap in this entertaining fictional biography of Alexander the Great. . . . Romance, action, and intrigue combine to set the stage for a pageturning romp through alternate history. -- Booklist

Customer Reviews

Not up to par
First, I have to say that I loved Shan Sa's other two books, "The Girl Who Played Go" and "Empress". So, with that said, it was really disappointing that this one wasn't up to par. I actually regret buying it. I know that the hope of sex scenes can drive a reader to turn pages (a trick Ms. Sa employed quite well for "Empress"), but to only rely on that one trick for the entire first half of the book-- meaning that the only "meat" sorry to say for the first half of the book is one sexual encounter after another-- was just too low for me. Following that, the remainder of the book is washed out by grandiose talking up of oneself by not one, but three separate narrators.

I'd like to write something nicer about this book but it was honestly hard to stay interested in the thin plot line weighted down with cheap tricks. For the reader that desires more substance in their books, I heartily recommend "The Girl Who Played Go" or "Empress".

AWFUL...skip it
I received this book free from HarperCollins after becoming a friend of their MySpace page. It is awful. It took me days to get through it because I was dreading it so bad. I hate how Ms. Sa writes. It is like she is trying to write lyrically or poetically, but also stay in the story format. The chapters jump back and forth between Alexander The Great and Alestria the Amazon queen. Obviously this is a fiction book since this event never happened. I wish this book hadn't happened. It is actually one of the worst books I've spent time on in a long time. I felt no interaction with any of the characters and did not find the story realistic in any manner. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone at all.

Alexander the WHAT?
This is just a quick review, but I had to post it while it was on my mind. Anyone who has seen my library knows that I am a huge fan of Alexander the Great. I've read numerous nonfiction books about him, and anyone who knows me knows that I do not usually care for nonfiction. I also of course read any historical fiction about Alexander that I can get my hands on. So when I came across this book, I had to read it!

And wow was it bad. The blurb says that his father Philip of Macedon abused him. Okay I can see that, but in this book, Philip wants to have sex with him. Weird. But even if you can swallow that (many books portray Philip as having sex with anything that moves), the main problem is Alexander himself. The author describes Alexander as wanting to be a girl.... Dresses, makeup, the works.

Alexander is a huge wimp. And it goes on and on and on. Frankly I couldn't finish this. I just could not get into it. This was the man that conquered most of the known world? I don't think so. If you're a fan of Alexander the Great, I would definitely not recommend this.

But maybe it's just me! I have a crush on Alexander, that' s obvious. So those of you who don't, maybe you'll be able to get into the girly-Alexander. If so, check out Shan Sa's novel.