Alexander the Great
His Life and His Mysterious Death
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Alexander the Great
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Narrated by:
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John Lee
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By:
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Anthony Everitt
About this listen
What can we learn from the stunning rise and mysterious death of the ancient world’s greatest conqueror? An acclaimed biographer reconstructs the life of Alexander the Great in this magisterial revisionist portrait.
“[An] infectious sense of narrative momentum.... Its energy is unflagging, including the verve with which it tackles that teased final mystery about the specific cause of Alexander’s death.” (The Christian Science Monitor)
More than two millennia have passed since Alexander the Great built an empire that stretched to every corner of the ancient world, from the backwater kingdom of Macedonia to the Hellenic world, Persia, and ultimately to India - all before his untimely death at age 33. Alexander believed that his empire would stop only when he reached the Pacific Ocean. But stories of both real and legendary events from his life have kept him evergreen in our imaginations with a legacy that has meant something different to every era: In the Middle Ages he became an exemplar of knightly chivalry, he was a star of Renaissance paintings, and by the early 20th century he'd even come to resemble an English gentleman. But who was he in his own time?
In Alexander the Great, Anthony Everitt judges Alexander’s life against the criteria of his own age and considers all his contradictions. We meet the Macedonian prince who was naturally inquisitive and fascinated by science and exploration, as well as the man who enjoyed the arts and used Homer’s great epic, the Iliad, as a bible. As his empire grew, Alexander exhibited respect for the traditions of his new subjects and careful judgment in administering rule over his vast territory. But his career also had a dark side. An inveterate conqueror who in his short life built the largest empire up to that point in history, Alexander glorified war and was known to commit acts of remarkable cruelty.
As debate continues about the meaning of his life, Alexander's death remains a mystery. Did he die of natural causes - felled by a fever - or did his marshals, angered by his tyrannical behavior, kill him? An explanation of his death can lie only in what we know of his life, and Everitt ventures to solve that puzzle, offering an ending to Alexander’s story that has eluded so many for so long.
©2019 Anthony Everitt (P)2019 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"Reads as easily as a novel.... [Anthony] Everitt has a wealth of anecdotes and two millennia of histories to work with, and he delivers and interprets them flawlessly. Nearly unparalleled insight into the period and the man make this a story for everyone." (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)
“Everitt, an expert storyteller, has written a riveting narrative that restores Alexander to his own context - and takes a whack at solving the remaining mysteries.... Along the way, he takes us on a spirited passage through the ancient world, from the Balkans to South Asia.” (BookPage)
"Ancient history expert Everitt attacks the young Macedonian king’s astonishing conquests on three continents - Africa, Asia, and Europe - with relish.... This detailed account of the intriguing ancient military genius will fascinate military history readers eager to learn more about Alexander’s motivation and the lifelong fearlessness that propelled him to near-mythic status." (Publishers Weekly)
What listeners say about Alexander the Great
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- ReeceThornley
- 21-05-23
Great overview of his life. I'd recommend it
Great overview. I did find it a little underwhelming because so much happened and it all came to nothing in the end.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-07-20
very good
Surprised expected to be a heavy listen . Very good narrator interesting and informative .
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jonny Chapelow
- 14-05-21
Epics of Alexander
Over the last few months I have taken my spare time to learn about Alexander the Great. I read Arrian, Robin Lane Fox's book on Alexander, listened to podcasts, watched documentaries, and even watched the highly criticised Oliver Stone movie. I have to say Anthony Everitts Audible has been very captivating and taught me a lot on the life of Alexander. The narrator has done a great job and I never felt once that his voice was boring or disinteresting. If you're looking for an audible to understand more about Alexander, his life, his army, and his journeys - then I can't recommend anywhere else to start other than here, of course followed up by Arrian!
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- edward sidsaph
- 10-09-19
A good listen
A very easy to listen to audio book.John does a solid and entertaining job.Alexander dead for well over 2000 years is still very much in the West's psyche and long may it continue.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Matt
- 06-08-20
Excellent account
Saw some mixed reviews so was in two minds whether to get this or not, very glad I did. Easy to follow and informative, also the narrator does a very good job.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- @ZennyReadsAlot
- 01-04-22
Brutal, cunning and a page turner
Alexander the Great by Anthony Everitt. This #book uncovers the history of a fearless warrior who was as brutal as he was brave.
The story was engaging & gripping right through to his end... by poisoning? The truth is still unknown. 📚 5/5🌟 #BookReview
#BookRecommendation
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Lee Barber
- 16-06-24
What’s a life?
Great book I really interesting look into Alexander the Great
Alexander the great was born in 356 B.C. and succeeded his father, King Philip II of Macedon, when he was 20. In the ensuing decade, he steadily demonstrated the strategic and tactical genius that allowed him to conquer a large swath of his world, leading his hardened Macedonian troops to victory after victory against the sprawling Persian Empire of King Darius III, eventually invading India in 326 B.C. By the time Alexander died in Babylon in 323 B.C., he’d already generated many chronicles and many legends. His early life had was hedonistic (anything with a pulse was game but not official) married three times and later asexual, focusing on his military conquests and victories, eventually contracting malaria and typhoid fever leading to his death
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 10-10-21
Great book, beautifully narrated.
I'm quite fussy when it comes to history books and narrators. This one ticked both boxes for me. I didn't know much about Alexander before listening but was more acquainted with events proceeding his death. I learnt a lot of things that surprised me as well as fascinated me as a result of this audiobook. I highly recommend this for anyone with an interest in Alexander's life and the events surrounding it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Adonis Michael
- 29-07-22
Awesome !
The best book on Alexander The Great! The only bad point was that it had to end
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Ralphie
- 28-07-23
So much murder and mayhem
Interesting stuff but at times there was so much murder, mayhem and bloody battles it was hard too keep up.
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