The Ends of the Earth (Alexander, Book 3)

by Valerio Massimo Manfredi

Book Overview

All his life, Alexander defied the limits the gods gave mortals. That passion overwhelmed cities and armies...and united a vast empire. Alexander was no longer simply King of Macedonia: The... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0330391720
• ISBN13: 9780330391726
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Pan Books
• Length: 592 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.0" x 1.5" x 4.4"

Customer Reviews

Alexander

Really enjoyed this book and the other two in the trilogy. The author brings history to life. I learnt a lot

The Last of the Trilogy

Few authors can be better equipped to write about the history of ancient Greece and Rome than Valerio Massimo Manfredi. Professor of archaeology at the university of Milan, he has carried out many excavations and expeditions in the Mediterranean region. He has produced many factual books on historical matters, mainly military and has still found the time to write several novels and this is one of the best of them. This book is the last of a triology about probably the greatest warrior and general who has ever lived, bearing in mind that Alexander died at an age when most men are only just starting to make their mark in life. Alexander is of course one of histories most colourful and well know character. Even people with little or not interest in ancient history will have heard of Alexander, a charismatic and larger than life figure. The final chapter in the life of Alexander sees his military might making their way into the heart of Asia and ever onwards towards the Indian sub continent. The Macedonian army is the mightiest force that has ever been seen and sweeps all before it. Virtually nobody and nothing can put any resistance in the way of its unrelenting advance. Alexander is not just a destroyer, he has a fine brain and has an ambitious project to unite the people of the empire. This project becomes an obsession with him and he can think of nothing else, until he meets the beauty of Queen Roxanna and this gives him the strength he needs to begin to fulfil his destiny . . . The author has produced a trilogy of books that will be read for years to come.

Alexander conquers Asia

In the last , and in my opinion , the best of Manfredi's Alexander trilogy , the author traces Alexander's quest into the heart of Asia and onto the mystery of India. As the troops of Macedon advance resistance is crushed at every turn. The beauty of Babylon is quickly ravished and the palace of Persepolis is burned to the ground. Alexander is obsessed by the goal of uniting the people of his vast Empire and after his main rival, Emperor Darius of Persia is murdered by his own men , Alexander marries his daughter Princess Stateira. As Alexander conquers the mountain kingdoms of what are now Afghanistan and Uzbekistan , he is given new strength by the captivating beauty of the beautiful mountain princess ,Queen Roxanna. Tragedy befalls Alexander at the deaths of those beloved to him towards the end of his life , and i particularly liked the verse at the end , after his death , describing his reunion with his beloved dog Peritas and his treasured horse Bucephalas

Alexander- The Ends of the Earth- The saga concludes

The third and final chapter of Manfredi's `Alexander' series concludes the epic, and is as beautifully narrated as the first to volumes. Manfredi strikes again with his colour- ful narration and painstaking research. His scholarship continues to amaze. Emperor Darius of Persia may have suffered a setback, but his armies are still huge and his resources are many. The great battle of Guagemala may have practically dethroned him, but his nobles rebel, and Alexander must face a new host of enemies. The wild plains of the Scythians and the eastern fortresses of the Persians provide new obstacles. Meanwhile discontent breeds among his armies. Even as Alexander discovers love- the love of Roxanne, a beautiful Scythian princess, his soldiers are weary, and pine for their homes and families. But Alexander is determined to reach the ends of the earth and Porus, the valiant Indian king, and the deserts near the Sea are obstacles he must conquer. This volume is different from the others. In this third part, Alexander's dark side emerges, and we begin to view him as a grey character, not the hundred percent hero he appears to be in the other volumes. This book is definitely darker than the others, but it still is a fantastic conclusion to an adventure born in the misty mountains of Macedon.

Una obra clave en cualquier biblioteca personal

Compré el primer libro de la obra sobre Alejandro Magno (el hijo del sueño) en España. Realmente quedé fascinado por la forma en que se narraba la vida de este personaje fundamental en la historia de la humanidad, así que apenas llegué a mi país, Argentina, me apresuré a comprar los dos libros restantes, "Las Arenas de Amón" y "El confín del mundo". Si bien el autor Valerio Massimo Manfredi obvia detalles oscuros de la vida de Alejandro Magno, convirtiéndolo en un ser extremadamente racional para lo que fue realmente Alejandro, esto se ve ampliamente superado por la forma en que el autor da vida a los personajes que rodean al héroe, la abundancia de detalles enriquecedores sobre las costumbres de la época, la objetividad con que se describe a la civilización oriental, antagónica de la civilización griega, y la forma exquisita con que se narra cada paso de la vida de Alejandro.Sin duda alguna, es una obra clave que deberán tener en su haber personal no solo aquellas personas que disfrutan de la historia o las biografías, sino todo aquel que guste de una buena lectura.