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The Virtues of War: A Novel of Alexander the Great Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,753 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
I have always been a soldier. I have known no other life. So begins Alexander’s extraordinary confession on the eve of his greatest crisis of leadership. By turns heroic and calculating, compassionate and utterly merciless, Alexander recounts with a warrior’s unflinching eye for detail the blood, the terror, and the tactics of his greatest battlefield victories. Whether surviving his father’s brutal assassination, presiding over a massacre, or weeping at the death of a beloved comrade-in-arms, Alexander never denies the hard realities of the code by which he lives: the virtues of war. But as much as he was feared by his enemies, he was loved and revered by his friends, his generals, and the men who followed him into battle. Often outnumbered, never outfought, Alexander conquered every enemy the world stood against him–but the one he never saw coming. . . .
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"The Virtues of War provides quite a different perspective than the typical academic world history class -- for once, military strategy has become both interesting and understandable!Now, I would love to see a similar book written from the perspective of Cleopatra... "
— Ann (5 out of 5 stars)
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“Wonderfully imagined…stunningly graphic, intense, and extraordinary.”
— Nelson Demille -
“The story of Alexander the Great is perhaps the greatest tale of battle and glory in human history, and Steven Pressfield tells it in brilliant, thrilling fashion. I turned the pages so fast I didn’t realize how much I was learning.”
— Vince Flynn -
“Simply superb…The Virtues of War is a battle book of camp and march, which Pressfield does better than anyone…Its expert pace, its vivid detail, its bone-crushing action, and its occasional piercing insights of sad eloquence make it an absolutely gripping read.”
— Seattle Times -
“Esteemed historical novelist Pressfield crawls inside the brave heart of Alexander the Great in this chronicle of the king’s bloody and extraordinary accomplishments and boundless ambition.”
— Publishers Weekly
The Virtues of War Listener Reviews
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" In is OK, but way too much detail about the battles. "
— Charles, 2/20/2014 -
" Once again, I was tricked into reading this after having read Gates of Fire. Evidently Pressfield is destined to be a "one hit wonder." "
— Jeffrey, 2/17/2014 -
" A great book for anyone who likes historical fiction :) "
— Karen, 2/12/2014 -
" Imao sam osecaj kao da sam tamo...toliko dobro :) "
— Ivan, 2/11/2014 -
" Slow to start, great finish. "
— Mattb, 2/4/2014 -
" So far an interesting and educational book on a great historical figure. Good read, detailed, hardly any gay stuff (good!), great imagination. "
— Nahdi, 2/2/2014 -
" Good book about Alexander the Great. You'll enjoy this if you like Gates of Fire and Vice-Versa. "
— Garrett, 1/19/2014 -
" I found this book surprisingly easy to read. The author's prose went well together, and told a story of Alexander the Great as seen by his friend. Interesting insight into this great king. "
— Anne, 1/16/2014 -
" So far...this is GREAT! But then again, so is everything by Steven Pressfield! "
— H., 1/14/2014 -
" Good, but just not as good as "Gate of Fire." "
— Nathaniel, 11/14/2013 -
" Haven't read any other books on Alexander, but this one was good. Again, great historical research from Pressfield (and his sources) and a compelling story to boot. Didn't quite grab me the same way as Gates of Fire. "
— Toshio, 9/20/2013 -
" As usual a great read from a great author... Pressfield's ability to delve into the mind of history's great heros is impressive and well received... I look forward to my next purchase of a Pressfield book for my library "
— Al, 5/1/2013 -
" I own this amazing book. It opens the world of Alexander the Great like nothing else I have ever read. "
— Alycia, 2/1/2013 -
" Solid historical fiction that attempts to look inside the thoughts and actions of one of antiquity's greatest conquerors. "
— Mario, 9/7/2012 -
" Not as good as Gates of Fire or other books about Alexander, but still a good read for Alexander fans. "
— John, 5/6/2012 -
" Loved reading about Alexander from Alexander's perspective. The writing is so lucid, it makes you feel part of the war councils and seemingly gives you a ring side view of the battles. "
— Raju, 11/22/2011 -
" I was interested in reading about Alexander The Great. This gives a good overview of his battles and his approach to life and war. I didn't really enjoy it but I learned something. "
— Andre, 11/18/2011 -
" Book club book selection for May. I don't love war. I don't love history. I despise stories of geography. The combination of all this and it was all I could do to complete 50 pages (my rule for book club books). "
— Laura, 11/9/2011 -
" Good read, and it really gives you an understanding for Alexander as a man, but I found the battle scenes to be uninspired. "
— Sean, 9/27/2011 -
" Greatest story ever told about Alexander the Great, and my absolute favorite Pressfield epic. "
— JHHK, 8/24/2011 -
" Pressfield is incredible at bringing history to life. There are minor "enhancements", places where he needed to change the facts so the story would flow better, but overall he's a pleasure to read. "
— Nick, 7/24/2011 -
" Not as good as Gates of Fire, but a great read nonetheless. "
— Sean, 5/17/2011 -
" Very Dry and very boring "
— Tacowsh1t, 1/30/2011 -
" Completely loved this book. Just outstanding, particularly for the period detail and the meticulous attention to the mechanics of the strategy and tactics of the era. "
— Matt, 1/2/2011 -
" Tell you later. Not yet finished reading this fine novel about Alexander the Great's military exploits. "
— James, 12/20/2010 -
" So far an interesting and educational book on a great historical figure. Good read, detailed, hardly any gay stuff (good!), great imagination. "
— Nahdi, 10/9/2010 -
" Awesome book about ancient battle, from the viewpoint of one of history's most well known and greatest conquerers. Not that I love war, or anything, but I learned a lot from this historical fiction. Pressfield does his homework. I'll probably pick up another one of his books. "
— Rick, 10/1/2010 -
" Historical fiction of Alexander the Great. enough said. "
— Riaz, 7/27/2010 -
" Imao sam osecaj kao da sam tamo...toliko dobro :) "
— Ivan, 1/7/2010 -
" Discussion of war and empire in Alexander the Great's time "
— Griff, 11/15/2009
About Steven Pressfield
Steven Pressfield is the author of the hugely successful novels Gates of Fire, Tides of War, and Last of the Amazons, among others. His debut novel, The Legend of Bagger Vance, was made into a major motion picture starring Matt Damon and Will Smith in 2000. He lives in California.
About John Lee
John Lee is the winner of numerous Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. He has twice won acclaim as AudioFile’s Best Voice in Fiction & Classics. He also narrates video games, does voice-over work, and writes plays. He is an accomplished stage actor and has written and coproduced the feature films Breathing Hard and Forfeit. He played Alydon in the 1963–64 Doctor Who serial The Daleks.