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checkers09's review against another edition
3.5
the war of Alexander's successors has been a topic which has interested me for many years, with so much innovation treachery and massive battles I was surprised they was so little written about it. however after reading this book I understand why, researching the many shifting alliances and wars over most of the known world for over 60 years would be enough to make any writer go mad, Waterfield does a good job at creating a cohesive picture of a period with little surviving written record. he established each of the key players there rise their fall and sometimes their rise again without losing focus on the overall historical context. it was refreshing that he would talk about a subject every now and then unrelated to the characters or warfare which was never-ending and instead focus on cultural changes or economic affects of the new regimes in Asia. my drawbacks were the somewhat Formulaic writing style which although being historically accurate lacked character. despite having a decent knowledge of this time period I found myself often at a lose as he mentioned countless generals and geographic areas without any introduction to their significance. this isn't really his fault as in just 200 pages and with little historical records it would have impossible to do this every single time. he does provide a few maps and a character list but realistically I wasn't going to go back to this every time saw a place or a person I couldn't remember. the topic itself was a fun read up until about 301BC with lots of interesting character like Perdiccas the regent for Alexander VI who tried to secure complete power for himself by outmanoeuvring his enemies . there was also Antigones the one eyed who nearly completely took over Asia and his flamboyant son Demetrius the besieger who was famous for building massive siege weapons. my favourite was Eumenes, Alexanders secretary who was able to hold out in the east with little resources and constant internal struggles, he even defeated Antigones three times before being betrayed by the silver shields. it fizzled out towards the end as the key players consolidated what they had and the information of events became less apparent. overall it was a good read especially in the first half which will tell you all you need to know about the successors. 3.5/5
shannon_b's review against another edition
3.0
This probably deserves a higher rating. The scholarship is excellent, I’m really impressed by the research and reference materials which include maps, family trees, and timelines, but this book was also a lot to get through. It felt like a list of one battle after another with an absolutely massive cast of characters. Which is probably what the time was like, but it makes for a long read of a short book.
This is not a leisurely read, but would be great as materials for a university course and as a referenceable source.
This is not a leisurely read, but would be great as materials for a university course and as a referenceable source.
spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition
3.0
Talk about a Game of Thrones, I guess. Sheesh.
librarianonparade's review against another edition
3.0
The death of any powerful leader with no obvious successor or heir inevitably creates a vacuum, inevitably leads to a power struggle between those left behind - and what great leader of antiquity existed than Alexander the Great, conqueror of much of the known world? When Alexander died at the age of thirty-three, having won himself an empire that stretched from Greece to India, encompassing Egypt, Persia, Babylon, Afghanistan and Syria, he alone was the glue that held these disparate lands and peoples together. To quote Yeats, "things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed."
And was it ever loosed. Alexander's Successors fought over his empire for forty years, each striving either to carve out his own kingdom or establish dominion over the others. Sons, nephews, brothers and cousins, all came together in ever-changing combinations, one moment allies, the next enemies, and then allies again.
In truth, no-one could ever have succeeded Alexander, and it is telling that once the generation of Successors who had fought alongside Alexander had died, the next generation were more content with creating their own kingdoms, no longer aimed at world domination. Alexander's empire was perhaps inevitably destined by breakup, being so reliant as it was on the almost superhuman, charismatic, exceptional individual it was founded on. Praise Alexander or condemn him, no-one can deny that he was a remarkable individual, rarely seen outside of the pages of fiction.
It was a swirling, complicated time, but Robin Waterfield provides a clear and concise overview of the period. This is a relatively short book for such a turbulent time involving so many different players, and on occasion the lack of depth frustrated me. This book could have done with being twice as long, with perhaps more emphasis on the context and histories of the cultures and individuals involved. James Romm's Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the War for Crown and Empire covers much the same ground, although focusing only on the first generation of Successors, and on the whole I would recommend that one over this, for anyone interested in a post-mortem of Alexander the Great's empire.
And was it ever loosed. Alexander's Successors fought over his empire for forty years, each striving either to carve out his own kingdom or establish dominion over the others. Sons, nephews, brothers and cousins, all came together in ever-changing combinations, one moment allies, the next enemies, and then allies again.
In truth, no-one could ever have succeeded Alexander, and it is telling that once the generation of Successors who had fought alongside Alexander had died, the next generation were more content with creating their own kingdoms, no longer aimed at world domination. Alexander's empire was perhaps inevitably destined by breakup, being so reliant as it was on the almost superhuman, charismatic, exceptional individual it was founded on. Praise Alexander or condemn him, no-one can deny that he was a remarkable individual, rarely seen outside of the pages of fiction.
It was a swirling, complicated time, but Robin Waterfield provides a clear and concise overview of the period. This is a relatively short book for such a turbulent time involving so many different players, and on occasion the lack of depth frustrated me. This book could have done with being twice as long, with perhaps more emphasis on the context and histories of the cultures and individuals involved. James Romm's Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the War for Crown and Empire covers much the same ground, although focusing only on the first generation of Successors, and on the whole I would recommend that one over this, for anyone interested in a post-mortem of Alexander the Great's empire.
acardattack's review against another edition
4.0
A brief (in terms of your typical history books) overview of the years of fighting after Alexander the Great's death. Quite an interesting time, was hard to follow some of the names, but not the author's fault. Plenty of political intrigue to keep you interested. Also covers some of the cultural and religious happenings to give you a feel of the world