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I was a bit busy last month, so no book review, but this month some classics from one of my favourite authors - Mary Renault. Famous for her Alexander the Great books and other historical novels, she has also written some general novels (many with a gay theme) and I hope to get a chance to look at more of her books at another time, but in the mean time - two of my Renault favourites: Fire from Heaven The first book in the Alexander trilogy, this covers the life of Alexander before he became "the Great" - from early childhood until he was 20 and became king after the assassination of his father. It is a very personal view of his formative years, rather than a historical record and in vivid and beautiful descriptions we learn of his love/hate relationships with his parents, his schooling under Aristotle, his love affair with his lifelong companion and fellow schoolboy and soldier Hephaistion - all the elements that drove him later in life to try to conquer the world. Even if, like me, you are not particularly into ancient history, this is a fascinating read and puts the life of Alexander into a real rather than just a historical perspective.
The Persian Boy The second book in the Alexander trilogy, covering his exploits in the Persian and Asian kingdoms up till his death at only 33. The story this time is told through the eyes of Bagoas, the Persian boy of the title, a former plaything of the Persian king defeated by Alexander. Bagoas is presented to Alexander as spoils of war, but he fights to win the love of Alexander and their relationship develops as Alexander continues his conquest of Asia. The story is beautifully told, a great love story set against a backdrop of war and culture clash as Alexander tries to integrate the many countries now under his command. There is no moralising about the nature of the relationship between the Bagoas and Alexander (or Alexander's other relationships, for example with his two wives or with Hephaistion, his lifelong companion), it develops within the context of the culture of the time, where such relationships were not considered in terms of "natural" or otherwise. Instead we learn a lot about the nature of Alexander, and the nature of love!
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