The Virtues of War

A Novel of Alexander the Great

By: Steven Pressfield

Narrated by: John Lee

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....

©2004 Steven Pressfield (P)2004 Books on Tape, Inc.

incredible book!

I really enjoyed this book. there are chapters where I highlighted and made notes on every page. the worst part of listening to this book on audible was I kept having to pull over to highlight in the kindle version.

There are lessons in here I learned as an NCO in the Army, and notes I plan to pass onto the next generation of Soldiers. I couldn't help but notice the parallels between Alexander's army and our own in Afghanistan.

Few books have made me stop and think as much as this one.

Fantastic book

Listening to this has inspired me to research more about this man and his accomplishments.

Presfield’s books also never disappoint in their composition.

Combining a superb author and a captivating story make for hours of enjoyment.

Highly recommend!

Heroic.

This story stirs in me a feeling I haven’t felt in a long time. It’s beautiful.

Perfect

You would be hard pressed to find not only a well written book, by an author who's works are equal to their task in title, but also have someone read them in such a way fitting to their content.

One of the best war stories I have ever heard

This book is amazing and has so many leadership lessons in it, it is now one of my all time favorites

Epic Descriptive Talent

This is really the first time I heard any details about the battles of Alexander, other than in sections of history classes. The author so outstandingly described the battles, I could see them clearly without any confusion.

The narration was excellent and kept me engaged, although there were (very) few instances of confusion in conversions between characters due to not enough variance in voices. Again though, the narration was excellent otherwise. Will definitely read/listen again!

the virtues of Steven Pressfield

I don't know Pressfield so easily carries this book off - bringing a ancient character such as Alexander the Great" so long in grave once again to "life" - and extraordinarily so through this exploration in first person no less is not mean feat. And this is an outstanding read by a very fine reader. A must for those of us, especially, who "read" Bernard Cornwell, etc!

Considerable depth

This book is incredible, and probably best suited as an audiobook. As a first-person telling by Alexander himself (and with excellent narration by John Lee) you feel like you are listening to a real account of his life.

The magic, of course, is mostly in Pressfield's pen and imagination. He manages to detail some of the most epic battles in history, full of action and gore and triumph, but also delve into the moral and intellectual concerns which Alexander struggled with during his life, what Pressfield seems to posit as the qualities that truly made Alexander "great."

I was blown away by this book.

Excellently written and read. One of my favorites!

Excellently written and read. One of my favorites! seven more words so I can post.

As good as expected.

This was a wonderful performance by John Lee. His voice was believable as the voice of Alexander. I found his performance dichotomy and kept me in the story the whole time. His job, however, was made easy by the excellent story telling talents of Steven Pressfield. Pressfield's ability to produce historic fiction and make it seem real is at times without equal.
I highly recommend this and other novels by Pressfield if you are a student of battle, business, or the mind; or even of you just live to read.