Rating: 
Summary: Not bad...for a translation.
Review: There are a couple things you must know when you read this book. First of all, the author had to take a few creative liberties with the details of Alexander's life. This is, more or less, historical fiction. Entertaining fiction, but fiction none the less.
Second, keep in mind that this is a translation from the Italian. No translation is ever going to be as good as the original.
Those things aside, this book is a very quick read, and very entertaining. It will not inspire anyone to go out and take over the world, but it's a good rainy day book. The license Manfredi took with the facts is easily overlooked if you're not a keen historian. For those who know (almost) nothing about Alexander, this is a good start for your education. Unlike non-fiction books, this holds a degree of suspense and intrigue.
If you are a die-hard history buff, you don't like embellishments, or you need intricate and multi-faceted characters, maybe you should consider getting the book from a library first.
If not, enjoy this book, because it is a great start to the trilogy.
Rating: 
Summary: an insightful and brilliant novel
Review: This a wonderful account of Alexander's childhood and adolescence. It was a wonderful account of his father (King Philip)struggling to build the Macedon kingdom which sets up Alexander for greatness.We all know that Alexander became the Great, but there's no need to keep on reminding us throughout the novel of his brilliant mind, handsome face etc. Is there no flaw at all to his character?
Rating: 
Summary: Flat as all hell
Review: While this trilogy is entertaining enough if you have no expectations, it far from impressed me. The characterisations were about as flat as I have read in any book; when Hepaestion died in the third book I didn't care in the slightest, even though it would have been the most devastating event of Alexander's life. Alexander himself was dull and overly obsessed with bedding any female he came across. I struggled to get through the mediocrity of the trilogy, which is really saying something considering I read pretty much any Alexander book I come across. The trilogy is really the equivalent of a shallow action movie. The writing was entirely lacking in any sort of poeticism or complexity, especially when compared to the Alexander Trilogy by Mary Renault. Whether this is the fault of Manfredi or the translator I do not know, but it results in readable but unimpressive novels. Why this trilogy is a worldwide best-seller is completely beyond me. Pick it up if you want a bit of mindless entertainment but otherwise head straight for the books by Renault if you want compelling and well-written fiction about Alexander's life.
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