Alexander: The Sands of Ammon, Vol. 2 »

Dr. Valerio Massimo Manfredi is an Italian historian, archaeologist, and journalist. The professor of archaeology in the "Luigi Bocconi" University in Milan and a familiar face on European television, he has published a number of scientific articles and essays as well as thirteen novels, including the Alexander trilogy and The Last Legion. Alexander was published in thirty-six languages in fifty-five countries and was sold for a major film production in the U.S., and The Last Legion is soon to be a major motion picture starring Colin Firth and Ben Kingsley. Dr. Manfredi is married with two children and lives in a small town near Bologna.

.THE BESTSELLING EPIC OF THE GLORY AND THE GRANDEUR INTRIGUES AND PASSIONS OF ANCIENT GREECE...AND THE WARRIOR KING WHOSE CONQUESTS BUILT AN ETERNAL LEGEND.

ALEXANDERVolume II: THE SANDS OF AMMON

A thousand years after Agamemnon fought the Trojan War. Alexander, the king of Macedonia and descendant of Achilles, follows in the footsteps of Greek legend . He has gathered a mighty force to liberate the Greek cities of Asia — from legendary Sardis and Miletus to Halicarnassus. But vengeance is just one of Alexander's ambitions.

Great oracles and loyal followers claim Alexander is more than mortal — a powerful warrior, and insatiable scholar, a political genius. Yet,in battle after battle, one man blocks his way. Memnon of Rhodes, a Greek-born mercenary chosen by the Persian Great King to lead his vast army, is a cunning strategist who challenged Alexander's claim to the title of Lord of Asia. In Memnon, Alexander confronts an enemy who inspires his admiration. And in Memnon's wife, Barsine, he finds a woman who captures his heart. But neither bravery nor love can stem the tide of Alexander's destiny. For with Persia defeated, Alexander's thoughts turn to Egypt and beyond....

Publishers Weekly

Manfredi (Alexander: Child of a Dream) turns his attention to the Persian campaign of Alexander the Great in the second novel of his epic sequence, focusing on the memorable series of battles between Alexander and a rival mercenary general, Memnon of Rhodes. Duplicity is the order of the day as the fight begins, with Memnon engaging in some well-engineered surprise maneuvers, attacks and ambushes that initially set the great conqueror back on his heels. Alexander knows his superior troops will ultimately carry the day, but even as he sets those forces in motion he can't help admiring the courage of his rival, who denounces the conqueror's greedy, expansionist ways. Memnon's sudden death from a mysterious illness is an anticlimactic end to their battles, but Manfredi hustles Alexander into his next challenge as the conqueror claims Memnon's beautiful wife, Barsine, then faces off with Tyrian naval forces as they attempt to block his passage into Egypt. Manfredi balances the action and characterization that brings both Alexander and Memnon to life, although the style tends to be somewhat generic and it is a letdown to see him gloss over many of the personality foibles that led to Alexander's downfall. Still, readers eager to learn more about one of history's most memorable military campaigns will find much to love in this portrait of a leader who literally changed the map of the world. (Mar.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.