Alexander the Great
Adventures in Time
Chosen as a Children's Book of the Year in the Financial Times and Daily Telegraph
The life of Alexander the Great is probably the single most exciting story in history. Born in the fourth century BC, he fought his first battle as a teenager, became king of Macedon at twenty, led his men across the Hellespont into the Persian Empire and embarked on an adventure that has never been equalled.
I've loved Alexander's story since I was a boy, and retelling it for younger readers has been one of the greatest joys of my career as a writer. Almost every chapter bursts with staggering details, from Alexander's quest to find the Oracle of Siwa to his battles with the Persians, his expedition into Afghanistan and his journey into the heart of India.
In some ways this is history as an old-fashioned adventure story, full of swashbuckling derring-do. But it's also a book about some wonderful ancient civilisations: Greece, Egypt, Persia, India. And it's a book about a hinge moment in world history, a titanic cultural collision between Europe and Asia.
Publisher Notes
Take a journey to a vanished world with the ADVENTURES IN TIME series - stories so exciting you won't believe they're all true
'His mind was clear. It was time to go east. Time to march into Asia, to confront the Persians and to meet his destiny . . .'
Alexander has one, wild dream: to rule the world. And with his childhood friends and his beloved horse Bucephalas, he sets out from his home in Ancient Greece to do just that. With historian Dominic Sandbrook as our guide, join Alexander on his incredible journey through the deserts of Egypt and over the snow-capped mountains of Persia all the way to India, defeating all who stand in his way. For anything is possible with the help of the gods . . .
The Adventures in Time series brings the past alive for twenty-first century children. These stories are every bit as exciting as those of Harry Potter or Matilda Wormwood. The only difference is they actually happened . . .
Reviews
"Few plots can rival the real-life dramas played out in the superb Adventures in Time series by the historian Dominic Sandbrook, one of the most exciting new voices in children's non-fiction"
Books of the Year, Daily Telegraph
"History and fiction meld in a spectacular new series retelling thrilling tales from past eras, all with the benefit of the latest research. In the launch title, a young boy from Macedonia becomes a brilliant though flawed leader of men. Sandbrook demonstrates that the facts don't stand in the way of a good story: they enhance it."
Books of the Year, Financial Times