In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great - Michael Wood > Reviews > In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great, M. Wood

Author's product rating:   

Degree of Information	Medium
How interesting was the book?	Captivating
How useful was it?	Pretty useful
Would you read it again?	Yes
Value for money	Good

Advantages:	great story telling, great pictures
Disadvantages:	probably too light for the serious student

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Michael Wood is the everyman of history in the media; casual and charismatic, TV friendly and a fantastic story teller. The book is a companion to the TV series as is the usual format for Woods work.
To travel the path taken by Alexander the Great is no small undertaking. The research alone to re-kindle footsteps taken over 2000 years ago is an admirable project, to actually re-travel the route is an amazing task which can not fail to make a great story. The book works on two levels. At the same time as explaining the reasons and routes behind Alexanders advance, Wood is able to look for evidence still visable in the modern landscape. From buildiings and physical geography to stories still told and the people themselves help bring the story to life and turn the dusty pages of history into a beautiful joining of past and present.
The book takes you from northern Greece , through the majesty of the Persian Empire, into mystical Egypt, onto the roof of the world in the mountains of the Hindu Kush and eventually into the Indus Valley. The return journey is an amazing tale in itself.
The pictures in the book are glorious and if these capture the imagination then I highly recommend buying the video. The book is aimed at the casual reader and does not intend to be in depth enough to cover the subject to the degree the academic would require. However as a starting point for those wishing to dip their toe in the water as it were, this book is just right. Either for those who want a brief run through the facts or to serve as a introduction to Alexander, this book is excellent and is a triumph of evocotive story telling and rich imagery.
By the end of the book you will feel that you have walked to India and back in the company of a master story teller and indeed in the shadow of Alexander himself.