Alexander The Ends of the Earth A Novel [Paperback]

All his life, Alexander defied the limits the gods gave mortals. That passion overwhelmed cities and armies...and united a vast empire. Alexander was no longer simply King of Macedonia: The Pan-Hellenic League had named him Supreme Leader. Egypt crowned him Pharaoh. And all Persia acknowledged him as Great King. He was a true heir to Achilles and Hercules, a leader who had guided troops to victory beyond the Nile, the Tigris, and the Euphrates. Now, conquering India would place all of Asia in his hands.
But his army reached the limit of its endurance, and the cost of triumph had been high -- in blood, betrayal, and tragedy. Alexander lost Barsine, his first beloved; Bucephalus, a steed unequaled; Peritas, his loyal hound; and Hephaestion, the closest companion of his youth. Still he sought the wisdom and might to transform the empire he had claimed into the one of which he dreamed, no longer divided into victors and vanquished, but a unified people under his rule. For Alexander was destined for timeless glory in the domain of heroes and gods -- both in his lifetime and in the realm of eternal legend.ONE

The King set off again across the desert, taking the route that led from the Oasis of Ammon directly to the banks of the Nile near Memphis. He rode alone for hours and hours astride his Sarmatian bay, while Bucephalus galloped alongside wearing no halter or tack at all. When Alexander realized just how long their journey was going to take, he sought to spare his horse whenever possible, keen to preserve its strength and vigor.

The march took three weeks under the baking hot sun, and they suffered greatly before the thin green line marking the fertile banks of the Nile came into view. However, Alexander seemed to be immune to exhaustion, hunger and thirst, so immersed was he in his thoughts and in his memories.

His companions tried not to disturb these reveries because they realized he needed to be alone in the midst of those endless, del“K