Neil Dickson’s clear, straight-ahead narration aptly matches Goldsworthy’s history of the ancient Macedonian father and son who were kings and conquerors. Both text and performance are professional and engaging. Neither calls attention to itself. Dickson maintains the sense of story while still delivering intelligent nonfiction, aided by his strong voice, pleasing British accent, and good pacing. Occasionally, he gives the wrong emphasis to a word or phrase, but, for the most part, he matches articulation to sense. Acting is unnecessary, but he gives dramatic phrases added emotional heft. He is exactly the smart, skilled companion one wants for long narrative nonfiction. He makes his narration sound as effortless as conversation as it quietly entertains. W.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
Philip and Alexander: Kings and Conquerors
Narrated by Neil Dickson
Adrian GoldsworthyUnabridged — 20 hours, 36 minutes
Philip and Alexander: Kings and Conquerors
Narrated by Neil Dickson
Adrian GoldsworthyUnabridged — 20 hours, 36 minutes
Overview
Editorial Reviews
08/24/2020
Historian Goldsworthy (Cannae: Hannibal’s Greatest Victory) examines the lives of Philip II of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great, in this impressive dual biography. Stressing that “without Philip there could have been no Alexander,” Goldsworthy details how Philip transformed the military by instituting the infantry formation known as the “Macedonian phalanx” and how he consolidated power against Greece’s more established city-states. When Alexander took the throne after Philip’s assassination in 336 BCE, the 20-year-old military prodigy embarked on a decadelong campaign that took the Macedonian army and empire as far east as present-day Pakistan. Along the way, Alexander sacked Thebes, became the Pharaoh in Egypt, conquered the Persian Empire, and crossed the Gedrosian desert in a dangerous trek that nearly broke his army. He turned back toward Greece at the height of his successes, but succumbed to disease—or poison—weeks before turning 33. Without an heir, his vast empire splintered in wars waged by his would-be successors. Goldsworthy expertly mines ancient sources to parse fact from legend, but admits that both Philip and Alexander remain elusive figures, better known for their battlefield accomplishments than for their personalities, about which less is known. Still, this is a fascinating and richly detailed look at two men who “changed the course of history.”(Oct.)
A compelling but temperate book, giving readers an in-depth but dispassionate account of its subjects….Mr. Goldsworthy has a rare gift for imagining and describing ancient warfare….He combines the talents of scholar and storyteller, bringing to life the full drama of ancient history while assessing the evidence with a critical eye.”—Wall Street Journal
“[Goldsworthy] brings a careful, often insightful balance to the familiar stories.”—Open Letters Review
“Contributes significantly to making these scholarly developments accessible to a very wide audience, through engaging narratives which capture the political complexity of the Greek world both before and after Alexander. The major innovation of Goldsworthy's vivid Philip and Alexander is to pair Alexander's biography with that of his father, Philip II.”—Times Literary Supplement
“Belongs on the (sturdy) shelf of any reader interested in military, political, or social history.”—Minerva Magazine
“By pairing the two giants of Macedonia, Goldsworthy helps the reader understand Alexander's life all the better, and sheds light on the achievements and character of Philip.”—Aspects of History
“A gripping history that combined deep scholarship with readability ... This is an epic history. Very much in the vein of the Tom Holland histories of empire, enjoyable and informative but also gripping.”—NB Magazine
"Riveting...Goldsworthy is the best sort of writer on ancient times. He eschews psychohistory, explains the wildly unfamiliar culture of that era, and speculates carefully...An outstandingly fresh look at well-trodden ground."—Kirkus (starred review)
"An impressive dual biography.... Goldsworthy expertly mines ancient sources to parse fact from legend...This is a fascinating and richly detailed look at two men who 'changed the course of history.'"—Publishers Weekly
“Thorough and riveting.”—Library Journal (starred review)
"Philip and Alexander is another wonderful product of Adrian Goldsworthy's historical craft — sterling scholarship, engaging prose, insightful analysis, and unbiased assessment. Goldsworthy explores brilliantly the complex relationship between father and son, the failure of the Greek city-states to stop them, the proper credit for the Macedonian expansion, and the megalomania of Alexander's near global conquests. A brilliant account of how father and son changed the world, for both good and bad."—Victor Davis Hanson, author of A War Like No Other: How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War
"A thrilling read, as successful in meeting its ambitions as Philip's kingship, as sweeping as Alexander's conquests."—Tom Holland, author of Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic
"Philip and Alexander is history writing at its best. In one volume, Adrian Goldsworthy tells the story of perhaps the most successful father-son pair of conquerors of all time. He highlights both the drama of their violent achievements and the consequences that were felt for centuries. The result is expert, fluent, and vivid."—Barry Strauss, author of Ten Caesars: Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine
★ 10/01/2020
Philip II of Macedon (382–36 BCE) inherited a small kingdom and made it the dominant power in Greece; his son and heir Alexander the Great (356–23 BCE) not only overthrew the Persian Empire but conquered territory as distant as India. Alexander and his military triumphs have received the lion's share of popular and scholarly attention, but Goldsworthy's dual biography asserts the importance of both men, further positing that while both were brilliant and capable, their accomplishments also relied on situational benefits and good fortune as much as their skills: Philip's rise was aided by the fractious nature of the Greek states, and Alexander's conquest benefited hugely from Philip's consolidation of Macedonian power and establishment of a well-trained military force. The text also effectively deals with the gaps in sources of knowledge about both men as people, with Goldsworthy avoiding conjecture when possible and presenting famous rumors and legendary incidents as valuable examples of the myth-building around both men but not always verifiable historical facts. VERDICT The thorough and riveting narrative of both Philip and Alexander's lives and accomplishments makes this an ideal choice for the general reader, with some fresh insights to offer to those familiar with the subjects as well.—Kathleen McCallister, William & Mary Libs., Williamsburg, VA
Neil Dickson’s clear, straight-ahead narration aptly matches Goldsworthy’s history of the ancient Macedonian father and son who were kings and conquerors. Both text and performance are professional and engaging. Neither calls attention to itself. Dickson maintains the sense of story while still delivering intelligent nonfiction, aided by his strong voice, pleasing British accent, and good pacing. Occasionally, he gives the wrong emphasis to a word or phrase, but, for the most part, he matches articulation to sense. Acting is unnecessary, but he gives dramatic phrases added emotional heft. He is exactly the smart, skilled companion one wants for long narrative nonfiction. He makes his narration sound as effortless as conversation as it quietly entertains. W.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
★ 2020-07-16
Superb biographies of royalty’s greatest father-son combination.
Countless books have covered the lives of Alexander the Great and his energetic father, Philip of Macedon, but this dual biography, one of the first for a popular audience, not only gives them equal weight, but emphasizes that “both men were able, and Alexander won the war planned and prepared by Philip.” Prolific British historian Goldsworthy reminds readers that Macedonia, north of the classical Greek cities, was long viewed as a nation of uncultured barbarians. When not warring against neighbors, kings fought off rivals and were frequently murdered. No one held great hopes for the 22-year-old Philip, who took over leadership in 359 B.C.E. after his uncle died in battle. Yet, during a 23-year reign, he secured his throne and turned his army into a trained, professional fighting force that made him the de facto leader of all Greece. Few objected to Philip’s plan to invade Persia, still a wealthy superpower, although his murder interrupted the project, which was already underway. Goldsworthy’s Alexander spent two years dealing with rivals and the usual rebellions before marching off in 334, never to return. Despite the plethora of accounts of Alexander’s campaign, readers will still enjoy this riveting one. His army enjoyed dazzling victories accompanied by the accepted mass murder, looting, and rape. They grumbled over their hardships and disliked Alexander’s increasing love of foreign customs and ceremonies. As paranoid as most ancient rulers, he regularly discovered plots and executed friends and subordinates, not all of whom were guilty. Most scholars deplore his neglect of a succession plan, and his empire fell apart following his death. Goldsworthy is the best sort of writer on ancient times. He eschews psychohistory, explains the wildly unfamiliar culture of that era, and speculates carefully. Because so few sources survive and most are untrustworthy, the author, who includes a chronology and maps, also keeps readers informed of the probability that a historical event actually happened.
An outstandingly fresh look at well-trodden ground.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940177635286 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Hachette Audio |
| Publication date: | 10/13/2020 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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