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R. M. Meluch is a terrific writer and I have long wondered why she is not better known. Like all of her books, the characters are finely drawn. The dialogue is witty and true-to-life. The plot is engrossing. Though there are a few flashbacks to Alexander's youth, the story really begins with the assassination of Philip of Macedon, Alexander's father, who initially united the Greek city-states. Immediately, there are plots and sporadic rebellions, which Alexander has to deal with.My only complaint is the excessive focus on a number of minor characters. They were fully realized minor characters but their actions and adventures to some extent took us away from the main plot. The most interesting of these, and the only one that I really wanted to read more of, concerned Ptolemy, one of Alexander's principal generals and his romance with Thais, an Athenian courtesan, who, according to on-line sources, wound up marrying Ptolemy and bearing him three children. Since Ptolemy became King of Egypt, founded the Ptolemaic dynasty and was Cleopatra's direct ancestor, he is almost as significant an historical figure as Alexander himself.Also, I was not very fond of the first person chapters from the point of view of Alexander's horse, who is depicted as the reincarnation of one of Achilles horses. It seemed, in the end, to be a rather silly conceit, though these chapters were as well written as the rest.The book ends with Hellas united but most of Alexander's conquests and military adventures still to come, giving me hope for a sequel. If there is none, this book still ends at a good place. All-in-all, an excellent book, and one that I hope winds up making R. M. Meluch as famous as she deserves.

I snapped Blood of Akhilles up without looking at the subject. Rebecca Meluch wrote it, so I had to read it. Period. The subject of Alexander the Great's rise to power--or any historical fiction, for that matter--wasn't among my top ten list of things to read, and it wasn't about the crew of the Merrimack, but I jumped into it anyway.Like a hot bath, this book required some patience effort to get into, but once I adjusted to the prose and the setting, I sank into the deep waters and soaked in the history as told through the eyes of at least a dozen characters, including one magnificent horse. The subtext behind each scene showed an amazing amount of research. I turned pale thinking about how much research was required to bring dusty history to such vivid life.Meluch's characters live and breathe. She has an incredible knack for layering her story-telling with emotion, both seen and hidden. At times you suspect a character's agenda, but don't know. At other times, you think you know, but you don't. And at still other times, you just hold on to a black stallion's mane and try to keep up.A rich book, well told. And, though I resisted at first, I even learned a thing or two.

I loved this books setting, conflicting characters. The world building is better than your average standalone sci-fi. The main and supporting cast were all wonderfully developed and it was really was easy to root for everyone but the villain. I can still name most of the books characters without having to think too hard about it. One thing I especially like about this book is how so many characters besides the main nov characters turn out to be aware of the villains scheming and working to stop him. Overall my only complaints are a little ambiguity about the villains fate and a clongin twist which I felt contradicted something from earlier in the book and had a negative effect on how I viewed one of my favorite characters.

This is an amazing story, heartfelt and enjoyable. It’s extremely hard to find such an interesting and exciting author who not only writes intelligently but also provides a top rated plot, characters and excitement in the stories.