A riveting biography of Alexander the Great's final years, when the leader's insatiable desire to conquer all set him off on an incredible, harrowing journey that would define his legacy.
By 330 B.C.E., Alexander the Great had reached the pinnacle of success. Or so it seemed. He had defeated the Persian ruler Darius III and seized the city of Persepolis. His tired war-beaten soldiers were ready to return home to Macedonia. Yet Alexander had other plans. He was determined to continue heading east to Afghanistan in search of his ultimate goal: to reach the end of the world.
Alexander's unrelenting desire to press on resulted in a perilous five-year journey through the unknown eastern borderlands of the Persian empire that would test the great conqueror's physical and mental limits. He faced challenges from the natural world, moving through deadly monsoons and extreme temperatures; from a rotating cast of well-matched adversaries, who conspired against him at every turn; and even from his own men, who questioned his motives and shook the very beliefs on which Alexander built his empire. This incredible sweep of time, culminating with his death in 321 BC at the age of 32, would come to determine Alexander's legacy and shape the empire he left behind.
In Alexander at the End of the World, renowned classicist and art history professor Rachel Kousser vividly brings to life Alexander's labyrinthine, treacherous final years, weaving together a brilliant series of epic battles, stunning landscapes, and nearly unsurmountable obstacles. Meticulously researched and grippingly written, this is an unforgettable tale of daring and adventure, an inspiring portrait of grit and ambition, and a powerful meditation on the power to learn from failure.