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Liked It “Gripping narrative from the eyes of a common soldier in Alexander's army. Eye-opening in its description of the tribal warriors, which have remained essentially unchanged in culture in 2300 years.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Fascinating because of it's similarity to events in Afghanistan today. Makes one think that no matter what we, as the US, do there, that things will barely change from the way life has gone on for the last three or four thousand years. the book was entertaining and a quick read, but doesn't have any of the depth of Gates Of Fire by the same author.
Neil R wrote this review Sunday, November 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
”“Gripping narrative from the eyes of a common soldier in Alexander's army. Eye-opening in its description of the tribal warriors, which have remained essentially unchanged in culture in 2300 years. ”
Joey O wrote this review Monday, October 12 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“An enthralling read. An account of Alexander the Great's campaign in Afghanistan as seen through the eyes of a foot soldier. ”
Pete D wrote this review Friday, August 28 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I love Pressfield, so I enjoyed this. I enjoy the view of war from the bottom, from the perspective of lower ranks.”
Miles McKeever wrote this review Thursday, August 27 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Steven Pressfield creates another great historical novel around Alexander the Great's campaign through Afghanistan in 330BC. Told through the eyes of a young warrior that hires on as a way out, Pressfield helps us understand why this region has historically been attractive in it's own right and as a gateway to riches in India, but very difficult arena for a war. ”
Mark wrote this review Tuesday, June 16 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“2,300 years ago an unbeaten army of the West invaded the homeland of a fierce Eastern tribal foe. This is one soldier's story...
Kittencrap ! wrote this review Saturday, February 28 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
No, this story is not set in current-day Afghanistan. Rather, it goes back to Alexander the Great's invasion of Afghanistan and the East in 330 B.C., and tells the story of a common foot soldier. Told in first person through the eyes of Matthias, "The Afghan Campaign" is true art in written form. It's far more than a historical novel in that it helps bring the Westerner into a bigger understanding of current day events.
Matthias is the youngest in his Macedonian family. With several brothers already enlisted in Alexander's army he yearns to find his own glory on the battlefield. Against his mother's fervent wishes he joins up and is soon sent on his way to a war that will change him forever. Pressfield pulls no punches in detailing the gore of hand to hand combat. The grisly horror of it is brought to life and we, the reader, are taken on a brutal coming of age story. We can see the blood and grime and fear as Matthias is ordered to perform his first execution of an Afghani being held down by two strong soldiers. We feel the pain of Lucas, his best friend, when he botches his first killing--sitting down next to the man to cry as he dies a wretched death. The hardships of long marches in brutal weather shape and mold him, and we watch him grow from a wet-behind-the-ears kid into a battle-hardened soldier.
Alexander is marching East. He's just conquered the Persian Empire and his eyes are set on the riches of India. First he must cross the landscape of the Afghani and soon learns it is no easy task. His plan was to conquer the land in 3 months. Instead it took 3 years. Steven Pressfield is a master of telling a war story. He brings his readers onto the front line with Matthias' group of soldiers and teaches us the basics of warfare, as fought in the Macedonian army. He also weaves in forbidden romance of the castaways of the Afghani, those women who would otherwise be murdered by their own family in the name of honor. In fact, the book begins right before Matthias is to marry his love, an Afghan woman who has borne his child.
Ash'ari law, as foreign to the Westerner as is an alien from outer space, is an integral part of the story and is brought to poignancy considering our current military activities in Afghanistan. It is hard to wrap our western minds around the "logic" of it; indeed we cannot. It is anathema to us to watch a woman be brutally beaten and not step in to help, as Matthias does. In his mind he has saved her. It is hard for him to grasp why he should have let her be--that by his stepping in and saving her he has in essence delivered her death sentence from her brothers and cousins.
This book is more than just a war story. It is wrapped up in current day events as well, as our soldiers currently fight against an army that hasn't changed one jot in thousands of years. Their guerilla tactics and brutal tortures are still being executed exactly as they were in Alexander's day. This is one of the best books I have read in very, very long time. I give it two thumbs up.
If you'd like to visit the author's website, it can be found here http://www.stevenpressfield.com”
“Great historical fiction. Makes you wonder about the outcome of current events.”
Leah M wrote this review Monday, November 17 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Stephen Pressfield is one of the best historical fiction authors around. This is a great novel on what it must have been like to serve in Alexanders Army as it fought it's way through Afghanistan. It is also very interesting on how the story parallels our modern day fight in the same part of the world fighting the same tribes and facing the same difficulties.”
Chris W. wrote this review Tuesday, July 15 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Stephen Pressfield has garnered laurels for his ability to describe the utter brutality of ancient warfare and his descriptions of battles fought during the campaign of Alexander the Great in Afghanistan in his novel "The Afghan Campaign" are as wrenching as those depicted in Pressfield's "Gates of Fire".
mharrsch wrote this review Tuesday, June 17 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Told from the perspective of a common soldier rather than from Alexander's viewpoint or the viewpoint of one of Alexander's commanders, "The Afghan Campaign" provides the reader the opportunity to experience the grinding existence of a man struggling to maintain some shred of integrity in a hostile and intractable world.
Alexander is most often glimpsed from a distance and we are not privy to his strategic debates or daily dispatches to help us understand the "big picture" he sees in his efforts to add the tribes of the Hindu Kush to his role of conquered nations. We must, through Matteius' eyes, simply endure the relentless wind, quagmires of mud, and bitterly cold snow and sleet, as we climb and descend the deadly precipices that score the Afghan countryside in search of a foe that materializes suddenly to engage in deadly tribal rituals, counting coup and scalping or mutilating their victims, then escapes back into the mountains where, unlike the Macedonians, they appear to thrive. We feel Mattteius' frustration rise to an excruciating level as his comrades are butchered in ambushes or slain by duplicitous camp followers.
As the war wears on, he participates in retaliatory strikes where entire villages are put to the sword and torched as efforts intensify to "win" an ultimately unwinnable war. Matteius' acceptance of these measures poignantly demonstrates the ultimate result of living amidst so much brutality - the loss of one's own humanity as both sides must cultivate ruthlessness to simply survive.”
