The Shadow King

Alexander of Macedon was just twenty years old in 334BC when he set out with a small army to challenge Persia, the largest and most powerful empire in the world. The Macedonians marched East into the unknown, won battles against overwhelming odds, stormed impregnable fortresses. In the deserts and mountains between the Aegean and India they conquered nature itself. Yet disaster was never more than a sword stroke away. Alexander`s companions were riven with murderous rivalries, their loyalty contingent. The threat of treason, inspired by ambition and Persian gold, or by honour and principle, was ever present. The Shadow King tells this epic story from a new and unique angle through the eyes of another Alexander, a prince of the Macedonian royal house of Lyncestis. The Lyncestian was Alexander the Great`s general and friend. But he was torn between that friendship and the duty to avenge his murdered brothers, and between adherence to the ways of his ancestors and the new world of empire. The Lyncestian was never safe. Others - Persians and Greeks, as well as Macedonians - saw him as a rival for the throne. For six years of conspiracy and battle, as the Macedonian army fought its way East, his life hung by a thread. Alexander of Lyncestis was The Shadow King...M.F FOR A KING TO RISE, ALEXANDER THE GREAT MUST FALL . . . The new historical fiction epic from one of Britain's best-loved authors shines new light on the greatest hero of the Ancient World, Alexander The Great. _____________________ 334 BC. Alexander the Great is just twenty-one years old when he sets out with a small army to challenge Persia, the largest and most powerful empire in the world. Together, his Macedonian army marches East into the unknown - winning battles against overwhelming odds, storming impregnable fortresses from the Aegean through to India. But there is another Alexander. Prince of the Macedonian royal house of Lyncestis, he becomes Alexander the Great's general and most trusted friend. Alexander of Lyncestis is torn: between this friendship and the duty to avenge his murdered brothers. And he is under threat, too. Others - Persians, Greeks, Macedonians - see him as a rival for the throne. For six years of conspiracy and battle, his life hangs by a thread. For Alexander of Lyncestis is the Shadow King. _____________________ Praise for Harry Sidebottom's historical novels: 'An extraordinarily vivid take on the ancient world' - EVENING STANDARD 'The best sort of red-blooded historical fiction' - ANDREW TAYLOR 'More twists and turns than the Tiber itself' - RORY CLEMENTS 'Explosive action and knuckle-whitening drama' - GUARDIAN 'Blazes with searing scholarship' - THE TIMES 'A storming triumph' - DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Epic' - MARY BEARD 'Brilliant' - BEN KANE FOR A KING TO RISE, ALEXANDER THE GREAT MUST FALL . . . The new historical fiction epic from one of Britain's best-loved authors shines new light on the greatest hero of the Ancient World, Alexander The Great. _____________________ 334 BC. Alexander the Great is just twenty-one years old when he sets out with a small army to challenge Persia, the largest and most powerful empire in the world. Together, his Macedonian army marches East into the unknown - winning battles against overwhelming odds, storming impregnable fortresses from the Aegean through to India. But there is another Alexander. Prince of the Macedonian royal house of Lyncestis, he becomes Alexander the Great's general and most trusted friend. Alexander of Lyncestis is between this friendship and the duty to avenge his murdered brothers. And he is under threat, too. Others - Persians, Greeks, Macedonians - see him him as a rival for the throne. For six years of conspiracy and battle, his life hangs by a thread. For Alexander of Lyncestis is the Shadow King. _____________________ Praise for Harry Sidebottom's historical 'An extraordinarily vivid take on the ancient world' - EVENING STANDARD 'The best sort of red-blooded historical fiction' - ANDREW TAYLOR 'More twists and turns than the Tiber itself' - RORY CLEMENTS 'Explosive action and knuckle-whitening drama' - GUARDIAN 'Blazes with searing scholarship' - THE TIMES 'A storming triumph' - DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Epic' - MARY BEARD 'Brilliant' - BEN KANE