Alexander at the End of the World: The Dramatic Last Years That Made Alexander Great by Rachel Kousser

 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 capital city of Persepolis. His exhausted and traumatized 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 seven-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 distrusted the very beliefs on which Alexander built his empire. This incredible sweep of time, culminating with his death in 323 BC at the age of 32, would come to determine Alexander’s legacy and shape the empire he left behind. 

Better than a textbook, but not similar to Erik Larson or David Grann. Rachel Kousser writes very vivid and thoroughly researched histories. There is very limited, if any, potential dialogue. There is a focus on Alexander’s empire, with focuses on the tension that Alexander caused in many areas. Alexander was clearly someone who thought the world was not enough.

Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.