The Persian Boy

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Summary: Alexander, Master of the World
Review: Alexander the Great, one of the world's most admired and respected military men and Great King of Persia, died at age 33. In the prime of youth, he conquered much of the then-known world, receiving homage and love from his subjects from India to Greece because of his justice and mercy, and respect and admiration from his men because of his military genius and remarkable ability to lead men of all nations and tribes. The Persian Boy tells his story, and that of the ancient world through the eyes of Bagoas, a boy captured and made a slave and eunuch at age 10. Bagoas's legendary beauty set him apart for advancement, and his intelligence and integrity made him a fitting partner for such a man as Alexander. Male relationships were accepted as natural in Alexander's times and his long connection with Bagoas is historical. Through Bagoas's eyes, we come to know Alexander and his world, to appreciate the sensual nature of one of history's greatest warriers. That man could be at once loving and ferocious, gentle and vengeful and be loved and admired by thousands hints at a crack in modern sensibilities that smacks of prejudice and fear. This is an interesting story both in the historical and narrative sense, It conjures images of opulence and glory unknown in modern times and modern warfare. Jewels and gold, spices and incense were prized gifts and treasures both for mortals and the Immortals. In a time when Greek gods, Mithra, and the Hindu trinity ruled the earth, religion was moral and ethical and structured by rules of omens and ritual sacrifice. The ancient world offers much to modern society in terms of moral and ethical thought and behavior. Perhaps it is time to look back instead of forward to learn the meaning of existence.

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Summary: A different era, different morals
Review: Though a romantic vision of Alexander, it is well put together and closer to historical truth than most. Having read many of the ancient sources on Alexander, including Arrian, Plutarch, Curtius, it is evident that the negative accounts come from Curtius who shows himself to be unreliable as a historian, embellishing and fabricating wherever it pleases him (its bias shows In the Footsteps..., which is sadly not very reliably researched). Renault follows mostly Arrian who used Ptolemy I as his main source (and who was a member of Alexander's expedition). Alexander was insatiable and self-destructive in his quest for glory, competing with as his rival, the hero Achilles, and therein lies the human interest in his life's story. His passion for conquest should not be judged by today's moral standards. It is absurd to assume that Alexander if he were alive today would go about conquering nations - just as preposterous as it is to think that we would be prostrating ourselves in front of him, believing he was the son of Zeus. His conscience was shaped by Aristotle among others, who though one of the greatest thinkers of his day, was also subject to the era's ideological shortcomings. My only criticism of Renault would be that the role of Bagoas, should be credited to Hephaistion, but as a fictional device it works well to propagate the Persian side of things.

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Summary: Terrific entertainment
Review: The late author had a way of making you feel that she lived in Greece during the time of the Great Alexander. One of the best book I have read concerning this unique historical era. Her writing seems to flow effortlessly. It is part of my permanent collection of nearly all of her works.

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Summary: Excellent and touching.
Review: A very well written book which grabs the reader and won't let go until the last page. This will be one of those books that I will re-read many times over the course of my life.

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Summary: Phenomenal doesn't even begin to describe it
Review: Years ago, I discovered Mary Renault when we read The Nature of Alexander for a Greek History class. I marvled at her work then, and again, at this novel. Regardless of how much of it is "historically accurate" (which I believe is much more than some of these other reviewers think) the novel is amazingly well crafted and more than once brought me to the verge of tears just for the sheer joy it inspired. Many comment on the "homosexual" aspects and argue that it didn't exist, or wasn't true while neglecting to remember that in that time the onus of homosexuality didn't exist. It was a fact of life then and accepted readily. Renault does a fabulous job of doing this book and these characters justice. This is a definate must read.

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Summary: Recommended by The Cybermale Bookshelf
Review: History tells us much about the conquests of Alexander the Great, whose military campaigns brought virtually all the world he knew under his domination. And history even hits of his relationship with Bagoas, a Persian slave who became the emperor's love! But it takes a work of imagination to breath life and passion into this age-old tale. Mary Renault has provided that imagination in a moving and convincing novel that follows Bagoas from the home of his honored father to a life of degradation and whoredom and finally to the bed of the most powerful man of the ancient era.

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Summary: Alexander the Great through the eyes of a Persian teenager.
Review: The Persian Boy is written in first person from the pov of Bagoas, a teenaged Pesian eunuch who had been the slave of Darius the Great, whom Alexander conquered. When I read this story, I felt as if my feet became dusty from hiking through the mountains behind Alexander. I thirsted in the desert with him and his troops and raged with them in battle. In viewing Alexander through the eyes of Bagoas, I came away with the impression of having dwelt with two of the most noble characters in history. I read this book the first time when I was about 30; I have had a fascination for all things Alexandrian in the nearly 20 years since. Masterful writing, sensuality without vulgarity and history not told from a 20th century mindset elevate this book to the superb. If this is not the actual history of Alexander as it unfolded - it should have been. I have judged all books about him by the standards set in this epic. I have re-read this book a dozen times and enjoyed new aspects with each one. The highest recommendation.

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Summary: Wonderful
Review: I loved this book the first time I read it rwo years ago. I'm a hopeless romantic. I've always been fascinated by Alexander, and have managed to seperate Renault's idealist veiw from reality. Still, it is a wonderful book. For anyone else wanting to learn about the historical Alexander I suggest you read IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ALEXANDER. I forget who it's by, but it goes along with a PBS documentary by the same name. Both are utterly fascinating.

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Summary: Utterly romantic
Review: I wandered around in a library one afternoon and randomly picked up a book off the shelve. It happened to be the "Persian Boy". I was captivated by the book until the last chapter at 4 in the morning. It was one of the most beautifully written book I have ever read, and possibly the most romantic. Alexander, Bagoas, Hephaiston...are portrayed so vividly and so real that I could not put the book down until the very end. I can't help but wonder if there is such love in this age. If not, how unfortunate! Mary Renault's other books are just as romantic: Last of the Wine, The Nature of Alexander, Fire from Heaven, Funeral Games, The Charioteer...are all my favorites. I am not sure there is a better historical-fiction writer.

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Summary: Great Novel, Questionable History
Review: I've always enjoyed Renault's novels, and though this one is not my favorite, its atmospheric and character descriptions hold up well. My real concern is over the depiction of Alexander. Renault is not to be blamed here--it is historians who created Alexander's image--but she further embellishes and glorifies Alexander's "mystical" image and his alleged humanitarian and cosmopolitan interest in various cultures and peoples. The historical evidence is not so pretty. In the last ten years or so, historians have begun to come clean about Alexander's real accomplishments and legacy, and the real character behind them. Alexander was a ruthless butcher of the highest order, slaughtering large numbers of people and depopulating whole areas he campaigned in. He probably killed well over 1.5 million people over his 10 years of campaigning (Julius Ceasar probably killed about 1 million Gauls out of an estimated population of 5 million in his 10 year campaign-he has never, however, had a popular image as a great mystical "visionary" and enlightened world leader). This killing was done without bombs, machine guns or poison gas--mostly close in with swords (and later famine due to destroyed crops). He was as harsh with his own people. His megolomania and overwheening will mixed with drunken, ungovernable rages led him to order the deaths of his closest friends and officers, one of which he strangled with his own hands. It was probably well for the ancient world that Alexander died at 33 (mostly attributable to his own excesses). Remember this when Renault's character portrayal of Alexander become misty and glowing.