The Hamiltonification of Alexander the Great. I read this for a book club. I'm partial to this style of narration, but Mary Renault writes women as either entirely passive or ruthlessly conniving, and interpolates gaps in the historical record with characterization of Alexander the Great as the Nicest Specialest Boy Who Ever Lived, and (more confusingly - I cannot fathom the point of this) the orator Demosthenes as a cartoonishly evil coward.

What I will say for Renault is that I do actually a little bit have to respect her game for being a fujoshi in 1969. Groudbreaking work in that particular field - RIP, you would have loved miku binder Thomas Jefferson.

This book was such a surprise. I picked it up at random and it ended up bringing me out of a reading slump. Becoming obsessed with Alexander the Great was not in my 2023 bingo. Mary Renault's writing is a wonder - beautiful, yet simple and so subtle you might miss key plot points if you are distracted. It reads like a slow burn epic. Every sign, symbol and omen pays off. Can't wait to read the next 2 books in the trilogy! 

I love Alexander the Great and I'm obsessed with the Oliver Stone film. I wanted to like this more than I did, but aside from absolutely gorgeous prose I found it quite dull in places and it struggled to keep my interest.