In the Company of Friends: 1 Alexander the Great - Book 1

Before he was Alexander the Great, he was simply Alexander. They say the child is father to the man. Alexander was no exception. Born at a time of turmoil into a family fraught with intrigue and danger, Alexander would come to be shaped by the adults, events, and experiences of his early years. But this is not a children's story. His world was harsh and cruel. In his childhood and youth, he would have to learn quickly how to survive in a world of murder, politics, border wars and betrayal. But it was also a world of loyal friends, grand dreams and tales of glory and gods. The only depiction we have of Alexander from his own time and his own world, is the painting, claimed to be of him, that was found in a tomb in Aigai (modern Vergina). As in all things to do with Alexander, even the occupant of that tomb is in question. Nothing is known for certain. He is still a mystery, pieced together from later writings and art.This novel, Book 1 of a trilogy, is a fictional recreation of his early years spun from the ancient sources, the author's imaginings, in depth research of his times, and a lifelong fascination with the mystery that is and was Alexander. All we can know for certain is that once he lived in this world and travelled through it on a quest of his own. Here is one possibility of how that journey began.