A Life Spent Reading

As usual, Steven Pressfield has produced a book that takes you back into the far reaches of Greek history…although not quite as far as in some of his other works. As the title suggests, this one is about Alexander’s campaign in Afghanistan in 329 B.C., told from the perspective of a foot-soldier in his army.

I’m tempted to say that if you like Pressfield, you’ll like this book, but I won’t. Pressfield’s writing is up to its usual high standard, but the book lacks the stylistic “otherness” that he injected into, for example, Last of the Amazons or Tides of War. There is also less in the way of military strategem; to be expected, since it’s told from a non-rate’s point of view, but still a little disappointing. And without giving the ending away, I didn’t like it at all. So I will say this instead: The Afghan Campaign is an excellently written novel, one that will put you back as well as any book can into Alexander’s army. It will make you think about many different things, and it will hold your interest. But you may end up disliking it.

I can’t fault the writing, the plot, the story or anything else, really. I just didn’t like the ending enough that I doubt I’ll ever re-read it. But your mileage may vary.

I hesitate to write about this book, mainly because Scott Turow’s powers as a novelist far exceed mine as a reviewer. He seems to have been born full-blown, as it were; Presumed Innocent was as complex and satisfying as anything that’s come since. Unlike, say, C. S. Friedman, however, all of his subsequent works have held to the same high standard, which, at seven hefty novels and one novella, is no mean feat.

Ordinary Heroes represents something of a departure, though. For one thing, it’s the only book so far that is set substantially (i.e., beyond the lifetimes of most of the people who will read it) in the past; for another, it has far less courtroom action. In fact, there is hardly any legal wrangling here, which gives the book a very different flavor than its predecessors, more The Greatest Generation than The Burden of Proof. While Turow has been inordinately successful with his past formula, I don’t find the current novel to be a problem. In fact, I think that it may be a good thing, as Turow certainly is a gifted enough storyteller to be able to handle most any theme and setting. Kindle County gives him an admittedly broad canvas to work on, but his talent is broader still.

About the only reason for a Turow fan not to buy this book would be the lack of courtroon drama mentioned above. Other than that, Ordinary Heroes is a fine addition to his canon.