Besieger of Cities

Book excerpt: Demetrius, named “Besieger of Cities,” was the first man to be worshipped as a god during his lifetime by the people of Athens. He passed his life in fighting strenuously to restore the great empire of Alexander which his father had helped to found. In this brilliant panorama of political maneuverings and exciting warfare, Alfred Duggan reveals all sides of a fascinating man whose career was at the center of a turbulent period of world history. “Alfred Duggan’s great gift was his Dickensian ability to create characters who are both believable and likeable. Demetrius has the good humor of Mr. Pickwick and the unfounded hopefulness of Mr. Micawber; it seems only proper that the Besieger’s adventures end in comfortable house arrest rather than a violent death. Nice guys may finish last, but at least they don’t always end up as mincemeat.”—David Maclaine, Historical Fiction “It shines...A first-rate recreation.”—Kirkus Review