Climb on my back, if you dare, and let me carry you into the battles that changed the world... So speaks Alexander the Great's bold black stallion Bucephalas, one of the most famous horses of the ancient world, as he recounts their epic journey from Macedonia across Persia and over the Himalayas into India, straight from the horse's mouth.
In the tradition of Anna Sewell's Black Beauty and Michael Morpurgo's War Horse, this mixture of fiction and history will appeal to readers looking for a lively account of the legends surrounding Alexander of Macedon and the men and women who followed him to the ends of the earth.
"A major work of historical fiction." John Newman - Bookseller's Choice, Publishing News.
"A funny, informative and highly original historical novel." The Times.
"Roberts wears her considerable research lightly, and you never question for a minute that this was how Alexander came to rule the Mediterranean and the east... but it is not romanticised; you feel the glory of victory but also see how it ultimately corrupts the victor. And the ending, for both king and horse, is as moving as anything I've read." Mary Hoffman, The Guardian.
"Seen through the eyes of Bucephalas and his groom, Alexander is admirably shown... Given that Alexander's life is one long series of battles, Roberts sustains extraordinary tension, variety and surprise. This is a wild, surging, enormously readable narrative. Bucephalas joins Anna Sewell's Black Beauty and Richard Adams' Traveller as one of the great equine storytellers." Books for Keeps (5 star review)
"Relish this gallop through history and give "flat ears" to anyone who threatens to disturb your reading. This book is a tremendous achievement... a truly epic adventure story with masses of factual detail and sympathetic insights, not least into the psychology of warfare. What more can I say? Encourage your students to read it!" Alison Hurst, School Librarian magazine.
