Rick Riordan's Reviews > Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the War for Crown and Empire

A very readable account of the years after Alexander the Great died, leaving a power vacuum in the massive empire he had just cobbled together after years of military conquest. Talk about a hard act to follow. What do you do when your seemingly superhuman, super popular king dies mid-campaign, leaving behind the most powerful army ever assembled, a territory that stretches from Africa to India to Greece, untold riches in the imperial coffers, and a bunch of generals who don't trust one another? You can probably guess, things aren't going to go well.

This is the story of the jockeying for power, the backstabbing, the cloak-and-dagger diplomacy, the terrible, epic and sometimes just ridiculous fights that broke out as Alexander's new empire disintegrated into warring factions. This isn't a time period I've read much about. It is often jumped over, as if nothing happened between Alexander's death and the rise of Rome, but it's absolutely fascinating. I especially appreciated learning about the powerful women involved in Alexander's world and how they managed to make themselves heard and their influence felt against all odds -- even if their endings were often tragic. Romm brings the historical characters to life in a compelling way!