Nicholas Guild first came to my attention with his stellar release, THE ASSYRIAN. It’s all too rare to find a work of historical fiction set in the ancient Near East that’s not biblical in setting or inspirational in tone, so this story of an Assyrian prince who becomes ensnared in court intrigue easily caught my eye. The epic saga of Tiglath-Ashur, a deeply flawed courtier, soldier and lover, enthralled me from first page to last.

"Guild turns what could be a well-rounded individual into a one-dimensional, mustache-twirling villain, most of whose intrigues are unsubtle..."

So I was hoping for the same with Guild’s latest, THE MACEDONIAN, the story of Philip II, king of Macedon and father of Alexander the Great, a renowned warrior in his own right. Unfortunately, the book falls far short of Guild’s best work. Instead of creating a slow character build-up, gradually putting the pieces in place that help make Philip the man he becomes, Guild rushes the story, turning a teenage prince into a military maestro with skills far beyond his years in 100 pages. His “foreshadowing” is heavy-handed and unrealistic, going hand-in-hand with Philip’s unrealistic development as a boy genius without peer. Theban general Pelopidas, a renowned military mind, can already tell how wise Philip is, while the book’s villain, royal cousin Ptolemy, is afraid of only one man: Philip.

We already know Philip will become king, so it’s no surprise when the resident baddie, Ptolemy, starts to pick off his brothers one by one. Historically, Ptolemy was a fascinating character; as Guild relates, he was married to Philip’s sister, but seemingly also had an affair with his mother-in-law. But Guild turns what could be a well-rounded individual into a one-dimensional, mustache-twirling villain, most of whose intrigues are unsubtle: ones that only perfect Philip could discern.

Ultimately, THE MACEDONIAN falls flat of both Guild’s own authorial talents and the historical figures he portrays.