Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the Bloody Fight for His Empire (original 2011; edition 2012)

by James Romm (Author)

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This book ROARS across the pages leaving in its wake blood, sand and fair amount of confusion in the readers lap. Not confusion from the author, but confusion from the players on the massive board which is Europe and Asia. It also leaves us with many questions as to what might have been the fate of Alexander and makes the waters of the time a little less murkier. We all know what history has told us about the man, the conqueror and the would be king. But what we don’t know… and it is done brilliantly… is what happened to the massive swath of the Earth that was left behind when Alexander died.
There are so many aspects to this book. I am still looking for hoofprints across my backside after reading it. Who knew there were so many players and contenders for the spoils of war; not to mention civil war amidst the unfolding drama. As you read this book you might find yourself picking sides. Eumenes, Cassander, Antipater, Etc. Etc. the list goes on.
One man does stand out. Eumenes. Ghost on the Throne could have easily been about him. As a matter of fact…most of it is. The author portrays him in a sneaky but gallant manner and not so subtly hints that he was by far the most important chess piece on the field, not to mention the smartest.
Who had the right to rule, and who had no claim at all? Eumenes knew he had no claim, but he also knew he had an obligation set forth by his dying leader. The author makes this very clear.
With events that took place so long ago Mr. Romm does not forget to remind the reader that some things are very unclear and some things are more transparent due to documentation. The reader will discover many sides to a story that is engaging enough to want to dive deeper in the melee that was the fight for Alexanders throne. Be noted though. This book is no dim witted Oliver Stone farce. This is not only a hard, galloping and head rolling history it is whiny megalomaniacs all scratching for the same piece of pie mixed with the sad fates of many who were thrown the wolves of destiny just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
We all know Alexander and his conquest changed the world, but we don’t know is what his long term plans were. Well the author highlights that. Alexander was known as a melting pot commander who encouraged cultural fusion while not only conquering lands but creating new cultures along the way. Read this book and it will cause you stand in front of the mirror and wonder what your world, the world around you and world history might have been like had he not died at such a young age. Once again…read this book.
There are many aspects to the book which my review does not cover but I will briefly mention. An interesting take on Jerusalem, and some wily and interesting family members of Alexander that many historians fail to mention. (

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Joligula | Mar 18, 2024 |

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Joligula | Mar 18, 2024 |

I’ll probably read this book two or three times. Concise, precise prose. (A lesser author would’ve consumed 600 pages to tell the same stories.) Thoroughly enjoyed the pace and poignancy with which he revealed the demise of the lost kingdom of Alexander. Had he lived, could he have held it together? Found a balance between Argead monarchy, Greek oligarchy, and the desire of the masses for democracy? Hmm... probably not. But at least one form of his dynastic megalomania was attempted through mixing the DNA of west and east, of northern and southern Europe—marrying generals and bodyguards off to women as the spoils of war.

This work speaks to the folly of building an empire you cannot outlive, placing that power in birthrights, speaking for ghosts, and plying soldiers hungry for battle and fortune with ill-gotten second-hand wealth. And perhaps most relevant to these times, be wary of resting one’s fate on the outcome of battles between old men who just won’t g was t out of the way of progress.

The appearance and character of women as portrayed in this book speaks to laziness and stimulates, in my mind, hilarity. Always pawns, prizes, or bitches. Rarely shrewd, always conniving, causes of wars. Hrumph.

- Alexander’s top generals were about to tangle with one of history’s top teenage girls.p 167
- The blow that destroyed (two great blocks of Alexander’s empire) seemed almost banal, a piece of gossip about a man’s interest in another man’s wife. Women represented legitimacy, and marital alliance security... p 169
- One brought him pleasure, the other power. p 195
- (That house)...was being torn apart ... by meddlesome, ungovernable women. p 210
- With his dying breaths, Antipater had reportedly spoken one last, stern injunction to his followers: “Don’t let Macedonia be ruled by a woman! - p 237

The last is my favorite excerpt before I turn to a book by Elizabeth Carney suggested by Romm that I hope will do more justice to the women in this book. It seems true to this day that one book can do justice either to the kings or to the queens but never both. LOL

Signed,
A “meddlesome ungovernable woman”

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NeelieOB | Jan 20, 2024 |

Kudos to any author who attempts to address this incredibly complicated and often confusing period- the initial successors following the death of Alexander the Great.

Unfortunately, the author simply included too much detail throughout the narrative. Given so many characters, places and events a better approach would have separated the significant from the minutia. Instead, the author's style takes away from more significant aspects of the book, and frankly, makes it a less compelling read than it should be.

A serviceable work but nothing more. (

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la2bkk | Oct 1, 2022 |

Was trying to find a book written on the years after Alexander's death, which in some ways, is an even more dramatic story filled with almost Shakespearian-level of archtypical characters, adventures, assassinations, flip-flopping betrayals, triumphs, conspiracies, heists, battles and intrigue. Oozing an incredible ensemble of historical characters that would make even a soap opera writer blush, the story and the writing do not disappoint. It's going on my bookshelf. (

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bohmanjo | Jun 21, 2022 |

This is the "rest of the story" after Alexander's wholly unsatisfying end to an otherwise amazing life. Romm writes in the tradition of Edward Gibbon assigning motivation to fill in the empty places with a large cast of characters who die in one fantastically gruesome backstabbing way or another. Contingencies rule the day. This is densely packed book that requires a slow and dedicated reading with a detailed character sheet to fully appreciate because so there are so many twists and turns. But even for the casual reader there are remarkable scenes, and the writing style is enjoyable for what it is. I was particularly impressed by the Silver Shields who seemed to be the core the reason for Alexander's successes, many of them still fighting into their 70s. They were unstoppable but also a two-edged sword to whoever wielded them. One senses Alexander kept going because to stop feeding the beast meant death at their fractious hands, which may in fact be what happened. (

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Stbalbach | Apr 6, 2020 |

How good is this?

How good is cake?

I am always amazed that so many know so little about Alexander the Great or the Wars of the Successors. Probably Arrian's Anabasis is a good place to start - doesn't that filter through your heart and brain like beach sand through your fingers? Great stuff. Let me refocus on this utterly perfect (caveat coming) masterpiece of history-drama.

Alexander over runs a big chunk of the world, dies with a mentally disabled half brother of doubtful lineage, a pregnant foreign wife (all non-Greeks are to the Macedonians, mere barbarians), and a plethora of amazingly skilled and experienced generals.

Generals with battle hardened veterans.

They'll all get along great, right?

Nah.

And so the wars begin, and this book covers everything from Alexander's death to roughly the middle of the successor wars, which doesn't diminish it because it ends right around the "OVERTURE" pause, the way we might divide WWI & WII as if they are something other than one war with 2 parts. Read this, it is brilliantly researched and written like a Ken Follet page turner. 100 Stars.
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LeonardGMokos | Nov 22, 2016 |

In this examination of the first round of conflict in the wake of the death of Alexander the Great, the real thrust of this book is not so much the rise of the successor kingdoms of the Hellenistic Era as it is of the liquidation of Alexander's dynastic house in the course of conflict. One imagines that Romm's ideal reader is a person who, besides having an interest in classical history, has also developed a taste for the cut and thrust of court conflict by following George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Fire and Ice" in one form or another. (

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Shrike58 | Feb 4, 2016 |

When Alexander the Great died in 323 BC, he left no obvious heir. This is the story of the multiple struggles for power in Macedon and Greece and across the Middle East from present day Turkey to Pakistan that followed.

Unlike most accounts, but like Mary Renault's fictional "Funeral Games", it at least gives me the illusion that I have some idea of what happened. (

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Robertgreaves | Jan 15, 2015 |

Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the War for Crown and Empire

In his book, Ghost on the Throne, author James Romm transports the reader back to the years of 323-317 BCE, a turbulent seven-year period following the unexpected death of one of the greatest military commanders in history: Alexander the Great.

According to legend, Alexander left the succession of his empire “to the strongest”, ensuring that Alexander’s military commanders, or “bodyguards”, would use their individual power and influences to lay claim to both the empire and to the crown — two very separate entities. Control of the military guaranteed one power, if only temporarily, of the empire. But it was the connection to the royal family through marriage that validated one’s claim to the royal crown through divine providence.

An intriguing part of Romm’s narrative revolves around the power one held if in possession of Alexander’s newly mummified corpse—the ghost. Simply put, possession of the body, entombed in a gold sarcophagus, translated to the personal blessing of Alexander himself, and therefore legitimized the claimant’s assertion to rule the empire.

Ghost on the Throne provides thought-provoking insight into the machinations of the various claimants to a post-Alexander empire. Presenting his research in a chronological format, Romm successfully tells the story of heroes and villains, victims and victors—and women—strong females who play an instrumental role in the future of the empire. (

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cjwedwin | Jun 4, 2012 |

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