On the orders of his childhood friend, now King Philip of Macedon, Aristotle reluctantly sets aside his dream of succeeding Plato as leader of the Academy in Athens. Instead, he travels to Pella to tutor the king’s adolescent sons, including the brilliant and ambitious Alexander. Though initially dismayed by the brutal warrior culture of his homeland, Aristotle becomes deeply invested in guiding Alexander's sharp, questioning mind, hoping to instill the elusive golden mean—the balance between extremes that might temper the boy’s hunger for conquest.
However, as Alexander's power and battlefield victories grow, Aristotle’s influence begins to wane. Despite the philosopher's attempts to steer him toward wisdom and restraint, Alexander remains determined to expand his empire to the farthest corners of the known world, rendering Aristotle’s lessons increasingly irrelevant.
Told through Aristotle's earthy and perceptive voice, Annabel Lyon vividly brings to life this fabled era with rich, muscular prose, exploring how philosophy and power collide and revealing how the legacies of teacher and conqueror still haunt us today.
