fiction depicts a soldier in Alexander the Great's army, and was written using the authentic Macedonian letters discussing Alexander's conquests across Asia.

We join the young Charidemus as he competes in a race around Olympia. Athletic and determined by nature, we find the young man ostracized by the Greek establishment owing to his origins in Macedonia - a territory which, in centuries past, was considered an uncivilized and barbaric province north of the Hellenic League.

Such stigma, though troublesome, does not dent the courage of our hero, who grows ever-stronger and is recruited into the army of a young general named Alexander. After completing an initial tour, Charidemus is chosen as one of the 40,000 men to embark with Alexander on his epic conquest of Asia's uncharted lands.

With vivid battle scenes, exotic descriptions of far-flung ancient cities and landscapes, flowing dialogue between the warriors, and an attentiveness to historic accuracy, A Young Macedonian is an underrated classic of ancient historical fiction.

Alfred John Church was a renowned scholar of classics who studied and taught in universities in London and wider England. An able translator of Greek and Latin, he produced several new editions of ancient works, particularly letters and biographic material.