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238th out of 1,091 books
—
1,055 voters
Funeral Games (Alexander the Great #3)
by
Mary Renault
As Funeral Games opens, Alexander the Great lies dying. Around his body gather the generals, the provincial satraps and the royal wives, already competing for the prizes of powe and land. Only Bagoas, the Persian boy mourning in the shadows wants nothing. Tracing the events of the fifteen years following Alexander's death, Funeral Games sees his mighty empire disintegrate,...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
November 6th 2003
by Arrow
(first published November 9th 1981)
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Mary Renault's last novel is one of her best and my own personal favourite. The third book of the Alexander trilogy begins in Babylon with the Macedonian king dying and ends in Alexandria decades later with the great survivor, Ptolemy king of Egypt, commenting briefly on what had been the essence of Alexander, what had perhaps made him worthy of the title, `the Great'.
One of the most impressive things about this novel is that it can be fully appreciated in its own terms and does not depend on a...more
One of the most impressive things about this novel is that it can be fully appreciated in its own terms and does not depend on a...more
Mary Renault was a well-known classicist who wrote a number of books, both fiction and non-fiction. Her best remembered works tend to be her novels, particularly The Praise Singer about the life of Simonides in the late 6th Century B.C.E. and The Mask of Apollo set in the 4th Century B.C.E. Funeral Games is a little less well-remembered, but it covers a topic that many people would find interesting, covering as it does the aftermath of Alexander the Great's death and the scramble for power among...more
Who will succeed to the world-encircling empire after the shock death of Alexander from swamp fever at the age of 32? Without a Macedonian-bred son and with no clear regent the empire fractured into separate regencies and was gone within a generation. Renault tells the story by the years that followed and through the lens of the various generals and wives whose ambitions and enmities undid the empire and each other.
I know that this the last book a trilogy, so I am considering that in my review,...more
I know that this the last book a trilogy, so I am considering that in my review,...more
Après Alexander, le deluge could have been the subtitle of this book, which follows the lives of the people close to Alexander and their attempts to either hold his legacy intact or to grab power for themselves. For me, the book was marred by skipping wildly between characters--and the fact that almost none of the characters was at all sympathetic or likable. Renault manages to write a female character I can almost enjoy, the bold and ambitious Eurydike, only to spend huge amounts of time showin...more
I very much enjoyed reading this, but then I was really in the mood for intrigue, and this book supplies it in plenty: plotting, double-crossing, backstabbing, precipitous rises and calamitous falls abound. (And it all really happened!) That said, this is a really odd set of events to make into a novel. There's no real protagonist, although there are some characters with whom we stick and some who are more sympathetic than others. The shape of it is strange, and nobody really ends well. It's a t...more
Brilliant, appropriately cynical and heart-breakingly sad. Real Politik as practiced in the ancient world, with frequent poisoning of the innocent and inconvenient by the usual suspects, who are both mediocre and power hungry. Not an easy read, but once I got stuck in, the narrative became utterly compelling. There is a list of the numerous characters in the front, which was useful to this reader who is not on a nodding acquaintence with all the players, the generals, wives, servants and friends...more
This is my favourite of the Alexander trilogy, and my favourite Mary Renault book. Even though he is dead, Alexander permeates the whole story. The ambition of all the players is fascinating, as is the sheer bewilderment of the ordinary soldiers, stuck in a foreign land with no idea of what is going to happen next. A clever device is Kassandros influencing how posterity will view Alexander; a good excuse for Renault to ignore stories that show Alexander in a bad light! Unlike her portrayal of Al...more
Es el último libro de la trilogía dedicada a Alejandro, aunque no trata de la vida de Alejandro sino de los hechos ocurridos inmediatamente después de su muerte y cuando digo inmediatamente me refiero al instante mismo en que fallece (si mas no recuerdo el libro comienza con los generales de Alejandro lanzándose mandobles unos a otros encima de su cadáver)en especial el destino que tuvo el imperio por él creado. Como sus anteriores libros es impecable y la historia que cuenta es profundamente do...more
First the bad: this is one of the most poorly edited books I've ever read. The spelling and punctuation is really inexcusable. Wrong words are inserted; it's like someone ran the manuscript through autocorrect.
The content however was quite interesting. The book focuses on the aftermth of Alexander the Great's death. Those ancient Macedonians, et.al. could give the modern Mafia a run for their money. So much murder and mayhem, all in a futile attempt to hold together an empire that was really on...more
The content however was quite interesting. The book focuses on the aftermth of Alexander the Great's death. Those ancient Macedonians, et.al. could give the modern Mafia a run for their money. So much murder and mayhem, all in a futile attempt to hold together an empire that was really on...more
Rating: 4/5
Summary: The world wasn’t ready for Alexander the Great’s death; he left behind an empty throne without a worthy successor. Yet many tried… and this is the setting of this third book in Renault’s trilogy. Alexander’s generals formed factions and alliances for various territories or seeking regency, new Macedonians with royal blood hoped to fill his shoes, armies and brothers/fathers divided over loyalties fighting against each other while Alexander’s still unborn children were used as...more
Summary: The world wasn’t ready for Alexander the Great’s death; he left behind an empty throne without a worthy successor. Yet many tried… and this is the setting of this third book in Renault’s trilogy. Alexander’s generals formed factions and alliances for various territories or seeking regency, new Macedonians with royal blood hoped to fill his shoes, armies and brothers/fathers divided over loyalties fighting against each other while Alexander’s still unborn children were used as...more
Just finished "The Persian Boy". Kind of letdown when Alexander dies of course but I'm committed to finishing the trilogy. Starting tonight...
It's taking me a while to get going but tonight will do it. We're switching back to the non-present fly-on-the-wall witness mode for this one. Interesting after the "inside job" of "The Persian Boy". Al's not quite dead yet...
Well, he's gone now and the "games" have begun. This story is both greater in scope with it's multiple plotlines of Al's kingdom bei...more
It's taking me a while to get going but tonight will do it. We're switching back to the non-present fly-on-the-wall witness mode for this one. Interesting after the "inside job" of "The Persian Boy". Al's not quite dead yet...
Well, he's gone now and the "games" have begun. This story is both greater in scope with it's multiple plotlines of Al's kingdom bei...more
Jan 03, 2012
Erik Graff
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Renault/Alexander fans
Recommended to Erik by:
no one
Shelves:
literature
This concludes the Alexander the Great trilogy, the prior novels being Fire from Heaven and The Persian Boy. The dialogue is invented, but the general lines of the story are based on the ancient sources, late though they be relative to Alexander's own lifetime. Renault's nonfictional biography of Alexander may be read as a supplement to these novels and probably should be read first by those unfamiliar with the early hellenistic period.
It's hard for me to give less than five stars to a Mary Renault book. She is without question one of the greatest historical novelists ever. But this novel follows The Persian Boy, a masterpiece. As the final novel in Renault's Alexander the Great trilogy, Funeral Games ties up all the loose ends in the Alexander story after his death. Bagoas, the "hero" of The Persian Boy, just has a walk-on. The schemers who fought over Alexander's empire just can't compete!
This work is definitely not as strong as either Fire from Heaven or The Persian Boy, but it does bring necessary closure to the story of Alexander and his empire, as well as to many of the other figures in that story, such as Bagoas, and Ptolemy (both of whom I could have read a lot more from), the traitor Kassandros, Olympias, etc. In the wake of the chaos following Alexander's death, his own remarkable qualities are thrown into sharp contrast with the all-too-human nature of the men who surrou...more
couldn't, at first, get the hang of this one after the first two in the alexandriad series. even lost my copy to termites. having lucked on a 1st edition hardback at a 2ndhand bookstore, i started reading this book again and found myself unable to put it down. whew! alexander may be dead but his memory haunts this story, a greek tragedy in the truest sense.
I wish the author had added more information at the end about what was historically stated, and what she had to fill in, but this was a fascinating look at how Alexander's empire disintegrated after his death. Deeply depressing, though. The historical equivalent of Hamlet - easier to list the survivors.
This is the last in Mary Renault's Alexander trilogy, although Alexander doesn't really make an appearance in it at all. His shadow hovers over everything that happens, but he is dead by the start of the book. This is about how his followers, relatives, successors tore themselves apart after his death, each striving to assume power, to follow Alexander's wishes, to avenge old scores and feuds. Of course, the whole point of a man like Alexander is that no-one could follow him, no-one could live u...more
Although a must read for those who have finished the first two books in the trilogy, this was by far my least favorite of the series. Historicly quite iteresting, I found the book lacked the emotion of the previous two books, furthermore, the huge cast of characters was often overwhelming; I felt like I should have been taking notes. I did find it sad the finish such a monumental series of books.
I normally really like Mary Renault's books, but after the main character dies in the very beginning, the book lacks for a protagonist. It's hard to get invested in a succession of lesser characters who keep dying.
I still haven't quite recovered from the idea of Alexander's death. It's basically the same way I feel about JFK Jr and River Phoenix. Thus the book is not quite as enjoyable as the first two in the series.
More food for my obsession with interest in Alexander the Great. It is somewhat depressing to see how quickly his empire fell apart after his death due to the greed of all those who wanted a piece of it.
This is the book that Mary Renault had to write in order to complete the story of Alexander the Great which she told so brilliantly in Fire from Heaven and The Persian Boy. It is not as strong as they are, not least because Alexander is only a ghostly presence in this episode, but while his memory is enough to sustain a story, it was not enough to sustain his hastily accumulated empire. There is no central character in this episode just as there was no key successor with the strength to hold the...more
I really like Mary Renault's historical fiction. This is one more well-researched, excellent book.
Too much protagonist turnover (never-ending stream of suicides and murders) for my taste.
After Alexander dies, what next? The Hellenistic period in all its glory (or lack of).
On one hand, I loved it. On the other hand, to really enjoy the book you really need to read both the Fire from Heaven and The Persian Boy first - to get to know the characters' backstories and motivations. In this books they're often shown only as ambitious political figures and many lack any real emotional depth.
Aug 08, 2012
David
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
military
Starts off slow, but soon
Treachery, greed, and intrigue
Destroy this empire.
Treachery, greed, and intrigue
Destroy this empire.
Funeral Games is a thickly plotted account of the quick, bloody unravelling of the Alexandrian Empire squeezed into a modest 284 pages. And sadly it seems rather rushed. I wish it were longer.
کتاب سوم از تریلوژی سرگذشت اسکندر مقدونی
Jan 24, 2011
Susan Alt
added it
Excellent novel...a fast read, and mesmerizing!
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Mary Renault
AKA Eileen Mary Challans
Born: 4-Sep-1905
Birthplace: London, England
Died: 13-Dec-1983
Location of death: Cape Town, South Africa
Father: Frank Challans (physician)
Mother: Clementine Newsome Baxter
Sister: Joyce
Girlfriend: Julie Mullard (life-long companion)
High School: Clifton Girls School, Bristol, England
University: BA, St. Hugh's College, Oxford University (1928)
Medical School: Radcl...more
More about Mary Renault...
AKA Eileen Mary Challans
Born: 4-Sep-1905
Birthplace: London, England
Died: 13-Dec-1983
Location of death: Cape Town, South Africa
Father: Frank Challans (physician)
Mother: Clementine Newsome Baxter
Sister: Joyce
Girlfriend: Julie Mullard (life-long companion)
High School: Clifton Girls School, Bristol, England
University: BA, St. Hugh's College, Oxford University (1928)
Medical School: Radcl...more
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Mar 08, 2012 07:16am