A boy who was never meant to be king, a horizon waiting to be explored, a love and legend that moved and created worlds, and has been erased… until now.
Pella, Greece; 341 B.C.
Alexandros is a middle child caught between two warring spouses, born to both a king and queen, but never meant to rule himself. When a mysterious young man arrives from the north, fleeing his own family, and meets Alexandros in a garden in the Macedonian capital, the bond that’s created between them will soon become unbreakable and ultimately define both the direction of the Ancient World, and ours.
For fans of The Song of Achilles and Madeline Miller, Young Conquerors is a novel of the vast mysteries of the human heart that gives two of the most important figures in history the love story they deserve and shows how Alexandros, later called “the Great,” was shaped, formed, and ultimately turned into the man who would go on to become the greatest conqueror and visionary the world had ever seen, all told through the eyes of the one he loved, and who knew him best.
This second novel from Christopher Cosmos, the bestselling Greek-American author of Once We Were Here, is sure to generate lots of discussion, among both the Greek diaspora, and beyond.
“In my debut, I wrote about the untold story of how the men and women of Greece saved the world during WWII,” Cosmos told the Pappas Post. “For my second novel, I wanted to tackle the story of perhaps the greatest Greek to ever live, and explore just what exactly made him great.”
And that’s exactly what Young Conquerors does.
It features Macedonian kings, Athenians orators and politicians, Persian mercenaries, and even the infamous Aristotle, who was Alexander’s tutor and helped shape who the conqueror would become and lessons of Hellenism he would bring to the world, and the scenes with Aristotle teaching Alexander this philosophy are some of the most poignant in the novel.
Cosmos told us more about his process.
“One of the great pleasures in writing about Greece is how much time I get to spend there. While writing this novel, I visited every single location in it – including the actual stone seats where Hephaestion and Alexander sat and learned from Aristotle, in ancient Mieza – and so, so much more. Authenticity is incredibly important to me, so not only is this a story that’s in both my and our blood, but I’ve also been able to stand in the same places as these characters and see the same things they saw, feel the same things they felt, and smell the same things they smelt, too, which has been an incredible privilege.”
The novel is currently available anywhere books are sold, but Cosmos has said he encourages readers to order a copy from his hometown bookstore Schuler Books, in Michigan.
“The copies that Schuler Books has are Special Edition copies I designed and printed myself,” he told us. “Each copy at Schulers has been hand-signed, and more than that, all proceeds from them go to benefit local Michigan artists and small businesses that have all supported me and my work, and the best part is Schuler Books ships – quite literally – to anywhere in the world. And they make great and easy holiday gifts!”
He’s a Black List screenwriter, and now a bestselling author, too, so what’s next for Cosmos?
“We have one of the best film incentives in the world in Greece, so if there are any Greek producers, filmmakers, or financiers that might be reading this, send me a message and let’s go back home and make some epic Greek mini-series’ and movies and continue telling these stories of our ancestors.”
Signed Special Editions of Young Conquerors can be purchased via Schuler Books, regular copies or E-books on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or at your local bookstore, and make sure to follow Cosmos on Instagram @christophercosmos for more about his writing and travels in Greece and beyond.
