Waiting on Wednesday – The Shadow King by Harry Sidebottom

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. For this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I look at an excellent upcoming historical fiction read with The Shadow King by Harry Sidebottom.

The Shadow King Cover

One of my favourite historical fiction authors writing now is the always impressive and compelling Harry Sidebottom, who has been producing great reads pretty much the entire time I’ve been a reviewer. An expert in ancient history, Sidebottom has written several great series and standalone novels, primarily set in ancient Rome. This includes his exceptional Warrior of Rome books, as well as the detailed Throne of the Caesars series, each of which take a unique look at different parts of Roman history and military fiction. I have deeply enjoyed many of Sidebottom’s outstanding Roman historical fiction novels, and I have reviews for The Last Hour, Falling Sky, The Lost Ten, The Return and The Burning Roads currently on my blog.

Due to how much fun I have had with Sidebottom’s previous historical fiction novels I always keep a close eye on his upcoming books, and I was very excited to see that he has a new novel coming out later this year. This book, which is set for release in November, is The Shadow King, which will see Sidebottom take on a whole new historical period with an interesting look at Alexander the Great and the Macedonians.

Plot Synopsis:

Alexander of Macedon was just twenty years old in 334BC when he set out with a small army to challenge Persia, the largest and most powerful empire in the world. The Macedonians marched East into the unknown, won battles against overwhelming odds, stormed impregnable fortresses. In the deserts and mountains between the Aegean and India they conquered nature itself. Yet disaster was never more than a sword stroke away. Alexander`s companions were riven with murderous rivalries, their loyalty contingent. The threat of treason, inspired by ambition and Persian gold, or by honour and principle, was ever present.

Alexander: The Shadow King tells this epic story from a new and unique angle through the eyes of another Alexander, a prince of the Macedonian royal house of Lyncestis. The Lyncestian was Alexander the Great`s general and friend. But he was torn between that friendship and the duty to avenge his murdered brothers, and between adherence to the ways of his ancestors and the new world of empire. The Lyncestian was never safe. Others – Persians and Greeks, as well as Macedonians – saw him as a rival for the throne. For six years of conspiracy and battle, as the Macedonian army fought its way East, his life hung by a thread.

Alexander of Lyncestis was The Shadow King.

This new upcoming book from Sidebottom sounds amazing and I am very excited to see how the author handles this different historical period in The Shadow King. The rise of Alexander the Great is always a fascinating subject to explore and it sounds like Sidebottom is going to provide an intriguing alternate perspective by looking through the eyes of Alexander of Lyncestis. I look forward to seeing Sidebottom’s take on these historical events in The Shadow King and this will probably end up being on the strongest and most enjoyable historical fiction novels of 2023.