In the Company of Friends

Only the strong survive...
Before he became Alexander the Great, he had to survive to manhood amongst his murderous clan, the Argeadai. This is the story of those years.
From his first breath, Alexander's life is in danger from rival factions, but as he grows from precocious child to brilliant youth, King Philip's pride in his son turns to fear and envy. And yet his son has a weakness - Hephaistion, his childhood friend.

King Philip is a force of nature: intelligent, ruthless and cunning. Determined to survive to become the most powerful man in all Hellas, he uses Alexander's love for Hephaistion to control him. Against this, Alexander's mother, Olympias, fights tirelessly for her own position and for her son's right to be king. But not without great cost to her son...

Through war, adversity, personal conflicts and the intrigues of those who would see them fail, Alexander and Hephaistion fight their way to manhood, aided by a few loyal friends who brave the dangers with them to fight on their side.

This book is the first of the Alexander trilogy in the series, The God-Born.