Continuing where the previous two books left off, this story delves more deeply into Aristotle’s philosophy and provides a more intricate look at his school and studies. This book is filled with much more political intrigue and gives a clearer look at the aftermath of Alexander The Great’s conquest. The story is much darker and more intricate than the previous two.

The intended audience is the same as the audience for the previous books; those interested in history and philosophy and those with an interest in mysteries in general would enjoy this book.  This book would appeal with those with an interest in little details about philosophy and those interested in complicated and serious mysteries.  For somebody really interested in Aristotle, this might be the best book so far.

Yet again, the author uses moder language in a way that gives the characters an authentically historical aura. Those who have no pryor knowledge of philosophy should be able to easily comprehend the teachings of Aristotle as portrayed in this book. As with the previous books, the story is told in an educated manner, which allows one to learn while indulging in pleasure reading.

This mystery is intertwined with politics and military strategy and is a lot more complex and at times confusing than the previous two. It is also much darker and shares more tidbits of Aristotle’s philosophy with the reader as Aristotle is much more of a main character in this book. I did enjoy it, but not as much as I enjoyed the previous books. This one was a bit dark for my taste and I feel like some of the violent events were rather gratuitous. One of the most horrific scenes in the book just didn’t really seem to be important to the story and seemed mainly to serve as a way to dispose of some extraneous characters while providing shock value. Also, even though it may be an accurate portrayal of the times, some of the views expressed about women were rather grating. The end doesn’t explain everything; there are parts of the mystery left unresolved, though the main plotline is explained for the most part.  This strategy does make me interested in the next book in the series, so I will more than likely continue reading even though there were parts of this book that I could have done without.

© 2015 Natalie Kelley-Wilson

Natalie Kelley-Wilson graduated from Allegheny College with a BA in English Lit. and from Clarion University with a Masters in Library Science. Currently she works at her town’s public library and the county historical society. Email: nataliekelleywilson82@gmail.com