Book Review – The Conqueror: Book One of the Hieronymus Papers
A fictional look at Alexander the Great, co-authored by military history expert Barry Jacobsen.
In the early days of my Legal Insurrection writing career, I would sometimes confer with military history expert Barry Jacobsen on topics related to his expertise.
Jacobsen, who produced the “Deadliest Warrior” TV show and US Army Ranger Special Forces Operational Detachment “A” (known as an “A-Team”), recently co-authored a book with friend and author Charles Kenna.
The Conqueror: Book One of the Hieronymus Paper is a fictional account of Alexander the Great, both the man and the mystique.
The story’s anchor is the 2012 discovery of a Royal Tomb in Greece dating to the period of Phillip II and Alexander the Great of Macedon, which actually occurred. The premise of the book is that the tomb contained scrolls from the personal memoirs of Hieronymus of Cardia, a historical figure who was part of Alexander’s entourage.
Conqueror: Book One of the Hieronymus Papers is an absolute triumph of storytelling that utterly captivated me from the first page to the last. This book is a masterful blend of historical intrigue, vivid world-building, and richly drawn characters that leap off the page with every word. The authors, who share a passion for Greek history, have crafted a narrative so immersive that I found myself transported into the heart of the story, eagerly turning pages to uncover the next twist in this epic tale.
The premise alone is enough to hook any reader—a bold exploration of power, ambition, and destiny, wrapped in a fresh and imaginative take on historical fiction. Hieronymus, the central figure, is a fascinating protagonist who commands attention with his complexity. The dialogues between him and other legendary figures are amusing and insightful, and balance the highly detailed descriptions of Alexander’s many battles.
What sets this historical fiction apart is the sheer attention to detail. The prose is elegant yet accessible, painting vivid scenes that feel cinematic in scope. Whether it’s the clash of swords in a pulse-pounding battle or the quiet, introspective moments where the weight of decisions hangs heavy, every chapter is a testament to the authors’ skills in balancing pace and substance. The world feels alive—brimming with authenticity and a sense of history that fans of the genre will adore.
My only quibble: There should have been more Egypt.
As I do with my review, I like to share a portion to give readers a glimpse of the contents. This passage describes Alexander’s visit to Troy:
We entered the broad Bay of Ilium, and the water quickly calmed. My heart was pounding, excitement coursing through my veins. For once, cynicism lay slain on the battlefield of my mind as I took in the sight.
To our right was a long headland that joined the bluffs blocking the view of the broader Aegean to the west. To the east of us rose the hill upon which sat the acropolis of Troy, with the houses of its townsfolk clustered at its feet. It was not the imposing site it had once been, when Alexander’s maternal ancestor, Achilles, led his fearless Myrmidons to lay waste the citadel of Priam. That city, long gone, lay buried beneath the neat little Hellene city that sat there now. But if not ancient, it was still older and more revered than any town I had thus far in my life visited, and I gazed upon it with awe. Considering that I had grown up not far from here, across the straits and up the peninsula, I wondered how I had neglected to visit here sooner.
We turned to starboard, into the Achaean Harbor, and the other ships followed ours. The helmsman steered for the broad sandy shore, as the rowers slowed their stroke, then began to drag their oars. As we neared the shore, Alexander stepped to the apex of the prow, a spear in hand. He raised it high above his head.
“I claim Asia as spear-won land!” he shouted in a clear ringing voice that echoed across the harbor. With this he hurled the spear. It arced through the air, glinting in the sunlight as it rose upward, then descending to bury itself deep in the sands of Ilium.
This is only Book One, and already I’m counting the days until the next installment. Conqueror isn’t just a book—it’s an experience.
I give the book five stars, and recommend it for any fan of historical fiction.
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Comments
Good review. I can never bring myself to read historical fiction because there’s so much to be told from actual events. Hence Hardcore History podcast has been such a hit (I’ve been away from that for a minute… hope dan has kept up the good work as I’d like to return)
Adolpho Kaminski…. I just relistened to that and am black mailing / extording my daughter to read it too. I question some of the causes he jumped in bed with but real life forgery is fascinating… and the fact that he saved thousands of lives makes it very choice.
Thanks Leslie, it’s on my wish list at Amazon now.
Here are some of my favorite book series readers may be interested in:
David Gemmell’s Troy Trilogy, better than Homer
Cameron Christian’s Tyrant series set in the Alexander era
Bernard Cornwell’s Last Kingdom series begins with Alfred the Great
Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe series set in the Napoleonic wars
Gordon Doherty’s Empires of Bronze centered around the Hittite empire
Gordon Doherty’s Legionary series set in Eastern Roman empire pre-Islam
And just for the fun of it, Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series (I have ancestors from Scotland and am a native of North Carolina, so there!)
This list is outstanding. I am going to take a look at the Troy Trilogy.
For those who like naval warfare I would recommend the series by CS Forester (Hornblower) and Alexander Kent (Bolthio).
For those that like historical fiction of a naval bent, Patrick O’Brian’s “Master And Commander” series is epically good.
And if you don’t mind some fantasy with your historical fiction, try Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series.
One of my favourite lines is from (I think) the second book, when Maturin returns from a months-long absence and Aubrey tells him something like “Here you are, dark as a Gibraltar Jew, and expect us to believe you’ve been in Ireland!”
I didn’t know that was an expression, but it makes sense for it to have been one among RN officers, since about a quarter of Gibraltar’s population at the time was Jewish, and Jews ran most of the supply yards with which Aubrey would have had extensive experience.
Indeed, O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin series is excellent. The movie Master and Commander (title of Book 1 of the series) was evidence of the truism that you should see the movie before you read the book, for if you reverse the book will ruin the movie for you. IIRC the movie was a mish-mash of incidents from a few of the books.
Antione Vanner’s Dawlish Chronicles (about 12 books now) is quite good, the Royal Navy from about 1860 to about 1900.
William was ‘The Conqueror’
Alexander was ‘The Great’
It is a small flaw, but a revealing one
He was a conqueror, and for the sake of the story he was THE conqueror.
Caesar was also a conqueror, as was Trajan and Justinian and Claudius.
I ordered it.
Thank you!!!!