Raising Alexander

Raising Alexander is the untold story of Alexander the Great’s mother, an orphaned princess in 4th century BC Greece who marries the ambitious and brilliant Philip of Macedon. In addition to her raising their remarkable and rambunctious son, Alexander, Philip also entrusts the savvy and strong-willed Olympias with governing his domain from their sprawling palace overlooking Pella while he conquers neighboring city-states. However, not everyone accepts a woman holding power. Olympias’ unusual, elevated role earns the enmity of a misogynistic Macedonian nobleman Antipater and his Athenian conspirators bent on destroying her reputation and usurping power—dangers Philip ignores despite Olympias’ dire warnings.

Philip’s assassination spurs Olympias to punish his killers—a prosecution that Alexander halts prematurely out of misguided loyalty to Antipater. After securing his father’s throne and domination of Greece, Alexander prepares to fulfill his father’s dream of Persian conquest. Olympias fails to convince her glory-obsessed son to produce an heir before he marches or eliminate the traitorous Antipater, jeopardizing the entire royal family should he die an untimely death. When the worst happens, Olympias faces a fierce battle to save her reputation from chauvinistic slander, avenge her son’s murder, safeguard his treasure and rescue her young grandson, the dynasty’s last scion.