Thebes 338 B.C.E.

This historical novel is set in ancient Greece during a crucial two year period from 338 - 336 B. C. E. The young poet Aristides, outside the city of Thebes, narrates his life from age 14 to 16 and near his death at 70 in Egypt as he looks back upon his life's journey. It is the time of King Philip II of Macedon and his son Alexander, (18-20) soon to be the Great. The intrigue, struggle for love and power in the royal court of kings, is the background as Aristides comes of age. After a fierce battle on the fields of Chaeronea, King Philip's military genius defeats the combined armies of Athens, Thebes, and their many allies. He now becomes the master of all the Greek City-States except Sparta. Aristides, the poet and creator of stories, is captured and tasked to write the King's exploits in verse so that Philip can become immortal like Achilles in Homer's great poem The Iliad. In such an environment, Aristides grows from a naive boy into a young man searching for the answers to life's many challenges. Will he find love, fulfillment, purpose? This is the story of Thebes 338 B. C. E. as the poet searches for the meaning of his life. Near his life's end in the city of Alexandra under the rule of Ptolemy, the first Greek Pharaoh of Egypt, Aristides is struck, like a bolt of lightning, with enlightenment in the arms of his most beloved. This divine knowledge is his gift to us as he writes the story of his life. He lived under three great kings, Philip, Alexander, and Ptolemy, when the world was ablaze with wonder and excitement. It was a time when the ancient gods were feared, honored, and appeased. It was a time when the world was young. It is a time of rebirth for us where we all can be young again.