Written By: Jai Sen
Illustrated By: Seijuro Mizu, Umeka Asayuki, Shino Yotsumoto
Publisher: Shoto Press

This tells the alternate history tale of what might have happened if Alexander the Great had not pressed his conquest into India, where not only did he lose but he also died of an illness.

The book takes place in three parts, with the overall story being that of Alexander's son, also named Alexander (the fourth!), who is supposed to ascend to the throne since his father has just died. There is also a significant flashback from the point of view of Hephaestion, Alexander's friend and lover, and flashbacks from the point of view of Alexander's letters to Hephaestion. Each of these is illustrated by a different artist, which works well.

The book itself has impressive production values, from the quality of the art and coloring, including metallic ink used for the titular golden vine, to its 300+ pages. It is obviously the work of people who care about making a quality book and have taken the time to attend to all aspects of its production.

The story itself is entertaining, told in a mystery format: what was the secret Alexander wanted to tell his son before his death? But there are also more questions: is Alexander IV ready to become emperor? Is there a conspiracy to challenge his ascension? The resolution of these questions felt like a letdown after the lush narrative portions of the story, but it is done adequately enough.

The entire book is well paced and extremely engaging. The characters, especially Hephaestion and Alexander, are entertaining to watch as they learn new things from a variety of sources. Alexander IV really only gets a chance to exist as a character in the final third, and I think that leaves more questions open about what kind of person he really is than it answers.

The real joy in the story, though, comes from the various cultures that are part of the story. It begins with the rivalries between Macedonia and Sparta, then all of Greece and Persia, and eventually goes into India, China, Japan, Africa, and even Maya. There was obviously a lot of historical research that went in to this aspect of the book although I was constantly questioning, "is that really true? Did that exist at the time?"

And one of the few weaknesses in the book is how the narrative interacts with these historical cultures. There is a blatant reverence for the different cultures as Alexander learns something from each of them, but the means that Alexander uses to get kingdoms to join his empire seem simplistic at times. The conversion scene for the Mayan priests especially seemed rushed, although it is later explained as being influenced by a prophecy. This is somewhat plausible (look up Cortez if you aren't convinced) but I think the scene could have been handled a little more convincingly at that part of the narrative. Alexander is perhaps shown as too sympathetic and likeable, the kind of person that no one can say "no" to.

Of course, multi-cultural relations are a very delicate issue for a lot of people, and any scene where a European tells another culture what the "right" way to do something is can be difficult. Perhaps the real difficulty here is that I wanted to see more detail in the story of Alexander's conquests and it felt rushed so it could get back to Alexander IV's story, which was far more formulaic to me.

The only other nitpick I have is with the treatment of the oracular prophecies in the story. One of the true genius aspects to Age of Bronze is its ability to incorporate the mythological aspects of the story while keeping it realistic. This book wasn't quite able to pull off this trick, instead requiring the oracles to have actual prophesying ability for an important plot point. But that is a small concession to get all of the other rich parts of the story.

Overall, this is a truly epic work that makes you wish the word "epic" were not used so easily. The story effortlessly spans the cultures of the world, creates compelling characters, and tells an entertaining story. The care and dedication put into all aspects of the story is astonishing. I can't wait for more titles to come out of Shoto Press.

Once you have read it make sure to check out the interview with Jai Sen which goes into much more detail about the book. It will definitely be worth a rereading once they finish the interview there!