Robert Payne
Alexander the God
(also Alexander and the Camp Follower)
A.A. Wyn, c1954, no ISBN, "historical fantasy"
[no cover worth reproducing]
 

I have labeled this novel as "historical fantasy," although the genre did not yet exist at the time it was written.  Nevertheless, magic is present throughout the book and the main character describes herself as a "priestess of Hecate."  (Hecate, of course, was the goddess of witches.)  Payne obviously did a little reading about Hecate, so unlike David Gemmell, the magic is more appropriate to ancient Greece.

Nonetheless, Payne is not Judith Tarr, not even close to Tarr.  Although it is clear he did some research, what he did appears to have been related to Alexander and Hecate.  He evinces little knowledge of the details of ancient life.  He has Greeks use spurs with their horses; far overestimates Persian wealth; calls Ptolemy a half-brother of Alexander by Olympias; calls Hephaistion a half-brother, too (presumably by Philip?); and has a very peculiar notion of camp followers.  His priestess is "Thaissa" -- a bungling of Thais.  But in fairness to Payne, and unlike Gemmell, there is no sense that Payne intended to present his novel as historically accurate.

The story concerns the love affair of Thaissa and Alexander, and as noted previously, the elements of the fantastic are strong.   Alexander and his wittol brother Arrhidaios (wrongly called Philip by Payne; he wasn't Philip III until after Alexander's death) are visited in Arrhidaios' tent by Hecate and her dogs; Alexander meets the god Ammon deep in a cave in Siwah, and by playing her flute, Thaissa charms away a persistent mist in Persepolis.  There are some humorous scenes as well, particularly the first and second meetings between Thaissa and Alexander, though whether Payne meant them to be is another question.  I think that perhaps he did.

For all its lack of historical accuracy, there is something about this book which oddly pulls on the reader.  The characterization is not deep:  Thaissa, Alexander, Ptolemy, Hephaistion . . . all are simple nearly to transparence -- but hold a certain charm in that.  Payne also has the ability to draw vivid mental pictures for the reader which, even when wildly inaccurate or anachronistic, are nevertheless compelling.

If one wishes a fanciful story that concerns Thais, Payne's novel is a far better choice than Noel Gerson's published ten years later.