The 5th Century BC.

The Greek city-states are engaged in perpetual war.

But one man towers above the chaos.

His name is Alkibiades.

He is at once a pirate, statesman and seducer whose adventures rival those of Odysseus himself.

Citizen of Athens, friend of Socrates, sailor, warrior and inveterate lover, Alkibiades flees persecution in his native city to join the Spartan cause.

However, his brilliant naval and diplomatic victories on their behalf do not save him from the consequences of impregnating the Spartan queen, and once more he takes up the outcast's mantle.

Rosemary Sutcliff’s thrilling historical novel charters the life of this Greek warrior, from his military climax to his violent demise.