Preview of Lord of the Two Lands Summary:

While the above features may seem to modernize the story, its strongest theme is the ancient one of destiny.

Alexander's mother was said to have given him his unique sense of destiny; she told him he was the son of a god.

In this novel the tale goes back even further. Nectanebo, the last native Egyptian pharaoh (and Meriamon's father) is shown in the prologue. He is scrying the scene of Alexander's conception, enlisting the aid of his god Amon. The young lord who will be born can ultimately take back the Egyptian throne from the Persians, which Nectanebo is unable to do. In a scene near the book's end, Alexander goes to the oracle of Zeus-Amon at Siwah, and has his identity and destiny confirmed.

Meriamon, likewise, has a destiny to fulfill. She goes to Issus to persuade Alexander to come to Egypt, to see that her...