Prime Directive: Book One of the Ptolemaios Saga

Take a book that whisks you back in time to the 4th century B.C. and introduces you to a memorable cast of characters - some famous, some obscure - who found themselves at the center of the epic contest between Greeks and Persians that would determine the course of Western Civilization over the next 2½ millennia; stir in a heady mix of intrigue, assassination, war, and diplomacy; add a dash of sex and romance; place in an evocative and exotic setting; garnish with gorgeous prose. What do you get? A wonderful slice of historical fiction called Prime Directive, by Alexander Geiger.