Alchemy of Fire [Hardcover]

Gillian Bradshaw (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2004

Constantinople, 672 ad. Ex-concubine Anna is attempting to raise her daughter well, but as an Arab invasion threatens and Kallinikos an alchemist working on a secret weapon to use in the seige comes into their lives, a secret about her daughter is forced into the open. Anna must accept huge upheaval, and recognize her feelings for Kallinikos . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Bradshaw weaves a story of love, war, treachery, and magic set in seventh-century Constantinople. Anna, former concubine of the emperor's disgraced brother, Theodosius, has retired to a quiet life as a perfumer. The only token she has of her former life is her teenage daughter, Theodosia. But when handsome Syrian alchemist Kallinokos arrives in Constantinople, her life is turned upside down. Not only does Theodosia see Kallinokos as a dear friend but Anna finds herself falling in love with him. He is working on a secret weapon--unquenchable fire--that could save the city from the Arab fleet that might attack at any time. Unfortunately, his superior is an insecure man who fears Kallinokos may find favor with the emperor, so he arranges for Kallinokos to be jailed on trumped-up charges. When Theodosia seeks a personal audience with Constantine to plead Kallinokos' case, forces are set into play that change many lives forever. A gripping adventure with a dash of romance, a soupcon of suspense, engaging characters, and vivid historical detail make this genre bender a good choice for historical fiction collections. Emily Melton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Gillian Bradshaw's father, an American Associated Press newsman, met her mother, a confidential secretary for the British embassy, in Rio de Janeiro. She was born in Washington DC in 1956, the second of four children. They didn't move around quite as much as one might expect after such a beginning: Washington was followed merely by Santiago, Chile, and two locations in Michigan. Gillian attended the University of Michigan, where she earned her BA in English and another in Classical Greek, and won the Hopwood Prize for fiction with her first novel, "Hawk of May," She went on to get another degree at Newnham College, Cambridge University, England in Greek and Latin literature, and she sold her first novel while preparing for exams.
She decided to stay in Cambridge another year to write another novel and think about what to do for a Real Job. However, while there, she discovered she could live on her income as a novelist and also met her husband, who was completing his doctorate in physics. Between books and children she never did get a Real Job, and she's been writing novels ever since.
She and her husband now live in Coventry. They have four children and a dog.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers; 1st World Ed edition (July 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0727860976
• ISBN-13: 978-0727860972
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #347,196 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born 1956 in Arlington, Virginia (i.e., Washington DC); grew up there, in Santiago, Chile, and in East Lansing and Mount Pleasant Michigan; educated University of Michigan (Classics and English) and Newnham College, Cambridge (Classics). I published my first novel while I was supposed to be revising for my final exams; the exams suffered, but I still managed a 2.1. I decided to take another year in Cambridge to work on the next novel, and Met a Man, like many a woman before and since. We got married in Paris, where he had a post-doc position and I had discovered an urgent need to learn French. He continued research and teaching, first in Santa Barbara, then back in Cambridge, and finally at the University of Warwick; I continued writing. A lot of my work has used my background in classical Greek and Latin, but I've occasionally branched out into the high middle ages, contemporary, and sci-fi. We have four kids, now grown up, and so far one grandchild.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, March 8, 2005

By 

ML "rohan53" (Tempe, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alchemy of Fire (Hardcover)

I normally enjoy Bradshaw's work. But "Alchemy of Fire"
was simply a re-tread of "The Sand Reckoner" which was
a far superior book. You are better off reading "The Sand Reckoner" and skipping "Alchemy of Fire" altogether.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner from Bradshaw, February 8, 2008

By 

A. Customer "History Lover" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alchemy of Fire (Hardcover)

As usual, Gillian has written with her usual level of historical data and interesting characters. Read all her books

1 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alchemy of Fire, October 20, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Alchemy of Fire (Hardcover)

I have always been an enjoyed fire alchemist and really like the overveiw of this book. It gives a lot of infromation on some of the fire alchemy I already know but there is a couple things that I didn't know that were in this book.