Customer Reviews

Fire From Heaven

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mary Renault's Alexandriad begins with "Fire From Heaven," a novel that encompasses the childhood and youth of Alexander the Great, King of Macedon and Persia. Alexander's character has fascinated historians and novelists from the time of his conquest to the present day. Currently, a movie is in the works that is said to owe much to Ms. Renault's work.

Mary Renault's love of ancient Greek culture was displayed in her previous novels, "The Last Of The Wine" and the Theseus duology, "The King Must Die" and "The Bull From The Sea." Her admiration for Alexander is also on display. Most authors of historical fiction are fond of their subjects, but the reader can tell Renault adored her chosen hero and found in him an ideal that may have been more imagined than real.

Still, Renault's work is superb. She was a master of language and craft, and her novel touches the key points of the Alexander legend without turning them into precious showpieces. (I particularly enjoyed the depiction of the taming of Boukephalos, with various characters facing different outcomes of the horse's purchase). She shines when depicting characters, and offers a fascinating interpretation of the relationship between Alexander, his father King Philip II of Macedon, and his mother, Queen Olympias.

History tells us Philip and Olympias were at war with each other until Philip was assassinated, which Olympias probably had a hand in. The war included their son, who is shown as an intelligent, preternaturally observant child who absorbs his mother's hurts and grievances well before he's old enough to understand them. Alexander is never allowed to be at peace as far as his loyalty to either parent is concerned; torn between a father who resents any resemblance in him to his mother, and a mother who has made him her defender and prize, Alexander's mystical bent is made plausible as the defense of a child who literally had no one else but God (or in his case, the gods) to turn to. A psychiatrist would have had a field day with the entire family, let alone with Alexander himself.

Perhaps Renault wanted to show Alexander as being able to rise above the turmoil his household was in, but she doesn't dwell on his vulnerability. That is a weakness in this book; Alexander is brilliant and bright, but rarely falls or missteps. The one time he makes a true mistake, leading to the arrest of a friend, is a scene of white-hot intensity, including the aftermath of the scene. If Renault had shown more of Alexander's weaknesses--his humanity--this book would have been a scorching testament to the beginnings of this complex man.

It is still a very good novel, particularly when Hephaistion enters Alexander's life. The man who may or may not have been Alexander's lover is portrayed as that by Renault, and her reasons are as good as any to believe the two men were lovers. Hephaistion is written well here, as the person Alexander trusted more than anyone, and who did all he could to deserve that trust. His single-minded devotion is a little annoying--surely Renault could have had him win an argument once instead of always giving in?--but Hephaistion still draws much sympathy, in light of all he goes through in order to remain at Alexander's side.

Renault wrote good battle scenes, and the Battle of Cheironeia (Chaeronea) is one of her best efforts. So, too, are the snippets from the Thracian wars and the Argive revolt in which Alexander saved his father's life (although the language is a little high-flown in the last). She had an eye for telling detail, making the reader visualize an entire scene from one small description. Two wonderful examples would be the aftermath of Cheironeia and the assassination of Philip.

I recommend "Fire From Heaven" because it's a beautifully written book and its history is portrayed with accuracy and skill. It's not quite as good as its successors, "The Persian Boy" and "Funeral Games," but it's like comparing fine apples to equally high-quality oranges. Enjoy it.

This book is fantastic, and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction, or has studied ancient history or classics. Actually I'd recommend it to anyone who loves a stirring read, but if you belong to either of those groups I know you'd love it. I'm a post graduate classics student, and I love this book (the whole trilogy actually) because it brings Alexander's whole world to life in a way nothing else can. Fire from Heaven tells the story of the boy, adolescent, and young man who would go on to become Alexander the Great, ending just at the death of his father, when he becomes king and leaves that earlier life behind. Ms Renault captures perfectly the unique influences and stresses that shape him into the adult he becomes, and she succeeds in making him a human and sympathetic character. She does the same for most of the other characters too, creating a cast of real people, all with genuine feelings, inescapably trapped by who they are: Alexander's warring parents for example, united only in their love of him, but failing totally to understand that their mutual hatred, and the way they use their son against each other, is driving him mad. Or Alexander's friends - some genuine, some attracted only by the wealth and position thet the future king might provide. I read this book for the first time when I was 12, and I've reread it countless times in the decade since. It never fails to transport me to another place and another time - one that could be harsh and unkind, but is nonetheless so very alive that I would love to have seen it.

Mary Renault was one of the most successful historical novelists of the 20th Century and her Alexander novels were her masterpiece. "Fire From Heaven" is the first of the trilogy that includes "The Persian Boy" and "Funeral Games", and tells us the story of Alexander the Great, one of the most fascinating and complex characters in all history, from early childhood to the age of twenty, when he succeeded his father as king of Macedon. Renault brings us into Alexander's world and presents us to him in all his multifaceted personality: his all-consuming ambition, his sensitivity, his insatiable drive for excellence, and his love-hate relationship with his father (hate inexorably, and inevitably, won out) which was so influential in shaping his character and the course of his life. Renault also brings us into the lives of Alexander's family, especially his mother Olympias, one of the most ruthless and devious characters in ancient history; totally wrapped up in her son and willing to stop at nothing to protect his interests. Olympias might have eaten Alexander alive if it hadn't been for the influence of his friend and lover Hephaistion of whom she was wildly jealous; and Renault narrates the growing affection and love between the two boys as a natural development in their lives. Homosexuality and bisexuality were normal in the ancient world (Julius Caesar himself was described by his contemporaries as "every woman's man and every man's woman") and Renault doesn't flinch at it, and neither should anyone who reads this book. Renault's greatest strength as a historical novelist was her insistence on keeping it real, which was especially difficult in writing about Alexander's early life as almost nothing is known about him before his accession; but her research into the time and the place has the feel and sense of painstaking accuracy. There is only one thing that makes me give this book four stars instead of five, and it's that, unlike her earlier novels, Renault wrote this one in the third person. It doesn't work quite as well. What was so magical about her earlier works was that when you read them in the first person, you don't just read them, you dive right into them and live them; you're right there in the middle of the action and it's totally exhilarating from the first page to the last. Reading "Fire From Heaven" is like watching the action through a clear sheet of plate glass instead of being on the other side where the action is really happening. Renault got it right in her second book, "The Persian Boy", which told about Alexander's life from his accession as king to his death at the age of 32; "Fire From Heaven" is an excellent prequel to what was to come.

Ms Renault's Fire From Heaven which is the first in a three part series of novels around Alexander The Great
must surely rank as one of the best triologies ever written.
Fire From Heaven chronicels Alexander's life from the
time he was five up to the assisination of his father after
which he was proclaimed King.
Ms Renault has an ingenious way of presenting the past
so much so it becomes like a movie where we the readers
become privellieged intruders who are given a secret look
at what went on then. So it is with this book. After reading it
one can't but help saying that, "Yes, this is how it must have been."
Alexander comes out as a real life human being whom wh have
come to know on a personal basis instead of just another distant
figure from the past. A really entertaining read which will
be greatly loved by history buffs and by those who are in
a constant search for something good to read.

This is a beautiful and romantic depiction of the young Alexander. It is hard to figure what the young boy had in mind while growing up and preparing to become the greatest and most charismatic leader of antiquity. Alexander has inspired other great figures such as Octavianus Augustus, Louis XIV, and Napoleon Bonaparte.

Ancient Greece does not have a clear division between real historical events and mythological accounts. Mythology is so well rooted in the Hellenic culture that it exists on a continuum. Alexander is part of history and yet he lives between Herakles and Achilleus. Alexander accomplished what the two mythical heroes pursued in the legend. Thus, Alexander is history and legend, humanness and myth, man and divinity. Alexander, if not the greatest, is certainly one of the most remarkable men and leaders ever existed.

Lysippos is the artist who best captured the visionary essence of Alexander. The neck slightly bent on the right, looking somewhere he only knew (the legendary vision): Zeus, the mountains before the desert, the world, his unlimited courage and geniality, the heroics Herakles and Achilleus, the desire to bring together different civilizations in a unique Greek speaking empire. Alexander may well be the father of globalization.

There are so many books that have been written about Alexander. Many are just redundant repetitions; others try to embellish the little information arrived to us from Arrian, Plutarch, Curtius Rufus, Diodorus, and few others.

Ms Renault is an excellent writer. Her many historic novels are in part fiction and yet the crop of her very sharp intuition and realistic imagination. She has read everything there was to read; she masters the philosophical thought of Aristoteles, Alexander's tutor. While we do not know what Alexander and Hephaistion learned from the Stagirite, we may however imagine the influence that Aristoteles had on the formative, cognitive, and intellectual growth of genial Alexander. We speak now about the importance of emotional intelligence. I believe that the adolescent Alexander was already extremely gifted ant that his intelligence had strong emotional connotations.

I have read many books about Alexander. However, I bought this book because I was looking for a book presenting Alexander in a different light. Somehow, a romanticized Alexander, albeit Renault depicts him in Aristotelian virtuosity. The historical events described in the book are quite accurate, at least according the available sources. Neither Dover in Greek Homosexuality nor Cantarella in Bisexuality in the ancient world give any account of Alexander's presumed bisexuality. Plutarch narrates about Alexander and Hephaistion paying homage to the burial stones of Achilleus and Patroklos out of Ilion. In Renault's book, she often mentions a parallel between the two mythical companions and the two historical friends. Somehow, Hephaistion has been the greatest and most loyal friend of Alexander. Hephaistion was probably the one who best understood the nature and needs of the prince. What is quite evident in the literature is that Alexander needed a great deal of pure love, affection, and warmth: things he had not received by his dysfunctional parents.

I suggest this book to anyone who is looking for a nice and human portrayal of Alexander's boyhood in a laid-back interpretation. It does not shade the historical icon; it just adds some epic, legend, and mythology. Renault must have loved the persona of Alexander: such dedication and passion makes the book enjoyable and pleasant.

Fire from Heaven is the historical novel of Alexander the Great's life from his birth through the death of his father when Alexander was a young man. The focus of the book is on the development of the man's character and skills as a leader, displayed both in the context of his war experiences and his family.

One of the repeating themes in literature and biography is the difficulty that eldest sons have in succeeding in their fathers' eyes. Alexander the Great was a notable historical exception to the usual rule. His father was exceptionally able, and united the Greeks prior to his assassination. Alexander was a greater man, and this book explores the development of their relationship amid the backdrop of court intrigues and Hellenic politics. Plutarch's Lives is the primary source for Fire from Heaven, but Mary Renault has drawn from other post-Alexander sources to weave a compelling historical novel of what it might have been like back in Pella.

The Macedonians had a number of habits that some would be uncomfortable with today. These behaviors included killing as a rite of manhood, slavery, taking physical advantage of weaker people, plundering, polygamy, open bi-sexual relationships, raiding neighbors for pecuniary advantage, and sacrificing of animals to the gods. If any of these things distress you, this may not be the novel for you. These behaviors play a big role in the story.

Alexander's father and mother did not see eye-to-eye. Part of the reason was that his mother was probably overly politically ambitious. Another part of the reason was the his father rarely saw a beautiful young person he did not find attractive, and he was a man to act on his impulses. The book explores how Alexander developed his independence of character and action from both of his parents.

Much of the novel can only be guess-work, but the record is fairly clear that Alexander was able to command respect as a field commander by the time he was only 16. He also displayed a dislike for taking the easy way out, so his many principled stands make sense. The book also looks into his relations with his friends and colleagues, and leaves it open as to whether these were sexually chaste relations or not. The author's note leaves it up to you to decide what his preferences really were.

The book was most appealing to me before Alexander was butting heads with his father. One of the most revealing episodes though is one where Alexander saves his father's life, and his father pretends to be ignorant of the fact. Actually, their relations were probably harmed by this, because it made them into peers before they were ready to accept one another in that way.

If you are like me, you will find it intriguing that it could be difficult to be the son of a successful king, even if you are about to conquer the known world on your own. It was also interesting to read about what it might have been like to have had Aristotle as a tutor. The sections about Demosthenes also added to my appreciation of the role of an orator in Athens at the time.

If you are not fascinated by Alexander, you will probably grade this book down to about three stars. If you would like to understand Alexander a little better, you will find the insights here more accessible than Plutarch's and the novel to be very interesting. If you want to learn about military strategy, this book will be a one star effort for you.

After you finish reading the book, I suggest that you think about what kinds of experiences can help form the character of your children in positive ways. I also hope you will learn from the example here to let the relationship evolve easily as your children become ready for more responsibility.

Help your child create an inner spur to be the finest person of character your child can be!

I have resisted writing on this book for some time because of its meaning to me.

Renault's Alexander is a triumph of art - passionate, complex, inspiring.

The book's backdrop of brooding violence puts into stark relief the nature of Renault's hero: a boy whose fervent Love is his unyielding master, driving him to heights impossible for those who exist only within the morass of politics and war, civility and greed.

Although it contains bloodshed, the book is not about Alexander the military commander - it is about the nature of love, its role in Greatness and its place at the pinnacle of human achievement. Read it with an open heart.

Mary Renault remains the best historical novelist of the past three decades, no other author has approached her kind of skill and insight when writing about antiquity and some of the famous figures of the past. "Fire From Heaven" is a brilliant take on the childhood of Alexander The Great, the first part of a widely popular trilogy, it brings the icon's life to the page with wonderful dramatic flare and stunning detail. Perhaps the difference between Renault and other writers who have attempted the difficult task of bringing the ancient world back to life is that Renault at the end of the day was a scholar, a real historian who went on to write a great Alexander biography, "The Nature Of Alexander," while other authors, although well-skilled in their craft, approach this kind of material without having actually studied it with the kind of fervor a historian has. And yet Renault's skill is not just simple anthropology, she knows how to combine the drama with the history, the novel never feels like an academic study trying to be entertaining but like a serious attempt at dramatizing the life of Alexander. Renault excells with the more famous aspects of Alexander's life, making them important but not obvious (take the taming of Bucephalus for example). The characters feel authentic and we get the sense of how history is changed and moved by real, living people who have their own personal stories behind the veil of legend and myth. Alexander's unique genius shines, yes he feels different from normal men (a simpleton could not have achieved the heights he did) but Renault probes into his soul and the human face of the world icon appears, letting us get to know him as a man and not just as a mythic, towering figure. However, it is his mother Queen Olympias who steals the show with her ferocious attitude and feverish devotion to the cult of Dionysus who's rituals are brilliantly written and described with poetic intensity. She pushes Alexander to greatness while his father Philip tries to show him how to survive in a world of dangerous men. Renault is still enjoyable to read because like the best novelists her style is vivid, you can see the events clearly but you can FEEL them as well because Renault writes with a literary style that can be poetic but always clear. "Fire From Heaven" feels like a work of loving devotion, Renault was a grand admirer of Alexander and her love and obsession course through the entire book. It can be said that the best works of art are done by artists literally obsessed with their subject and this is no exception. The other value of "Fire From Heaven" is that it works both ways for classicists and the general reader, it is written in a way where both can appreciate it. And as we all know, this is only the beginning for someone barely being introduced to this trilogy which continues with "The Persian Boy" and concluded with "Funeral Games." A grand work of art, timeless and profound.

Mary Renualt's tale of the youth and rise to power of Alexander the Great (the first of an amazing trilogy) is not to be missed. The characters are deliciously complicated, as decisively drawn as they are interesting to follow, and her intuition in exploring their desires and motivations is a joy. Renault's descriptions of customs, places and events are superb and effortless, her prose flawless. The entire book is more like a first-hand account than a novel, really. She has obviously researched her subject exhaustingly, but completely avoids the downfall of many historical fiction authors -- showing off their knowledge of the facts and/or oppressing the reader with their minutae while sacrificing the drama of the story. Renault weaves her tale with such skill that you can never quite tell where fact ends and fiction begins. Her interpretation of what is known of Alexander hits the mark on every page, and none of the dramatic license she takes rings false or feels contrived. I try not to believe anyone's hype until I can make my own judgement, and Mary Renault has proven herself an incredible talent beyond her impressive reputation.

Wish they'd reprint all Mary Renault's work for today's readers, since she's a master at bringing you right into the times. She writes with authority, which she had, and with an authenticity that takes your breath away. This is her first book about Alexander, to be followed by "The Persian Boy", which is my favorite book of all time. If this time period and Alexander the Great fascinates you as it always has fascinated me, I suggest you buy both these books and wallow in them.