Customer Reviews

Stealing Fire

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Ever had a meal that was absolutely exquisite, but the portion was so small that your stomach was still rumbling afterward? My experience with Stealing Fire was much like that.

Jo Graham's Numinous World series is best described as "historical fantasy" and revolves around a core group of characters who are reincarnated at various points in history. The protagonist of Stealing Fire, Lydias of Miletus, lived previously as Gull in Black Ships, and will later live as Charmian in Hand of Isis.

Alexander the Great has died, and his empire has fallen into chaos as his nobles fight amongst themselves for power. Lydias, a soldier who feels emotionally adrift after losing everyone he loved, chooses to accompany Ptolemy to Egypt. Trouble follows Lydias, both in the form of political/military danger from Alexander's other generals and in the form of restless spirits. Alexander had been crowned as Pharaoh, and the spirits of Egypt will only be appeased when Alexander is given the proper funeral rites and a new Pharaoh enthroned. This isn't as easy as it sounds. Alexander's body lies in the hands of Ptolemy's enemy, and besides, Ptolemy doesn't want to be king, wishing only to hold the throne in the name of Alexander's infant son.

Interspersed with this plotline, told in flashbacks, is the story of how Lydias rose from slavery to his current position. The scenes narrating Lydias' adolescence are some of the most moving in the novel. You can't help but love this gutsy, idealistic young man.

Graham's work is, as always, meticulously researched and beautifully written. She immerses the reader in the place and time: the often-foreign-to-us attitudes, the smell of the food, and most of all, the sense of upheaval. We have the benefit of hindsight and know how things turned out, but Graham shows us just how uncertain the situation was at the time. It must have felt like the end of the world.

Stealing Fire is a compelling yarn, a love letter to Egypt, and a meditation on how best to govern a diverse realm. (And how *not* to govern one.) Graham's political background shines through as the characters discuss what makes a great leader. Her gift for humor is in evidence, too:

"He looked at me and his eyes twinkled. 'Besides, is politics so different than dealing with horses?'

I laughed. 'I suppose not,' I said. 'Only we cannot geld for bad temper!'

'I'm considering it,' Ptolemy said."

Yet, as I said above, I was left hungry for more. As in Hand of Isis, I felt there was a lot of story that hadn't made it into the book. In Hand of Isis, I craved more scenes of Iras; in Stealing Fire, what seemed too brief were the relationships and the fantasy elements. Lydias has several partners over the course of the book, and some of these relationships could have benefited from more page time. As for the fantasy elements, we only get a few scenes showing the destruction wrought by the restless spirits. For various reasons, it takes several years for Lydias and Ptolemy to implement their solution, yet we don't get a sense of mounting danger as time passes (from the spirits, anyway; there's plenty from Ptolemy's rivals). True, Lydias spends much of this time away on campaign, but a few more scenes before his departure and after his return might have made his mission seem more pressing.

In fantasy, there are lots of great short-story ideas that get stretched into long novels, great novel ideas that become bloated trilogies, and great trilogy ideas that become long, plodding series. With that in mind, maybe I shouldn't complain that Stealing Fire feels like an 800-page book compressed into 300 pages. After all, Jo Graham left me wanting more, and there's something to be said for that. I'd gladly read the 800-page version, though!

Having read & loved most everything Judith Tarr has written, Jo Graham is my new favorite historical fantasy writer. _Stealing Fire_ is beautifully detailed and well-researched, set in the years after the death of Alexander the Great and the founding of his city, Alexandria. Filled with lovely moments that lift the hairs on the back of your neck alongside fast action, suspense and battle scenes. Flashbacks to develop the back story during Alexander's campaign are handled well and the characters are memorable: decent people working at the side of great ones, caught up in massive events. A terrific, satisfying read. Looking forward to more in the "Numinous World" series which also links _The Black Ships_ and _Hand of Isis_ in their reincarnated main characters

The Macedonian world conqueror is dead and his strongest supporters struggle with what to do in the aftermath as Alexander the Great was a man of epic proportions. Lydias of Macedon was with Alexander as he defeated all opponents, but he learns quickly that nothing will be the same as he leaves behind his ruler's corpse fleeing for his life.

Lydias joins the side of one of Alexander's top officers, General Ptolemy, who heads to Egypt to take control of the African nation. In country, Lydias meets other expatriates who pledge loyalty to Ptolemy. However, the Macedonian is shocked from those who come from beyond as the dead and the gods abet the general and his supporters in bringing Alexander's corpse and spirit to Egypt as his final resting place. However the biggest stunner for the honest Lydias is what Isis bestows on him.

This is a great ancient historical fantasy that brings to life the era just after Alexander's sudden death within a strong Egyptian mythos. Diogenes would have ended his search if he met Lydias who with a strong support cast serves as the center of the story line even as the real General Ptolemy begins a dynasty in Egypt. Stealing Fire is a terrific BC Egyptian thriller.

Harriet Klausner

This historical fiction novel deals with the events after the death of Alexander the Great. Upon his death Alexander's empire fell apart as the generals grabbed pieces of it to rule. The story is told through the eyes of Lydias. Once a slave, he runs away while still young and joins Alexander's army as a groom for cavalry horses. Over time, he rises to be a soldier, joins the Companions and ends up as a cavalry commander. After Alexander's death, Lydias throws his lot in with Ptolemy who seized Egypt. As Ptolemy's chief advisor and general, the two struggle to establish a government for Egypt and to build Alexandria.
This is an entertaining and well-written novel. Anyone who enjoys historical fiction won't be disappointed in this story.

Tales From Gundarland: Eight humorous stories from the land of the incongruous

I am so glad I came across JO GRAHAM. She is a great writter.
I have read - Stealing Fire, Hand of Isis, and Black Ships. I rate all of them 5 stars!

The other reviews do a good job of summing up the story. I'll just fill in some gaps.

First the good: Lydias of Miletus is a cavalry officer who tends to get called on when the mission is very difficult but vital. Graham does a better-than-average job here, and the military parts of this book read very well.

However...

The book is inspired by Mary Renault (as the author states in the Q & A) and the men in it spend most of their time longing for each other. I can't come up with a better word. Lust doesn't fit; on the rare occasions that the characters actually have sex with each other there is little or no groping, caressing, playfulness, or lying listening to the other breathe. On the other hand, love seems too strong, since the characters don't seem to actually think about each other. They just mope around longing for each other like middle school girls with crushes. This may be period-appropriate (more or less) but it's still like being back in middle school.

Bottom line - good read. Just bring a portable oxygen tank for the points when it gets too thick.