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The Firebrand Hardcover – October, 1987

by
Marion Zimmer Bradley (Author)
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Marion Zimmer Bradley (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 121 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 530 pages
  • Publisher: Simon and Schuster; 1st edition (October 1987)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0671641778
  • ISBN-13: 978-0671641771
  • Product Dimensions: 1.5 x 6.5 x 9.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (121 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,724,562 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsA Wonderful and Surprisingly Human Re-Imaging!!!
By KR on April 6, 2002
Format: Mass Market Paperback
As far as I'm concerned, Marion Zimmer Bradley is the master of injecting new life into old stories. Her retelling of the Arthur legend, The Mists of Avalon, is a phenomenal book (as anyone who has read it will tell you, if they have any sense!).
In The Firebrand, Marion Zimmer Bradley takes on the Iliad of Homer. The story is told mostly from the point of view of Kassandra, prophetess of Troy and sister to Paris, son of Priam who spirited Helen away from Sparta and became the catalyst for the 10-year-long Trojan War.
Many wonderful details make the characters, like the Amazons or the Kentaurs, amazingly human and real. Ms. Bradley has an enviable gift that makes her readers care about each and every one of her characters. At the center of the story lies a conflict, embodied in Kassandra herself, between the Earth Goddess and the newer Greek gods, like Apollo and Athena. As in the Iliad, the gods seem to meddle in everything, fathering children or bringing down plagues.
I really enjoyed this book because it puts a new spin on the old story and gives the female characters attention that they well deserve. Kassandra is a strong, consistent character, struggling with her vows of chastity to the free-worker Apollo and the Sight given to her by the Earth Goddess. For angering Apollo, Kassandra is cursed with seeing terrible things and having no one believe her. Helen, the wife Paris stole from the Spartan king Menaleus(sp?), is also well-developed as a character. She does, however, remind me strikingly of Gwenhyfar from The Mists of Avalon. Besides having the face that launched a thousand ships, Helen has the sort of strength that inspires admiration even in the unwilling. She, too, like Kassandra, is a pawn of the gods.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsbetter than The Mists of Avalon
By Nicole Alger VINE VOICE on August 24, 2001
Format: Mass Market Paperback
I began reading Marion Zimmer Bradley my sophomore year of high school when my english teacher (surprisingly) assigned the book at summer reading. Now I know a lot of people have read The Mists of Avalon, especially because of the tv movie, but if you are able to get a hold on this book, I strongly suggest it. It is almost the same as The Mists of Avalon, but set in mythical Troy instead of Camelot. We see through Kassandra's eyes, the prophetess cursed by the god Apollo. Just The Mists of Avalon, this book is also a feminist view in a male-dominated world. We see Hector, Achilles, Priam, Agamemnon, Paris and Menalaus, but they are not the heroes of the war. Intead, Bradley makes the women Kassandra, Hecuba, Andromache, Helen and the warrior Amazons the heroes. I really liked this book more than The Mists of Avalon, and it got me interested in Ancient Greece. If you like The Mists of Avalon and can find a copy of this book (because it is unfortunately out of print), I would suggest that you try this one. :)
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4.0 out of 5 starsA Non-MZB Reader Weighs In
By A Customer on August 27, 2000
Format: Hardcover
While I am somewhat familiar with modern science fiction and fantasy, I had never read anything by Marion Zimmer Bradley before "The Firebrand"---which I came to through my wife, who knows of my interest in ancient Greek literature. I am happy to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Bradley is a wonderfully vivid writer, and her "take" on the Trojan War seems well within the bounds of logic and creative license. Kassandra herself is a fully three-dimensional character and I found myself caring about her, even as I already knew (as does any reader of "The Iliad") what was going to happen. Indeed, this novel is a great example of how much more important character is than plot---all major events are telegraphed well before they happen, yet Bradley holds the reader's interest anyway. It is not a question of *what* will happen, but *how.*
Unlike some male readers on this page, the feminist slant didn't bother me; there were a few speeches which seemed a tad anachronistic, yes, but these are minor, and on the whole Kassandra's perceptions seem very believable for a woman of her personality and time. One aspect of the novel which did disappoint me, however---and the reason I give the novel four stars rather than five---is the Epilogue, which unfortunately drops us down to the level of romance-novel writing. Having a new male character suddenly appear, deus ex machina-style, to walk off into the sunset with Kassandra at the very end, seems jarringly out of place. For me, the novel would have been ended much more strongly a few pages before, at the point that Kassandra is beginning her journey to Colchis. The story is over then; it really doesn't matter whether she ever arrives at Colchis or not.Read more ›
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2.0 out of 5 stars"She Speaks of Nothing but Ruin and Death for Troy..."
By R. M. Fisher TOP 1000 REVIEWER on November 28, 2007
Format: Paperback
I'm not a huge fan of Marion Zimmer Bradley, but the Trojan War is one of my favourite subjects, and I was curious to see how it could be told from a singular, feminine point of view - in this case, Princess Kassandra of Troy, tragically famous for her accurate predictions of doom that no one believed. "The Firebrand" is told with Bradley's trademark style; a strong feminist streak (that can become a little too heavy-handed at times), and her fresh spin on an ancient legend, a technique that brought Bradley into the public eye with her best known novel The Mists of Avalon.

"The Firebrand" follows the life of Kassandra of Troy from childhood to the fall of her city at the hands of the Akhaians, and the details of her life in-between, significantly her relationships with her family members and her struggles with her gift/curse of prophesy. Oddly enough, Bradley does not instigate the Trojan War into the story until nearly halfway through the book, filling the pages instead with Kassandra's growth into a young woman, her tutelage under the Amazon Penthesilea, various love affairs (of the wanted and unwanted variety) and the rituals of a priestess's life. Amongst all this, the war seems almost arbitrary, and several of the most important aspects (such as the deaths in the royal family) are glossed over with little to no emotional resonance. This may be disappointing to some, so be warned: "The Firebrand" is mainly interested in the life and times of Kassandra - even though the title directly refers to Paris, here portrayed as Kassandra's twin brother.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars... read this a long time ago after falling in love with Marion Zimmer...

I read this a long time ago after falling in love with Marion Zimmer Bradley's story telling in The Mists of Avalon. Read more

Published 17 days ago by Anna Ballas
4.0 out of 5 starsLike the author.

I have liked anything I have read by this author.

Published 26 days ago by dolores c esparza
5.0 out of 5 starsLoved this!

As brilliantly written and compelling as Mists of Avalon! I loved this retelling of the Trojan War from the women's perspective. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Haley Hanzon
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

I loved the story

Published 6 months ago by cassandra
5.0 out of 5 starsAn amazing author who always delivers

An amazing author who always delivers. This book is the current subject of a book club I'm involved in. Lots of wonderful conversations have been inspired by this book. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Laurie Pierce
5.0 out of 5 starsWhat Else Would You Expect But Excellence?

Seriously? Marion Zimmer Bradley? What else would you expect but excellence? It's all in the title, that character is a firebrand in a beautifully crafted history/world as only MZB... Read more

Published 9 months ago by Selene
5.0 out of 5 starsOne of my favorite books of all time

One of my favorite books of all time. She took the Iliad and the Odyssey and gave it a different perspective. I love Cassandra's character and development.

Published 11 months ago by Envvy
5.0 out of 5 starsFirebrand

The story of Kassandra of Troy is a powerful interpretation of ancient history. Through her eyes the events of Troy become alive.

Published 12 months ago by Gayle
5.0 out of 5 starsMy favorite Author

I love this book. I find myself re reading all the time! I can't express how much this book has inspired me!

Published 13 months ago by Bella moonstone
4.0 out of 5 starsA Woman's Iliad

A good retelling of the Iliad from a women's perspective, with an excellent knowledge of Greek and Trojan beliefs and culture. Read more

Published 14 months ago by Amazon Customer

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