Fire from Heaven by Mary RenaultMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
“To die, even a little, one should do it for something great.”
This is my third Renault book. Twice before she ensorcelled me back into Ancient Greece, when I read of Theseus and a realistic treatise of his struggle with the House of Minos. I remember being in awe of how the tale was even more epic and no less fantastic, even without the half-man, half-bull.
This third book, the first of Renault’s famous Alexander the Great trilogy, was even better!! With the author being in the height of her powers, having written these much later than the Theseus novels.
What do you get when you combine the scholarship of an Oxford graduate with the real life experience of a World War II nurse who treated Dunkirk survivors?
A unique blend of fantasy and realism, where you can see Grecian dirt and smell fresh Hellene blood, hear the battle cries of hoplites struggling to maintain their phalanx formations, and practically taste the wild Macedonian air in your mouth.
Renault breathes life into an Alexander who is all too human, with flaws like ours, but becomes superhuman through his sheer willpower in his quest for self-mastery.
I knew some of the facts of Alexander’s life beforehand (don’t we all?), but Renault gifts us with an entire supporting cast, masterfully illustrating their innermost psychological workings as well as their actions.
This first book tells us of Alexander’s infancy until the time he takes over as Regent at the age of twenty. We become privy to his traumatic childhood, one where Father and Mother fought each other for control over the young boy’s education and ultimately, his destiny.
One of the things I admire most about Renault is how she treats bisexual relationships in her novels. Neither condemning nor sensationalizing, she presents us a pre-Christian world that recognizes the value of pairing lovers in battle. Renault has given me a whole new appreciation for the Sacred Band of Thebes, “having each in his charge a twofold honour, did not retreat; they advanced, or stood, or died.” For “suppose a state or an army could be made up only of lovers and beloved… Even a few of them, fighting side by side, might well conquer the world.”
It’s good to be reminded of the greatness that sleeps in all men’s souls. As Alexander whispered to Boukephalos before riding into battle: “Remember who we are.”
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