Category: Historical Fiction
Stealing Fire by Jo Graham
(Cover picture courtesy of The Book Smugglers.)
Alexander the Great’s soldier, Lydias of Miletus, has survived the final campaigns of the king’s life. He now has to deal with the chaos surrounding his death. Lydias throws his lot in with Ptolemy, one of Alexander’s generals who has grabbed Egypt as his personal territory. Aided by the eunuch Bagoas, the Persian archer Artashir, and the Athenian courtesan Thais, Ptolemy and Lydias must take on all the contenders in a desperate adventure whose prize is the fate of a white city by the sea, and Alexander’s legacy.
I have some mixed feelings about the second book in Jo Graham’s so far awesome Numinous World series. I mean, I’ve already read Black Ships and Hand of Isis, which were both great. But I’m just not feeling this one.
Lydias was a great, well developed character. He had a fascinating past that made his chosen path feel a little more believable and his actions throughout the novel are fairly consistent. I like how we learn his tragic backstory little by little and it really does bring some depth to the character rather than simply hinting at what happened and not letting the reader experience it as he did. Yes, it does slow down the plot but that wasn’t really my main beef with this book.
My main problem was not that I couldn’t relate to the main character, but rather that I couldn’t relate to the plot. The plot was slow, which would have been okay except for the fact that it was also a boring plot. As in pretty much nothing happened throughout the whole book. Ptolemy and Lydias arrived in Egypt after Alexander’s death. Ptolemy was crowned Pharaoh so Alexander’s spirit could be set free and Egypt could prosper once more. And yet this all took 300 pages? Truly, I just wasn’t feeling the plot like I did with Hand of Isis, where Charmian’s relationship with the gods had a more urgent, important feel to it.
Aside from the boring plot, I found that Jo Graham’s novel was pretty well researched and I learned a lot about the aftermath of Alexander the Great’s death. Of course from my Egyptian history I already knew that Alexander’s empire had been split into three pieces between his generals and their supporters, but I never really knew how long it took. Yes, they had already started squabbling before his body could cool, but I didn’t know it had taken them that long to solidify their new empires. It was fascinating to see how the politics of the time would affect Charmian in Hand of Isis later on as she remembered her previous life.
Stealing Fire certainly wasn’t a bad book, but it definitely isn’t one of Jo Graham’s best books. If you already have read books in the Numinous World series, go ahead and read this one. But if you’re just starting out I’d highly recommend either Black Ships or Hand of Isis. Chronological order isn’t really an issue.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.
Helen, The First Trojan Horse by Michael Lally
(Cover picture courtesy of Tower Books.)
“Helen, The First Trojan Horse” is a great love story wrapped up in a brutal war during an incredible time in history. This book provides a unique twist on the legend of the Trojan War. Helen of Troy is the most enigmatic and villified woman in history. Like the wooden horse to come later, Helen was not what she seemed to the Trojans and she helped to fulfill the Trojan prophecy of their own destruction.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
I was absolutely certain I’d love this book. The idea of Helen seducing Paris in order to help Greece because of an impending Trojan attack was too good to pass up. I mean, that turns the whole Paris-seduced-Helen idea on its head! What could possibly go wrong?
Well, the main problem was the execution. Michael Lally’s writing was very basic. Throughout Helen, The First Trojan Horse I was being told what was happening rather than being allowed to see what was happening and drawing my own conclusions. The descriptions were nonexistent and the dialogue was so stiff I had trouble even reading it, let alone doing my usual reading aloud test. Although I can usually forgive some historical inaccuracies and the occasional anachronism, this book was full of them: poor people holding out banners with writing on them, the very modern attitudes toward Helen’s kidnapping, the wedding vows being said, etc.
Helen was very much the main character of the novel, yet I didn’t feel any connection with her. Part of it was the overall poor writing, but the other part was that she didn’t change all that much throughout the novel. Sure, she agreed to go with Paris to Troy so Agamemnon and Menelaus could launch an attack against the Trojans (who had been plotting to attack the Greeks one by one in this version), but I never really felt her despair. We see that she is sharp with Paris and are told she misses Menelaus, but overall I didn’t feel much emotion coming from her. The lack of emotional quality in the writing made it very hard to connect with her character, let alone all of the secondary characters.
Another part of my problem with this book is the lack of transitions. One minute we’re with Helen in Troy and then in the next sentence we’re with Agamemnon plotting the war. Or with Menelaus trying to get Odysseus to join the war. Perhaps part of it was a formatting thing because there were no physical separations of such passages, but the main part was a lack of transitions within the writing itself.
So yeah, overall I was not impressed with Helen, The First Trojan Horse. It had an amazing premise that really could have changed how readers view the legend of Troy, but fell flat.
I give this book 1/5 stars.
Short Story: Aphrodite’s Curse by Luciana Cavallaro
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
APHRODITE’S CURSE is about a dynasty’s fall from grace, unrequited love and retribution.
A powerful family is brought to ruin, the consequences unforeseen and irreparable. The trouble begins with King Mino who asks the gods for a bull to be sacrificed so that he may become ruler of Kretos and surrounding lands. Poseidon sends him a gift of a white bull and instead of sacrificing it, King Minos keeps it. Poseidon is angry by his supplicant’s actions and as punishment glamour’s the king’s wife, Pasiphae to lust after the bull.
The story is told by PHAEDRA, Theseus’ wife, who witnesses first-hand, the rise and fall of her family. She grows up in a privileged environment, a princess and daughter of King Minos. From a very early age she knows the power her father wields, but is also aware his actions may have precipitated the misfortunes that followed.
She reflects on the different and disturbing events from a detached perspective. Her tone can sometimes be one of a spoilt child, then at other times resigned and on occasion shows an uncanny insight. This retrospective musing comes from her sighting of Hippolytos, her husband’s son from a previous marriage. She falls in love with him and finds it difficult to contain this secret and eventually tells her nurse.
Phaedra asks for Aphrodite’s help, even builds a temple, however Hippolytos spurns her advances. Shamed by her actions and by his revulsion, she poisons herself, leaving a letter to her husband writing that Hippolytos had raped her.
[Full disclosure: I was never asked to review Aphrodite’s Curse like I was Luciana Cavallaro’s other books, but instead received it for free when I signed up for her newsletter. As always, this review is honest.]
Out of all the women Luciana Cavallaro has written about, I liked Phaedra the least. This is more of a matter of personal preference because I didn’t find her the least bit sympathetic. But could I understand her motives and did I care about what she had to say? Absolutely!
The fact that I didn’t like Phaedra but actually really enjoyed this story is a testament to Luciana Cavallaro’s skill as a writer. Phaedra had believable motivations for what she did because of her personality, which we glimpse both through her reflective flashbacks as well as her present day commentary as she is dying.
I’m not exactly familiar with the myth of Phaedra because it was relatively minor in the scheme of things, but after a bit of research I find that I appreciate Aphrodite’s Curse even more. It was well researched and the level of detail was enough to make me feel like I was there in Phaedra’s world. I could see the handsome Hippolytos, the temples, Phaedra’s deathbed, etc. The description wasn’t on par with the beautiful descriptions in The Curse of Troy, but it was certainly up there.
Really, Aphrodite’s Curse is what a short story should be: short and sweet but powerful. The descriptions are great but they’re not overdone, the characters come to life and I felt like I was back in the time period the story took place in.
I give this short story 5/5 stars.
Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray
(Cover picture courtesy of Stephanie Dray’s website.)
With her parents both dead, the daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony is left at the mercy of her Roman captors. Heir to one empire and prisoner of another, it falls to Princess Selene to save her brothers and reclaim what’s rightfully hers.
In the aftermath of Alexandria’s tragic fall, Princess Selene is taken from Egypt, the only home she’s ever known. Along with her two surviving brothers, she’s put on display as a war trophy in Rome. Selene’s captors mock her royalty and drag her through the streets in chains, but on the brink of death, the children are spared as a favor to the emperor’s sister, who takes them to live as hostages in the so-called lamentable embassy of royal orphans…
Now trapped in a Roman court of intrigue that reviles her heritage and suspects her faith, Selene can’t hide the hieroglyphics that carve themselves into her flesh. Nor can she stop the emperor from using her for his own political ends. But faced with a new and ruthless Caesar who is obsessed with having a Cleopatra of his very own, Selene is determined honor her mother’s lost legacy. The magic of Egypt and Isis remain within her. But can she succeed where her mother failed? And what will it cost her in a political game where the only rule is win or die?
I’ve read many, many takes on Cleopatra Selene. The historically accurate one from Michelle Moran, the more character based one of Vicky Alvear Shecter as well as a couple combinations of the two approaches. But this magic infused take of Stephanie Dray’s is definitely unique.
Cleopatra Selene is a fascinating character. She’s a princess, but she’s wise beyond her years as her mother likely would have raised her. Her twin brother, Alexander Helios is a proud young man raised in the mold of his father, Mark Antony. Selene is sort of the one that takes care of her two brothers, not allowing her pride to get in the way of their survival. She has to make such hard choices and her brothers shun her for them, but they’re always made with the best intentions: to help the family survive.
Even in Rome with the dangerously ruthless Octavian and the always-scheming Livia, Selene manages to survive and even thrive. For someone who goes through so much at a young age, Selene isn’t very trusting and when the schemes of the cult of Isis start to interfere with the careful walls she’s built around her surviving family she does everything she can to protect them. Even if it means losing their only chance to escape.
I like how Stephanie Dray focused not only on making these historical figures into relatable characters, but also on the magical aspect of her novel. We really feel Selene’s panic as the words of Isis are written into her skin and the reactions of the characters around her are varied and realistic. Octavian’s reaction to a particular message near the end of the book seems quite in character, knowing what I know about the real Octavian. Stephanie Dray doesn’t go too far into the magical aspect, but she gives us enough of a taste so we know Selene is in for big things in the sequel, Song of the Nile.
Some may find the plot a little slow and, well, fair enough. I, however, enjoyed the slower pace as Selene adjusted to life in Rome and tried to make a new home for herself and her brothers there. It really allowed Stephanie Dray to focus in on the characters as well as throw in some plot twists near the end. As for the historical accuracy, many of the details have been carefully researched but as she says in her author’s note, Stephanie Dray did take liberties with history.
In short, if you’re looking for a refreshing take on Cleopatra Selene with some fantastical elements, you’ll love Lily of the Nile.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
The Fire by John Heldt
(Cover picture courtesy of John Heldt.)
When Kevin Johnson, 22, goes to Wallace, Idaho, days after his college graduation, he expects to find rest and relaxation as his family prepares his deceased grandfather’s house for sale. Then he discovers a hidden diary and a time portal that can take him to 1910, the year of Halley’s comet and the largest wildfire in U.S. history. Within hours, Kevin finds himself in the era of horse-drawn wagons, straw hats, and ankle-length dresses. Returning to the same time and place, he decides to travel again and again and make the portal his gateway to summer fun. The adventure takes a more serious turn, however, when the luckless-in-love science major falls for pretty English teacher Sarah Thompson and integrates himself in a community headed for tragedy. Filled with humor, romance, and heartbreak, THE FIRE, the sequel to THE JOURNEY, follows a conflicted soul through a life-changing journey as he makes his mark on a world he was never meant to see.
[Full disclosure: John Heldt gave me an ARC of his latest novel in exchange for an honest review.]
John Heldt is probably the only man that can make me consistently cry. And that’s a good thing!
Kevin Johnston is the son of Shelly Preston, our protagonist from The Journey. As you may recall, an older Michelle had time travelled back to see her younger self and her story did not end well. So you could say time travelling is in the family and that Kevin can’t get away from it, especially when you learn a certain character from The Mine is his university professor.
Once again I thought I had Kevin’s journey pretty well predicted. Yet he surprised me at every turn. He knew it was a bad idea to go back to 1910 and that it was a bad idea to get so involved in people’s lives in Wallace and yet I understand his motives for wanting to go back there. Yet whatever mysteriously causes time travel is not going to forgive Kevin for messing with history and the conclusion of the novel is absolutely heart-breaking and at the same time, joy-inducing. The Fire is such an emotional roller coaster that I’m having a hard time putting my thoughts down to write this review.
I was so connected to the characters, perhaps more so than I have been in John Heldt’s previous three novels. Kevin really did speak to me. He was a good person if a little flawed because of that chip on his shoulder when it came to women. Still, he got over that eventually and at the end of the novel you can really tell he’s a better person. His relationship with Sarah, his confused feelings for Sadie and his friendship with Andy all made him more realistic and much easier to sympathize with. Yet these characters weren’t put there for the sole purpose of providing opportunities to show what a nice guy Kevin is! No, they’re excellent, well-developed characters in their own right.
I liked how the pacing was generally consistent throughout The Fire and that although it definitely sped up at the end, it wasn’t as rushed as the ending of The Show. John Heldt definitely took more time to build up the historical town of Wallace in order to build up the tension for the coming fire that would level most of the town. His descriptions were much more vivid in this installment of the Northwest Passage series and I think The Fire was a better book for it.
John Heldt’s writing just keeps getting better and better with each book. Although the theme of time travel features in all four, he has created very different characters to tell the story of America and each achieves happiness in their own, unique way. Even if you haven’t read the first three books of the series, The Fire can certainly stand on its own, which is why I recommend you pick it up right this instant. Yes, it’s that good.
I give this book 5/5 stars.