Fire from Heaven

Rating:
Summary: A King's Destiny
Review: "If any of you has seen red in battle, or been frightened out of his skin, you may remember putting out strength you had never known was in you. At exercise, even in a contest, you could not find it. There is a lock on it, put there by nature or gods' wisdom. It is the reserve against extremity. ...Few men are born whose own will can undo it. This boy will be one." p.64

This work is a reconstructed story/history of Alexander the Great. Renault makes reading Greek history a true pleasure. My only criticism of this work is the considerably large number of names and plots that the reader has to keep straight. The novel begins during Alexander's early childhood and continues to the day of his father's (King Phillip) assassination. The work focuses on Alexander's relationships with the King, his mother the Queen (Olympias), and his loyal friend and lover Hephaistion. The exploits that earned Alexander his "Great" appellation came after his father's death, during his triumph through Asia and conquest of Persia.

Rating:
Summary: A King's Destiny
Review: "If any of you has seen red in battle, or been frightened out of his skin, you may remember putting out strength you had never known was in you. At exercise, even in a contest, you could not find it. There is a lock on it, put there by nature or gods' wisdom. It is the reserve against extremity. ...Few men are born whose own will can undo it. This boy will be one." p.64

This work is a reconstructed story/history of Alexander the Great. Renault makes reading Greek history a true pleasure. My only criticism of this work is the considerably large number of names and plots that the reader has to keep straight. The novel begins during Alexander's early childhood and continues to the day of his father's (King Phillip) assassination. The work focuses on Alexander's relationships with the King, his mother the Queen (Olympias), and his loyal friend and lover Hephaistion. The exploits that earned Alexander his "Great" appellation came after his father's death, during his triumph through Asia and conquest of Persia.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Brings Alexander to life, rich with the mysteries and superstitions of the period. I first read it at age 15, and now, at 44. The depth of intrique and politics, as well as much that is tacitly implied rather than explicitly described will be lost on the younger reader, but was fun to re-read now and see what I didn't/couldn't comprehend then. A wonderful read!

Rating:
Summary: Character Nurtured in the Household of a Successful King
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Alexander's World Revealed
Review: Fire From Heaven tells the story of Alexander The Great's childhood. Mary Renault does more than merely tell the story, she transports you to ancient Macedonia. From the first few pages, it is clear that you in another world. It is a world that is far more civilized than we would like to believe. A world that is pre-Christian and suffused with the belief that all things - all things - are imbued with their own moira, and part of the living world. His is a great book, the first part of a great trilogy about the Alexander and his world. And part of a lager body of work about the ancient Greek world. Read them all and you will begin to understand why ancient Greece is called the cradle of Western Civilization.

Rating:
Summary: Alexander's World Revealed
Review: Fire From Heaven tells the story of Alexander The Great's childhood. Mary Renault does more than merely tell the story, she transports you to ancient Macedonia. From the first few pages, it is clear that you in another world. It is a world that is far more civilized than we would like to believe. A world that is pre-Christian and suffused with the belief that all things - all things - are imbued with their own moira, and part of the living world. His is a great book, the first part of a great trilogy about the Alexander and his world. And part of a lager body of work about the ancient Greek world. Read them all and you will begin to understand why ancient Greece is called the cradle of Western Civilization.

Rating:
Summary: renault, pressfield; masters at the craft
Review: I have just completed the only Pressfield novel I hadn't read;
"Tides of War" and I highly recommend it, as well as his "Last of the Amazons" and "Gates of Fire" as infinitely readable and fabulously imagined, with human characters of 'mythic' porportions.
As a long time reader of anything historical by Mary Renault, I
also give any of her 'classical age' novels the highest praise.
Her knowledge of the ancient Greek and Persian cultures are evident
in her treatment of Alexander the Great. By far, her most humane
tale to my mind is "The Persian Boy".

Rating:
Summary: renault, pressfield; masters at the craft
Review: I have just completed the only Pressfield novel I hadn't read;
"Tides of War" and I highly recommend it, as well as his "Last of the Amazons" and "Gates of Fire" as infinitely readable and fabulously imagined, with human characters of 'mythic' porportions.
As a long time reader of anything historical by Mary Renault, I
also give any of her 'classical age' novels the highest praise.
Her knowledge of the ancient Greek and Persian cultures are evident
in her treatment of Alexander the Great. By far, her most humane
tale to my mind is "The Persian Boy".

Rating:
Summary: beautiful.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: I loved this book! It's just beautiful! I laughed, I cried... I could not put it down - literally. It took me 5 days to read this, during finals week at college. Every second I was not taking a test, sleeping or studying, I was reading this book... on the way to class, while eating, sitting at traffic lights -- I slept with it under my pillow! It's an amazing read. But then, I adore Alexander the Great. If you do, I'm sure you'll love this book. If you don't, but you like historical fiction, Ancient Greece or the like, you'll still enjoy it, I'm sure. Ms. Renault's style is a bit tricky at times and there are a few typos in this edition. And perhaps Ms. Renault doesn't show us all she should, but "Fire From Heaven" is still amazing. I highly recommend it!