Rating: 
Summary: A very moving book
Review: Naomi Salvarezza Reading and Writing English 100 2/22/00 Firebrand is my favorite book of all time. It is the tragic story of Troy told from the perspective of Princess Kassandra. Kassandra is a very beautiful young women going against the world. Since she was a child, she had the ability to see into the future. Troy's future was destined to be destroyed and Kassandra knew all along. The main point in this book to me is how Kassandra knew of the future and what awaited her people; everyone thought she was crazy for assumming such a terrible outcome. In the end every last prophecy she made came true and all her family died or were made into slaves. Kassandra lived her life with the pain of being ignored and yet she loved and cared for every last person who was around her. The princess had the spirit of a warrior and the heart of an angel who tried to serve her purpose for her God. Marion Zimmer Bradley's work brings joy to my life and I urge everyone to read this book.
Rating:
Summary: A Fast-Paced and Colorful Epic
Review: After reading The Mists of Avalon, I didn't think there could be another novel by Bradley to surpass its masterpiece. . . I was wrong. Firebrand was a novel that sweep me by storm. Between the two novels, Firebrand in much more fast-paced and adventure packed. Bradley's characters, as always, come to life with vibrant colors. I was struck by emotions, from tears to shear laughter throught the novel. The only fault I could find was that it had to end so soon. Kassandra, the main character, is a bold and curious woman. Bradley, through great historical writing, takes the reader through the various cultures in the time of the Trojan War. If you like historical fiction with a twist, this novel is a must read. It not only delves into a dramatic plot and love story, but describes a day in the life of the wealth of that time. Again Bradley captures the readers interest with her viewpoints through the most unexpected characters. I especially loved her insights on the famous Helen of Troy and Kassandra. Overall, this novel is a masterpiece that must be place in its own catagory. I highly recommend this novel to anyone to craves a warming love story, adventurous battles, vivid characters, and great historical descriptions. 5 stars for a remarkable and smooth-flowing author.
Rating: 
Summary: Good idea, poor execution...
Review: If you're looking for a 'typical' Bradley book, this one falls short of most of her previous retellings. The premise of the book, whereby we see through Kassandra's eyes during the Trojan War, is interesting and I thought that if anyone could pull this off admirably it would be Bradley. However, this falls way short of her other books by a longshot. First of all, her characters are hopelessly static and laregely unsympathetic. Using Mists of Avalon as a yardstick, every character in that book except one was a dynamic, exciting character that I felt sorry for and I could easily empathize with. In this novel, Bradley seems to have gone on a far more feminist bent and it seems she almost refuses to give any male in the story a sympathetic side. Paris, Hector, and Priam act ridiculously stereotypical and I still cannot understand why Paris acts the way he does toward his sister. The explanation that Bradley yields to us is hardly acceptable. The only male characters you might sympathize with is Odysseus, who is caught between friendship and honor. Even Aeneas is a flat character who only serves as a love interest to Kassandra. After all, if he wasn't there (in the novel as that role) then Kassandra would have seemed even less real. This character problem doesn't only relate to males though. Imadara, Penthesila, Andromache, and Polyexna are all horribly underwritten and underrepresented. Most of the time I was reading this book I was asking myself, "Who possibly acts like this?!" I'm fully aware of what Ancient Greece (and obviously by extension, Ancient Troy) was like, but I simply see many of these characters emontional conflicts as contrived and forced. Paris strangling his sister?! Andromache's hatred toward Kassandra at the end? If you love Bradley, this book is an interesting read. However, Bradley's true strength is in her characters, and in this book, she simply falls far too short of her earlier more successful efforts. I would recommend that if you haven't read Bradley yet, then pick up Mists of Avalon or any other book in that 'series.'
Rating:
Summary: better than The Mists of Avalon
Review: 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. :)
Rating:
Summary: My favorite Marion Zimmer Bradley book
Review: This is among my FAVORITE books of all. In the tradition of Mists of Avalon, all those who wish to read about the female/goddess perception of fantasy-historical tales MUST read this book. I cringe to watch the new TROY movie because now the female version makes so much sense to me. I love this book more than MISTS.. even though that book changed me. I'm so happy to see it re-editioned, as my original is yellowing and torn. READ THIS BOOK!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Very pleased...
Review: I am a big fan of mythology and I try to read as many books as I can on the subject. When I found this book I didn't know if it was going to be a good book or not, seeing as I had never heard of the author before. By the time I had finished the first two chapters I was hooked. I loved the detail that she put into the characters and the surrounding areas. Reading the book was like watching a movie. I highly recomend this book for anyone who is a fan of Marion Zimmer Bradley.
Rating: 
Summary: "Mists"-lite
Review: In this retelling of the Trojan war from Kassandra's point of view, Marion Zimmer Bradley re-explores some of the themes she previously visited in THE MISTS OF AVALON, including an ancient, Goddess-centered and feminine-centered religion that is slowly fading away before a newer, male-oriented religion, as well as a retelling of mythological/historical events from a female viewpoint. This is not as well done as in Mists, partly because we remain locked in Kassandra's single viewpoint the whole time and therefore lose the breadth and scope that made Mists so memorable, and partly because she did it before so the characters do not seem as original. However, this is still an interesting and engrossing book, and an interesting and different take on the Trojan war.
Rating: 
Summary: A new and improved Troy
Review: I really enjoyed this book because, true to the author's style, it followed the strong female character. But not only that, the vivid imagery brought these well-known characters to life -- with different, far more detailed aspects, and I enjoyed adding these facets to characters I already knew from the Iliad. About 3/4 into the book, I realized that several of the characters are remniscent of Bradley's Mists of Avalon characters. Kassandra is in some ways very like Morgaine, Hecuba like Igraine, Penthesilea like Viviane. This, for me, wasn't at all a drawback to the story. If anything, it made me more comfortable with the characters. While not quite as good as Mists of Avalon, it remains by itself a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: Ignore the below review
Review: Please ignore the previous review.
It may not be the Authors best work, but was written BY the Author in 1987.
Rating: 
Summary: Cease the madness
Review: Marion Zimmer Bradley was a great author - when she lived. Now, however, 3 1/2 years after her funeral, her "estate" continues to publish "new works" with the real author barely identified. Please stop writing about the woman as if she just wrote what is really only as mediocre book. Might as well have "her" and "Frank Herbert" collaborate with all the fidelity shown to her works while she lived.
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