Fire from Heaven

Synopsis
The formative years of Alexander the Great, the first of a trilogy.

My thoughts
Much of the book centers around Alexander's complicated family life and his warring parents, Olympias and Philip. They married for political reasons, and Philip is suspicious of Olympias's use of magic. Because of Olympias's sorcery, Alexander isn't entirely certain of his paternity. Is he mortal Philip's offspring or the result of a union between Olympias and a god? Alexander is closest to Olympias, but he is Philip's heir. As he grows up he learns the arts of war and he and his father reach an uneasy truce. But Olympias and Philip continue to spar with each other, and Alexander is often caught in the middle. Alexander is also embarrassed by his father's extramarital affairs, and Philip's threats to disinherit Alexander backfire - instead of obeying him, Alexander becomes rebellious. The drama builds until Alexander is forced to choose between them, and Mary Renault does a good job building layers of suspense until the final act.

Thank goodness for this book's matter-of-fact attitude toward Alexander's relationship with Hephaistion. Renault writes in an author's note that homosexual relationships among men weren't unusual in the ancient world, and Renault depicts Alexander and Hephaistion as true soul mates. They share an immediate connection with each other and their friendship grows as they grow up. Hephaistion acts as a steadying influence on Alexander. Alexander confides in Hephaistion, and Hephaistion develops a second sense of what Alexander needs and when he'll need it. In some ways he understands Alexander better than Alexander understands himself.

The book's one weakness is that Alexander is a little too perfect. He never makes mistakes and he is more godlike than human.

Bottom line
Well-researched historical fiction with beautiful, vivid writing.

Fine print
Fire from Heaven, by Mary Renault
Genre: historical fiction
Photo from Goodreads
I borrowed this book from the library.