Review: The Firebrand

After reading Stephanie Thornton's The Conqueror's Wife: A Novel of Alexander the Great, I was really interested in reading more on ancient Greece and that area of the world. I was also really interested in giving Marion Zimmer Bradley a try, so The Firebrand seemed like a great choice. The Firebrand is the story of the fall of Troy through the eyes of Kassandra, the prophetess no one believes.

While the story was a familiar one, this was a totally different take on it. The focus was primarily on the women of the story, including Helen and Andromache, through Kassandra's eyes.  Kassandra is the sister of Hector and Paris, priestess of Apollo, and she has visions, but no one believes her warnings.

One of my favorite parts of the story was the beginning, when Kassandra goes to live with the Amazon women and spends some time as an Amazon warrior. She also meets the Kentaurs, the origins of the Centaur legend. She also spends some time in Colchis, learning snake lore, and becomes the tender of the snakes at Apollo's temple. Overall, a very interesting character.

Cassandra,
circa 1898 by Evelyn De Morgan

If you're yearning for a tale of Hector and Achilles, though, you won't find it here - they are characters in the book, but get very little "on screen" time - especially Achilles. We see them only through Kassandra's eyes and conversations with others. I rather enjoyed this, as I saw more of what the day to day life of the Trojans might have been like and the effect that the war would have on the common people, rather than the focus on the legends. However, if that isn't what you're looking for, this might not be the book for you.

This book has light fantasy elements; we see what may be - it's left up to the reader to decide - appearances by the Gods, and because Kassandra is a priestess of Apollo, we get some interesting glances in to the religion of the period. And, of course, there are Kassandra's visions. Prophecy also plays a heavy role in the story, and in Kassandra's personal life and the path that her story takes.

Overall, I highly recommend this historical fiction with a light dose of fantasy. It's a retelling of the classic Troy myth, but from a different perspective I had not seen before, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.