A review by sylghouls
Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault

slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

The Hamiltonification of Alexander the Great. I read this for a book club. I'm partial to this style of narration, but Mary Renault writes women as either entirely passive or ruthlessly conniving, and interpolates gaps in the historical record with characterization of Alexander the Great as the Nicest Specialest Boy Who Ever Lived, and (more confusingly - I cannot fathom the point of this) the orator Demosthenes as a cartoonishly evil coward.

What I will say for Renault is that I do actually a little bit have to respect her game for being a fujoshi in 1969. Groudbreaking work in that particular field - RIP, you would have loved miku binder Thomas Jefferson.

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