The Novels of Alexander Great: Fire from Heaven, The Persian Boy. Funeral Games

Alexander the Great #1-3

by Mary Renault, Tom Holland (Introduction)

A special three-in-one edition of Mary Renault’s acclaimed historical novels about the life and times of Alexander the Great

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Greece, Ebooks, Classics, Ancient History

1437 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 31, 1984

About the author

Mary Renault was an English writer best known for her historical novels set in Ancient Greece. In addition to vivid fictional portrayals of Theseus, Socrates, Plato and Alexander the Great, she wrote a non-fiction biography of Alexander.

Her historical novels are all set in ancient Greece. They include a pair of novels about the mythological hero Theseus and a trilogy about the career of Alexander the Great. In a sense, The Charioteer (1953), the story of two young gay servicemen in the 1940s who try to model their relationship on the ideals expressed in Plato's Phaedrus and Symposium, is a warm-up for Renault's historical novels. By turning away from the 20th century and focusing on stories about male lovers in the warrior societies of ancient Greece, Renault no longer had to deal with homosexuality and anti-gay prejudice as social "problems". Instead she was free to focus on larger ethical and philosophical concerns, while examining the nature of love and leadership. The Charioteer could not be published in the U.S. until 1959, after the success of The Last of the Wine proved that American readers and critics would accept a serious gay love story.

Reviews

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this series, and felt sad actually when I finished last night. Mary Renault studied at Oxford in the 1920s under J.R.R. Tolkien, and her training in literature shines through. These novels are well-crafted and engaging. The basic facts of Alexander the Great's life and conquest of the Mediterranean and Asia almost stand on their own as great drama, but Mary Renault's contribution is to tell the story though from the perspective of several unexpected characters. For me, this helped bring to life the enormity of the task. I'd never thought about the challenges of properly raising and training an heir, providing supply lines, securing new acquisitions into the empire once the army had moved on, addressing basic human desires and morale of soldiers gone on campaign for 12 years, etc.

These books have also inspired me to give another try at reading the Illiad and the Odyssey. Both books were used by Macedonians and the Greeks to teach philosophy and the arts of war and statecraft. Mary Renault integrated key passages into her novels in order to provide perspective on how glory and honor motivated certain decisions and lifestyles.

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Few dispute what Alexander DID, but many unsolvable questions remain pertaining to his character, personality, and motivation for his actions. Reading Ussher’s factual account (see A Persian Boy note below), one could just as easily conclude that in direct opposition to Renault’s fiction, Alexander was a narcissistic, lusty man who sought blood, power, sexual gratification (from men, women, and children) and deity, leaving a trail of dead and wounded around cities he re/named after himself, as he conquered the world for his own glorification. In the end, his abuse of his own body cost him his life prematurely at age 32, and his hubristic lack of preparation for his death either through directive or progeny set up a conflict over inheritance of his realms that shed blood for years beyond his death. For all Renault’s criticism of Alexander’s parents in Fire from Heaven (most of it justified), they did raise a young man equipped for incredible success, while that self-absorbed young man raised up no one to come after him. Although Renault acknowledges Alexander’s lack of preparation for succession, the man she fictionalizes, based on similar facts as Ussher’s, is a man of extraordinary wisdom, grace and ambition, who is “a giver,” a “motivator,” a “friend.” Either extreme is possible as a reasonable interpretation, but I suspect the reality was somewhere between, tilting toward a Macedonian - Greek - Persian hedonism.

Renault’s writing, especially in the first two books is creates a vibrant dynamic among the people, settings and events that loses its poignancy in the third book’s historical timeline. But I do want to warn that the first two books feature lurid depictions of sexual deviancy that are not appropriate for young people – and may not be for adults either! I find myself eager to move on and hesitant to return.

For more on Mary Renault and the impact of her writing, see this eulogy written by Daniel Mendelsohn, a correspondent of Renault’s, after her death.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...

Pondering Renault’s presentation of Alexander the Great as a hero, I thought of the greatest hero I know - the savior of men through generations, Jesus Christ, the true son of God. While Alexander aspired to deity, Jesus “6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped” (Philippians 2). Alexander died in a luxurious Babylonian palace at age 32 of dissipation, war wounds, treachery, or a combination of all three, in complete submission to his human mortality. Jesus humbled Himself at age 33 to a torturous death, “7 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross”(Philippians 2). A poor man, Jesus was buried in a friend’s tomb, from which He rose again! “17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10). Alexander lived for his own glory, through war, worship and founding of cities, Jesus died in sacrifice for the wickedness of men.

Many men died for Alexander, perhaps he was a ‘good man’ as contemplated in Romans 5. “6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” Alexander’s kingdom ended and was divided, Jesus will reign forever.


*** From my review of FIRE FROM HEAVEN (Alexander Trilogy #1), Renault, 1969 …
“I must highlight the final scene. Vividly drawn, the scene takes the strong foreground events and characters developed through the entire book and complements them with all the background themes and sociopolitical context that merge into King Philip’s demise. I think it is a scene that will stay with me whenever I think of the historical events in the future. Exquisite writing.”

“The exploration of Greek sexual practices reminded me strongly of Matthew Rueger’s Sexual Morality in a Christless World. Rueger examines sexual ethics from the perspective of the Greeks, the Romans, the Jews and the Christians, showing convergence and divergence among them. Rueger also demonstrates how the sexual morality of today is bending back to Greco-Roman worldviews, which Renault embraces in this first book on Alexander. Fire From Heaven draws a skillful illustration of Greek cultural mores in practice including how they may have shaped Alexander. Reading the two may be helpful to young adults/ adults.”

Sexual Morality in a Christless World, Matthew Rueger, 2016
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

FULL REVIEW: Fire From Heaven (Alexander the Great #1) here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

*** From my review of A PERSIAN BOY (Alexander Trilogy #2), Renault, 1972 …
“After reading A Persian Boy, I was again sensitized to the fictional quality of the world that Renault built around Alexander. It is a vivid world, attentive to cultural details and historical facts, but nonetheless an imaginary landscape colored by Renault’s worldview. Wanting to balance myself out on the factual side of the historical fiction reading experience, I reviewed Renault’s notes and took a break from the trilogy to skim my best primary source document on Alexander, James Ussher’s famous project first published in 1658. Ussher’s work was edited and translated from the Latin into English by Larry & Marion Price as The Annals of the World in 2003. You can read my full review here…

The Annals of the World, Ussher, 1658
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Ussher’s project to assemble all facts he could confirm in chronological order by paragraph includes profuse documentation of the life of Alexander the Great. Born in paragraph 1633, Alexander’s death is recorded at 2367. Ussher’s timeline ends with paragraph 7000 after the destruction of Jerusalem in 79AD at the end of Josephus’ account. The paragraphs during Alexander’s actual life total 734 out of 7000 records, making up over 10% of what Ussher could document of (what we call) the ‘ancient world.’ This quick calculation of Ussher’s documentation of Alexander does not include events of King Phillip’s life (much more spartan data and covered in Renault’s first book of this trilogy, Fire from Heaven) or the numerous documented occurrences/ paragraphs that arose in the disposition of Alexander’s empire after his shockingly premature death (which I imagine are covered in the third book of this trilogy, Funeral Games).”

FULL REVIEW, A Persian Boy (Alexander the Great #2) here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

*** From my review of FUNERAL GAMES (Alexander Trilogy #3), Renault 1981 …
“As fiction, Renault’s writing and plotting lacks the brilliance of previous titles in this series. It is as if her gift died with Alexander. And perhaps that is the reality principle behind this fictional account. Alexander inspired, lead and goaded everyone around him into accomplishing more than any could on their own, indeed, more than any thought possible. Then, Alexander, demi-god that he was, sunk to mortality through death – an early, premature death, for which he had not prepared himself, or his family, or his kingdom. The music stopped when the snake charmer died. The snakes had no one to call forth their beauty into entrancing dance, leaving only their savagery to direct future actions. Because of the excellence of the writing prior, this is the type of book that you must read to complete the trilogy, but I found it rather forgettable in comparison. “

FULL REVIEW Funeral Games (Alexander the Great #3)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Ben Dutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this a long time ago (c.1997) but Mary Renault's prose has stayed with me. Memory is an elusive thing, but I recall being mesmerized by the first volume, engrossed in the second, and a tad disappointed with the third. But it was fifteen years ago, so I probably should re-read it at some point.

[Nigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes there are odd and pleasing correspondences between books read concurrently, like last year I read The Magus and then read Amongst Others, wherein the protagonist reads and describes her reaction to The Magus. The correspondences between The Alexander Trilogy and The Deptford Trilogy aren't quite as direct, but they're still striking, unexpected and enjoyable. The Deptford Trilogy is largely concerned with Jungian archetypes, with the middle book essentially one long portrait of Jungian therapy. Fire From Heaven, the first of the Alexander Trilogy begins with an episode so drenched in Freudian imagery one expects to see an Austrian gentlemen from circa early 20th century with a neat grey beard sitting with one leg crossed over another in an attitude of polite attention, waving a smoking cigar in an invitation to the protagonists to please continue their tableau.

The book opens with child Alexander waking in the middle of the night to find himself in the coils of a snake. (Alexander's father's family claims descent from Herakles, played by Dwayne Johnson.) Taking a moment to coolly assess his situation, he concludes that the snake is not poisonous and reckons it's one of his mother's, and resolves to return it to her. Slipping with strategic cunning past no less than two guards, he enters his mother's bed-chamber and wakes her up, whereupon she informs him that it's not her snake, but a snake that must be specially his. he gets into bed with her, demands that she tell him she lives him best and promises to marry her when he's six. Then father arrives, drunk and determined to avail of his conjugal rites, stripping off. Olympias hides Alexander under the sheets and tells Philip to leave. Philip is furious and berates her. Alexander springs to Olympias' defence. Philip is astonished and horrified and throws him out the door, where the guard picks him up and comforts him.

Now, in the hands of a lesser writer, this might come across as a bit lurid and melodramatic. In the hands of Renault, it is lurid and melodramatic and astonishing, setting the template for Alexander's young life, his devotion to his indomitable mother, his antagonism with his powerful father, his turning for comfort to his father's soldiers. But he also finds he and his father are more compatible and sympathetic than either will grudgingly admit, and that his mother's ruthless efforts to control him and spite his father is more of a threat than his father. Through this frightful familial warfare he threads his own way, acquiring an education and a following and a gathering legend. Devoted to the story of Achilles, he acquires his own Patrokles in Hephaistion. Though he himself is close to celibate and the book is never sexually explicit, the passages dealing with their physical and emotional relationship are awash with a beautiful eroticism.

The Persian Boy has its correspondence with The Deptford Trilogy, too: The eponymous narrator is taken and abused just as Paul Dempster was in World Of Wonders. Bagoas, after his family is betrayed and murdered in a Persian power struggle is castrated and sold as a eunuch. Harrowing and horrible though this is, his ultimate position as bed mate to the Persian king, Darius, could be a lot worse. Alexander invades, defeats Darius, and Bagoas finds himself presented to Alexander as a servant. Adjusting to the coarse, easy more informal manners and ways of the Macedonians after the elegant mannered splendour of the Persian court is difficult, but Alexander, unlike most of his soldiers and generals, does not view Persian ways as barbaric or contemptible, and intends to treat his conquered peoples as equal with his fellow countrymen. Begoas falls deeply in love with Alexander, to which Alexander responds, and as Alexander drives east into Asia their relationship grows deeper and Begoas becomes a permanent fixture in Alexander's tent.

So this is a monumental, awe-inspiring novel told in a singular voice, filled with the colour and richness and terrors of the ancient world, evoking the inimitable figure of one of the most amazing people to ever walk the earth, who conquered most of the known world simply by making his army love him. It's a novel that moves from degradation and horror to glory and joy to grievous tragedy, an epic of human experience. This is the middle novel of a trilogy as triumphant center-piece.

Funeral Games is the book that George RR Martin fans might cuddle up to, a riveting narrative of Alexander's successors, all of whom try to be Alexander, none of whom succeed. Riot and mutiny, confusion and acrimony, murder most incredibly foul ensue as the generals try to control the willful Macedonian army without a clear, acceptable heir. Only Ptolemy is smart enough to recognise the limits of his ambition, heading straight for Egypt while others squabble over the regency. Everyone ends badly, and it's hard to feel sorry for most of them, except Alexander's poor brain-damaged brother declared king and married to a fiercely ambitious young woman, becoming a puppet and a target. Beautifully written, full of incredible incidents straight out of recorded history, with even the most monstrous characters drawn with a kind of sympathetic humanity that nonetheless concedes nothing to their terrible deeds and ultimate fates, Funeral Games is a elegaic winding-down of the Alexander Trilogy, sad and desperate and catastrophic.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fire From Heaven focuses on the formative years of Alexander the Great, ending with his ascension to the throne. I found it an easy book to admire, but harder to love. Early chapters seemed to stress Alexander's extraordinary character without rather than driving the plot forward. In these early chapters, it felt more like I was meant to marvel at Alexander than to be swept up in his story.

Yet, as Alexander's life progressed, so I became more and more involved in the story, to the point where I was swept away by it – and left frustrated that the book ended just when he became king. All the while, Renault's remarkable prose and ability to bring the time period to life left me amazed and in awe.

I enjoyed the depth of the characters, particularly that given to Alexander's parents, Olympias and Philip. The character of Alexander, though was immense, immeasurable and unknowable. This is understandable considering the historical figure is, today, more mythical than real, but I'm not sure I liked it. It felt a little frustrating to have the opportunity to see so extraordinary up-close, only to have him always out of reach. Still, I'm a little fascinated by such characters and it does work in its own way.

The Persian Boy focuses on Alexander through the eyes of Bagoas, a Persian eunuch said to have been the lover of Alexander. I found this book easier to dive into than Fire From Heaven, mainly because the plot seemed more driven and Alexander was seen more up-close. It also helped that the story was told from Bagoas' perspective, rather than a multitude of characters.

As I understand it, Bagoas is a minor figure in history that Renault has developed into a fully fledged character. Renault succeeds in making Bagoas come to life – though not necessarily at making him fully likeable or sympathetic. Bagoas comes as a clingy boyfriend at times, talking about how he is the only one who really ~gets Alexander and demonstrating a bitter jealousy of Hephaestion's place in Alexander's affections. I'm not sure whether Renault meant for Bagoas to be a flawed character and/or an unreliable narrator, but I felt as though he was.

Still, I found The Persian Boy a hugely enjoyable read.

Funeral Games revolves around the collapse of Alexander's empire after his death. This saga is a fascinating story. Being mostly ignorant of what had happened after Alexander's death, I found myself glued to the pages, wondering who would survive, who would be successful, and who would get their comeuppance. The writing, too, is utterly fantastic, and the characters complex enough to provide depth.

The story focuses largely on Macedon and the succession issues there, rather than how Alexander's empire was carved up. Even Alexander's funeral and burial in Egypt is largely glossed over, though this is something I would have loved to have seen.

*

Having finished The Alexander Trilogy, I'm left in awe of Renault and Alexander. I'm thirsting for more about Alexander, for both fictional and factual takes on him. From the sound of things, I'm not the only one. What's more, is that I have discovered an author that writes excellent historical fiction and that makes me incredibly happy.

[Rick McNeely · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of civilization's great gifts. Mary Renault remains once of our greatest authors. Read this trilogy, you will be a better person for it.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I re-read these this year after 25 years or so. I read Fire From Heaven for my book group, and this is my favourite of the three books. It covers Alexander's early life, his challenging relationships with his parents and how he becomes king of Macedonia. Unlike many biographies it doesn't sit on the fence over Alexander's sexuality and emphasizes that, although we have a different understanding of sexuality now, his most meaningful relationship was with his lover Hephaistion. The Persian Boy, the second volume deals with his journeys across Asia, the many battles he engaged, and the final years of his life. It is told from the perspective of Bagoas, a Persian eunuch and also Alexander's lover. Bagoas can be annoying and self-centered at times, but his devotion to Alexander is clear, and he should be forgiven as he has had rather a rough time of it, to say the least! The final book Funeral Games covers the years following Alexander's death and the power-struggles that resulted from his un-timely passing. An easy recommendation for anyone interested in Alexander, or are fed up with the lack of queer characters portrayed in historical books , or just want to read a well-written series of literary novels.

[Cojaysea · Rating 5 out of 5]

can a book be delicious ? can a novel get any better ? if you know anything about Alexander the great and wish to read his story in a historical novel form this is the one. Mary Renault knows everything you could possibly know about the subject and bridges the story along brilliantly ..really can't tell you much more than that ..ive got nothing else ..its great

[Susan Alt]

A must-read!

[Boy Blue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fire from Heaven is exactly as the title describes, a little bit of the divine kindling in the soul of one man and lighting the lives of those around him.

The Persian Boy is a love story dressed up in biographical finery. The shift of perspective from omniscient 3rd person to an incredibly close 1st person brings us as close as we'll get to Alexander the mortal. But unsurprisingly, too much of the book is spent inside the Persian boy Bagoas' head and too little in the company of Alexander.

Funeral Games finds us again cast into the heavens to look down on the human vultures circling the corpse of Alexander's Empire. The games are not the sort Alexander would have conducted and nor are they worthy of his name.

Unfortunately, there is an exponential decay in narrative quality across the three works. The Persian Boy is half the book Fire from Heaven is, and Funeral Games lurks at the distal end of that decay curve.

As if to remind the reader of where they've come from, the action in Funeral Games finally returns to the most interesting of his generals, Ptolemy. In the last 3 pages we once more catch a glimpse of that Fire from Heaven and it's glorious.

"We were right, to offer him divinity. He had a mystery. He could make anything seem possible in which he himself believed. And we did it, too. His praise was precious, for his trust we would have died; we did impossible things. He was a man touched by a god; we were only men who had been touched by him; but we did not know it. We too had performed miracles , you see.....

But also, when he died I knew he had taken his mystery with him. Henceforward we were men like other men, with the limits that nature set us. Know yourself, says the god at Delphi. Nothing too much."

[~ Lei ~ Reading Is An Adventure ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★★★ ~ 5 Stars
This had been recommended to me over the years but the trilogy was pricy and once it came up as $1.99 (I believe) and I jumped on it. Then it was taking the time to read (1,437 pages and typical time to read: 22 hours!). I started in early November and I just finished December 6th.

Anyway, this was a grand, epic story. Fire From Heaven is Alexander's childhood until he ascends the throne at the age of 20. It is the story of his friendship with Hephaiston and his other loyal Companions and maneuvering through the politics of his mother and father.

The writing is old-fashioned but still I couldn't put it down, Wikipedia and the dictionary was my friend.

The Persian Boy chronicles Alexander's 12-year campaign to become the Great King by Bagoas, the Persian concubine.

Funeral Games is the fallout after Alexander's death. I think I enjoyed this the most as many of the characters revealed their own special (or hated) bond they each had with Alexander. He was an amazing and forward thinker. Bad things he had predicted and tried keep from happening happened after his influence was removed. He was so charismatic nobody could replace him and the evil and ambition of those who surrounded him supeseded his memory.

[Ashleigh Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the three novels that make up this trilogy as a teenager, over 40 years ago. I found it engaging, captivating in many ways, and a view of Alexander that I had never before been exposed to. That I identified in many ways with Bagoas may have influenced my opinion. 😉

[Arvind Radhakrishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a magnificent work this trilogy is! Renault makes ancient Greek history come alive.I was able to inhabit that beautiful world.One not only learns so much about Alexander's life and his great conquests but also about Greek,Persian,Babylonian,and Indian culture.She has recreated that world with such beauty.I must thank the classics scholar and literary critic Daniel Mendelsohn for introducing me to her works.

[LOL_BOOKS]

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN READING LATELY?

MEMERS WHO ENJOYED THE EAGLE, WERE YOU MARY RENAULT FANS AS TEENIES? HAVE YOU RE-READ HER BOOKS AS ADULTS? I WAS A FAN, BUT I HAVEN'T READ SINCE I GOT OUT OF COLLEGE TEN YEARS AGO AND FEEL LIKE THE BOOKS PROBABLY WON'T HOLD UP. THE LAST OF THE WINE WAS MY FAVORITE.

I READ HER IN MY TWENTIES AND I THINK IT WOULD HOLD UP FINE. I FINALLY READ FUNERAL GAMES A FEW MONTHS AGO AND THERE WASN'T ANYTHING IN IT THAT WOULD MAKE ME THINK "OH IF I WERE YOUNGER I WOULD LIKE IT MORE,"

FUNERAL GAMES WAS THE WEAKEST PART OF THE ALEXANDER TRILOGY.

IAWTC. I DIDN'T ENJOY THE ALEXANDER BOOKS AS MUCH :(

I ENJOYED THEM BUT LOL I SPENT SO MUCH TIME FEELING OFFENDED ON HEPHAISTION'S BEHALF.

Y, IT KILLED A LOT OF THE ENJOYMENT FOR ME D:

TBF IT'S NOT LIKE THERE'S MUCH ELSE OUT THERE IN TERMS OF ALEXANDER FICTION THAT HAS GOOD ALEXANDER/HEPHAISTION OR JUST A GOOD HEPHAISTION CHARACTER. EVERYONE ELSE IS EITHER TRYING TO BE MARY RENAULT OR WRITING NO HOMO MILITARY NOVELS.

SOMETIMES I THINK I SHOULD ACTUALLY WRITE AND PUBLISH THE STORIES I'VE TOLD MYSELF OVER THE YEARS WRT ALEXANDER, BUT I FEEL LIKE I'D FALL INTO THE "TRYING TO BE MARY RENAULT" CATEGORY EVEN THOUGH IT'D BE MORE "TRYING TO DO RITE WHERE MARY RENAULT FUCKED UP" TBH.

THE SECOND ONE IS ACTUALLY A BIT DIFFERENT IN STYLE SO YOU MIGHT STILL LIKE IT EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE FIRST ONE. I LIKE FIRE FROM HEAVEN BEST MAINLY BECAUSE IL HEPHAISTION AND GET ANNOYED WITH BAGOAS, BUT OVERALL I ACTUALLY FOUND THE PERSIAN BOY TO BE A MORE ENGAGING READ. YOU CAN SKIP THE FUNERAL GAMES UNLESS YOU'RE A COMPLETIST OR REALLY INTERESTED IN THAT PERIOD OF HISTORY, THOUGH. IT'S DEFINITELY THE WEAKEST PART.

LOL I WENT IN WITH ALREADY FORMED OPINIONS ABOUT ALEXANDER AND HEPHAISTION IN PARTICULAR SO YOU MIGHT SEE THEM IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT! EITHER WAY THOUGH, I MFL THE FIRST TWO BOOKS. INO RENAULT IS ~PROBLEMATIC~ NOW BECAUSE SHE WAS A HUGE ALEXANDER APOLOGIST BUT HER PROSE IS GORGEOUS AND NO OTHER ATG FICTION HAS MANAGED TO SO COMPLETELY TRANSPORT ME BACK IN TIME WHILE READING.

I AM FINALLY READING THE PERSIAN BOY AND IT'S SO GRATE :D

DD!

BAGOAS HAS SHOWED UP AT ALEXANDER'S COURT AND I AM DEEPLY ENJOYING HIS LOL JUDGINESS OF THE BARBARIAN NUDIST GREEKS WHO NEED TO PUT SOME FUCKING PANTS ON. AND HIS GRUDGING AWARENESS THAT ALEXANDER MIGHT BE JUST A LITTLE BIT OF A BABE. >:(

IL TPB DESPITE BEING ETERNALLY BUTTHURT ABOUT BAGOAS' OPINION OF HEPHAISTION.

LOL MY HEPHAISTON WIFING URINED IT FOR ME :(

[Whiskey Tango]

Fire From Heaven" sets the young prince between his scheming mother, Olympias and his warlike father, Philip. "The Persian Boy" depicts Alexander at the pinnacle of his career, the conqueror of Persia and in love with young male courtesan who was once the lover of the Persian Great King. "Funeral Games" records the end of Alexander's reign and the rivalries that destroyed his empire.

[Khalid · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the greatest works of historical fiction I have ever read. On par with that of Graves and Vidal.

[Richard Wise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Renault, as always, writes elegant, atmospheric historical fiction.

[Degenerate Chemist · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember coming across these books in a used bookstore and picking them up without knowing anything about them. I read these books quite a few times when I was in college and really enjoyed them.

I lost most of my Mary Renault novels during moves over the last 20ish years so I took the the opportunity to reread them when they showed up during a Kindle sale.

"Fire From Heaven" --- The story of Alexander the Greats early life from birth to taking the Macedonian throne. Focus is on the toxic relationship between Alexander's parents.

"The Persian Boy"--- story of Alexander's conquest of Persia up until his death. Story is told through the eyes of his servant/lover Bagoas. Tw- for child sexual slavery

"Funeral Games" -- what happened to Alexander's empire after his death

I have to say that this series did not hold up well. I struggled to make it through the first book, did okay with the second book, and couldn't be bothered to finish the third book.

There are two big issues with these novels- the prose is dry and boring to read. There are lots of very similar length sentences that just kind of blend together. Second is this story is with so much attention to detail that it becomes a chore to read.

I am a sucker for well written characterization and this series just does not deliver on that. The only character in this entire series I found sympathetic or interesting was Bagoas. Everyone else came off as flat and one dimensional. Funeral Games was especially bad in this regard as it introduces a slew of new characters in a very short period of time and never has the space to flesh out their personalities.

How much you enjoy this series is really going to depend on what you read for. If it's strong characterization then you probably won't like this. Mary Renault clearly knows her stuff and can write in exacting detail about the political climate, great battles, and pop culture of the time. If that interests you, you will probably get more out of this series than I did.

[Deepshikha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first time I read anything by Mary Renault. I am very new to historical fiction. I was enjoying Masters of Rome series by Colleen McCullough and wanting to read about a different historical era, I came across this trilogy while browsing lists on Goodreads. Similar to Colleen McCullough in Masters of Rome, Mary Renault does an excellent job of bringing ancient Greece and various characters to life. The first and third books are written in a very different style from the second book. (The Persian Boy is written in the first person while the others are written in the third person with multiple POVs). A few minor issues: in the first and third books, different sections/scenes in each chapter did not have any breaks/extra spacing to distinguish one from the next. So I would be reading about a scene from one person's POV then suddenly on the next line I will be reading about something else completely, from a different POV, maybe even in a different geographical area. I found it slightly confusing and it slowed me down. This gave a disjointed feel to the third book, especially in the beginning as the narrative shifts quickly between multiple POVs in far flung geographical regions. I don't know whether this was an issue with only the edition I read or the issue persists with other editions. Another issue is that POV shifts sometimes happen even in the same scene /section. I personally don't like this as I find it confusing. However, it's not too often. The Persian Boy I like the least out of the three (I don't dislike it) since it is entirely written in first person, single POV, so we miss out on other people's perspectives, which can be boring. However, being in single POV, it doesn't suffer from the issues I mentioned earlier. Overall, I liked this trilogy a lot, and I will be adding the other historical fiction Renault has written to my TBR.

[Margob99 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing short of outstanding, this well-researched biography of Alexander the Great has to be the best thing I've read in years.

Fire in Heaven covers his adolescence up to the day he inherited the throne on the death of his father, and provides a wonderfully sympathetic perspective on this child of two strong people in a troubled relationship. The Persian Boy describes his adult years, of conquest, love and everyday life on the road from the point of view of his closest manservant, a eunuch. A sensitive and insightful view on the bisexuality common in that era. Funeral Games was harder to read; I felt the loss of the central character deeply. It told of how the fatal lack of an heir destroyed so much of the work Alexander did to unify nations across the continent. I found all the characters difficult to follow, and all very unsympathetic indeed. Still, a very satisfying denouement to the tale.

I love the Author's Note at the end of every book, providing a summary of primary and secondary sources to substantiate an incredible range of detail, from the character of his horse to the nature of his love affairs and finally, a perspective on his flawed approach to the succession. It seemed he believed, as we all do, that he was immortal - until events overtook him.

Truly, a great piece of work.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"one of this century's most original works of art', reads the cover blurb by Gore Vidal; and while I am certain he is referring to the central book of this classic trilogy, "The Persian Boy", it does properly honor this excellent trilogy.

The story, and the aftermath, of the life of Alexander the Macedonian conqueror of the known world; after which Alexander remains as fascinating and enigmatic as ever.

"Fire From Heaven" details the young Alexander's upbringing, taught by Socrates, under the thumb of his tyrannical mother and in the gaze of his soldier father; "The Persian Boy", an incredibly love story told by a young eunuch originally in service of Darius of Persia; and "Funeral Games", as his newly-won empire tears itself apart. The first and last book I would give 4 of 5 stars; the middle one is an extraordinary gem, and brings up the rating to the maximum.

Renault breathes life into this mesmerizing cast of characters without focusing on the doings of Alexander - epic battles and great acts occur away from the narration, off-stage; yet the story is not lessened by that.

This was an immersive experience, highly recommended to lovers of ancient history.

[Nicholas Finch · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book in this trilogy ‘Fire From Heaven’ read like an absolute miracle. Beautiful flowing prose, the likes of which is rarely to be found these days, made the entire experience an exciting and insightful joy.

The second book ‘The Persian Boy’ started out interesting, moved to intriguing, and then became irritating. Actually it became increasingly irritating to the point of utterly unbelievable annoyance, and I couldn’t keep reading it without wanting to scream ‘are you completely f’ing kidding me with this?’.

I have rarely gone from such unfettered admiration for a writer, to being utterly disgusted in so short a time.

And in my life, I’m quite sure I’ve never before read such beautifully, eloquently, gorgeously constructed crap before.

Can’t finish this.

Not even curious about it.

Not recommending this past the first book.

[Eleanor Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 2 books in this 3-book set are the best. The first book uses a slightly quaint prose style, but the story she paints of Alexander`s early life is plausible and interesting. The second book was a surprise, the story of a famous male courtesan whose life intersects with that of Alexander. It was a refreshing tack on a famous story. I had hoped to read more about Hephaistian, but I`ll have to search out that tale in another book. The last book was sad, in that it told the story of the breakup of Alexander`s empire due to power struggles after his death, some of which were astonishingly futile. It takes a while to get through these three books, and they`re hard to put down. A weekend just isn`t enough!

[Candice Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fire From Heaven: 3.5 Stars
The Persian Boy: 3 Stars
Funeral Games: 3 Stars
Overall: 3.5 Stars, rounded up to 4 Stars

Going to be honest, I completely skimmed Funeral Games because ya girl was DONE with this trilogy. FFH was the best of the three, the other two suffered from overblown descriptions of everything and everyone that grew to be tedious. Not saying the writing wasn’t good, it’s excellent. You just get tired of it after a while. Just say it and move on!

Definitely like Renault’s stand alone books more, girl was way too into Alexander and wanted to show off her research.

[Shawn Severse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read the first 2 books at least 4 times. Historical novels are a favorite of mine the 2 Renault books rate at the top of my favorite list. I find Alexander a fascinating character and consider him one of my hero guys alongside Teddy Roosevelt and Winston Churchill among others. Oh that he could have lived longer, much longer.

Mary Renault spins a hearty and well researched tale but sadly, after the Persian Boy I didn't have the heart to read funeral games. I may one day.

[Kelly Lemieux · Rating 5 out of 5]

This trilogy masterpiece of historical fiction features a story about my queer hero from the Ancient World, Alexander The Great. I love history and fine literature and I am a queer man, so reading about Alexander the gay historical figure really changed my life as a gay teen in Littleton, Colorado. Nuff said.

[DD Burlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was too unclear for this to have been a good book. It was impossible to keep the characters straight and not just because their Greek names all seemed the same. There were very few descriptions of any of them. Renault was not exactly great at writing conversation; references to "he" could have been either of two characters. Alexander may have been "Great," but this book wasn't.

[Kathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting

The fact that I knew the fates of Alexander and his family members did not dilute my fascination with Renault’s portrayal, even though these are some long books! I’m sad to have finished!

[BOOK BOOKS]

FIRE FROM HEAVEN IS SO BORING. IS IT WORTH STRUGGLING THROUGH OR ARE THE OTHER TWO BOOKS JUST MORE OF THE SAME SHIT?

I THOUGHT THE PERSIAN BOY WAS THE BETTER BOOK, BUT I LIKED FIRE FROM HEAVEN TOO. THE FUNERAL GAMES IS A SLOG.

[Beth Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alexander the Great

I first read these books more than sixty years ago . They hold up extremely well. I wound up binge reading them.The mystique of Alexander ; dead at thirty two, never defeated in battle conquering the known world,will always intrigue any reader of history .