Stealing Fire

Stealing Fire by Jo Graham is the story of a fictional soldier who served with Alexander the Great, in Hephaistion’s Ile, as a member of the Companion Cavalry, on his sweep through Persia and beyond.It follows Lydias, who was sold into slavery by his father and became a groom, as he escapes from his master when Hephaistion buys his favorite horse.The story starts with the day of Alexander’s death and alternates between present and past, as we learn about the chaos that ensued after the death of the king and how Lydias rose to be a general to PtolemyThe main action occurs as Ptolemy plots to steal Alexander’s body and return it to Alexandria. With the help of Bagoas, the eunuch who was beloved of Alexander, Lydias leads the military operation that ends with Alexander’s corpse safely entombed in Egypt.All these scenes are depicted in other novels, but Graham does an excellent job of making them come alive. Military scenes are never my favorite, but she managed to make them interesting and not overly prolonged. But the real heart of this book is the character of Lydias, who is very human and engaging. His hopeless love for Hephaistion, his reverence for Alexander and then, his relationship with Bagoas, one of my favorite characters in this drama, is well-told and, in parts, very moving. I found the book hard to put down.How Lydias grows from a stable boy to a man who comes to understand that he has lived many times, and has abilities he has never dreamed of, is conveyed in a way that makes what could be difficult material seem completely natural. I admire the skill with which the author incorporated the metaphysical elements into the relationships and the action.Graham handles the m/m relationships tastefully and with respect, a nice discussion of gender without being heavy-handed.She manages the various relationships beautifully; I am still reverberating from some of the lines near the end. Well researched, this book is a must for anyone who enjoys historical fiction especially that of ancient Greece.

4 1/2 starsThis is the third book in Graham's "Numinous World" series ofhistorical fantasies. The first one, "Black Ships" is a retelling ofthe Aeneid, the founding of Rome by Greeks during the collapse of theBronze Age (~1200 BC), with an oracle named Gull telling the story.The second one tells the story of Cleopatra (~50 BC) from the point ofview of her sister, Charmian. And this one is set just after thedeath in 323 BC of Alexander the Great, by one of his soldiers,Lydias, who ends up in Egypt with Ptolemy. Each of these charactersis 'god-touched', and they're all connected through time.I'm not normally very patient with battle scenes, but these wereperfect, and very exciting. The amazingly different kinds of love in thebook were believable and moving. In each of these books Egypt reallycomes alive. While a little slow to get moving, "Stealing Fire" wasultimately an easy and engrossing read. While there are connectionsbetween the books, I believe it would easily stand alone.In the back material Graham mentions that she has 20 or more booksin her head in this series -- let's have more of them, please!

Having read & loved most everything Judith Tarr has written, Jo Graham is my new favorite historical fantasy writer. _Stealing Fire_ is beautifully detailed and well-researched, set in the years after the death of Alexander the Great and the founding of his city, Alexandria. Filled with lovely moments that lift the hairs on the back of your neck alongside fast action, suspense and battle scenes. Flashbacks to develop the back story during Alexander's campaign are handled well and the characters are memorable: decent people working at the side of great ones, caught up in massive events. A terrific, satisfying read. Looking forward to more in the "Numinous World" series which also links _The Black Ships_ and _Hand of Isis_ in their reincarnated main characters

This is my 3rd Jo Graham book (yes, I read them out of order and that's just fine!), and I wish she'd write more! It's the story of Lydias of Miletus, one of Alexander the Great's soldiers, originally a slave. The story takes place after Alexander's death, and incorporates enough history to make it believable. There is plenty of adventure (who steals Alexander's casket and how do they get it back, for example), love, friendship, faith and drama to keep anyone's attention, especially someone who loves historical fictions. It's an easy and interesting read, the characters are interesting (and in some cases real, which can be even better than fiction!), and the setting grabs your attention. A great book!

This was an ok book but I couldn’t get into the characters like I did in the last two books. I think that I’m most disappointed by how lackluster and passive Lydias was in comparison to the passionate strong female protagonists Charmian and Gull.

What can I say I read this a few years ago. She had mentioned writing a second book. I thought this one was great. I hope she will write more in the series.

Disagreed with the author about Bagoas seeking a lover,,,The 'physical' book was in excellent condition.

I am so glad I came across JO GRAHAM. She is a great writter.I have read - Stealing Fire, Hand of Isis, and Black Ships. I rate all of them 5 stars!

Fabulous semi-fantasy, semi history look at the Successors of Alexander and their conflicts. Multiple nods to Mary Renault but much more upbeat and including more varied women, particularly Thais.