I had read one book by Judith Tarr before this, Lady of Horses--and it wasn't a happy experience. I was most irked by it being one of those stories that thinks creating a strong female character means making almost every male character a jerk, and the novel struck me as more feminist pre-history propaganda than plausible historical fiction. I also remembered the style (especially the sex scenes) as rather graceless. Yet I'd heard good things about Judith Tarr as a historical novelist over the years, so decided to give her another chance--and this is one of her better known books. I'm glad I did. This one I liked rather a lot.

That despite that it called to mind one of my favorite books, or rather a trilogy, and no I don't think it compares--but it probably is unfair to compare them. Tarr herself mentions those books in her afterwards--Mary Renault's novels about Alexander the Great: Fire from Heaven, The Persian Boy and Funeral Games. It's just about impossible to write fiction about Alexander the Great and not be in Renault's shadow. And at first, especially given I hadn't liked the other book by Tarr I tried, that rather made me look at this book with a jaundiced eye. And no, I wouldn't rank this with enduring literature the way I would the Renault books. But for what it is, a historically grounded fantasy featuring not just historical figures such as Alexander and Hephaiston and Ptolemy, but mixed with characters of Tarr's own? Well, I enjoyed this. The story centers around Meriamon, an Egyptian of Royal blood sent to seek out Alexander to make him pharaoh over Egypt and thus liberate them from the Persians. That in itself irked me a bit. Away from the spell Renault wove around me in my teens, it's hard for me to see a conqueror such as Alexander as liberator.

But eventually I took the book on its own terms, its own logic. It helped I liked Meriamon and the magic Tarr built around her. I was entertained throughout--never bored, never exasperated and thrown out of the story. Lady of Horses I never even finished. This held me to the end, and after this I would be willing to try Tarr again. I'd call this three stars rather than four both because I can't help comparing this to Renault and it's not quite so strong I'm eager to read Tarr again--but it was a good read. ( )

I read this. I did not object to reading it. I did not object to finishing it and moving on to the next book on the shelf.

B. loves this book, and I can totally see why; there are several elements about it (female narrator, gay characters, interesting magic system) that I should adore, but it did not hit me where I live. I'm not really sure why. ( )

A historical fantasy novel set in the time of Alexander the Great. It's an okay book and reasonably well written, but where it really grabbed my attention was near the end with a description of a journey through the desert. The land of reality and the land of the Gods begin to overlap and you get a wonderful (and it feels historically correct) view of the 'feel' of the ancient Egyptian religion and its beliefs. ( )

Judith Tarr tells a story which is rich with description, and she refreshingly tells it from an Egyptian point of view. There are too many historical fictions told from the Greek or Macedonian or even Persian point of view. An Egyptian perspective is quite fascinating. Meriamon, a priestess, (and the daughter of a Pharaoh) is the main character. We read of her journey, why she must meet Alexander the Great, and how she helps and guides him to his goals. Since I have a great interest in Alexander the Great, I was afraid that the story would deal mainly with Meriamon and Egypt, and not enough with Alexander. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Meriamon's story is greatly intertwined with Alexander's. Also, I was also glad to see that Judith Tarr acknowledged Alexander's close relationship with his good friend Hephaistion, who is often overlooked.

Some of my thoughts on the story: While you don't have to know Egyptian history to read this book, I'm sure it would help. I'm not familiar with many Egyptian gods other than Ra and Anubis, and found myself struggling a bit; also, part of the book is romance- Meriamon falling in love with one of Alexander's close soldiers- and it is done in such a way that it is quite believable. There are one or two love scenes- very short- but they kind of pop out of nowhere. Also, the book switches from Meriamon's point of view to other characters' point of view, so be sure to pay attention or it will become confusing.

I felt that Judith Tarr had a very good grasp on Alexander's character. He was an amazing general and strategist, but he also did some foolish things (as everyone does). Overall, I'd recommend this story. If you'd like to read more historical fiction concerning Alexander the Great, I'd recommend Mary Renault's Alexander trilogy: Fire from Heaven, The Persian Boy, and Funeral Games. I also just finished Melissa Scott's A Choice of Destinies and would recommend that as well. ( )