This is the first in Mary Renault’s trilogy of novels about the life of Alexander the Great. It’s been waiting patiently on my shelf for years, since I finished her two books on Theseus, The King Must Die and The Bull from the Sea, and I picked it up last month as it would count towards both the 20 Books of Summer challenge and my Classics Club list.
First published in 1969, Fire from Heaven tells, in fictional form, the story of Alexander’s life from early childhood up to the moment he comes to power following the death of his father, Philip II of Macedon. His complex relationship with Philip – and also with his mother, Olympias – forms an important part of the novel as both parents are influential in shaping the character of the young Alexander. Philip is portrayed as a brutal, harsh, arrogant man, who can be very unkind to Alexander, but there are also moments when they bond and discover things they have in common. Their relationship is further strained by Olympias’ insinuations that Philip is not Alexander’s biological father, as well as Philip’s various infidelities and insistence on taking additional wives.
Alexander is devoted to Olympias from an early age and is disturbed by his parents’ tempestuous marriage. Like Alexander, I initially found her sympathetic, but as the novel progresses she is shown to have both positive and negative qualities, being passionate, vengeful and manipulative, as well as involving herself in religious rituals, particularly the worship of Dionysus. Alexander finds solace from his difficult relationships with his parents in his very close friendship with Hephaistion, another important character in the novel. Renault suggests that Alexander and Hephaistion are lovers, drawing comparisons with Achilles and Patroclus, although it seems that historians are divided on this.
Away from his personal relationships, a lot of time is also spent on exploring the education and experiences that made Alexander the great military leader he would later become: the tuition he receives from Aristotle; the first time he kills a man; his taming of the horse Bucephalus; and his participation in some of his father’s military campaigns. Because this book only covers the first half of Alexander’s life, Renault is able to go into a lot of depth and detail. I’m looking forward to seeing how his character continues to develop in the second book, The Persian Boy, which covers the remainder of his life.
This is not a particularly easy book to read; it needs a lot of concentration and I read it slowly over the course of a few weeks so I didn’t miss anything. It’s obviously very well written and thoroughly researched, which I knew it would be, having read other Renault books, and like many older historical novels it’s also very immersive, with no inappropriately modern language or attitudes, which can sometimes be a problem with newer books. Purely from an entertainment perspective, I didn’t find this as enjoyable to read as the Theseus novels, but I did get a lot out of it and am pleased to have added to my knowledge of a man and a period of history I previously hadn’t read much about.
Book 16/20 for 20 Books of Summer 2025.
This is also book 48/50 from my second Classics Club list.
She Reads Novels 
There was a time years ago when I devoured Mary Renault’s books including, I’m sure, this one. I still have the battered paperbacks somewhere on my bookshelves. One day I might find the time reread them.
I’m sure they would be worth rereading – they’re so detailed and multi-layered. I’m looking forward to reading more of her books.
I don’t think I have the brain power for this one right now. I need easy escape reads at the moment, but someday I want to read her Theseus books.
I found the Theseus books more fun to read, particularly seeing how she worked parts of the myth into the story in a way that felt realistic and believable.
I’d define those as escape reads! I found Fire and Heaven tougher going.
I reread this trilogy a few years ago, but I haven’t read the Theseus books in a long time. Maybe I’ll look those up sometime soon.
I would like to reread the Theseus books too, but not until after I’ve read her other books.
This sounds interesting, although I may try the Theseus novel that you mentioned first as you found it more entertaining on the whole. I’m hoping I won’t find this too dense, given what you said concentration wise, but the history it’s based on sounds fascinating.
The Theseus books are easier to read and I loved the way she incorporated bits of Greek mythology into the plot but in a way that made it seem real and believable. I would recommend trying them first, although this book was interesting too.
Ooh that sounds like a fascinating approach, it sounds a bit like the Claire Heywood Perseus book I read where the mythological elements were grounded in reality, so I’ll definitely be checking it out.
I completely agree. I found this one far less enjoyable to read than the Theseus books which I devoured. But for the acme of Mary Renault, I have to recommend The Charioteer. It’s set in WWII, it concerns a male-male relationship and it is one of my all-time favourite books. I read it as a teenager and it gave me instant tolerance and understanding of the gay community. She was gay herself and her portrayal of the particular circles is therefore completely believable. It’s poignant and beautifully written.
Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll probably finish this trilogy first, then look for The Charioteer. It does sound good and I’m pleased to hear you thought she handled the male-male relationship so well.
Haven’t read any Renault yet… But she’s definitely on my radar.
I think she’s a great writer, although her books are not easy reads! I hope you like her.
I still want to read this trilogy, though I got bogged down in the first book when I tried to read it a while ago. I had a hard time sympathizing with Alexander’s obsessive aggressiveness. I might try The Persian Boy first instead…
None of the main characters in this book are particularly likeable, including Alexander! I can see why you got bogged down in it. I hope you have better luck with The Persian Boy if you decide to try that one!
I read a couple of Renault’s novels as a teen (The King Must Die and The Bull from the Sea) but have been strangely reluctant to revisit them or anything else by her, so I found your conclusions as regards your experience here interesting, thank you. Maybe I’ll bite the bullet some day!
I preferred The King Must Die and The Bull from the Sea, but this book is quite different so if those two didn’t entirely work for you, there’s a chance that you may like this one better.
No, I enjoyed those two at the time – especially as I was interested in the myths she drew from at the time – but somehow a fictional version of the Alexander story didn’t appeal then.
I see! A book about Alexander didn’t really appeal to me either (probably why I’ve had it waiting on my shelf for the last seven or eight years) but I found it more interesting than I expected. I’m usually drawn to more recent periods of history.
Thank you for your review on this book Helen! I like the sound of it and I will be adding it to my TBR. 😊📚
You’re welcome. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.
I sort of cannot believe I have never read this book–I love the subject matter. I read a bio of Alexander light years ago as a young adult, but I think I would prefer Renault’s fiction more. Great review.
I knew very little about Alexander before I read this book – I’ve never read any bios of him – so I found it fascinating. I hope you have a chance to read it soon.
I haven’t read any Mary Renault yet! I will look at the other books you mentioned as a starting point!
Thanks for sharing this review with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.
I think her Theseus books are a much better starting point.