The Firebrand [Paperback]

 

 

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Having read all of Marion Zimmer Bradley books, I have learned to love her style of writing. However, I felt that this book fell short. I think the only reason I made it through the whole book was because it was by this author and I kept expecting the ending to make up for the rest of it. This did not happen and the ending was a let down. I kept wondering, what is the point of this story? There was much rambling on about different gods which took away from the characters. Everything the main charcter, Kassandra, set out to do was in vain. I felt very disappointed when finished with this book. While I have treasured and even re-read previous Bradley books in the past, I will not open this one again. I do recommend The Mists of Avalon or The Priestess of Avalon instead.

Though there were several things I didn't like about this book, it inspired such emotion from me that I have to say in spite of myself that it is very well-written and I understand the author's message. First off, for the readers that seem to slam her inclusion of mother-goddess worship in those times over preference for the dominant male-god worshipping, they are not looking at Greek mythology closely! The "Earth Mother" discussed is none other than the Greek Goddess Gaia who came before Zeus, Hera etc. The Python and the slaying of the Python by Apollo is in reference to Gaia's child and Apollo's slaying of it. Just type up Gaia, Greek mythology on any search engine and you can read about it. As for her "belittling" of the Trojan horse in the myth as others seem to complain about, again this is understandable. Archaelogical evidence over the supposed "discovered" city of Troy believes that Troy did fall to an earthquake and there is no evidence of a Trojan horse. This book was Bradley's attempt to get closer to the truth about Troy - a myth that has fascinated many for years and also seems to include a clear bias to male characters throughout time in such epic novels as "The Illiad", "Odyssey" etc. If one woman comes forth and challenges those stereotypes, then what is so terribly wrong about that?! In the other epic novels, Paris' act is not nearly criticized as much as it should be and Helen is mainly portrayed as a lascivious, evil adultress. In this novel, Bradley portrays a self-centered Paris, because obviously that's what he was to have committed his deed and portrays Helen simply as a woman exercising her right in choosing a lover. My major dissapointment in the novel was Kassandra's departure from Aeneas (though her re-creation of Aeneas was right on target!) - I would have preferred her give the true "Aeneid" retelling because it seemed more believable but then, I didn't write this book. Also, if we again look closely at Greek mythology, one would realize that Kassandra could very well represent the ideal of a modern woman with the choices she made in her time. As far as I'm concerned, Bradley attempted to convey this and I applaud her for it. She seemed to do a lot of research into this book - we see that in her postscript and also with her interpretation of the entire myth throughout the book. She uncovered a lot of old, almost lost stories of Greek mythology such as the Gaia retellings inserted in the novel and revived it for us to take a closer look. If you're looking for a fascinating, honest attempt at a retelling of this myth, you've read the right book.

If you're looking for a 'typical' Bradley book, this one falls short of most of her previous retellings. The premise of the book, whereby we see through Kassandra's eyes during the Trojan War, is interesting and I thought that if anyone could pull this off admirably it would be Bradley. However, this falls way short of her other books by a longshot.

First of all, her characters are hopelessly static and laregely unsympathetic. Using Mists of Avalon as a yardstick, every character in that book except one was a dynamic, exciting character that I felt sorry for and I could easily empathize with. In this novel, Bradley seems to have gone on a far more feminist bent and it seems she almost refuses to give any male in the story a sympathetic side. Paris, Hector, and Priam act ridiculously stereotypical and I still cannot understand why Paris acts the way he does toward his sister. The explanation that Bradley yields to us is hardly acceptable. The only male characters you might sympathize with is Odysseus, who is caught between friendship and honor. Even Aeneas is a flat character who only serves as a love interest to Kassandra. After all, if he wasn't there (in the novel as that role) then Kassandra would have seemed even less real. This character problem doesn't only relate to males though. Imadara, Penthesila, Andromache, and Polyexna are all horribly underwritten and underrepresented. Most of the time I was reading this book I was asking myself, "Who possibly acts like this?!" I'm fully aware of what Ancient Greece (and obviously by extension, Ancient Troy) was like, but I simply see many of these characters emontional conflicts as contrived and forced. Paris strangling his sister?! Andromache's hatred toward Kassandra at the end?

If you love Bradley, this book is an interesting read. However, Bradley's true strength is in her characters, and in this book, she simply falls far too short of her earlier more successful efforts. I would recommend that if you haven't read Bradley yet, then pick up Mists of Avalon or any other book in that 'series.'

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5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite Marion Zimmer Bradley book
This is among my FAVORITE books of all. In the tradition of Mists of Avalon, all those who wish to read about the female/goddess perception of fantasy-historical tales MUST read... Read more

Published on May 9 2004 by Mizdeegz

5.0 out of 5 stars Very pleased...
I am a big fan of mythology and I try to read as many books as I can on the subject. When I found this book I didn't know if it was going to be a good book or not, seeing as I... Read more

Published on Dec 6 2003 by witchchild101

3.0 out of 5 stars "Mists"-lite
In this retelling of the Trojan war from Kassandra's point of view, Marion Zimmer Bradley re-explores some of the themes she previously visited in THE MISTS OF AVALON, including... Read more

Published on Sep 1 2003 by debeehr

4.0 out of 5 stars A new and improved Troy
I really enjoyed this book because, true to the author's style, it followed the strong female character. Read more

Published on July 9 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars Ignore the below review
Please ignore the previous review.
It may not be the Authors best work, but was written BY the Author in 1987.

Published on Jun 30 2003

1.0 out of 5 stars Cease the madness
Marion Zimmer Bradley was a great author - when she lived. Now, however, 3 1/2 years after her funeral, her "estate" continues to publish "new works" with the... Read more

Published on Jun 25 2003 by John Steele

5.0 out of 5 stars I always thought this would make a great movie...
Go ahead and read the reviews below. But if you were intrigued by the recent made-for-cable movie retelling the story of Troy's fall from Helen's perspective, you will love this... Read more

Published on Jun 12 2003

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