The Firebrand

Kassandra is known from Greek mythology as the woman cursed with having foresight about fateful events but never believed, and she is therefore powerless to thwart disaster. In this retelling of the classic version of events surrounding the Trojan War, Bradley breathes life into Kassandra, daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba, fleshing out her story and giving her a vibrant and purposeful life of her own.

From her youth spent with the Amazons to her service as a priestess of Apollo and her supporting role in the Trojan War, Kassandra's story is well-developed, inspiring, disturbing and mostly satisfying. A story in which a woman, otherwise relegated to the background of history, is depicted in sharp focus — is welcome. I've read a show more number of retellings from the Classical World in recent years. While this title is less well-known, I'd rank it on par with or nearly as good as Circe and The Song of Achilles. show less

This was the second book I read by MZB. I love her way of taking a moment in history (or mythology) and telling it from a womans perspective. The narritive was told from the perspective of Cassandra, the priestess and twin of Paris who kidnapped Helen and brought her to Troy.
MZB has a very distinct way of threading her opinions through out the narritive and that might bother some but I enjoyed it. We've heard the male perspective so it was refreshing to see it from the other side other the street, even if it was a bit heavy handed.

Narrated by the ill-fated priestess Kassandra, The Firebrand is a unique, feminist retelling of the Trojan War. Marion Zimmer Bradley takes some artistic license in her version of Greek mythology and the writing is not without its flaws. But I give kudos to the story for being one of the first to give voice to the women of the Iliad. Since its publication, there have been a number of Trojan War retellings--The Penelopiad, The Song of Achilles, For the Most Beautiful, The Silence of the Girls--that seek to accomplish the same. However, I found The Firebrand to be more enlightening than most with regards to what quotidian life was like for a woman during those times.

The Firebrand is the the story of the Trojan War told from the perspective of Kassandra. Kassandra is a princess of troy who has the gift of prophecy but the curse that she is never believed. I loved the spin that Bradley put on the famous story and its characters. I like how she was able to have fantasy elements, such as the Gods being real with the ability to take over a person's body when they want to directly influence events and Kassandra's true visions, yet she made some other aspects of the mythology more grounded in reality. For example, the Kentaurs were not really half man/half horse. They were tribes of men that rode the plains on horses. Since they almost never got off their horses, their legs were bowed and the color of show more their skin matched that of the horses people often mistook them as being part one entity. Like many of Bradley's novels, this one had a feminist take on events. Kassandra often wishes she could live with the Amazons or in Colchis (where the city is ruled by queens) instead of a society where women are slaves to their husbands. The story did drag a little in the middle for me, knowing the story and the fate of Troy, I began to tire of reading about the siege and was ready for the horse to appear. I definitely would recommend this book to others interested in a retelling of the Fall of Troy. show less

Troy meets the Mists of Avalon. So mediocre. Did I sit and read all 600 pages, sure. But... so mediocre. Maybe I would've liked it when I was younger. Maybe I would've overlooked all the ridiculous non-historicalness. Maybe. I think I probably would've just disliked it then, too, though. But who knows? It had Amazons, at least. And inconsistent transliteration. If you're going to insist on "Kassandra" and "Akhaians," guess what? It's also "Khruseis" and "Aineias" and "Akhilleus," "Hekuba" and "Priamos." Bah.

Marion Zimmer Bradley is most famous for Mists of Avalon, which retells the legends of King Arthur through a feminist--and feminine--perspective, centering it not on Arthur or Merlin or even Guinevere but a sympathetic Morgaine. I admit I'm not much a fan of that book. I am a big Marion Zimmer Bradley fan--but on the basis of her original world, Darkover, the setting for a series of novels and short stories that are a blend of fantasy and science fiction. I thought among other things that Mists of Avalon was far too preachy--though at least I got through the entire book. I think Firebrand is even more preachy and polemical, putting the legend of Troy through the Pagan feminist/Joseph Campbell lens, with Troy as a matriarchal society in show more conflict with an invading, patriarchal Greece, and as you might expect, centering the story not on the usual suspects--Achilles or Hector or even Helen--but Cassandra (Kassandra in this novel).

The big problem though is that of all of MZB's works that I've read this is by far the one with the most flat characterizations and the most boring. I couldn't believe I was reading Marion Zimmer Bradley at all, and this is the one work of hers out of dozens I'd read that I gave up on--stopping about half way. MZB dedicates this novel to another favorite author of mine, Mary Renault, who wrote works based on Ancient Greek myth and history such as The King Must Die based on the myths surrounding Theseus and Fire from Heaven based on the life of the historical Alexander the Great. Renault never wrote a book based on the legend of Troy, but if you're looking for really great historical fiction based on Ancient Greece, she's the gold standard. Or try the great classics by Homer or Vergil. Or Black Ships by Jo Graham, based on the legend of Aeneas, though not the equal of Homer certainly--or her inspiration Mary Renault--is truly an engrossing and well-researched novel. I'd far, far, far recommend any of the above over MZB's Firebrand. show less

Set in ancient Troy in the years immediately before and during the Trojan War, The Firebrand by Marion Zimmer Bradley brings the classical world to life from the perspective of one young woman, Kassandra, daughter of Troy's King Priam and twin sister to Paris.

In an age when Trojan noblewomen were expected to do nothing more than make a good marriage and bring forth heirs, Trojan princess Kassandra is anything but ordinary. While called to serve the gods at an early age and given the gift of prophecy, Kassandra is sent by her mother, Hecuba, to spend her formative years with the legendary Amazon warriors. Under the tutelage of Amazon leader Penthesilea, Kassandra trains as a warrior and learns the art of war. As a Trojan princess, show more however, Kassandra is not destined to permanently join the ranks of the Amazons and, after spending some time in the city of Colchis, returns to Troy. Once she arrives home Kassandra dedicates her life to Apollo by serving as one of his priestesses. While all seems well in Troy, one of the greatest cities in the classical world, Kassandra is subject to horrifying visions of the city's destruction. Although Kassandra hopes these visions are not what they seem, when Paris returns home from a diplomatic mission with Helen of Sparta, the wife of Menelaus and sister-in-law of the great Agamemnon, by his side, Kassandra knows that Helen's coming will result in the fall of the city. Kassandra tries to warn her father and brothers, including heroic Hector, but her warnings fall on deaf ears. Even when Agamemnon, Menelaus, Odysseus, the great warrior Achilles and their thousands of ships filled with their armies land on the shores of Troy, only Kassandra has any sense of doom. As Kassandra's visions continue to plague her, she tries again and again to convince her family to heed her warnings. Will Priam, Hector and Paris take Kassandra's words to heart and do whatever it takes to save themselves and their beloved city?

For readers familiar with the legend of the Trojan War, many aspects of story presented in The Firebrand will be recognizable. What separates this novel from the multitude of others set during the Trojan War is that it is told not from the perspective of one of the key figures of the War such as Hector, Paris, Helen or Achilles, but rather from the perspective of the lesser known Kassandra. While I was already familiar with the legend of the Trojan War before reading this novel, I did enjoy reading about it from Kassandra's perspective. I even found myself growing increasingly frustrated right along with Kassandra as her constant warnings of Troy's coming destruction failed to be taken seriously. The greatest strength of this novel lies in the characters, all of whom are well drawn by the author. Kassandra is a smart, independent heroine who is willing to fight for what she believes in. Nevertheless, she fails to change her approach to communicating her visions even after it is apparent no one believes her. For Trojan hero Hector, honour is everything. While determined to keep his city safe, Hector's willingness to die for Troy causes him to continually put his life in jeopardy even though it is his masterful leadership that is most needed. Helen of Sparta, used as the primary excuse for the start of the War, fails to heed Kassandra's warnings of her role in Troy's destruction and is adamant about staying in Troy with Paris. But Helen also possesses a remarkable strength of character that draws Kassandra to her. Achilles is famed for his prowess in battle, but his blood lust makes him difficult to feel any sympathy towards. These characters, along with a multitude of others, including Odysseus, Andromache, Aeneas and Hecuba, are what make the The Firebrand truly come alive.

An enjoyable novel overall, the only aspect of the book I have an issue with is the length. Coming in at just under 600 pages, this book is not a quick read. I don't mind lengthy novels so long as they are well-paced, but at times, especially early in the book, I felt the story dragged. While I thought the novel moved along nicely once Helen arrived on the scene, there were a few plot points concerning Kassandra that I don't feel added value to the overall tale. While this didn't detract too much from my overall enjoyment of the book, it did have an impact on my final rating.

The Firebrand is recommended to readers who enjoy fiction with strong female leads and those interested in reading about the Trojan War. show less