Virago Modern Classic Book Club: Fire From Heaven by Mary Renault

Virago Modern Classics Book Club

January 2019

Fire From Heaven by Mary Renault

A new year and a new collection of Virago Modern Classics for your reading pleasure. We are kicking off our 2019 Virago Modern Classics Book Club with Mary Renault’s classic: Fire From Heaven.

In the first novel of her stunning trilogy, Mary Renault vividly imagines the life of Alexander the Great, the charismatic leader whose drive and ambition created a legend.

Alexander the Great died at the age of thirty-three, leaving behind an empire that stretched from Greece to India. Fire From Heaven tells the story of the years that shaped him. His mother, Olympias, and his father, King Philip of Macedon, fought each other for their son’s loyalty, teaching Alexander politics and vengeance. His love for the youth Hephaistion taught him trust, while Aristotle’s tutoring provoked his mind and fuelled his aspirations. Killing his first man in battle at the age of twelve and commanding Macedon’s cavalry at eighteen, by the time his father is murdered, Alexander’s skills have grown to match his fiery ambition.

Will you be reading along this January? Let us know using #VMCBookClub on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Plus, click here to discover what else we will be reading this year.