Tuesday 9 September 2014

Review ~ Hand of Fire ~ Virtual Book Tour 2014




Fireship Press
September 2014



During the time in mythology when gods walked with mere mortals, the relationship between these two entities was seen to be fraught with mystery and great peril. Set during the tumultuous time of the Trojan War, Hand of Fire combines history with legend and introduces us to Briseis, a princess of Lyrnessus, who is taken captive during an assault on her city. Given to the half-immortal Achilles as a trophy of war, Briseis must do everything she can in order to survive the tragedy of her life.

What then follows is an interesting and informative reworking of a story based on Homer’s Iliad. Beautifully researched, the ancient world comes alive in a story which makes history accessible for a modern audience without ever compromising on quality. There is no doubt that the author’s love and passion for her characters comes shining through in a narrative which instructs as much as it entertains.  I found much to enjoy in the story, from the unconventional love affair between two strong willed characters, through to the brutality of war of an epic scale. Hand of Fire, breathes new life into a legend which abounds with both intrigue and treachery, having at its centre is a feisty young woman, who rises above disaster to become strong and passionate about the world around her.

As a reader of historical fiction it can become all too easy to get stuck in a particular time frame, so sometimes it’s refreshing to go out of your comfort zone. Hand of Fire gave me a glimpse into a mythical world about which I had scant knowledge but by the end of the story I felt like I had travelled back in time and was all the richer for having made the journey into the world of myth and legend.



My thanks to the author, Judith Starkston for sharing her book with me

 and to Fireship Press for inviting Jaffareadstoo to be part of this Virtual Blog Tour 2014.

Do come back on Thursday 11th September to read Judith's Guest Post about
her inspiration for Hand of Fire.


Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Nook

iTunes


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1 comment:

  1. I enjoyed your insightful and enthusiastic review of Judith Starkson's HAND OF FIRE. I have not read the book yet, but am eagerly awaiting it to be mailed from Amazon. I myself have written a novel of Briseis, titled WARRIOR'S PRIZE, which I am hoping will be published by Knox Robinson Publishing in 2017, after my first novel, SHADOW OF ATHENA, has come out. I'll be interested to compare Ms. Starkson's interpretation of the love story of Achilles and Briseis with my own. Thank you for your interesting blog.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to comment - Jaffareadstoo appreciates your interest.