In Fire from Heaven [Mary Renault] continues to work in the vein that has brought her so much success—justifiably, since she has reconstructed her historic period with all the care of an archaeologist…. [Where] she excels is in her close eye for detail. Apart from rather ordinary set-pieces connected with Alexander's childhood—the snake that he keeps in his bed, his relationship with his mother, Olympias, his antagonism towards his father, King Philip, all of which could mutatis mutandis have been lifted from any novel of childhood—the book develops a convincing picture of the young man who was to have such an impact on the world. His sense of ambition, his physical beauty, his grace, his courage, these are all built up in a credible way. And the background is just as convincing, from the bisexuality of Greek society down to the minor details of household...