Fire from Heaven : A Novel of Alexander the Great: A Virago Modern Classic

The Alexander Trilogy contains some of Renault's finest writing. Lyrical, wise, compelling: the novels are a wonderful imaginative feat' Sarah Waters

'The Alexandriad is one of the twentieth century's most unexpectedly original works of art' Gore Vidal

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's beauty, strength and defiance were apparent from birth, but his boyhood honed those gifts into the makings of a king. His mother and father, Olympias and King Philip of Macedon, fought each other for their son's loyalty, teaching Alexander politics and vengeance from the cradle.

Hephaistion's love taught him trust, while Aristotle's tutoring provoked his mind and Homer's Iliad fuelled his aspirations. At age twelve, he killed his first man in battle; at sixteen, he became regent; at eighteen, commander of Macedon's cavalry; and by the time his father was murdered, Alexander's skills had grown to match his fiery ambition.

Shortlisted for the 1970 Lost Booker Prize. Introduced by Tom Holland.

'This is not just a novel: it's also the best imagining we are ever likely to have of a man who tore up history' Emily Wilson, Guardian

'The Alexander Trilogy stands as one of the most important works of fiction in the twentieth century' Antonia Senior, The Times