Black Ships by Jo Graham

There's nothing I love so much as sinking into a big fat book that combines the sweep of history with a dash of magic. This book is an adaptation of The Aeneid, from the point of view of the Sybil who, in the poem, guides Aeneas through the underworld.

She's a lot more fleshed out here. Her name is Gull, later known as Linnea and as Pythia, and jumps off the page from the very beginning of chapter one with a self-introduction that reminded me a bit of Phèdre's at the beginning of Kushiel's Dart. The wording and the voice are different, but it's the same sort of introduction: This is me. This is who I am. Take me or leave me — and if you take me, I've got a damn good story to tell you.

Gull is the daughter of a Trojan slave. When she is ... Read More

Black Ships by Jo Graham

After hearing so many of my fellow FanLit reviewers sing the praises of Jo Graham’s debut novel Black Ships, and getting similarly glowing reviews from my sister, I borrowed her copy and settled down to see what all the fuss was about. I don’t have anything new to say about the plot that hasn’t been summarized in the other reviews, so instead I’ll focus on my reaction to this novel.

I have to say: this book was not oversold. The story lived and breathed, bringing the last days of the Age of Bronze into full vibrant detail. Graham has a real gift for writing descriptive prose. She manages to bring Greece and Egypt to life again. I could smell the sea salt, and feel the warmth of the Mediterranean sun baking into my bones. Graham did copious amounts of research for this book, and it shows because the cultures feel right down to the detail level. It was jarring to me when I ... Read More

Hand of Isis by Jo Graham

I loved Black Ships, and I didn't know if Jo Graham could top it. The answer, I am happy to report, is a great big YES!

Hand of Isis continues the story of some of the characters from Black Ships who have now been reincarnated as players in the Egyptian-Roman power struggle. You don't need to read Black Ships first, but you'll probably get more out of Hand of Isis if you do. The story is told from the point of view of Cleopatra's "personal assistant," Charmian, who is Gull reincarnated. As the novel opens, she stands before the Egyptian deities in the afterlife and tells her tale.

The story begins with three little girls — half-sisters (in this novel Cleopatra's handmaidens Charmian and Iras are illegi... Read More

Hand of Isis by Jo Graham

A history of Cleopatra, as told by one of her handmaidens, Charmian, Hand of Isis is the second book in a loosely grouped series of stories by Jo Graham in which the characters are reincarnated from book to book. Having loved Black Ships, I had high hopes for Hand of Isis, but unfortunately those hopes were not completely fulfilled.

I’m not sure what it says about a book that my favorite character was the city they lived in, but the setting of Alexandria lives with a vibrancy that is missing from the other characters. That is my first big quibble with this book: none of the main characters are particularly interesting. It is the minor characters who I found intriguing, who kept getting caught up in the wake of the major characters moving about doing important things. Historically, Cleopatra and Julius Caesar w... Read More

Stealing Fire by Jo Graham

Ever had a meal that was absolutely exquisite, but the portion was so small that your stomach was still rumbling afterward? My experience with Stealing Fire was much like that.

Jo Graham’s Numinous World series is best described as “historical fantasy” and revolves around a core group of characters who are reincarnated at various points in history. The protagonist of Stealing Fire, Lydias of Miletus, lived previously as Gull in Black Ships, and will later live as Charmian in Hand of Isis.

Alexander the Great has died, and his empire has fallen into chaos as his nobles fight amongst themselves for power. Lydias, a soldier who feels emotionally adrift after losing everyone he loved, chooses to accompany Ptolemy to Egypt. Trouble ... Read More

After being enchanted by Jo Graham’s debut novel Black Ships and her new novel Hand of Isis, Kelly had some questions for Ms. Graham:

Kelly: One of the ways I can tell I've been truly captivated by a work of historical fiction is that I get the mad urge to go out and learn the real history behind the story! So, of course, I've been looking up Charmian, with extremely limited success. How much is actually known about her?

Jo Graham:  There isn't much -- just her name, really. Plutarch describes her as "Cleopatra's hairdresser," one of the "cabal of serving girls and eunuchs" who run Egypt, a state led by a woman and hence led into ruin. Plutarch is also the one who gives us the scene of Cleopatra's death, and Charmian's...