Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Fire in the Steppe (The Trilogy #3)

by Henryk Sienkiewicz, W.S. Kuniczak (Translator)

3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 · rating details · 575 ratings · 13 reviews

Close on the heels of the magnificent With Fire and Sword and The Deluge, comes this impassioned tale of love, war, heroism, treason and betrayal, with which the great classic Trilogy of Poland's most popular 19th century writer is brought to an end. Fire in the Steppe is the final book of Sienkiewicz's literary masterpiece which grips and enthralls just as powerfully toda...more Close on the heels of the magnificent With Fire and Sword and The Deluge, comes this impassioned tale of love, war, heroism, treason and betrayal, with which the great classic Trilogy of Poland's most popular 19th century writer is brought to an end. Fire in the Steppe is the final book of Sienkiewicz's literary masterpiece which grips and enthralls just as powerfully today as it did when it was first published in Polish in 1883-1889. It is an epic tale of love and adventure set in the savage wilderness of Poland's eastern borderlands in the 17th century, and it is also the most realistic of Sienkiewicz's novels. The Trilogy's most memorable heroes, Pan Zagloba and Pan Volodyovski, are joined here by the unforgettable Basia, whose own adventures ring with strength, courage and determination against the bloody background of raids, border battles, and invasion by the awesome armies of the Turkish Empire in 1672. Told by a master storyteller who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1905, Fire in the Steppe concludes the stories of the Trilogy's fabulous heroines and heroes who live, love and die in these pages of Poland's most enduring epic. As in the first two books, it is a masterful blend of history and imagination in which the East and the West of their era confront each other in an all-out battle, and a handful of devoted men and women makes a heroic stand. Foremost among them is Pan Volodyovski, the Little Knight of The Deluge and With Fire and Sword, and the brave, loving Basia, who rides to war beside him and overcomes terrifying dangers of her own. The inimitable Pan Zagloba, one of literature's most successfully drawn comic anti-heroes, lives, drinks, orates, and flourishesbeside them along with a new cast of hard-riding border knights, ruthless villains, and devoted soldiers. Chief among them is the indomitable Basia who brings love to Pan Volodyovski and destruction to a dangerous abductor; the tragic Eva and her brother Adam whose trust and caring b(less)

Hardcover, 717 pages

Published May 1st 1992 by Hippocrene Books (first published 1888)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Kamienie na szaniec by Aleksander Kamiński

Best Polish Books

71st out of 335 books — 218 voters

The Street of Crocodiles and Other Stories by Bruno Schulz

Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass by Bruno Schulz

Best Polish Literature

12th out of 61 books — 36 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 851)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

May 08, 2013 Lou rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

One important note... if you read the trilogy in English, be sure to read the translation by Kuniczak. I started reading one by a different translator and the difference was night and day. It was like reading a wooden story by an author of adventure books for young adults instead of a well written story by a great author. If you read a poor review I wonder if the reviewer didn't read the other translation.

The books in the trilogy read like a mix of "War and Peace" and "The Three Musketeers". Thi...more

like · see review

Feb 22, 2011 Tori rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics, favorites, polish, i-own, historical, i-love-long-books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I actually finished this book a week or so ago, but I haven't had the time to write out the thing, and I wanted to explain why I only gave it three stars before I just rated it and sent it on its way.

I have several conflicting emotions as to this book. There were things that I liked, things I hated, things that brought tears to my eyes, things that I rolled said eyes at.... yes, very conflicting. Which is sad, since I was really looking forward to it.

I was excited when I picked it up because I h...more I actually finished this book a week or so ago, but I haven't had the time to write out the thing, and I wanted to explain why I only gave it three stars before I just rated it and sent it on its way.

I have several conflicting emotions as to this book. There were things that I liked, things I hated, things that brought tears to my eyes, things that I rolled said eyes at.... yes, very conflicting. Which is sad, since I was really looking forward to it.

I was excited when I picked it up because I heard that it was about Volodyovski. It actually turned out to be more about his wife, Basia. This wasn't necissarily bad, though. It was a very different perspective than the other books, so it was interesting.

Basia is probably my least favorite heroine of the trilogy. She didn't have the strength that Helen or Olenka had, and she was much to childish, in my opinion. I didn't mind that she liked to sword fight, but I did mind when Volodyovski let her fight in raids with him, because it just wasn't... natural. Also, the fact that he let her come with him to the siege! He would never, ever have done that. >.>

The pacing of the book was much different. Instead of the instant war of the other two, the whole begining of this one was Volodyovski falling in love and getting over his grief of poor Anusia (who, I think, was a much better match for Volodyovski than Basia... but I'm ranting again). On one hand I liked how it was more relaxed in the beginging, but it might have been to relaxed. I wanted there to be more conflict, as it were.

The second half is where the conflict came in. They move to the borderlands, and then there's the army of the khan comming to destroy them all. There was the enemy that fell inlove with Basia (I think that's the third time... double deja vu!) but when he attempted to carry her off it failed.

Said bad guy also carries off Adam's fiancee and sister, butchers his father, and sells the two girls into slavery which they are never freed from. I felt sooo soo sorry for poor Adam :(

But this brings us to that one chapter I absolutly hated, and if it wasn't in the book, there would have given it four stars, or maybe possibly five. Adam catches up to the bad guy, and there is a whole chapter filled with way way way to much discription on how they impale the bad guy, remove his one remaining eye and then burn him... it was way terribly disturbing and nasty XP When I read the book again I will skip that chapter it was just sooo terrible. So if you read it, I would say skip it. Due to this chapter I can't suggest the book to anyone without really strong advisery against the gore.

But after that it went back to it's not so gory ways, and then came the siege (Wheich Basia would never have been allowed to be at but for some reason both she and Krisia were there) and the part of the book that almost made me cry. (When I say almost made me cry, you must realize I've never cried during a book, that I usually walk away without being shaken. But this time I was seriously upset, so much so that my cat came up and silently layed next to me. She only does that when I'm really upset.) My dear, favorite of all favorite fictional characters, Pan Michael Volodyovski, died. I was not expecting such a sad ending to not only the book but the trilogy, which had always had things end on happier notes. Soo soo sadning.

So anyway there's my rant, and my opinions. Definately my least favorite of the trilogy, but it had it's high spots. (and it's low spots...)(less)

like · see review

Jun 28, 2011 Ritiel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Before read this book I had committed a mistake, to read in somewhere (and I do not remember where) that the best part of Sienkiewicz's Trilogy is the second. To get things worst, the initial chapters of Pan Wolodyjowski were boring, and not by the romantic plot, but for the choices Michal had made. And then, some years have gone, some things changes and the story turnabout. Thankfully for the best.

With border skirmishes and battles, the old pan Michal returns and the war with the turks takes fo...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 04, 2009 Anna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: polish

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Jan 15, 2009 Lee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: poland, historical-fiction

I can't remember how I found this, but Polish history has been a soft spot for me for decades. I really liked reading it, especially the "supporting" characters.

like · see review

Dec 03, 2010 Matthew Burkhardt rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

A stunning finale to the adventures of some of my favorite characters in all of literature.

like · see review

May 30, 2010 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars

one of my favourites!

like · see review

Oct 10, 2011 Stephen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wonderful literature. The poles should be re-named The People of Job as they have suffered unawares for centuries while at the same time have defended western civilization with truly uncommon valor and integrity. The west owes a debt of thanks to these honorable people. It is crazy that they languished under the yoke communism after WWII and that we "blessed" it.

like · see review

Oct 10, 2012 Chrissie marked it as own-unread · review of another edition

Shelves: hf, kindle, poland, turkey, ukraine, series

Third ~~Second~~ in the series.

Currently available free at Amazon Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Histori...

like · see review

Jun 19, 2012 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In the tradition of Jane Eyre and Sense and Sensibility, this novel should have been made into a movie long ago. It has all the elements of those English classics, but the the setting is Eastern Europe.

like · see review

Feb 26, 2008 Elizabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really wanted to love this book, but ultimately found it boring enough to not carry me through the whole thing. I don't say that about very many books.

like · see review

Aug 03, 2011 Craig rated it 3 of 5 stars

Final volume in The Trilogy but also the weakest. Good story but very short and not as detailed and interesting as the others.

like · see review

Sep 01, 2010 Coşkun rated it 5 of 5 stars

it was one of my favorite books when I was teenage. great book, romantic and epic telling of history

like · see review

May 20, 2013 Joanka rated it 3 of 5 stars

May 18, 2013 Katerina rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

May 18, 2013 Chris marked it as to-read

May 17, 2013 Bogdan Petrovici marked it as to-read

May 16, 2013 Grzegorz Aksamit rated it 3 of 5 stars

May 14, 2013 Jernej rated it 4 of 5 stars

May 12, 2013 Cyber Killer marked it as to-read · review of another edition

May 11, 2013 Nika Medina rated it 4 of 5 stars

May 11, 2013 Piuslad rated it 4 of 5 stars

May 11, 2013 Aleksandra rated it 5 of 5 stars

May 11, 2013 mkarwin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

May 06, 2013 Mysz rated it 3 of 5 stars

May 04, 2013 Kelsey marked it as to-read

Shelves: fiction

May 04, 2013 Chikkin Came'first rated it 5 of 5 stars

May 02, 2013 Dorly marked it as to-read

Apr 30, 2013 Diana rated it 2 of 5 stars

Apr 29, 2013 Kaarel rated it 3 of 5 stars

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 28 29 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (21)

More editions...

Genres

Historical Fiction

24 users

European Literature > Polish Literature

16 users

Classics

12 users

Cultural > Poland

11 users

War

6 users

Literature

4 users

Cultural > Ukraine

3 users

Novels

2 users

Academic > School

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Kamienie na szaniec
by Aleksander Kamiński
Awantura o Basię
by Kornel Makuszyński
Pan Tadeusz
by Adam Mickiewicz
The Morality of Mrs. Dulska: A Play by Gabriela Zapolska
by Gabriela Zapolska
Kłamczucha
by Małgorzata Musierowicz (Author and illustrator)

About Henryk Sienkiewicz

Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz (also known as "Litwos"; May 5, 1846–November 15, 1916) was a Polish journalist and Nobel Prize-winning novelist. He was one of the most popular Polish writers at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1905 for his "outstanding merits as an epic writer."

Born into an impoverished gentry family in the Podlasie vi...more

More about Henryk Sienkiewicz...

Books by Henryk Sienkiewicz

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Pan Wołodyjowski

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Fire in the Steppe
avg rating	preview: Fire in the Steppe Goodreads rating: 3.94 (575 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/168692.Fire_in_the_Steppe?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1291447741l/168692.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/168692.Fire_in_the_Steppe?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Fire in the Steppe by Henryk Sienkiewicz[/url]

Fire in the Steppe (The Trilogy #3)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website