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Hand of Isis (Numinous World #3)

by Jo Graham (Goodreads Author)

3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 · rating details · 903 ratings · 120 reviews

Against the rising power of Rome, Egypt is the last and strongest bastion of the Eastern Hellenistic kingdoms.

Charmian is handmaiden to Cleopatra. She is also an oracle, gifted with ancient memories that may hold the key to preserving Egypt. Through blood and fire, war and peace, love and death, she will face a desperate struggle that will remake the future of the world.

Paperback, 479 pages

Published March 23rd 2009 by Orbit (first published March 5th 2009)

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The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

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Apr 18, 2009 Dave Burgh rated it 5 of 5 stars

Hand of Isis is, in a nut shell, about learning what one’s place is in life, and learning to love that life and accept what comes. We are introduced to Charmian who, as with Gull in Black Ships, will take us through the world Jo imagined. And through Charmian, we will meet Cleopatra, Gaius Julius Caesar, Marcus Antonius, and a host of other characters, some of which seem comfortingly familiar… The tale that unfolds will echo in the hearts of everyone who reads the book because we’ve all been in...more Hand of Isis is, in a nut shell, about learning what one’s place is in life, and learning to love that life and accept what comes. We are introduced to Charmian who, as with Gull in Black Ships, will take us through the world Jo imagined. And through Charmian, we will meet Cleopatra, Gaius Julius Caesar, Marcus Antonius, and a host of other characters, some of which seem comfortingly familiar… The tale that unfolds will echo in the hearts of everyone who reads the book because we’ve all been in the same situations the characters are placed in, and you will sink away into the story…

It’s easy, from the get-go, to see how comfortable Jo is in her writing, now; not that she wasn’t comfortable in Black Ships - her debut possessed a raw and fetching beauty, as Cleopatra was in her younger years, but Hand of Isis possesses the stately, knowledgeable and serenely confident beauty of Cleopatra after Gaius Julius Caesar. Jo knows now what she is capable of, having tested the waters, and I’m certain that we will be in awe of Stealing Fire, her next book, when it hits the shelves.

Everything that we came to admire about Jo’s writing has become orders of magnitude better - her characters are beautifully realized, so much so that you’ll find yourself wanting to actually meet them, observe them, talk with them. Having watched the HBO series Rome, read Asterix and Cleopatra and also read Conn Iggulden’s Emperor: The Gods of War, I’ve come to know many different incarnations of Cleopatra, Caesar, Mark Antony, as have many of you, I’m sure; the versions that live in Hand of Isis seem somehow more personal, as if we’ve been given an intimate glimpse of the real people behind the historical figures. Some, like Mark Antony (Marcus Antonius) surprised me, others gained greater stature (Gaius Julius Caesar), and others I fell in love with (Charmian and Cleopatra herself). One of the marks of storytelling that will be long-remembered is the ability to create characters that live in your imagination, and consequently, your heart, and Jo’s has such a talent at this that if it could be solidified and prepared, a pyramid could be constructed! :-)

The worldbuilding in Hand of Isis, too, is far beyond what Jo achieved with Black Ships; the Alexandria of Charmian and Cleopatra is vibrant, beautiful, and immense, a character in itself with its own rhythms and moods. Even Rome is amazing! But the worldbuilding never drowns out the progress of the tale or the characters, either; it immerses you in the scents, sounds, sights and flavors of that time so that every page springs up like a 3-D landscape that you yourself travel through.

This is a tale to savour, to sink into, and to remember and fall in love with. Expect to be surprised by the strength and Jo’s vision, expect to book tickets with a time-travel agency to spend a few weeks in Cleopatra’s Egypt (and if you know of such an agency, let me know!), expect to feel all the emotions the characters feel, expect to feel and odd disappointment at the end of the book because you didn’t want it to end, and expect the shedding of tears…

I highly, highly recommend Hand of Isis to anyone, everyone, who loves good storytelling, wonderful characters, history-buffs (even though I’m not one and cannot speak to the historical accuracy of the novel), hopeless romantics… You will all love this book! :-)

C’mon, Jo! Stealing Fire! I need it! :-)

9/10 (less)

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Jul 10, 2010 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 50book-challenge, historical

If I hadn't read Black Ships before this one, I might have given Hand of Isis three stars, but coming after Jo Graham's powerful first novel, this one was a disappointment.

I think part of the problem lies in the fact that Cleopatra's story has been told and retold so many times by so many people, it is hard to find an original voice. While Black Ships was revolutionary, Hand of Isis is nothing new.

Black Ships was written with a powerful, wistful poignancy; a story about those who have lost every...more

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Aug 08, 2011 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was good. Could have been great, but there are several parts where I felt like the cover of this book should have been a dark-haired Fabio and some dame in a Scarlet O'Hara kiss pose, her hair blowing in a breeze. I felt like I was reading porn. I'm no prude, but I wanted to read this book more for the historical part of the fiction rather than the "romantic" part of the fiction. The rest of the story was great. It was a bit long, but if you take out the three unnecessary porn scenes, you c...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Hannah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, fantasy, real-world, tearjerker, mythology, political, lgbt-characters

Hand of Isis tells the story of Charmian, a privileged woman growing up in Ancient Egypt while experiencing visions of Isis. It uses the framing device of Charmian posthumously telling her story to the gods of judgement -- in a non-intrusive, non-self-referential fashion.

With her sister Iras, Charmian is sister and handmaiden to Queen Cleopatra. She has romantic adventures, friendships, worries, and enacts political machinations. Although well-known historical figures are integral to the plot, t...more Hand of Isis tells the story of Charmian, a privileged woman growing up in Ancient Egypt while experiencing visions of Isis. It uses the framing device of Charmian posthumously telling her story to the gods of judgement -- in a non-intrusive, non-self-referential fashion.

With her sister Iras, Charmian is sister and handmaiden to Queen Cleopatra. She has romantic adventures, friendships, worries, and enacts political machinations. Although well-known historical figures are integral to the plot, the novel is very much Charmian's story. I enjoyed her as a narrator a great deal: she has a very solid personality and there are humorous touches that deflate a sense of overwhelming doom.

The language suits me just right: it evokes atmosphere while feeling effortless. Graham also has a deft touch when creating the sense of historical drama without using too much inaccessible language. There are anachronisms here and there -- mostly medical -- but they did not throw me out of the narrative. And though the time period is not one I'm very familiar with, I had no trouble gathering what was going on.

On the worldbuilding side, Alexandria and the combining of Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultures feel richly detailed; discussions of art, theatre and religion between people from different cultures felt realistic rather than an exercise in info-dumping. Depictions of sexuality up and down the Kinsey scale are frank and sensual. And the fantastical touches such as Charmian's visions and her talking to the gods feel comfortable and concrete: Charmian takes her visions in her stride and does with them what she wants.

I particularly enjoyed the focus on women in Hand of Isis. Charmian has male romantic interests and male friends, but her focus is always on her relationship with her sisters and with Isis. The sisterly relationships is humorous, strong and, at times, very moving. It's unusual to see a fantasy novel -- and a historical fantasy novel at that -- showing such close ties between female characters, and I found the whole thing delightful and moving.(less)

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May 17, 2011 Kathryn Scannell rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the first book I've read by Jo Graham, but it won't be the last. I've got the other two books in this series on my wish list now.

Writing a well known story is always tricky, because you can't just rely on the reader's desire to find out what happens to carry them through to the end. In this case, pretty nearly everyone knows the story of Anthony and Cleopatra. It ends badly. Nearly everyone involved dies. Getting the reader to want to stay through to what they already know won't be a ha...more

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Apr 15, 2011 Paris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, books-i-own

Hand of Isis is a little longer than Black Ships, which makes it at times a little slower and drawn out, but I still very much enjoyed the story of Cleopatra told through the point of view of her half-sister and hand-maiden Charmian. I’ve never really read anything about this time in history aside from what I read during my Roman history class. Of course none of that was nearly as interesting as Graham’s take on Cleopatra’s rise and fall and the relationships she made in between. The book is int...more

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Aug 02, 2010 Monique rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: gyptian-all-things-egypt

Okay so as much as I would love to say I loved this book--I mean come on its about Cleopatra and her sisters/handmaidens Charmaine and Iras..Alas I was underwhelmed with this book..knowing the story of Cleopatra and Caesar and then Marc Anthony that leads up to her tragic and heroic? suicide and I found the book was true to that it just wasnt all that interesting..The tidbits I did enjoy involved the girls and Dion and their lives, affairs of the state (especially after Caesar) died and all the...more

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Mar 08, 2010 Leeanna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own

Hand of Isis, by Jo Graham

I wasn't sure if Graham could top her first novel, "Black Ships," which I enjoyed very much. But "Hand of Isis" was even better, and I liked it five times more, if that's possible.

Chairmian is handmaiden and half-sister to Cleopatra, the last great pharaoh of Egypt. While a slave, Chairmian has a remarkable amount of freedom and education, which are testaments to the Egyptian culture of the time. Given as a child to Cleopatra, Chairmian and Iras (also a half-sister to...more Hand of Isis, by Jo Graham

I wasn't sure if Graham could top her first novel, "Black Ships," which I enjoyed very much. But "Hand of Isis" was even better, and I liked it five times more, if that's possible.

Chairmian is handmaiden and half-sister to Cleopatra, the last great pharaoh of Egypt. While a slave, Chairmian has a remarkable amount of freedom and education, which are testaments to the Egyptian culture of the time. Given as a child to Cleopatra, Chairmian and Iras (also a half-sister to Chairmian and Cleopatra) accompany her through the journey of life, from educational awakening to the throne of Egypt, and beyond.

I didn't realize it for quite a while, but Chairmian is actually Gull reincarnated, the main character of Graham's first novel, "Black Ships." At first I thought, oh no not another oracle, but Chairmian is very different from Gull, and she never fully acts on her ability and instead has small glimpses and a few visions of future and past events. Neas from "Black Ships" is also reincarnated in "Hand of Isis."

Chairmian and Iras, along with Cleopatra, make a plea to Isis to put Cleopatra on the throne, promising that she will be the best pharaoh and do all she can for the people of Egypt. Chairmian provides an insider's glimpse to Cleopatra's actions in seducing Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius, in attempting to restore Egypt to itself and not as a puppet of Rome.

While Cleopatra is interesting, and lushly described, Chairmian herself is just as intriguing. She is unique in Egypt, with her curvy blonde features. She also has a unique relationship, one that I won't spoil. As one of Cleopatra's handmaidens, Chairmian is responsible for organizing her household; the descriptions of events are simply amazing. Additionally, Graham has a background in politics, and you can see that when she describes the political tangle of the ancient world.

I was captivated by "Hand of Isis" from start to finish, and couldn't even look at anything else while I was reading it. While the size may be imposing to some, don't let that stop you from reading a wonderfully enthralling story. Graham describes life in ancient Egypt and Rome realistically, and Alexandria might as well be another main character for the attention she lavishes on it. I really want to read more about the time period now, and to me, that's the mark of an excellent historical fiction novel. I could have read another 600 pages of Graham's historical recounting.

5/5.(less)

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Feb 17, 2010 Juushika rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: status-borrowed

Charmian is Cleopatra's half-sister; together, she and her sisters pledge to serve the goddess Isis and to make Cleopatra the queen and savior of bankrupted Egypt. Unfortunately, Hand of Isis has a slow start and some heavy-handed religious aspects, so it's not as successful as Graham's first novel, Black Ships. Still, it's a success: a balance of private story and public history, all of it touched by religion and magic, Hand of Isis is a brave historical fantasy retelling which often achieves i...more Charmian is Cleopatra's half-sister; together, she and her sisters pledge to serve the goddess Isis and to make Cleopatra the queen and savior of bankrupted Egypt. Unfortunately, Hand of Isis has a slow start and some heavy-handed religious aspects, so it's not as successful as Graham's first novel, Black Ships. Still, it's a success: a balance of private story and public history, all of it touched by religion and magic, Hand of Isis is a brave historical fantasy retelling which often achieves its lofty goals. It's not my favorite of Graham's novels, but I throughly enjoyed and recommend it.

I found Hand of Isis a somewhat slower start than Black Shipsperhaps because I am less familiar with its history, perhaps because the story takes some time to come into itself. Cleopatra is such a famous and controversial figure that the reader waits on tenderhooks to see how Graham will portray her, and it's a long wait. The story begins in childhood and Cleopatra is not the protagonist, and so it takes almost 100 pages to figure out where Graham plans to take her story. The turning point is the girls's pledge to Isis, which becomes the heart and soul of the bookbut is too easily achieved. Isis's in-the-flesh appearance is too simple and sudden; it feels unbelievable, and so weakens the connection between the characters and the gods. This connection is further muddled by past life recollections which, though they're often subtle and effective, sometimes feel tacked on (especially since they connect Hand of Isis to Black Ships, yet never appear in the latter). Over the rest of the book, however, these religious aspects are built the hard way, slowly but believably and to much greater effect.

500 pages isn't too much longer than the average novel, but Hand of Isis feels longbut once it gets going, that's a good thing. Graham builds her story around both day-to-day activity and grand historical events, a balance which makes her story personal yet purposeful. In the vein of Black Ships or Bradley's The Mists of Avalon, Cleopatra's story is retold as a true story touched by magic: the historical figures are real people and historical events are well researched, and all of it is touched by religious events which give the story delightful magic and great importance. The book has a slow start, the level of detail sometimes slows the pacing, and the religious apsects can be heavy-handed, and so Hand of Isis is not a sweeping success (as Black Ships was)it begs a little more editing and polishing. Nonetheless, it's brilliant. From private romance to public politicking, from realistic individuals to handmaidens to the gods, Hand of Isis spans history and religion but never loses sight of the characters that drive it. That's a lot to juggle in one book, but Graham knows what she's doing and does it well. I prefer Black Ships, but those looking for more from Graham will do well to seek out Hand of Isis. It's a similar style in a whole new setting, and lives up to its predecessor. I recommend it.(less)

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Aug 03, 2009 Kayeb rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this.... relates the life of cleopatra from another's point of view... There are the three who are born near each other and stay together for the course of their lives. As much as I know, it seems to correspond to what I know of Cleopatra, so some info, some relationships unfold, some different perspectives....... a fun read, and kept my attention.

The eldest was born in the season of planting, when the waters of the Nile had receded once more and the land lay rich and fertile, warm and...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Wellington rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the sequel to Black Ships and it's a worthy successor. This is yet another story of Cleopatra but told from her handmaiden's point of view. The stories dizzied my head as I thought back to the epic The Gates of Rome and the magical Lily of the Nile (two historical novels I loved).

The book is longish and she has A LOT of characters to the story. If this book was made into a book 1 and book 2, I might have considered it a 5 star book.

The author appends a teaser of her third book and I wo...more

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Apr 27, 2010 Shiela rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: female-protagonist, historical-fiction

Minus the weird reincarnation parts from her previous novel Black Ships, which did absolutely nothing to enhance the plot, I quite enjoyed this historical fiction set in ancient Alexandria during the reign of Cleopatra. Although the story is told from Charmian's point of view (Cleopatra's half sister and handmaiden), the reader got a fantastic glimpse of what life was like during that tumultuous period in history. The other thing that was really enjoyable was that Graham began the story well bef...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Thomas Cavano rated it 3 of 5 stars

Interesting re-telling of the Cleopatra story, binding history and myth together with a touch of metaphysics for fun. Her handmaiden and sister narrates a lusty and curiously enlightened society as Pharoah meets Ceasar.

A hopeful interpretation of history as the struggle between light and dark, a Neverending Story mythos of light vs. the Nothing.

The audio book read by Gigi Shane is engaging, the texture of her speaking rich and ageless. Her voices and dialects are fun to listen to.

And yet Ms.Sh...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Joshua Silverman rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a historical fiction which is based on Cleopatra's life, the last Pharaoh of ancient Egypt. The story is told from the point of view of Charmain, her handmaiden. It goes from them growing up as children through their suicide (told in past tense as Chairman is pleading her soul to Isis and Serapis, the ancient Egyptian gods of judgment).

I thought this book was average. Truth is, it started out strong and I really like historical fiction, but around page 400 (my copy was 600 pages), the pl...more

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Sep 27, 2010 Jessi Hafeman rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: History fans. Fans of strong female characters.

Three sisters bound by love for one another fight for the peoples of Egypt. Sacrifice is a key theme, and not always by death but also in how you live your life. By sacrificing a character's wants, they stay devoted to the greater good of the people of Alexandria. I love the way Graham would compare lifestyles of the Romans and Egyptians. The rights of women were vastly different in Roman society which probably shaped sexism against women through the ages when you read about these differences! T...more Three sisters bound by love for one another fight for the peoples of Egypt. Sacrifice is a key theme, and not always by death but also in how you live your life. By sacrificing a character's wants, they stay devoted to the greater good of the people of Alexandria. I love the way Graham would compare lifestyles of the Romans and Egyptians. The rights of women were vastly different in Roman society which probably shaped sexism against women through the ages when you read about these differences! The city of Alexandria was a free, multicultural, technologically advanced, educated society where women played a strong role. The people loved their leader, Cleopatra. The ending was emotially sad to read as this incredible culture came to an end as it gets swallowed up by Rome.

Religion also plays a strong role in the characters' lives. Though Graham gives room for both Egyptian gods and Jewish beliefs, she does not strongly tie them together. Reading about the angel Michael standing next to Anubis and Isis at the weighing of the heart ceremony did not quite mesh.

Some things I did not like: (1) The language was a strange mix of modern and historical terms. It did not always flow well (i.e., they talk about a "gynecologist" coming but then refer to the months of pregnancy as "moons." It felt ackward reading these two references in the same paragraph). Plus there were many words that were unfamiliar which made it difficult to get into the story because of. I do not like to have to research my stories as I read them. A few words here and there are okay, but there was not enough description to visualize something when all you see is unfamiliar, undefined terms. (2) Midway through the book, there were more and more "risque" scenes. I felt as if the women were more interested in their sexual encounters than being with their children! (3) The oracle scenes when Charmian would have visions of her past life (some scenes of which were from Grahams first novel, which I had not read) were a little confusing. It just did not flow well between the present of the book and her visions. You could not always figure out where you were.

The ending did make up for these flaws. It was touching and heartwarming at the same time as you realize that love transcends death and sacrifice can shape the world to come. History has remembered Cleopatra mainly as a seducer of men. She was really just a strong women who did whatever was necessary for the good of her people and who, being mortal, fell in love. How would a male-dominant society where women were not evem allowed to learn to read remember a strong female leader? The ending was extremely well done, beautifully written, and tied up the book well. It felt very Romeo and Juliet between Cleopatra and Antony (the original star-crossed lovers!). I also believe that Marcus always loved Charmian! (less)

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May 05, 2011 Brigitte rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, fantasy, historical-fiction

I did not think this story was the same tight, lyrical narrative that Black Ships was (more editing would have served it well), but I still enjoyed it and I am looking forward to Stealing Fire.

I liked how the narrator was open to many things (different types of views on sex, for example) but closed to other things (such as being more open to religion) all because of her upbringing. I also really like that this book and this series focus on the often ignored role of women in history (even if it i...more

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May 11, 2009 Res rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: slash-interest, sff

Sequel to Black Ships. The one that recounts the life of Charmian, daughter of a slave and a Pharoah, as she tries to help her half-sister Cleopatra save Alexandria.

It's a familiar story, and it's kind of sad to fall in love with multicultural, free, technologically advanced Alexandria knowing it's going to be swallowed up by Rome. I enjoyed Charmian's great freedom, her unconventional relationship, and her devotion to Egypt and Isis.

I didn't find her break with Agrippa very convincing, though....more

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Apr 10, 2012 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

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

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Aug 25, 2012 Lex rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a remarkable book that had the perfect mix of actual history and a bit of flair from one of my favorite movies, "Cleopatra" with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The story was told from the point of view of Cleopatra's handmaiden, Charmain, of the childhood and reign of Queen Cleopatra.
Constantly, Charmain is challenged in deciding between the fate she promised for herself as a young girl, pledging herself to be a hand of goddess Isis and Cleopatra's protector, and being a lover to a ma...more

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Apr 11, 2009 FicusFan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, ancient, bronze-age, egyptian, historical-fiction, lt-early-reviewers, read-2009, read-4-09

I got this book through the Librarything Early Review program. I already had the first book Black Ships but have not read it yet. It is a choice for a RL book group of mine for May.

Luckily the books stand alone in the sense that the stories are different. I think some of the previous characters come back via reincarnation, but as different people in this book. I was in no way lost in this book or the overall story arc by not reading book 1 (yet).

At the start I found the writing to be OK, but r...more

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Apr 29, 2009 Ali Cross rated it 3 of 5 stars

At first when I started reading Hand of Isis I was thrilled that it read so much like Jo Graham's first book Black of Ships, which I loved. However, soon the similarity in voice began to distract me.

Who's head was I in? Sybil's from Black Ships? Or Charmian's from Hand of Isis? There was very little, outside of lifestyle and circumstance, to distinguish between these two characters.

I'm at a loss for what to say exactly about the voice because I love it, but I thought Charmian should stand out m...more At first when I started reading Hand of Isis I was thrilled that it read so much like Jo Graham's first book Black of Ships, which I loved. However, soon the similarity in voice began to distract me.

Who's head was I in? Sybil's from Black Ships? Or Charmian's from Hand of Isis? There was very little, outside of lifestyle and circumstance, to distinguish between these two characters.

I'm at a loss for what to say exactly about the voice because I love it, but I thought Charmian should stand out more from Sybil and be more herself. That being said, I love Graham's voice and am feeling conflicted, lol.

Hand of Isis tells the story of Charmian, handmaiden and half-sister to the great Cleopatra. Cleopatra has forever been an icon of the past and I found the subject matter and the crystalline way Graham wrote about her to be fascinating.

Graham wrote Hand of Isis in that beautiful lyrical way that won my heart in Black Ships and told about a time long past as though she really had been there.

Next to the voice of the main character, the only other thing that disturbed me about this book were the rather graphic sex scenes. There were only a couple throughout the entire book, but they were powerful enough to leave me feeling disappointed that I had read them. I hadn't expected them and kept thinking that they would soon be over or that something important would come of it. In the end, I just wish I'd turned the page.

I think what was most troubling about the sex scenes was the nature of them--they were not romance in the traditional sense, but dealt with the abuse of power and the alternate lifestyle choices that were the norm in early Greece, Rome and Egypt. Homosexuality and Bisexuality were acceptable practices at that time and so they were a part of Charmian's life. I just wish I hadn't read about them. I wish there had been a warning sign "avert your eyes!" before I came to those parts. I think the story would have been just fine without them--less is more, I think in this case.

So, overall, I'd say I'm a wee bit disappointed with this, Jo Graham's second book. While it was rich in beauty and imagination, it lacked in originality from her first book and in decorum.(less)

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Jan 12, 2012 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical

The Hand of Isis is the story of Cleopatra told through the eyes of her loving sister Charmian. It spans Cleopatra’s life from her birth and childhood to her death.

Some people won’t like the sex scenes and the candid way sex was part of the story. However, I found it refreshing. Additionally, including homosexual and bisexual characters made it feel representative of people generally. I loved Charmian’s candid approach towards sex.

A significant part of the story involves the Egyptian gods and Jo...more The Hand of Isis is the story of Cleopatra told through the eyes of her loving sister Charmian. It spans Cleopatra’s life from her birth and childhood to her death.

Some people won’t like the sex scenes and the candid way sex was part of the story. However, I found it refreshing. Additionally, including homosexual and bisexual characters made it feel representative of people generally. I loved Charmian’s candid approach towards sex.

A significant part of the story involves the Egyptian gods and Jo Grahams slightly odd way of dealing with faith and dead. This will alienate some readers, however I found it an interesting angle to take and felt it added something to the story. It raises some questions about the role of religion in understanding and dealing with death, and asks questions about our abilities to accept people with different beliefs to our own.

My complaints about the book are mostly a feeling that the pacing was inconsistent, meaning my attention was lost at times. Normally this type of book compels me to complete reading it quickly; however, I put it down for days at a time and eventually finished it in little over a month. It seemed to jump focus. Towards the middle, I felt told about Cleopatra’s activities and character, and not shown them. The relationship between the sisters was weaker in the second half, which was unfortunate as this was a major strength of the book in the first half.

This was a book I didn’t quite know what to think about. My opinion of it changed so much depending on my mood. Sometimes I genuinely didn’t think it was very good. Yet somehow, I couldn’t forget about it. It was almost as if it was haunting me, making me read until the very end. I didn’t want to read the end. I’m not too clued up about the history of Cleopatra. I’ve never watched a film about her and this is the first book about her I’ve read. I did however know she would die. I didn’t want her to die. Maybe it was the conflicting emotions that made me dislike the book at times. Sometimes I loved it. I could relate to the characters which seeing as they lived over 2000 years ago and had a very different standing in life, not to mention living in a different continent and society, seems like an achievement. The vivid descriptions made me want to know more about Alexandrian society and the scientific and engineering inventions mentioned.

I look forward to reading more of Jo Graham’s work, but I’m going to wait a while until I do.
(less)

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Mar 30, 2012 Ashley W rated it 2 of 5 stars

Hand of Isis chronicles the familiar tale of Queen Cleopatra as told by her half-sister and handmaiden, Charmian. This book was absolutely NOTHING like the majesty that is Black Ships. I love stories about Cleopatra and her story usually never bores but this one...this one did. I found myself skimming through the book towards the end and just tried to finish the thing.

While I enjoyed the historical information and the descriptions of everyday life in Alexandria, the love story between Charmian...more

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Apr 21, 2012 Marsha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance, supernatural, series-entry

The story of Cleopatra is re-told through the eyes of her and her female companions. Half-sisters by birth and constant companions throughout life, they form a tightly knit sisterhood against the vicissitudes of the world. While the language sometimes seems a little too mature for mere girls, the story truly comes into its own as the girls ripen into womanhood.

Cleopatra IV, Charmian and Iras are very different in nature and character and the author does an excellent job of capturing their separ...more

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Dec 28, 2011 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: interesting

Could pass as historical fiction or fantasy as there are mystical elements. I really enjoyed this novel, staying true to the few known facts of Cleopatra's life and using a keen imagination to fill in the rest. The story is told through the viewpoint of the handmaiden, dear friend, and half-sister to Cleopatra, Charmian. Such a luscious name - I love saying it. I know this is Book 2 in the series, and it stands fine on it's own. I have the first in the series, Black Ships, high on my TBR list.

T...more

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Dec 08, 2010 Susan rated it 3 of 5 stars

A fictional biography of Cleopatra told through the eyes of her half-sister and handmaiden, Charmian. When the two, along with their other half-sister Iras, are growing up, Cleopatra, as a fifth child, is politically insignificant. As teenagers, they vow to Isis that they will protect Egypt from the covetous Romans, and in return for their devotion, the goddess rewards Cleopatra with the throne. (Her family helps by a succession of betrayals and murders of each other.) Even though the territory...more

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Jan 18, 2010 HRM Maire rated it 4 of 5 stars

Story of Cleopatra from her sister/handmaiden's POV. It begins with her in the afterlife, where her heart is being weighed against Maat. She is telling her story to the Gods...
Enjoyed this book very, very much. I've read novels about Cleopatra's story, but I liked this one the best. Throughout the book the author touches on past life experiences, Celtic, Roman and Egyptian culture, and a smattering of religion. This is her second book, and I am *eagerly* anticipating her third. She's got a great...more

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May 10, 2011 Jacki rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Three sisters, unique, but inseperable wind their way through one of history's greatest stories. From the narrator Charmain, orphan of a pleasure slave and Ptolemy Auletes, Pharoah of Eygpt, we learn how to freely give oneself to all that we love and to open ourselves to love in all its forms. From Iras, we discover that the search for knowledge and the value of freedom can be enough to fulfill us. From Cleopatra, we learn what it must take to rule an empire as a woman.

This wonderful account of...more

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Jun 16, 2009 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: africa, family-relationships, fiction, friendship, historical-fiction, historical-romance, kings-and-queens, library-books, read-in-2009, remarkable-reads, sisters, women, own-in-book-format

Jo Graham's Hand of Isis is a story of ancient Egypt as seen through the eyes of Charmain, a young handmaiden and half-sister to Cleopatra. Exiled into the Black Lands as girls, Charmain, Cleopatra, and a third sister named Iras, devote themselves to the goddess Isis, vowing to be her hands and avatars on earth, and to love and protect the people of Egypt. Isis rewards the girls for their devotion by setting into motion the events leading to Cleopatra becoming Queen, while Iras and Charmain rema...more Jo Graham's Hand of Isis is a story of ancient Egypt as seen through the eyes of Charmain, a young handmaiden and half-sister to Cleopatra. Exiled into the Black Lands as girls, Charmain, Cleopatra, and a third sister named Iras, devote themselves to the goddess Isis, vowing to be her hands and avatars on earth, and to love and protect the people of Egypt. Isis rewards the girls for their devotion by setting into motion the events leading to Cleopatra becoming Queen, while Iras and Charmain remain Cleopatra's most trusted handmaidens and mistresses of her home. Hand of Isis chronicles the lives of the three sisters while as stewards of the land of Egypt and her people, they interact with various other key figures of ancient history such as Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius.

Hand of Isis was not a "can't-put-it-down" read for me in the beginning, but once I gave it a little time, I quickly fell in love with it. The story is told as Charmain recounts her past deeds to Isis and Osiris in the Halls of Amenti. Charmain has come to Amenti to have her heart weighed against the feather of Ma'at to see if she may enter the afterlife, or if she will be judged as evil and her heart devoured by the demon Ammut. As she tells her story, the reader is devastated by Charmain's losses and cheered by her devotion to her sisters and Isis. It is impossible not to be emotionally connected to the characters in this enjoyable novel.

Hand of Isis is a highly-readable account that offers a fresh perspective to the history and legend of Cleopatra. The mystery of ancient Egypt comes to vivid life through Jo Graham's imagination. The details of the ancient world are dazzling and fantastic, making for a compelling and entertaining story. Hand of Isis is an inspired mixture of intrigue, mystery, and romance, liable to delight most fans of historical fiction.

Just one further note:
When I picked up Hand of Isis, I did not realize that Jo Graham had previously written another novel of the ancient world, Black Ships. While Hand of Isis is not really a sequel, it does contain characters which are the reincarnated souls of characters from Black Ships. I don't think I lost anything in not reading them in the order they were published, but you may want to pick up Black Ships first - I would have if I had known, but I fully intend to rectify this situation just as soon as some other excellent patron of the Fort Bend County Library System returns the only copy. (less)

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May 15, 2013 Donna added it

Shelves: dnf

How did we end up here

Back when Borders was liquidating their stock, I trolled their shelves looking for anything that may catch my eye because, you know, cheap books. Who doesn’t like cheap books? At the time I hadn’t quite given in to the call of the romance section so I most likely found this one in the sci-fi/fantasy area just kind of hanging out. It’s set in ancient Egypt, you say? Cleopatra is all up in this? Yes, please.

Ancient Egypt is just too much of a draw for me to pass up.

It fills m...more How did we end up here

Back when Borders was liquidating their stock, I trolled their shelves looking for anything that may catch my eye because, you know, cheap books. Who doesn’t like cheap books? At the time I hadn’t quite given in to the call of the romance section so I most likely found this one in the sci-fi/fantasy area just kind of hanging out. It’s set in ancient Egypt, you say? Cleopatra is all up in this? Yes, please.

Ancient Egypt is just too much of a draw for me to pass up.

It fills me with chagrin that I stopped reading this one. It really does. From a history standpoint it’s all well and good (despite some of the liberties Graham took). Too bad this isn’t a history text. It’s fiction. So despite my love of this era of history if I pick up a book that’s supposed to be fiction I NEED to have relatable characters, an intriguing plot and something I can latch on to other than my obsession with the past.

Graham knows her stuff. And she makes sure you know it too judging by the inordinate amount of minutiae that gets spit out in this book. Just random facts that a lover of the era would know but are otherwise irrelevant to the plot and whose only purpose is to show how much the author knows. Glorious.

And then there’s Charmian. A character that just rides the wave of the plot like a damn surfboard. I don’t like plots that bend to a character’s will. It just ends up coming off as so contrived and fake that it’s hard to read. What’s equally difficult to read is a plot with a character that does absolutely nothing, that just moves along because time runs its course and she has no choice but to move with it. She doesn’t do much of anything, she doesn’t have all that profound of an effect on the characters (Cleopatra, yes, only because Charmian was actually her body slave according to history) and she doesn’t serve a purpose other than telling a piece of history through barely different eyes.

The story is about Cleopatra. Charmian’s life revolves around her so it’s pretty hard to get away from that. But it feels like the author really wanted to write a book from the perspective of Cleopatra but, you know, EVERYONE’S done that so let’s try something different. Except Cleopatra is such an overwhelming presence that to attempt to write what is basically her story (because Charmian doesn’t really have her own) from the eyes of a slave who is around her almost constantly is going to be a little difficult. Charmian is just a mouthpiece for the tale and comes off as little more than that.
I did start to get a little interested when a more mystical element was introduced but it came and went pretty quickly and I was dropped back into a story that was riding Cleopatra’s coattails. I really tried to keep reading and I got halfway through but I just got so bored with it. If you’re going to give me a history text, give me a history text. But if you’re going to give me a work of fiction then stop relying on history to be your motivating premise and shoving your characters into the mix like some random piece of historical fanfiction.

And to do next to nothing with it . . . the short excerpts with Charmian at the gates waiting to be judged were interesting but nowhere near enough to keep me invested in the story. If you’re going to talk history at me don’t cloak it in “fiction” and pretend you wrote an awesome story. You didn’t. This is history with a hand puppet. It’s not a backdrop where greater, more plot-centric and original events took place. It is the book and the more I think about it the angrier I get. It doesn’t have much of anything original in it and is wholly dependent on what happened in history in order to further the plot. If you remove it, you don’t have a story. I’ve read other historically set books that use the setting as just that, a backdrop for a nominally related story. This is taking history and going, OMG look what I wrote! No. You didn’t write this. History wrote it. You just decided to write some fanfiction on it but ended up doing little more then reciting the events as they happened.

I need to stop or I’ll just keep ranting. There’s a difference between historical fiction with the backdrop of history and original elements for the plot and simply regurgitating history from the point of view of a random person in the thick of the event in question and calling it a novel.(less)

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Quotes from Hand of Isis

“Whether or not that’s how it is,” I said, “we must live according to what we believe, not the beliefs of others.”

“The beliefs of others are not irrelevant, not when they shape the world we live in!”

“I didn’t say they were irrelevant. But they will never dictate my judgment or my decisions,” I snapped back. “Because others believe something does not make it true. You are not stupid because Plato says you must be, nor is Cleopatra a whore because some Roman wit will say it. I will never trust any learned opinion more than what I see in front of my face.” — 4 people liked it

“The truth will make us free, Charmian. The best we can do is carry the banner proudly in our own time.” — 3 people liked it

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