Fires of Alexandria

Alexandrian Saga #1

by Thomas K. Carpenter

The greatest mystery of the ancient world remains the identity of who set fire to the Great Library in Alexandria.

One hundred years later, Heron of Alexandria--the city's most renowned inventor and creator of Temple miracles--receives coin from a mysterious patron to investigate the crime. Desperate to be free of the debts incurred by her twin brother, she accepts and sets in motion a chain of events that will shake the Roman Empire and change the course of history forever.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, Ebooks, Egypt

340 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 6, 2011

About the author

Thomas K. Carpenter is a full time contemporary fantasy author with over 70 independently published titles. His bestselling, multi-series universe, The Hundred Halls, has over 43 books and counting. His stories focus on fantastic families, magical academies, and epic adventures. All the books can be found at major retailers and directly from the author at https://thomaskcarpenter.com/.

You can sign up for his newsletter at https://www.subscribepage.com/trialso...
When he is not writing, he enjoys playing turn-based strategy games and MTG, skiing, hiking, traveling, and chilling on the couch with his wife and their little dog, Merlin, at home in the beautiful mountains of Colorado.

Reviews

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heron of Alexandria is dead but his sister pretends to be him to continue his business, as women are not allowed their own business during this time. Unfortunately, by doing so she also inherited his debts. When Agog - a mysterious foreign warrior - comes knocking on the door, looking for new weapons, Heron can offer him steam powered war machines. Add in the mystery of the legendary fires of the Alexandrian library and you have a pretty cool alternative history story.


Alexandria in the time of the Roman Empire is a really cool setting. The characters definitely have potential. The pace is a bit slow but steady. Perhaps a bit too many subplots to make anything in particular stand out in terms of plot but nonetheless a pretty solid story.

[Red Haircrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I often have an interest in alternative historical fiction, especially when its subject and location is someplace other than Nazi Germany, which I feel has been played out all too often to the same tune. But Fires of Alexandria thankfully takes us to ancient Roman Empire in Egypt, and while it’s a popular theme also, the author gives an interesting view with new dynamics. The writing is vivid and well-researched, and the enthusiasm and love for the story was clear.

I felt that fewer descriptions at times could have helped me, as the reader, focus on more important points, but the characters and events were easily visualized. The paragraph structuring did become an issue, as I would have preferred ones with more than one or two sentences each, especially when they contained the same ideas or actions taking place. I felt this would have improved the flow and overall appearance of the narrative, yet the plotting and pace drive you forward to a climax and resolution that satisfies.

Thomas K. Carpenter has created a solid basis for a new series in “Fires of Alexandria”, and I thought it was an enjoyable read with a sympathetic main character I truly came to care about. Further installments would definitely be on my list of anticipated reads.

Originally posted at the review/interview site Flying With Red Haircrow http://flyingwithredhaircrow.wordpres...

[TXGAL1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

After I read it all the way through, my verdict: Puerile. Very poor. Avoid this mishmash of alternate history, fantasy, and steampunk. I felt like the author found a few facts and used them, but 90% were the scribblings of a 10 year old, so bad was the written work.

Heron is an inventor of mechanical objects, many used as "miracles" in various temples. Asked to find out who started the Fire in the Alexandrian Library, she teams up with a Northman named Agog and working together, their actions change the course of Alexandrian history.

This story was completely unbelievable. Slow at first, the last half of the story was more exciting, with some unexpected twists. I got no sense of life in Alexandria and characters were all wooden.

Not recommended.

[Brooke796 ☼ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had potential plot. Needed better editing. And by the way, Romans didn't use ha'pennies.

[J.C. Andrijeski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fantastic alternate history/historical novel with an excellent lead character in the form of Heron, a mathematician and "miracle inventor" in the time of the Roman occupation of Alexandria. Heron, a real historical figure, is portrayed with a twist in Carpenter's book as a woman (the twin brother to the male Heron, who takes his identity when he dies, as she is the real mastermind of the pair, as portrayed in this novel).

The main premise surrounds the mystery surrounding the cause of the fires that burned down the Library of Alexandria...but the novel takes us through numerous other political intrigues happening at the time, as well as other historical figures Heron interacts with. There is also an interesting (fictional) character in the form of "the barbarian" from the North, who hires Heron to fashion for him a mechanical army from her "miracle" technologies, and in the process she prematurely invents the steam engine. Speaking of steam, in terms of the miracles themselves, there's a bit of a steampunk flavor the book at times, even without the actual steam power.

Overall, a huge recommend for strong characters, a believable alternate history (and interpretation of real history) that is completely fascinating and compelling. Add to that strong action, mystery and intrigue throughout the course of the novel, and it's a tough one to put down.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't care for this book. Had to push my way through. It had some good, exciting parts, but a lot of it I found boring & dry.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

“She would transform the city to a place worthy of the title of the City of Miracles. And not the miracles of the temples. Real, practical miracles that would change people's lives and free them from the tyranny of the gods.”

Entertaining and educational alternate history. Too bad the writing wasn’t up to the premise. Using Alexandria circa 50 AD as his starting point, Carpenter weaves an intriguing “what if” tale of advancing technology, gender liberation, and personal freedom.

"And to see it with my own eyes. Because one cannot always trust what was written in books."

He gets more right than wrong, though several gaffs are laughable. “Man-sized multi-firing crossbows” are a staple among writers having no idea how crossbows work. Imposed a modern concept of taxation instead of how Romans really did it. Several plot gaps: two guards conveniently disappear so the protagonist can escape. Enemies repeatedly threaten rather than punish. Teenaged girl straight out of modern too-emotional-and-stupid-to-live portrayals.

"Humor is my secret weapon in battle. It's always the overly serious ones that die first."

Apparently resorted to the thesaurus for vocabulary enrichment without checking the definitions. For example: “Shimmering heat wafted over the roofs, obfuscating the gleaming white Lighthouse in the distance.” “Their excited screams were immaculate.” “…would have been killed as a stillborn.”

"You don't believe in curses?" "I prefer dealing with men. They're easier to kill. Gods are a troublesome lot."

Amid the required religion bashing Carpenter refrained from modern fiction’s favorite scapegoat for the burning of the Library and other crimes. His invented cult provides plausible baddies.

"You Alexandrians are a duplicitous lot." "A skill of survival, nothing more. We do not play the game for the sport alone, unlike the Romans." "It was a compliment."

[Mary Rocco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typically negligent editing I find in most Kindle e-books, but I just can't believe it can be the author's fault because otherwise the story is solid. Amazon/Kindle denies responsibility for the negligent editing of so many of their e-books. It is extremely irritating to have the continuity of the book's story so frequently interrupted by the stomach-clenching annoyance of yet another egregious error. I noted at least 25 of the worst errors. Amazon says one can submit content error reports via the Kindle, but I can't find how. And, why should I have to submit 25 error reports, doing a proofreader's job, when I paid for the book which I am justified in assuming was not a rough draft. Meanwhile, I enjoyed the story and would like to read the other two in the series, but I am loathe to endure the aggravation of two error-filled texts to do so. If I were the author, I would be angry that this shoddy product was being sold with my name on it after I had worked hard to write the book. I also remember that reading was a primary way I learned proper spelling and usage, and I shudder to think of young people reading these e-books and believing that they are seeing proper use of the language. Our society is being dumbed down enough already.

[Kirsten McKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars: Well I certainly learnt a lot! This time period is not one I am overly familiar with and whilst I've been to Alexandria, I didn't have any idea of the fractious relationship they had with the Romans. I was delighted to read the authors note explaining about Heron and our knowledge of his inventions.
The only thing stopping me from rating it five stars was my confusion in the first half of the book over Heron's gender. I'm not going to say anything more, as I don't want it to be a spoiler, but maybe it was just my interpretation which was off?
The story kept me turning the pages. I love all the nods to history throughout the book, and this is certainly my favourite type of historical fiction. Now I want to revisit Alexandria with even just the small glimpse of its history I got from reading this book.
I've already bought book #2 in the series and am loving the reintroduction to the characters I came to care about.

[Jann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this imaginative book very much and was disappointed to find that it there was no true corresponding factual history surrounding these events. Briefly, Ada has assumed her deceased brother's name and gender in order to use her excellent creative skills fashioning mechanical 'mysteries' for the various temples to use to amaze their followers. As 'Heron' she also is caring for her young niece and insists that she also assume the garb of a man to protect her from the males in Alexandria. Along with assuming her brother's workshop there are accompanying debts as he had been a drinker and a gambler.

When things are looking their worst, a commission turns up from a well spoken Germanic 'barbarian' who wants Heron to build some larger than life-size mechanical soldiers which will actually work, rather than depending on illusion. A mysterious benefactor has also commissioned her to investigate who actually started the fires attributed to the Romans which burned some of the priceless books held in the Alexandrian Library. Heron tries to juggle these two jobs in order to keep money coming in to pay the tax collector Lysimachus who adds various penalties and threatens to take over the workshop.

Unfortunately, there were many grammatical errors which irritated me whenever I came across them. Otherwise I would have given this great story another star. If you can overlook this sort of thing and enjoy adventures set in the past, Fires of Alexandria is a book to delight you.

[Cleokatra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a lot of historical fiction, but I'm not too familiar with this time period. It was interesting to me, but the story seemed a little unrealistic and there were a few obvious anachronisms. Otherwise, it was an okay book.

[Ian Wall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent historical novel. Well plotted, great characterisation, highly recommended.

[Paul Trembling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexandria in the time of the Roman Empire was a remarkable place in a fascinating time - and that 19s just in the real world. When Thomas K Carpenter begins to speculate about what could have been, it goes to a whole new level of wonder.

Central to this story is the idea that Heron of Alexandria, greatest inventor of the age, finds a way of harnessing steam power. But woven around that is a fast paced mystery / adventure, full of colourful characters (many, like Heron, based on real people.

Carpenter demonstrates a real understanding of the ancient cities complex mix of politics, religion and economy. The Romans rule 13 their presence resented but their power feared. The Temples vie with each other for popularity, each seeking to recruit the most talented engineers to build the most spectacular 18miracles 19 with which to attract followers. The Great Library is the worlds supreme storehouse of knowledge in all the world, in spite of the fire which destroyed much of its vast store of manuscripts. The city is proud and prosperous on the surface, but underneath it seethes with unrest and is full of dark secrets.

Heron, driven by the pressure of debt (and the threat of harsh justice for debtors) takes on commissions to build new war machines which may threaten the stability of the restless city 13 and seeks for hidden knowledge that some would rather keep hidden.

And another interesting element is that, in this version of history, Heron is actually a women 13 the sister of the real (and deceased) Heron who has taken over his identity and his workshop in order to pay of the huge debts he had incurred. This enables Carpenter to explore some of the issues surrounding sexual inequality in those times 13 as well as giving the plot another twist, since Heron must keep her real identity secret at all times.

It is a wonderfully colourful mixture, skilfully put together and developed towards a powerful climax that takes history down a very different route!

There are, unfortunately, some drawbacks. The flow of the writing is broken in a number of places by what to me seemed a strange choice of words or an awkward sentence. And I thought that more could have been made of both the technical complexity and the social impact of the world 19s first working steam engine 13 almost two millennia before the Industrial Revolution. To be fair, though, this is the first book in a series, and some of these issues may be explored in later books.

These caveats aside, this is a very enjoyable and well put-together story, exploring one of the most intriguing 18what ifs 19 of alternate history.

There 19s also a useful Afterword, giving some of the historical background, including some interesting ideas on why the industrial revolution didn 19t, in fact, get started in Alexandria.

[Lynnda Ell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Thomas K. Carpenter invited me to review his novel, Fires of Alexandria. He sent me a free copy for my Kindle and I put it in my virtual stack of digital books to read. I’m glad I agreed to review his book. Mr. Carpenter wrote a fascinating mixture of history and alternative reality that recreated the cosmopolitan city of Alexandria about 100 years after the battle with Julius Caesar during which the Great Library burned.

I have read other books in which the alternate reality began with the quick development of steam engines based on the aeolipile. Mr. Carpenter cuts away to an alternate history at the source: with Heron, the aeolipile’s inventor. With desperation, rather than necessity, being the mother of invention, Fires of Alexandria gives us a look at time when, thanks to an unlikely trio of characters, Alexandria was able to stand against Rome.

The plot involves the collision of three potentially catastrophic facets of Heron’s life. Heron keeps her life carefully segmented. She’s deeply in debt to a sociopath. She’s pretending to be a man in order to create her inventions. She’s also attempting to solve the mystery of the burning of the Great Library which powers-that-be want left unresolved. Heron is one of those people who could sing, “if I had no bad luck I’d have no luck at all.” Perseverance, loyal employees and an unusual customer, drive the story to a surprising end.

Thomas Carpenter’s writing style and voice fit together nicely to tell the story of a victorious Alexandria. However, I did have a couple of things that bothered me. First (and only grammar geeks will find this a problem) is the mystery of the missing indefinite pronouns. In the first several chapters, I’d read a sentence that could only make sense with the addition of some variant of “which” or “that.” Fortunately, the problem disappeared later in the book.

My other uncomfortable moments came when I tried to suspend my disbelief and accept that Heron was able to disguise herself well enough to pass for a man in the days before deodorant and daily baths. A fertile woman releases hormones and pheromones that could not be disguised easily. Other odors might have covered them for those who came in occasional contact with her, but not those who worked with her on a daily basis. Just sayin’.

Anyway, if you ever wondered what could have been done to change the legacy of the Roman Empire, Fires of Alexandria is a good place to start.

[Norman Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is a bit of a silly romp, for the most part. In fact, it is an alternate history, so some liberties with facts are acceptable.

Unfortunately, the author triggered one of my pet peeves: referring to something incorrectly, when it is easy to find out about the real thing.

Specifically, a "talent" of money. The protagonist owes a bunch of money, and is required to come up with fifty talents as interest at one point. There are references to pouches of coins being tossed on tables, promises to someone to pay them a talent if they deliver a message, and so on.

An Attic (Athenian) talent was a measure of weight of silver, enough to pay the crew of a 200-man trireme for a month - these were not galley slaves, and the payment was an actual payment. The weight of silver required for a talent was about 26 kg.

So, if someone tosses 50 talents on a table, that is 1.3 tonnes of silver. Do not keep this much silver in a pouch hidden in your furs!

The image struck me as so ludicrous, it bugged me every time the term was used. I concluded that the author thought that "talent" was an expression meaning "a bunch of money", or perhaps that it referred to some coins stamped with the value of "one talent". In any case, it bugged me and made me wonder how much research the author had done.

Which is too bad, because the author does seem to have researched other things.

Leaving aside my pet peeve, though, I felt that the characters were very flat, predictable, and stereotyped. The story line seemed more than a little improbable, it was incredible. There was a strong whiff of the Perils of Pauline throughout.

It was "OK", in that it provided me with some entertainment, but I will certainly not go looking for more books by this author when there are many other authors our there trying to get read.

[Thom Swennes · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Alexandria Library is reputed to be among the greatest of all times. It is easy to imagine that such a great collection of parchments would be vulnerable to fire. The library in Alexandria did, in fact, suffer from fire four separate times. The first time was in 48 BC, and again seven years later in 41 BC. The third fire occurred in 272 AD and the last one in 391 AD. One of these fires plays a big role in this story.
Heron and Ada were twins. Heron had built up a great reputation as a sculptor and inventor. When Heron suddenly dies, his sister, Ada takes his place. With this transformation, she also acquired her brother’s huge debt to Alexander Lysimachus.
Agog, a warrior from the north is known in Alexandria as Agog the barbarian. He has come to Egypt in search of new weapons to give his army a field advantage over his enemies. Heron’s reputation brings the two together and they formed an unwilling but necessary partnership.

The plot twists and turns, almost into obscurity. This is in the alternative-history genre that is based on smoke and mirrors support the tale. I have read many books in this genre that I’ve rated highly. I am sorry to say that I found this first book of the Alexandria Saga, sorely lacking. I found it often rambling and generally uninspiring.
I am completely confused as to why Ada risked death, if discovered in her deception, to take the place of her debt-riddled brother Heron. Logically Ada would be much better off fleeing the city and starting life again in another place. I can only conclude that Ada displays masochistic tendencies. Ada’s soi-disant position is uninspiring and her banausic creations lackluster. I consider myself sapiosexual but Ada, in all her cleverness, doesn’t seem very smart.

[Mandy Walkden-Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable alternate history tale.
Beautifully written. The author managed to impart vibrant life to the characters, time and city in which the events unfold. 

A wonderful mix of steampunk, ancient Egypt in the grip of the Roman Empire, and a colourful, varied collection of characters made this a riveting, page-turner of a read. So much so that, unwilling to miss out on where the story may now go with some favourite characters, I've downloaded the next two books in the series.

Highly recommended.

[Charles van Buren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steampunk in the ancient world.

By Charles van Buren on January 14, 2018

Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

This story is set in Alexandria about 100 years after the fire which destroyed part of the great library. A part of the plot is an attempt to determine who was responsible. The answer did not really make much difference to the rest of the plot in this first volume of the series. Perhaps it will in future volumes.

The more important part of the plot concerns Heron, the master artificer of Alexandria and the mechanical war machines Heron designs and manufacturers for a barbarian king from a region north of the Roman Empire. A little twist is that Heron is impersonating her dead twin brother as the laws and customs of Alexandria and Rome do not allow women to own businesses and perform men's work. The penalty if found out is death. As one can gather from the construction of the mechanical war machines and soldiers, the plot diverges from actual history.

The novel is fairly well written but there are some grammatical and editing errors. The story flowed well enough for me that I found the errors to be small nuisances rather than major distractions. The afterword explaining some of the actual history is a very nice touch.

[Carole P. Roman · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can't write an alternate history, unless you really understand the life and times of the real events. Thomas K. Carpenter writes just such a novel. Gritty and compelling, it's the story of a woman, with the soul of an inventor who disguises herself as her dead brother to continue his work. Carpenter captures the sights and sounds of Alexandria, so much so that it has almost a cinematic feel. He portrays his characters with a mindset of the time, coupled with universal issues; a gangster moneylender, corruption, religious problems, invaders- this book has it all. The one thing I missed was a more feminine side to Ava or Heron. While the story had action, so much technical information for the people interested in inventions and how they work, what I missed was more of the human element. I enjoyed the interaction of her blacksmith with his wife- the most. Carpenter clearly has a deep love of ancient history, and the many facets of that time period. His enjoyment shows in every word he writes.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story that had many subplots going on. I did think that the Library would have more of a central focus, but in the end, it does shine as all libraries do.
The main character is an extremely intelligent and crafty woman who does present as a man in order to gain respect has an inventor in ancient Alexandria. She is very devoted to those who deserve it. I did become quite attached to the other characters as well.
The pacing of the story was a bit disjointed at times, but it was not too distracting. I did feel that the author could have embellished more as well. Some of the scenes were a little difficult to follow-descriptions of the contraptions that were created could have been clearer.
Overall it was a good book, and I would like to continue with the series as some point.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting alternate history involving Heron of Alexandria, the remarkable genius also known as Hero of Alexandria and about whom little is really known other than his legacy in mathematics, physics, pneumatics, and mechanics. The fact that so little is known of Heron's personal life allows the author to be quite inventive.

A little slow in the beginning, the story eventually picked up the pace, and I was quite fascinated with some of the mysteries of the narrative and with the real details about life in Alexandria, Egypt.

Adventure, history, and alternate history all mixed into one. I'm interested in the next in the series.

This one was free from Amazon.

Alternate History. 2011. 340 pages.

[K.S. Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to pin down the genre of this work. It's an alternate history, but it's also a mystery, a political intrigue, a steampunk, and an old-fashioned adventure yarn.

While the novel can be read at a superficial level, it has deeper themes that touch on women's place and value in society, religion, slavery, and even racism. I appreciated that the themes were woven into the fabric of the story and not delivered as boring lectures expressing the author's opinions.

The writing is clear, the characters believable and engaging, and the plot logical. The editing was solid. Each time I had to stop reading, I found myself itching to get back to see what happened next. I enjoyed the book so much that I immediately purchased the next in the series.

[Msjodi777 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure how this one came into my library, but I was looking in my kindle cloud, and there it was. Looked interesting, so I read it. Story was great, characters were interesting and moved along quite well. It's an "alternative" history, and while I don't have problems with that part of it, I did have a problem with them knowing who Alexander the Great was in 54AD. hmmmm.... however, if you really don't care about the historical aspect of it, it was a good story, and I'd recommend it to all but the most critical of history buffs. Read this one in my kindle app so no narrator. <><

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an alternative historical novel set in Alexandria a hundred years after fires destroyed part of the famous library. Heron is an extremely talented mathematician and engineer but sinking under misfortune and debt. When asked to investigate the fires a series of events occur that change the course of history.

[bex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. Unusual. Definitely interested in more. 4* makes me curious about the history

[Carlos Mock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fires of Alexandria by Thomas K Carpenter

Heron of Alexandria is a great inventor. Heron is not Heron, but rather, Ada his twin sister. After Heron is killed by debt collectors, Ada assumes her twin brother's identity to pay back the debts incurred. He keeps his workshop busy but does not know that he has spies and saboteurs. Philo is the other big inventor in Alexandria and has been stealing all of Heron's inventions after he sabotages them. Alexander Lysimachus -- Lys the Cruel, or Alabarch--is the debt collector and is making Heron's life miserable; probably because he keeps increasing the interest of Heron's debts so that he can get Sephoria, Heron's daughter as payment.

Enter Agog the barbarian with a request that Heron builds war machines. Heron leans quickly that Agog is cultured and knowledgeable. This new source of income keeps Heron off Lys the Cruel's claws. Another rather interesting request comes to Heron by a rich merchant who wants to know who started the fire of the Great Library of Alexandria 97 years earlier as Caesar burnt his ships in the famous battle.

Add a conspiracy by the religious Cult of Ur, and twists and turns end up putting Heron and Sephoria's life in mortal danger. What will Agog do with all the war machines? Will Alexandria rebel against Rome?

Narrated from the third person point of view this is an interesting take on alternative historical fiction genre. Unfortunately, I was not drawn into the characters, nor did I believe the narrative. The plot needed work, for I lost interest soon enough. By the time we realize where the story is going, most people will have put the book down--I like to read so I had no trouble finishing it. There are too many inconsistencies-- there are no ha'pennies in Roman times--and the writer seems to flip from the past to the present in her references.

As an admirer of pure historical fiction, I found it an interesting read in spite of the many errors and shortcomings...

[Alyssia Cooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fires of Alexandria is an alternate history with light fantasy elements - focussed on the science and steampunk elements more than traditional fantasy - that takes you into ancient Alexandria a hundred years after the Great Fire of Alexandria in 48 BC. Set around real people and real events, this twists and turns into something new and unexpected as inventor and engineer Heron of Alexandria finds 'himself' set in the middle of a mystery whilst desperately trying to clear debts that threaten to overwhelm. I say 'himself' because Heron himself is long dead and his sister is playing the part to avoid losing the shop and the business.

There's a lot going on here. There's a lot of characters, a lot of detail and description and a lot of sub-plots. By and large it works and everything comes together well, although sometimes the pacing suffers for it. The characters are largely well done, although only a handful of the characters really manage to come to life on the page. That's enough by and large, although some of the lesser utilised characters did feel flat and I struggled to engage with them even when they were suddenly incredibly important to the plot.

I can't comment on historical accuracy as this is a period of history that I know virtually nothing about. My entire knowledge probably comes from brief snippets in Jodi Taylor's time travelling chaotic misfits in the Chronicles of St. Mary's. I liked the way the world came to life though, particularly with Heron's miracles and the use of religion and superstition throughout the novel. The narrative moved along well though with the two key narrative threads being the mystery of the century old library fire and Heron's mission to create steam powered weapons for a strange barbaric visitor. It was perhaps a little deus ex machina at the end, but made for entertaining reading nontheless.

All in all, an interesting historical novel with fantasy flavouring perhaps being the best description. It's a well written tale and one that plays with ancient technology and progress, gender roles and deception whilst delivering an intriguing narrative with mostly engaging characters. I'll be interested in seeing where it goes and have put the second book on my watch list.

[Doug · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a student of history and thoroughly enjoy alternate history books. However, Fires of Alexandria is sorely lacking in important areas. Having read many alternate history books, I find the authors appear to do a great deal of research and keep the details as close to historically accurate as possible. Even though these same authors change up battle outcomes or reverse the outcomes of wars, there is still plausibility to their plots/story. I found that Carpenter appeared to have done very little research and should have spent more time on details to have made this book more readable.
Further, there were so many plot twists that the story seemed to be all over the place. You have a Suebian King assisting a Greek woman (posing as a man) to battle the Romans in Alexandria, and a conspiracy by the religious cult of Ur. These elements may have worked, however, they did not flow together seamlessly and caused the story to ramble on unnecessarily in some parts.
I am an avid reader, so had no trouble finishing the book. I found the concept interesting, but the storyline weak.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story set in a time I had never read about. A woman engineer designs and devises several "mechanics" both to demonstrate "miracles" at local temples, war machines etc.
Supposedly the best but bad luck and sabotage seems to plague her left and right. If this is not complicated enough add in a tax collector constantly raises the amount due and is trying to enslave her niece , a nasty drug habit, a strange benefactor that has tasked her to find out who started the library fire a century before and a barbarian/Northerner who is tasking her to build a bunch of war machines.
Too many different stories that take the reader so many ways not sure which way you are supposed to be heading.
I like the general premise but found it lacking completion of any train of thought. I normally like Alt History especially where a woman is a strong character.
It is part of a series so perhaps more is ironed out throughout the series but as a stand alone it is limited.