Hand of Fire by Judith Starkston > Likes and Comments

Hand of Fire by Judith Starkston, set during the Trojan War, could fill 2026 category #18, "A love story that defies social boundaries" or possibly 2026 category #39 "A book with a character who runs a marathon." Have you read it? Do you want to read it? Do you think it fits these categories? Do you see any other challenge categories it might fit? Do you have any questions for the author?

Hi everyone in the Ultimate Popsugar reading challenge discussion thread. I’m Judith Starkston, author of Hand of Fire (and 5 other novels). Nadine and I ended up talking about Hand of Fire and whether it would be a good fit for this reading challenge. She invited me to participate in a discussion for anyone who decides to read it. So, what is Hand of Fire about and why read it?

Here’s a short book description:
A legendary war, an invincible warrior, a woman forced to defend her family, her realm, and her independent spirit. Will she become the captive or the captor? Briseis struggles to protect her city, an ally of Troy, from marauding Greeks and her husband’s arrogant violence. She finds strength in visions of a handsome warrior god until he appears before her in flesh and blood. When Briseis raises a sword against the mighty Achilles, she ignites a passion that threatens to betray everyone she holds dear. Hand of Fire gives voice to Briseis, a pivotal but silenced woman of the Trojan War.

Hand of Fire is about women in crappy circumstances who find resilience in themselves and in community with other women. It’s set within the world of Greek mythology and the Trojan War. I find both the distance in time and being slightly outside the “real” world add an entertaining quality to the story and make approachable ideas and situations that would be too much (for me anyway) in a contemporary setting. Being immersed in a long-ago world both softens, and deepens, what I feel and understand from my characters as I write—and what I hope you’ll find as readers.

There is a love story in this book, but not a conventional romance with two people living happily ever after at the end. For the 2026 challenge it fits category #18, "A love story that defies social boundaries." (I will humorously offer it also as fitting #39 about marathons, given Achilles’s fame as a Greek distance runner, but that’s tongue-in-cheek.)

I was trying to find the book in audio. I would like to read it but must have audio. Is there a chance for an audio version?

Jackie wrote: "I was trying to find the book in audio. I would like to read it but must have audio. Is there a chance for an audio version?"

Hi Jackie, I'm sad to say there isn't an audio of Hand of Fire at this time. I understand how much easier it is with an audio book.