Previous SFF Author: Ian Graham
Jo Graham writes historical fantasy. She lives in Maryland. Her influences as a writer are Mary Renault and James Michener, both of whom wrote novels about places and situations unusual for most readers. Graham’s interest in ancient Greece began in high school, when she read The Aeneid in Latin. Read an excerpt of Black Ships at Jo Graham’s website. Read Kelly’s interview with Ms Graham.
Click here for more stories by Jo Graham.
After being enchanted by Jo Graham’s debut novel Black Ships and her new novel Hand of Isis, I had some questions for Jo Graham:
Kelly: One of the ways I can tell I’ve been truly captivated by a work of historical fiction is that I get the mad urge to go out and learn the real history behind the story! So, of course, I’ve been looking up Charmian, with extremely limited success. How much is actually known about her?
Jo Graham: There isn’t much —
There’s nothing I love so much as sinking into a big fat book that combines the sweep of history with a dash of magic. This book is an adaptation of The Aeneid, from the point of view of the Sybil who, in the poem, guides Aeneas through the underworld.
She’s a lot more fleshed out here. Her name is Gull, later known as Linnea and as Pythia, and jumps off the page from the very beginning of chapter one with a self-introduction that reminded me a bit of Phèdre’s at the beginning of Kushiel’s Dart.
Kelly Lasiter, Ruth Arnell and Terry Weyna´s rating: 4, 5 | Jo Graham | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
I loved Black Ships, and I didn’t know if Jo Graham could top it. The answer, I am happy to report, is a great big YES!
Hand of Isis continues the story of some of the characters from Black Ships who have now been reincarnated as players in the Egyptian-Roman power struggle. You don’t need to read Black Ships first, but you’ll probably get more out of Hand of Isis if you do.
Kelly Lasiter and Ruth Arnell´s rating: 3, 5 | Jo Graham | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Ever had a meal that was absolutely exquisite, but the portion was so small that your stomach was still rumbling afterward? My experience with Stealing Fire was much like that.
Jo Graham’s Numinous World series is best described as “historical fantasy” and revolves around a core group of characters who are reincarnated at various points in history. The protagonist of Stealing Fire, Lydias of Miletus, lived previously as Gull in Black Ships,
Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4.5 | Jo Graham | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Previous SFF Author: Ian Graham
Thanks for the kind words, Marion! Coming as they are from a professional writer, they are much appreciated!
Wonderful review, Sandy.
The "body count" bothered me a bit less because being dead seemed more like an inconvenience than anything else... unlike…
Detailed, thoughtful review, Bill. I'm going to read it for two reasons. First, Karen Russell wrote it, and second, it…
this sounds like a fun one