Hephaistion

Ideologically "Stealing Fire" sits in the "Alexander great hero and Hephaistion his almost as heroic bosom companion" camp and makes a great contrast with another historical fiction series I have been enjoying recently, Tyrant by Christian Cameron whose Alexander and Hephaistion form a "power mad leader/cowardly arrogant second" pair to remember too.

"Stealing Fire" by Jo Graham (Reviewed by Liviu Suciu) Liviu 2010

Other main characters are Bagoas the famously beautiful eunuch companion of Darius and then Alexander, Artashir a Persian noble and officer in Alexander's army, Thais the infamous Athenian hetaira of the Susa Palace torching fame and long time companion of Ptolemy and of course Alexander and Hephaistion as above.

"Stealing Fire" by Jo Graham (Reviewed by Liviu Suciu) Liviu 2010

He is a character you cannot help but root for and both his actions in the present of the novel and his reminiscences of the past show a "honorable" person who essentially worships his benefactor and later commander Hephaistion and by extension Alexander too, while being respectful as half-Greek/half-"barbarian" of Alexander's new companions of the East like Bagoas or his comrades in arms like the Persian Artashir.

"Stealing Fire" by Jo Graham (Reviewed by Liviu Suciu) Liviu 2010

Then, there was the question of how to honestly portray Alexander's lifelong male crush -- Platonic and erotic -- on Hephaistion, which was notable even at the time.

11/22/2004 2004

As for the bisexuality, Fox says the historical accounts certainly support the love relationship between Hephaistion and Alexander.

11/22/2004 2004

Alexander's contemporaries appear to have remarked upon his excessive mourning and elaborate funeral arrangements for dear, recently dead (probably from typhoid) Hephaistion.

11/22/2004 2004

Where Alexander may have differed was that his affair with Hephaistion was lifelong and between men of roughly the same age.

11/22/2004 2004

Alexander is said to have mooned around the palace for weeks, cut off his hair and hair from the manes and tails of his horses, and declared that Hephaistion would be worshiped as a divine hero ....

11/22/2004 2004

Jared Leto is a bit too simple and blue-eyed but he still looked great as a Hephaistion loaded down with Eastern clothes from different parts of Alexander's empire.

dream of Howl imomus 2005

Obviously Hephaistion is important, and is the reason that Alexander dies, but their relationship could have been shown without the creepy gay undertones to get the same effect at the end.

REVIEW: Alexander 2004