"Hand of Isis" by Jo Graham (Orbit)

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Hand of Isis
Jo Graham
528 pp. Orbit. $14.99
Pub. Date: 3/23/2009
ISBN-13: 978-0316068024

Reviewed by Paul Stotts

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Queen Cleopatra.

She’s different things to different people; where Egyptian mythology meets flesh and blood. A Guardian of Egypt, Protector of its People, and an incarnation of the Goddess Isis. A lover, mother, friend, and sister. A shrewd politician and savvy negotiator, smart, sassy and driven.

And dead for over two thousand years.

So how do you breathe life back into someone that’s been dead for so long? How do you recapture a time that even the dust has forgotten? These are the questions historical fantasies struggle with, the questions they must answer to have any chance at being successful novels. Making history come alive is like scaling Mount Everest: difficult. Pain-in-the-ass difficult.

It’s difficult since modern readers often can’t relate, and don’t wish to. So you have to dress the history up, letting it show a little skin, making it sexy and appealing for the MTV generation. Resurrecting the past is like re-animating a corpse. One needs a little bit of Dr. Frankenstein in them, mad scientist hair aflutter, screaming to the heavens “It’s Alive”, in order to pull it off.

If Hand of Isis is any indication, Jo Graham must have oodles of Dr. Frankenstein oozing from her pores. Because Hand of Isis doesn’t feel like a history lesson; it’s not dry, dusty and stifling, not a dead legacy as fresh as two-dead old Texas roadkill. It’s not a museum piece, mummified behind glass, reeking of decay. No, this novel lives. And it’s a magnificent monster. So ruffle your hair, and scream with me, quickly before the villagers come: It’s ALIVE!

The story is told from the first-person perspective of Charmian, handmaiden, half-sister and childhood best friend—along with another half-sister Iras—with Cleopatra. Together they form a powerful triumvirate, the Egyptian equivalent to the Three Musketeers, each one a symbol and incarnation of the Goddess Isis, each one indispensable. They are three sides of the same coin, three faces of the same nation.

Choosing Charmian as the narrator of the story was a perfect choice by Graham. Historical fantasies work best when the narrator is not the main historical figure, but rather an observer with access to said figure’s inner circle. If Hand of Isis had been told from Cleopatra’s perspective, most of her characterization would have been lost, because Graham defines and delineates Cleopatra mainly through her relationships with the other characters. We would not see Cleopatra the Queen or Cleopatra the mother from her perspective as well as we can from the eyes of Charmian. Royalty and being regal is an attribute best observed, not explained.

It helps that Charmian is also a strong and appealing main character. The narration would suffer if her personal story wasn’t as interesting as her observations of Cleopatra.

Graham brings Egypt to life with impressive skill, too. Alexandria feels modern and fresh, a worthy consort of Rome. Most importantly, the city doesn’t feel dead; it doesn’t feel like a tomb. The Great Pyramids, mummies and death rituals are not the prevailing imagery. This is an Egypt where life reigns supreme. And it’s gorgeous to behold.

I’ll admit I’m not a fan of historical-based fantasies. But I’m a fan of this book. Vivid to behold, like a spring meadow bursting with flowers, Hand of Isis enthralls.

Final Grade: 83 out of 100