Review of Stealing Fire

Stealing Fire

Angela Castle,

RoguePhoenixPress,

Rating 3

Reviewed by Christina St. Clair

Stealing Fire reminded me of the myth of the Greek goddess, Persephone, who was abducted by Hades and taken to the underworld. Certainly, the character Penny in Stealing Fire is in a kind of hell, namely an abusive marriage which has stripped her of self-esteem and beaten her down, but there the similarity ends.

I was glad that Penny was rescued by Adalardo and treated like a queen. It seemed a helpful story that might give hope to women who are stuck in physically abusive relationships. I worried, though, that women might do nothing more than fantasize about their rescue by a strong protective kingly hunk, and therefore fail to make real changes in their own lives such as going to a women's shelter, or contacting a women's hotline for abuse such as http://www.thehotline.org which gives a lot of info about domestic violence and has a directory of State agencies who help women.

As an escape fantasy, it moves fast, and has some interesting premises such as the soul-stealing demon, and the portals into other worlds. I wanted more of a sense of place both in Hobart and on the alien planet, though. I wanted more character development too. I found the love scenes, with their explicit sexual details, too graphic for my taste. On the other hand, sex with a beloved partner truly is a beautiful part of living, and all men and women deserve to find a mate with whom they experience wonderful sexual mutuality. The book certainly makes that statement.

Available at Rogue Phoenix Press July 2011.