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The fantasy genre has its roots in the oldest legends of mankind. From Gilgamesh defeating Humbaba to the fall of Troy and Odysseus' journey back to Ithaka, these early stories of civilization have long held a fascination for mankind. Harry Turtledove and Noreen Doyle have commissioned fourteen stories set during the Bronze Age for the anthology The First Heroes. Given the length of the Bronze Age, however, the stories span a vast period of time and point out that the Bronze Age didn't end simultaneously across the world.

The anthology is bookended by time travel stories by Gene Wolfe ("The Lost Pilgrim") and Poul Anderson ("The Bog Sword"). Not only are these stories connected by the crosstime aspect the authors bring, but while Wolfe looks at the end of the Copper Age and the introduction of bronze, Anderson's story is set when bronze is beginning to give way to iron. In both cases, the characters must deal with similar situations arising from the introduction of a new technology.

Other technological advances are shown in Brenda Clough's Chinese story "How the Bells Came from Yang to Hubei" and Judith Tarr's "The God of Chariots." Both these stories have elements of fantasy as well as the feel of science fiction for their manner of dealing with technological advances. S.M. Stirling's "Blood Wolf," which is part of his Nantucket through time series, also looks at the introduction of technology, although Stirling is more interesting, in this tale, with the clash of cultures.

The book contains several straight fantasy tales, perhaps the most obvious is Turtledove's own "The Horse of Bronze," which details a world of mythical beings. In this tale, centaurs are trying to find the secret of tin so they can make their own bronze, and discover something much more alarming. Gods also play roles in many of the fantasies, for the indigenous stories from the period provided a large role to deities.

Tarr's aforementioned story incorporates the gods on earth in a realistic manner, and Josepha Sherman's "A Hero for the Gods" looks at the gods and mortals in a very human light.

Noreen Doyle's tale is of the life of a man, Ankhtifi the Brave, who looks back on his life in Egypt with great nostalgia, which is weakened only by the unsympathetic manner in which a younger Ankhtifi is portrayed. Similarly, the characters in Karen Jordan Allen's "Orqo Afloat on the Willkamayu" are not particularly likable, but the story serves as a reminder that while the Bronze Age may have ended throughout Europe and Asia, it clung on in the Americas for much longer.

The two most experimental pieces both work well, although also both benefit from multiple readings. Gregory Feeley's "Giliad" is set in the modern day and somehow successfully ties in a computer simulation, September 11th, life in Mesopotamia and writing a novel. While it first appears disjointed, subsequent readings more clearly show how well everything fits together. The other experimental piece is Larry Hammer's "The Myrmidons," which is a humorous take on the great warriors of antiquity and is given its power from the fact that Hammer has returned to the form of epic poetry to relate the tale.

The stories which make up The First Heroes are well written and interesting. Most of the authors manage to successfully capture the magic of the epic poems which inspired these stories, whether the works of anonymous Mesopotamians or the more famous Homers and Vergils. These new tales of the Bronze Age also provide a nice change of pace from the Medieval based fantasy so often found in the genre.

Steven H Silver is a four-time Hugo Nominee for Best Fan Writer and the editor of the anthologies Wondrous Beginnings, Magical Beginnings, and Horrible Beginnings (DAW Books, January, February and March, 2003). In addition to maintaining several bibliographies and the Harry Turtledove website, Steven is heavily involved in convention running and publishes the fanzine Argentus.