The Firebrand is written from the point of view of Kassandra, the prophet daughter of King Priam of Troy, and also features other prominent characters from Greek mythology.

Reviews of the book ranged from mixed to positive, with many literary critics praising Bradley's ability to give new characterizations to legendary figures.

[5][6] Kassandra recounts her life experiences at Troy and Colchis,[7] how she came to balk at the gender roles dictated by Trojan culture, and her inner turmoil over whether she should be serving the Goddess or Apollo.

[27] Early in the story, Bradley writes that Paris' main character flaw is "a total lack of interest in anything that did not relate to himself or contribute in some way to his own comfort and satisfaction.

When consulted, a priestess of the Great Goddess tells Hecuba and her husband, King Priam, that the dream indicates she will birth a son who will bring destruction to Troy.

However, Hector and his other brothers, jealous of the attention and achievements Paris has suddenly garnered, suggest that he be sent abroad to treaty with King Agamemnon—who holds Priam's sister.

Zeus of Dodona, give heed to this gift I send you from me and my family- Agathon son of Ekhephylos, the Zakythian family, Consuls of the Molossian and their allies, descended for 30 generations from Kassandra of Troy.

Marion Zimmer Bradley's previous novel The Mists of Avalon was a re-telling of the Arthurian legend from the point of view of Arthur's antagonist, Morgan le Fay.

[34] For instance, in The Firebrand the Kentaurs are depicted as a nomadic tribe of short, naked riders of horses rather than as the half-human, half-horsemen legends traditionally portray.

[37] She decided to re-envision legends from a female perspective, and said that she had an interest to "hear more about the human realities" surrounding well-known stories, but did not believe this constituted a feminist writing style.

[38] In an interview with Lisa See of Publishers Weekly, Bradley said she viewed the Trojan War legend as an example of masculine culture dominating and obfuscating female viewpoints and contributions.

Breen was knowledgeable about ancient Greek history and language; according to Bradley he persuaded her to use linguistically correct transliterations of the characters' names, such as Akhilles rather than the commonly known form Achilles.

[41][42] In the original story found in the Iliad, female characters receive little attention; although they are often crucial to progressing events, they have no developed identities of their own, and are instead defined by motherhood, wifehood, and sisterhood.

On ancient Greek pottery she is depicted as half naked with long, wild hair,[44] and William Shakespeare's 1602 play Troilus and Cressida characterizes her as an insane woman.

[46] After the Akhaians use the Trojan Horse to enter Troy, the Aeneid and other accounts relay how Cassandra is raped by Ajax,[47] is taken captive by Agamemnon, and is later killed with him by his angry wife Clytemnestra.

[53][54] The Firebrand employs similar themes to Bradley's other works,[39][55] including the reversal of gender roles where "women are the true heroes" while the "proud, arrogant" men who lead Troy to doom "fail to invoke the reader's sympathy".

[62][63] In The Firebrand, Bradley introduces feminist ideals by equating the patriarchal culture with oppressive tendencies;[15] perceived to have been scorned by the male god Apollo, Kassandra is not believed by Trojan citizens because of her gender.

[12] In her entry for Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Review Annual, Mary-Kay Bray wrote that Bradley's account makes these traditional heroes seem more human and flawed, even if they are also less admirable.

[68] While neo-paganism lacks a singular definition, many followers have come to define it as a primitive, matriarchal religion that flourished in Western Europe, centered on the worship of a "Mother Goddess", and became largely decimated by Christianity.

"[23] Bradley's Penthesilea tells a young Kassandra, "But remember, child: before ever Apollo Sun Lord came to rule these lands, our Horse Mother—the Great Mare, the Earth Mother from whom we all are born—she was here.

Readers are told that Python—a female snake deity and symbol of the Goddess—was slain by the Hellenistic Apollo, representing the destruction of feminine social, political, and religious power.

[15] Bradley writes of the power of women in many of her works, including The Mists of Avalon and the Darkover series,[76] and The Firebrand continues this by depicting Kassandra in an idealized world; the Amazons follow the Earth Goddess but are slowly dwindling in the wake of the patriarchal "male warrior pantheon of Gods.

"[41] The Library Journal said readers should familiarize themselves with Greek mythology before beginning the novel, and said the author "makes a strong statement about the desirability of women having control of their own destinies and about the cruelties men inflict upon them.

"[82] Kirchhoff wrote that The Firebrand contained too many similarities to Bradley's previous novels, saying, "the interlarding of old story and feminist ideology seems forced," though he praised her "flesh-and-blood" depiction of the men associated with the legend.

[82] Vicki McCash of the Sun Sentinel commended the novel for making the legendary characters "breathe and feel" and for giving a "refreshing" twist to the ancient story.

"[83] McCash said that male readers might be troubled by the negative portrayals of their sex, but that Bradley attempted to avoid this by inputting a few sympathetic men such as Aeneas, and several evil women such as Klytemnestra.

"[84] A reviewer for the English Journal praised the novel and found one of its main strengths is "its ability to entertain the reader with characters who are basically faithful to their origins in the Iliad, yet at the same time rounder, fuller, and more personally engaging.

"[85] The reviewer wrote the Bradley "fleshes out the stereotypes on which the characterization in the epic poem rests—the cold calculating Achilles; crafty, gregarious Odysseus; frustrated Cassandra—with convincing dialogue which not only carries the plot but gives reference to other events both mythical and historical.

"[85] The English Journal also said that "Bradley tempers the bitterness and cynicism of Homer's Cassandra, presenting instead a woman confused and tormented by knowledge on which she is powerless to act.

"[86] Bradley's works have received praise from feminist critics, who have particularly lauded her ability to portray multidimensional women as "revered conduit[s] of nature-based religion and mysticism" as seen with the character of Kassandra.