SEE THE SPARROW FALL THE CONQUEST
OF CANADA
FARMERS MARKET VERUS AND THE GRAND ASSEMBLY
OF BELIEVERS
ROUGHING IT
IN THE BUSH
UNDER ENEMY EYES

HOME AUTHOR &
LETTERS
BOOK INFO
thesink.ca

VERUS

and the Grand Assembly of Believers

Review: “A Stimulating Fantasy”

“Verus, the main character, is a street beggar who speaks only Latin and claims to be an ancient Roman. The sophisticated Verus, through a fortuitous encounter with a high school Latin teacher who becomes his translator, quickly becomes known to a curious wider world and an assortment of Latin-speaking intellectuals. Although set in the future, the novel features characters that seem realistically historic, including Pope Innocent XIV and Gregory. Gregory, a Catholic monk and a top official in the Vatican, is a closet atheist. The dialogue between Verus, Gregory, Innocent, and others propels the plot forward.

While the story line is clearly a fantasy, this isn't so much a fantasy novel as a fanciful, yet serious meditation ... The reader is prompted to contemplate the structure of human values, human motivations, and especially, human potential.

The theme of the novel seems to be that all moral corruptions are equally vicious. But can they be overcome? Can an uncorrupt homo mirabilis be created? That's the question with which Verus and his interlocutors wrestle, certainly a timely thought to ponder. It's the basis for a fast-paced plot that reprises the fierce, age-old contest between Athens and Jerusalem, between reason and faith /.../

The novel's undertone is clear: our future will be coarse and brutal to the degree we remain polarized and uncompromising. Since neither God nor science nor politics can explain all things, we have one big choice in life: whether or not to trust one another.

If all this seems heavy going, it's not. The story is written in an uncluttered style reminiscent of Ursula LeGuin, but with a sharper, more satirical edge. For example, the voluptuous Bibi keeps the high-minded philosophical discussions between the male characters grounded in base human instinct, a nod no doubt to the temptations to which contemporary political and religious impresarios so easily succumb.

The characters are rich, vibrant, and contemporary, as well as historically realistic. The moral debates are deep, yet accessible and escapist. Verus is a rewarding book that should appeal to readers who enjoy a thought-stimulating fantasy.”

5.0 out of 5 stars,
Amazon.ca customer review

Return to VERUS AND THE GRAND ASSEMBLY
OF BELIEVERS