A thrilling blend of literary drama and theological inquiry.
An unconventional monk rises to power in the 10th and 11th centuries, igniting a political struggle that abides even after his death.
Father Gerbert is a priest, a charismatic teacher whose unorthodox theological leanings, especially regarding the nature of human reason, flirt with heresy. Nevertheless, he is as ambitious as he is brilliant. Over time, he garners a reputation for being the “greatest teacher in Christendom” and becomes the tutor of young Prince Otto, soon to become emperor. Gerbert, though, amasses many enemies, partly as a result of his philosophical impertinence, partly because of his participation in political intrigues, but mostly because of his illicit relationship with Laila, an Islamic woman, a romance that bears children. Nevertheless, Gerbert ascends to the papacy, taking the name Sylvester, after a predecessor. Mustin chronicles Gerbert’s life by way of an ingenious plot—his closest friend, Father Zosimus, is asked to deliver the now deceased Gerbert’s diary to Pope Benedict, though it is in such a scattered state, Zosimus asks for time to prepare it and add his own reflections. However, Gerbert’s archenemy, Archbishop Arnulf, who considered Gerbert a “servant of the Great Opposer,” conspires to steal the diary. The bulk of the novel is the diary, including addenda composed by Theodore, a priestly scribe, who helps protect the manuscript from Gerbert’s enemies. The author’s complex portrait of Gerbert is utterly fascinating—he emerges as a troubled but holy man struggling to navigate the distance, if there really is any, between the temporal and the eternal. Zosimus candidly discusses not only his greatness, but also his “darker colors,” vulnerabilities that make Gerbert a memorably real protagonist. Further, the entire work thoughtfully and provocatively raises important questions about the true meaning of Christ’s teaching.
A thrilling blend of literary drama and theological inquiry.Pub Date: April 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64764-576-2
Page Count: 254
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 6, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Sure to enchant even those who have never played a video game in their lives, with instant cult status for those who have.
The adventures of a trio of genius kids united by their love of gaming and each other.
When Sam Masur recognizes Sadie Green in a crowded Boston subway station, midway through their college careers at Harvard and MIT, he shouts, “SADIE MIRANDA GREEN. YOU HAVE DIED OF DYSENTERY!” This is a reference to the hundreds of hours—609 to be exact—the two spent playing “Oregon Trail” and other games when they met in the children’s ward of a hospital where Sam was slowly and incompletely recovering from a traumatic injury and where Sadie was secretly racking up community service hours by spending time with him, a fact which caused the rift that has separated them until now. They determine that they both still game, and before long they’re spending the summer writing a soon-to-be-famous game together in the apartment that belongs to Sam's roommate, the gorgeous, wealthy acting student Marx Watanabe. Marx becomes the third corner of their triangle, and decades of action ensue, much of it set in Los Angeles, some in the virtual realm, all of it riveting. A lifelong gamer herself, Zevin has written the book she was born to write, a love letter to every aspect of gaming. For example, here’s the passage introducing the professor Sadie is sleeping with and his graphic engine, both of which play a continuing role in the story: “The seminar was led by twenty-eight-year-old Dov Mizrah....It was said of Dov that he was like the two Johns (Carmack, Romero), the American boy geniuses who'd programmed and designed Commander Keen and Doom, rolled into one. Dov was famous for his mane of dark, curly hair, wearing tight leather pants to gaming conventions, and yes, a game called Dead Sea, an underwater zombie adventure, originally for PC, for which he had invented a groundbreaking graphics engine, Ulysses, to render photorealistic light and shadow in water.” Readers who recognize the references will enjoy them, and those who don't can look them up and/or simply absorb them. Zevin’s delight in her characters, their qualities, and their projects sprinkles a layer of fairy dust over the whole enterprise.
Sure to enchant even those who have never played a video game in their lives, with instant cult status for those who have.Pub Date: July 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-32120-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2022
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BOOK REVIEW
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PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
Young Starla is an endearing character whose spirited observations propel this nicely crafted story.
Crandall (Sleep No More, 2010, etc.) delivers big with a coming-of-age story set in Mississippi in 1963 and narrated by a precocious 9-year-old.
Due in part to tradition, intimidation and Jim Crow laws, segregation is very much ingrained into the Southern lifestyle in 1963. Few white children question these rules, least of all Starla Caudelle, a spunky young girl who lives with her stern, unbending grandmother in Cayuga Springs, Miss., and spends an inordinate amount of time on restriction for her impulsive actions and sassy mouth. Starla’s dad works on an oil rig in the Gulf; her mother abandoned the family to seek fame and fortune in Nashville when Starla was 3. In her youthful innocence, Starla’s convinced that her mother’s now a big singing star, and she dreams of living with her again one day, a day that seems to be coming more quickly than Starla’s anticipated. Convinced that her latest infraction is about to land her in reform school, Starla decides she has no recourse but to run away from home and head to Nashville to find her mom. Ill prepared for the long, hot walk and with little concept of time and distance, Starla becomes weak and dehydrated as she trudges along the hot, dusty road. She gladly accepts water and a ride from Eula, a black woman driving an old truck, and finds, to her surprise, that she’s not Eula’s only passenger. Inside a basket is a young white baby, an infant supposedly abandoned outside a church, whom Eula calls James. Although Eula doesn’t intend to drive all the way to Nashville, when she shows up at her home with the two white children, a confrontation with her husband forces her into becoming a part of Starla’s journey, and it’s this journey that creates strong bonds between the two: They help each other face fears as they each become stronger individuals. Starla learns firsthand about the abuse and scare tactics used to intimidate blacks and the skewed assumption of many whites that blacks are inferior beings. Assisted by a black schoolteacher who shows Eula and Starla unconditional acceptance and kindness, both ultimately learn that love and kinship transcend blood ties and skin color.
Young Starla is an endearing character whose spirited observations propel this nicely crafted story.Pub Date: July 2, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4767-0772-3
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
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