A vivid, provocative and memorably unconventional portrait of one of Christianity’s bogeymen and an invigorating look at the...
Herod the Great, serving time in Hell, tells the story of his life in the latest novel from Smith (Confessions of a Presidential Speechwriter, 2014, etc.).
One of the worst villains of the New Testament, King Herod, tries to do penance in one of the lower reaches of Hell by telling the story of the “soap opera” of his own life—including stories of his elaborately crazy family members and of famous Romans and Judeans (including a certain Yeshua, son of Joseph and Mary). In his infernal afterlife, Herod has infinite time to think about his legacy. He reflects on the fact that the Gospels will forever link him to the “slaughter of the innocents,” in which he ordered the deaths of every male child up to 2 years old. Herod fiercely contests these written records, however, including those originating long after his death; he’s well-aware of how Hollywood has portrayed him as well. From his perspective, he gave his people a golden age: “I aggregated the largest kingdom the Jews would ever occupy,” he tells readers. “I negotiated my way through the Roman civil wars and provided the Jews with more freedom throughout the Roman Empire than they had at any other time.” In 21 chapters packed with well-researched details, Smith crafts a work of wry, postmodern historical fiction that grows stronger as it develops, taking in not only Herod’s descendants and heirs, but also the entire history of Christianity. (Highlights include some spirited contributions by the spirit of Henry VIII, who’s also serving time in Hell.) The plot structure allows Smith to use a full range of time periods and colorful characters; his portrayal of the dynamic between Antony and Cleopatra is especially well-done. However, to his credit, he makes sure that his loud, imperious Herod is always firmly at center stage.
A vivid, provocative and memorably unconventional portrait of one of Christianity’s bogeymen and an invigorating look at the history of Christianity itself.Pub Date: Dec. 4, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4918-2949-3
Page Count: 448
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: March 10, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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