This is my 4th Michel Faber book; perviously I've read the glorious The Crimson Petal and the White, and its follow up, The Apple a collection of short stories set in this Victorian world, and then I read the very different bizzare but fantastic dystopian novel Under the Skin. The Fire Gospels was sent free from the publishers Cannongate over a year ago and I kept meaning to get to it but for some reason puttine it off. As soon as I picked it up and was 20pages in I was shocked that yet again Faber had created a completely different style of novel.
The Fire Gospel's is a Dan Brown style novel. A young historian travels to Iraq to help them salvage museum articles after the museum had been raided. Whilst their a bimb hits the museum unearthing the discovery of 9 scrolls which had previously been sealed inside a statue. Rather than reporting his discovery he sneaks them out of the country and translates them back at home. He then decides to punbish the scrolls, which turn out to be an account by an unknown disciple of Jesus.
The scrolls reveal Jesus as a more ordinary figure, they also dispel some of the images created of his crucifixtion. The public have mixed reaction to the publication of the book, some desperate to kill the author. And so continues his plight.
This was a easily readable book, and very short and compact. However it didn't amaze me, I would probably only give it 3 stars out of 5. It isn't my usual taste in fiction and unlike Dan Brown didn't manage to have that gripping nature.
1 comment:
I haven't heard of Michel Faber before. His books sound really interesting and I shall add this one to my list.
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