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Creation
a novel
702 pages
A sweeping, intellectually ravenous journey across the ancient world that wrestles with the origins of the universe and the follies of empires.
What it feels like
Reading this novel feels like sitting in a shaded Athenian courtyard, listening to a brilliant, slightly cynical elder statesman recount the golden age of philosophy and empire. The narrative unfolds at a leisurely, deliberate pace, prioritizing grand ideas and political maneuvering over sword-swinging action. It is a sweeping, slow-moving tapestry of human thought, weaving together the opulent courts of Persia, the quiet ashrams of India, and the riverbanks of Cathay. The prose is elegant and sharp, laced with a dry, worldly irony that keeps the heavy philosophical inquiries into the nature of evil feeling vibrant and urgent. This is a book that delights intellectually ravenous readers who want their historical epics steeped in profound debate, cultural collision, and the timeless weight of history.
- Mood
- contemplative
- sweeping
- intellectual
- majestic
- Tone
- wry
- erudite
- cynical
- philosophical
- ironic
- Pace
- leisurely
- Themes
- the search for meaning · the nature of evil · clash of civilizations · the illusion of power · religious inquiry
- The writing
- Elegant, sharp, and deeply researched, the sentences are laced with a dry, worldly wit and a formidable intellectual rigor.
- The arc
- The journey shifts from the ambitious, wide-eyed curiosity of a young diplomat to the weary, wry resignation of a blind elder reflecting on a lifetime of unanswerable questions.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave immersive, idea-driven historical fiction where philosophical debates and political intrigue take precedence over battlefield action.
Content notes
- war violence
- political assassination
- slavery
About the book
"The hero-narrator, Cyrus Spitama, grandson of the prophet Zoroaster, is brought up in a fifth-century B.C. Persian court and educated with his closest friend, Xerxes, who is destined to become master of the empire that stretches from India to the Mediterranean. As an ambassador for Xerxes, Cyrus embarks on journeys far beyond the boundaries of the known world, seeking wealth and trade routes.".
"Creation witnesses a blind and aged Cyrus relating to his grandson the tales of his astonishing travels and encounters. On his extensive missions to Cathay and India, Cyrus seeks not only riches and political gains for his monarch but also the answers to the questions that dominate his life: How was the universe created, and why was evil created along with good?
His quest brings him to the park in India to which the Buddha has retreated, to the riverbank in Cathay where he fished with Confucius, and finally to the shaded courtyard in Athens where a young stonemason named Socrates comes to repair his wall, and where Cyrus will live the last days of his life.
And in this restored edition of Creation readers will find material, left out of the original edition, that further elaborates on the lineages of the major figures in the book - most notably the kings Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes - and the conspiracy, duplicity, and intrigue that surround their ascent to power, as well as an expanded account of the Battle of Sardis."--BOOK JACKET.
Description from Open Library.
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