“A man accused by the Inquisition holds up engagement with the world as the antidote to a religion of death. Apply these lessons where and when you will; they’re widely relevant.” —Julie Leonard, Troubadour Books

“What makes this so powerful is its timelessness. That’s what is so compelling about such works as The Crucible or, for that matter, Shakespeare. It has the feel and texture, of the later work of Brian Moore, especially Black Robe and The Statement and some of the raw simple power of Kazantzakis. Impressive writing!” —Bill Albert, Castle Garden and Desert Blues

“A magnificent book; breathtaking in every aspect—poetic, meditative, discursive, suspenseful, even magical. The sentences seem not to have been written so much as crafted—those exquisite Latinate constructions! —-each a perfect lens for seeing the world, even with its extreme follies and depravity, as a place of wonder.” —Joanna Higgins, A Soldier’s Book

“An original, brilliant, elegant writer who calls to mind Stendhal, Proust, Ford Madox Ford, Mann, Gide, and Camus. So many ideas abound: like silence in the midst of horror, which is of contemporary relevance. There is horror matching Silence of the Lambs, and suspense you might find in something as accessible as Treasure Island. A stunning achievement.”
—Robert Reich, What Are We Doing in Latin America?

“The scene in which the factor kills and butchers the lamb is one of the most horrific scenes I've ever read. It's interesting that the author chooses to humanize the evil factor, instead of demonizing him, the way Cormac McCarthy does with the judge in Blood Meridian. It makes the story more believable somehow.” —Stephen March, Catbird

“This reminds me a bit of The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder. Very spare, literary, intellectually stimulating yet also a meditation on action, too, and raises questions of faith and guilt. This was a pleasure to read and so far ahead of the fiction weighing the tables at Barnes & Noble.” —Charles Smith, I-State Lines