Clio Griffin, an out-of-work academic with an attitude and a tendency toward sarcasm, travels to England to interview for a last-chance job--as the pet historian for an antiquarian group who hope to use her to build the reputation of the local saint--Alban, the first Christian martyr of Britain.
No sooner does she arrive than the saint, dead for seventeen centuries, starts talking to her--out loud. The voice is hard enough for Clio to take; her mother, in her final illness, had lost touch with reality, and Clio fears the same fate. When the saint drags her unwilling into the past, to live the lives of people long dead, Clio fights to hold on to her reason. At the same time, in "ordinary" life, she starts to define--and have defined for her--a place in the life of the town. The resident mystic takes a liking to her; when she dies, she leaves everything to Clio. The sexton of the cathedral becomes a malevolent presence who threatens Clio at unforeseen intervals. She falls in love with an Anglican priest on the cathedral staff, who is jealous of the very mystical experiences Clio struggles to deny.
When the the past itself comes to life in Clio's present, in the person of a medieval plague victim who appears in her living room, Clio must choose between her rationalism and her compassion for the dying young man. Her decision lands her in a mental hospital, where she has to confront both the fear of losing her reason and the reality of her experiences.
When Clio gains her release from the psychiatric ward, her psychiatrist, like many others, asks her to pray for him. As she re-enters the community, she finds that other people, whom she doesn't even know, have been taking care of the cottage left her by the mystic. When her employer is injured in an auto accident, Clio's half-believed prayers seem to lead to a miraculous healing.
Throughout the story, past and present are shuffled like two halves of the same deck of cards. With each descent into history, Clio learns about other lives. With each return to the present, she has to make sense of her own life in light of what she's learned.
THE COMMUNION OF THE SAINT (the title is a paraphrase of a line from the Apostle's Creed) is a novel of past and present, skepticism and belief.
The story question: how does a modern, skeptical, rational person fit the irrational, the supernatural, into her life and still make some kind of sense of it all?
The answer: not easily.
Our juxtaposedly brief PB.com review, penned a long time ago, was:
An excellent book, congratulations! The story was well thought out, well told, and well read. The descriptions and the religious details were wonderful. Most importantly, the characters were developed expertly, and they were believable.
Ah, to be young again!
How We Would Describe the Book: We would, in the speed round of genre assignation, label this a fantasy. There, whew, we said it. There is an essential religious and spiritual theme, but this is not a preachy New Born affirmation. This is a serious novel about a confused, uncommitted young woman discovering, at time reluctantly, herself and her purpose. Spirituality is incorporated into the tale, as is mysticism, but it is not the point of the book, only a vehicle. If Frodo battles an ancient Sauron it's epic fantasy, so a modern-day gal battling in a creative world of spirits is not?
NARRATION: Wonderful, probably the second best aspect of this podcast. Alan David Justice, whom we shall refer to more familiarly as Alan henceforth, has a marvelous voice. There is a clarity and confidence in it which is alluring, and a sweet sarcastic undertone which adds invigorating impetus to the project. He is the sole reader (soul reader too, but we digress), and varies the diverse character's voices just enough to break the cadence and add depth. A full 20 for his efforts.
EDITING/TECHNICAL ELEMENTS: As always, this is a category where the author starts with a perfect score, and whittles it down actively with faux pas and snafus. Alan does a very nice job with the production elements. He uses rare Gregorian chants to bumper the narration, which is nice icing. There are no serious flaws, but there are a few missed edits or miss-speaks. We'll award 18 points here; strong work.
ORIGINALITY OF STORY: In our ledgers, this is a quintessential category, really a make or break one. Alan meets or exceeds our snooty and often pissy expectations with a truly fresh tale. If we listen to a PB and find ourselves asking us where this dude came up with this stuff, we are pleased. A young woman moves to a place she's out of her element, no biggy. Hearing voices, moving back and forth in time, spirit guides, the effects of chance, and evil ancestors, man, it just keeps enriching itself. A 20-wishin'-we-could-hand-out 5-more score here.
QUALITY OF WRITING: As we have intimated before, there are, on PB.com, authors, people who write words down, and clowns who should have asked at least one other human what they thought of their drivel before posting it up. Alan, we are pleased to say, is a proud member of the first, and only credible group, an author. He weaves the plot lines expertly, never tipping his hand as to where the story is heading, and builds interest and suspense masterfully. Again, where he came up with his ideas is often perplexing, and that's a great treat. There are a few scenes where the writing is a tad weak, but they are quite limited, and detract little from the overall stellar book. We recall times where the protagonist did something less than wisely, which could have been done better, depicting a more insightful character. Also, there were a few segments which were too loosely jointed to the adjacent material, or were too hard to accept, but these were minor, we are fussy. An entirely seperate marvelous part of the writing is the historical detail Alan brings to bare. The details of medival past are rivoting, and reflect an expert craftsman. All told, we'll have to award 18 points.
WOW FACTOR: Alan picks up the full 20 here, making up for the minor flaws sited above. The imagination, power of action, incorporation of religion without being preachy, and the consistency start to finish are impressive indeed, and make us wow for more.
TOTAL SCORE: 96 big ones for this better-not-miss read. So, don't be a stranger Alan David Justice, throw us another tasty bone!
You can find out more about the author at: We could only find info at PB.com. Olly olly oxen free, where is Alan David supposed to be?
Additional useful reviews are found at: http://www.sffaudio.com/?p=2714
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