The Fire Gospel (The Myths) - Hardcover

Faber, Michel

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1847671837 ISBN 13: 9781847671837

Publisher: Canongate U.S., 2009

Synopsis

Theo Griepenkerl, a Canadian linguistics scholar, is sent to Iraq in search of artifacts that have survived the destruction and looting of the war. While visiting a museum in Mosul, he finds nine papyrus scrolls tucked in the belly of a bas-relief sculpture: they have been perfectly preserved for more than two thousand years. After smuggling them out of Iraq and translating them from Aramaic, Theo realizes the extent of his career-making find, for he is in possession of the Fifth Gospel, and it offers a shocking and incomparable eyewitness account of Christ’s crucifixion and last days on Earth. Nakedly ambitious and recently dumped by his girlfriend, Theo sets out to share his discovery with the world in the form of a headline-grabbing U.S. book tour. Caught in the throes of his newfound fame, Theo fails to consider the global and cultural ramifications his discovery will have with God-fearing folks and religious zealots worldwide. Like Prometheus’s gift of fire, Theo’s book has incendiary consequences. A hugely entertaining, and by turns shocking story, The Fire Gospel is a smart, stylish, and suspenseful novel by the celebrated author of The New York Times best seller The Crimson Petal and the White.

About this title

Book Description:

'What he did for the Victorian novel in The Crimson Petal and the White Faber now does for the bestselling books du jour.' Guardian

From the Back Cover:

'A thriller of a story.'
The Times

'The satire is so entertaining, the pace so sharp, the writing so witty . . . it's effortless to consume.'
Observer

When Theo Griepenkerl happens upon the fifth Gospel in a war-torn Iraqi museum, he can't believe his luck. Driven by greed and a lust for fame, he capitalises on his find by publishing it. His book is a sensation. But he can hardly imagine the incendiary consequences his discovery will have for Christians, Arabs, homicidal maniacs and Amazon customers alike.

The Fire Gospel is a brilliant piece of storytelling, dazzlingly outrageous and utterly gripping.

'Faber's latest bristles with tightly edited ideas . . . This is a lean, controlled, instantly engrossing book.' *****
Financial Times

About this edition

• Publisher: Canongate U.S.
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1847671837
• ISBN 13: 9781847671837
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 213