Title: The Popes’ Book: A Novel
Author: C. F. Gayetty
Publisher: C. F. Gayetty
ISBN: 978-1-7360385-1-2
Pages: 495
Genre: Historical Fiction
Reviewed by: Jason Lulos
Hollywood Book Reviews
The Popes’ Book is an epic disguised as historical fiction. Reading this novel conjured themes from Paradise Lost, John Gardner’s Grendel, and even Gregory Macguire’s Wicked. Getting the villain’s perspective is a fantastic and provocative way of looking at a narrative or mythology from a totally different perspective. This is the case with The Popes’ Book. In this brilliantly written and imaginative novel, we follow a modern-day man, Marinus, as he negotiates his way through life being pulled by his own humanity and Satan’s influence. Satan is portrayed (or portrays himself) as a rational supreme being contrary to God’s selfish need for obedience and insistence on the usefulness of religion. This novel is an inventive deconstruction in the sense that not only does it reverse the protagonist/antagonist hierarchy (from God/Satan to Satan/god), but in doing so, it reveals pros and cons to each perspective. Satan is quick to point out the war and violence committed in the name of religion but he shows himself to be equally destructive in his attempts to reestablish paganism as the guiding mythos of the world.
Marinus is born in 1890. He is the descendant of many eponymous ancestors, dating back to St. Marinus, a Deacon of the 4th century. Throughout Marinus’s struggles, he recalls passages from a book titled Pontifices Enim Tantum “For Popes Only”. This is “the popes’ book” and was left, and presumably authored by none other than Satan himself. Historically reserved for popes only, the book is under threat of destruction, and so it goes to Marinus for safekeeping. As Marinus recalls a passage, the reader is directed to an addendum appendix at the back of the novel. These passages include the origin of the Universe, a much different version from Satan’s perspective and the evolution of Christianity and Satan’s attempts to squash it in favor of paganism. This was a brilliant way to structure the novel, mixing Marinus’s narration with Satan’s version of supernatural and worldly events.
Marinus leads a fascinating life as the pawn of supernatural forces, with numerous occupations while traveling the world. His story alone is a saga. But combining it with Satan’s “popes’ book” and tying it all to world events like wars and global warming and historical figures makes it come alive even more.
Put simply, this is an entertaining story. It has very good writing with provocative perspectival twists, but what makes this novel really intriguing are the thoughts this reversal provokes. Getting the villain’s perspective: Is he still villainous? Definitely. But does his version shed any “light” on the traditional story and world events? The reader can decide. In terms of character, themes, structure, storytelling, and writing, The Popes’ Book gets high marks. For fans of historical fiction, religious interpretation, hermeneutics, magical realism, or fantasy, grab a copy of The Pope’s Book.