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Omphalos
SIX EPOCHS, TEN LIVES INTERSECTING AT A SINGLE PLACE. 2013: Al Cohen, an American in search of his European heritage.
1944-1946: Friedrich Werner, an officer of the Wehrmacht and later a prisoner of war. His wife Greta, clinging to what remains of her life in war-torn Berlin.
1799: Suzanne de Beaubigny, a royalist refugee from revolutionary France.
1517: Richard Mabon, a Catholic priest on pilgrimage to Jerusalem with his secretary, Nicholas Ahier.
1160: Raoul de Paisnel, a knight with a dark secret walking through Spain with his steward, Guillaume Bisson.
4000 BC: Egrasté, a sorceress, and Txeru, a man on an epic voyage.
Transgressions, reconciliations and people caught on the wrong side of history.
Omphalos. A journey through six thousand years of human history.
1944-1946: Friedrich Werner, an officer of the Wehrmacht and later a prisoner of war. His wife Greta, clinging to what remains of her life in war-torn Berlin.
1799: Suzanne de Beaubigny, a royalist refugee from revolutionary France.
1517: Richard Mabon, a Catholic priest on pilgrimage to Jerusalem with his secretary, Nicholas Ahier.
1160: Raoul de Paisnel, a knight with a dark secret walking through Spain with his steward, Guillaume Bisson.
4000 BC: Egrasté, a sorceress, and Txeru, a man on an epic voyage.
Transgressions, reconciliations and people caught on the wrong side of history.
Omphalos. A journey through six thousand years of human history.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
357 pages, Paperback
First published December 2, 2014
14 people want to read
About the author
Mark Patton
8 books20 followersBorn in Jersey in 1965, Mark studied Archaeology and Anthropology at Cambridge, and completed his PhD at University College London. He was Curator of Archaeology at the Jersey Museum from 1990 to 1993, and has subsequently taught at the Universities of Wales, Greenwich and Westminster. He currently teaches with The Open University.
Mark's published work encompasses both non-fiction (archaeology, historical biography) and fiction. He is the author of three novels, "Undreamed Shores," "An Accidental King," and "Omphalos," all published by Crooked Cat Publications.
Mark's published work encompasses both non-fiction (archaeology, historical biography) and fiction. He is the author of three novels, "Undreamed Shores," "An Accidental King," and "Omphalos," all published by Crooked Cat Publications.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 14, 2024
This is an interesting story. It moves backwards in history and then comes back to the present day. So there are in fact multiple stories and multiple settings. It offers us an explanation for how an historical site came into being.
The stories are fascinating but I do feel a little frustration as I become absorbed in one era / setting just as we move on to the next.
The stories are fascinating but I do feel a little frustration as I become absorbed in one era / setting just as we move on to the next.
December 3, 2014
Omphalos is a beautiful book. Mark kindly provided me with a pre-publication proof copy which I eagerly devoured. I have enjoyed Mark’s writing since coming across Undreamed Shores a couple of years ago (reviewed various places including Goodreads). Omphalos is a more elaborately structured book, peeling layers of history back successively from the present day back to the time of Undreamed Shores, then returning layer by layer to the present day.
The closest analogy I have read is The Source, by James Michener, but Mark achieves here something which in my view is more memorable and more human. The Source tended, despite the author’s efforts, to lose the personal dimension against the grand sweeps and calamities of history. Also it progressed linearly forwards through history rather than giving the sense of diving deep, and then slowly surfacing again. Mark, while still setting his various characters in times of flux and crisis, never allows these settings to obscure personal dramas and interpersonal relationships. Sometimes the links between the layers are obvious; other times there are only little clues in the narrative to spark the connection.
Omphalos explores one of the great themes of human life – what is it that unites us with past generations, and what is it that divides us? The divisions in term of social customs and attitudes are certainly present, but common threads abound. As well as individual emotions and actions, the theme of unity is externalised into aspects of nature, and most obviously into the centrality of the ancient sacred site on Jersey around which these many worlds pivot.
An obvious consequence of the layered structure is that we spend less time with any one person and context. There is a slight frustration here: I wanted longer with each of them. But that sense of "Time’s Winged Chariot hurrying near" is also a theme of the book – as new generations are cut free at birth from the navel of the world, their time is all too short.
Omphalos goes on sale this week: December 5th 2014, to be precise, and there is an online launch on that day. I can thoroughly recommend that you find out for yourself what this book is like. Five stars so far as I am concerned, without a doubt. Hopefully, like me, you will reach the end, lean back with a sigh, and think "ah, what a beautiful book this is."
The closest analogy I have read is The Source, by James Michener, but Mark achieves here something which in my view is more memorable and more human. The Source tended, despite the author’s efforts, to lose the personal dimension against the grand sweeps and calamities of history. Also it progressed linearly forwards through history rather than giving the sense of diving deep, and then slowly surfacing again. Mark, while still setting his various characters in times of flux and crisis, never allows these settings to obscure personal dramas and interpersonal relationships. Sometimes the links between the layers are obvious; other times there are only little clues in the narrative to spark the connection.
Omphalos explores one of the great themes of human life – what is it that unites us with past generations, and what is it that divides us? The divisions in term of social customs and attitudes are certainly present, but common threads abound. As well as individual emotions and actions, the theme of unity is externalised into aspects of nature, and most obviously into the centrality of the ancient sacred site on Jersey around which these many worlds pivot.
An obvious consequence of the layered structure is that we spend less time with any one person and context. There is a slight frustration here: I wanted longer with each of them. But that sense of "Time’s Winged Chariot hurrying near" is also a theme of the book – as new generations are cut free at birth from the navel of the world, their time is all too short.
Omphalos goes on sale this week: December 5th 2014, to be precise, and there is an online launch on that day. I can thoroughly recommend that you find out for yourself what this book is like. Five stars so far as I am concerned, without a doubt. Hopefully, like me, you will reach the end, lean back with a sigh, and think "ah, what a beautiful book this is."
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December 1, 2014I am the author, so will leave reviewing to others!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews