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The Fire Gospel
Theo Griepenkerl is a modest academic with an Olympian ego. When he visits a looted museum in Iraq, looking for treasures he can ship back to Canada, he finds nine papyrus scrolls that have lain hidden for two thousand years. Once translated from Aramaic, these prove to be a fifth Gospel, written by an eye-witness of Jesus Christ's last days. But when Theo decides to share this sensational discovery with the world, he fails to imagine the impact the new Gospel will have on Christians, Arabs, homicidal maniacs and Amazon customers. Like Prometheus's gift of fire, it has incendiary consequences.
The Fire Gospel is an enthralling novel about the power of words to resonate across centuries, and inspire and disrupt in equal measure. Wickedly provocative, hilarious and shocking by turns, it is a revelatory piece of storytelling. "From the Hardcover edition."
The Fire Gospel is an enthralling novel about the power of words to resonate across centuries, and inspire and disrupt in equal measure. Wickedly provocative, hilarious and shocking by turns, it is a revelatory piece of storytelling. "From the Hardcover edition."
208 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2006
35 people are currently reading
1725 people want to read
About the author
Michel Faber
75 books2,106 followersMichel Faber (born 13 April 1960) is a Dutch writer of English-language fiction.
Faber was born in The Hague, The Netherlands. He and his parents emigrated to Australia in 1967. He attended primary and secondary school in the Melbourne suburbs of Boronia and Bayswater, then attended the University of Melbourne, studying Dutch, philosophy, rhetoric, English language (a course involving translation and criticism of Anglo-Saxon and Middle English texts) and English literature. He graduated in 1980. He worked as a cleaner and at various other casual jobs, before training as a nurse at Marrickville and Western Suburbs hospitals in Sydney. He nursed until the mid-1990s. In 1993 he, his second wife and family emigrated to Scotland, where they still reside.
Faber was born in The Hague, The Netherlands. He and his parents emigrated to Australia in 1967. He attended primary and secondary school in the Melbourne suburbs of Boronia and Bayswater, then attended the University of Melbourne, studying Dutch, philosophy, rhetoric, English language (a course involving translation and criticism of Anglo-Saxon and Middle English texts) and English literature. He graduated in 1980. He worked as a cleaner and at various other casual jobs, before training as a nurse at Marrickville and Western Suburbs hospitals in Sydney. He nursed until the mid-1990s. In 1993 he, his second wife and family emigrated to Scotland, where they still reside.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 199 reviews
October 28, 2013
I admire Michel Faber for his random output. His brain a literary pick and mix bag. You can probably just stick your hand in there and twirl it about a bit and not ever be sure what you're going to come out with. This short and easy to read offering stars The unglamorous Theo Griepenkerl. A self indulgent academic who lucks out on an ill fated trip to Iraq and stumbles upon a previously unknown aramaic gospel. Life isnt all sweetness though for as he's stealing the gospels from mosul museum the building gets bombed and back home his girlfriend is bin bagging him in favour of a wildlife photographer.
Poor theo. Well not really. He's singularly self indulgent and unlikeable ( although in truth that just makes him a perfect academic in some ways).
His archaeological find of the century turns out to be quite deadly dull (the narrator of the gospel being as unlovable and uninspired on the literary front as dear old theo). But as with any religious tome transcribed and let loose upon the modern world it generates a lot of press and earns theo a few enemies along the way.
This is not Crimson Petal and the White. It's an off the cuff parody of academia, online reviewers and the publishing world. Is it funny? Well it elicited a minor nose pnff from me but you won't be rolling in the aisles. A diverting way to pass an afternoon but in a Michel Faber book on book face off, the CPatW and Under the Skin would kick this books ass to Golgotha and back.
Poor theo. Well not really. He's singularly self indulgent and unlikeable ( although in truth that just makes him a perfect academic in some ways).
His archaeological find of the century turns out to be quite deadly dull (the narrator of the gospel being as unlovable and uninspired on the literary front as dear old theo). But as with any religious tome transcribed and let loose upon the modern world it generates a lot of press and earns theo a few enemies along the way.
This is not Crimson Petal and the White. It's an off the cuff parody of academia, online reviewers and the publishing world. Is it funny? Well it elicited a minor nose pnff from me but you won't be rolling in the aisles. A diverting way to pass an afternoon but in a Michel Faber book on book face off, the CPatW and Under the Skin would kick this books ass to Golgotha and back.
March 27, 2020
This was a fun, if slight, read, and my introduction to both Michael Faber and the Canongate Myths series. The myth it reinterprets is that of Prometheus, who suffered the daily punishment of having his liver torn out by an eagle for having given fire to humanity. I'm sure you can excavate mythic strands of meaning if you're so inclined, but my experience of this novella was pretty superficial and that was enough to enjoy my brief time with it.
Canadian Aramaic scholar Theo Griepenkerl steals nine scrolls from an Iraqi museum in the wake of a bombing, smuggles them home to Toronto in his luggage, and translates them to discover that they constitute a fifth gospel, the testimony of Malchus, Caiaphas's spy whose ear was cut off during the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
This gospel challenges the other four, and the core story of Christianity, provoking not only great interest throughout the world when Theo publishes it, but also passionate reactions, both positive and negative. Amazon reviews provide an entertaining commentary, e.g. "I haven't read this book yet but I can't wait to read it so I am reviewing it early", but Theo's wild book tour really drives the plot.
The Fire Gospel
Canadian Aramaic scholar Theo Griepenkerl steals nine scrolls from an Iraqi museum in the wake of a bombing, smuggles them home to Toronto in his luggage, and translates them to discover that they constitute a fifth gospel, the testimony of Malchus, Caiaphas's spy whose ear was cut off during the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
This gospel challenges the other four, and the core story of Christianity, provoking not only great interest throughout the world when Theo publishes it, but also passionate reactions, both positive and negative. Amazon reviews provide an entertaining commentary, e.g. "I haven't read this book yet but I can't wait to read it so I am reviewing it early", but Theo's wild book tour really drives the plot.
The Fire Gospel
July 20, 2016
The Fire Gospel attests to Faber’s intelligence as a writer of fiction. The story hinges on the discovery of a set of scrolls in a looted museum in Iraq, which contained the 5th gospel written by a disciple of Jesus named Malchus. On many layers, the novel reads like a parody of the Bible. The protagonist, a linguist and academician, is called Theo (Greek for God), who catapulted to overnight fame when he translated the papyrus scrolls from Aramaic. Interestingly, as the story itself is a startling revelation that shook the bedrock of Christian and Arabic faiths, the novel begins fittingly and ironically enough with John of Patmos’ words of warning against “adding to the prophecy of this Book”. Chapter titles in the novel take on names of Biblical books (Genesis, Exodus, Judges, Acts, Revelations, and Lamentations) and allude to Paul’s prison experience (in the chapter entitled “And His Chains Fell Off From His Hands”, where Theo Griepenkerl was bound by his abductors).
What moved me most was Faber’s plausible depiction of the crucifixion scene on Golgotha – the palpable humanity, ultimate humiliation, and complete loss of dignity of one who was hung on the cross. Faber captured powerfully the participation of the crowd that witnessed the passion of Christ: “All I can say is that there is a joy in seeing a difficult thing achieved…Watching their (soldiers’) exertion, one forgets the evil of the enterprise, and wishes only to add one’s strength to the labor. The soldiers groan, their faces turn red, the laden cross dips back towards the earth, and there is many a man in the crowd who leans his shoulder forward, as it were to share the burden. And many a women also.”
The incendiary devastation wrought by the 5th gospel consumed the world and Theo himself. Maybe I’m over-reading it, but I thought it fascinating that in the Epilogue, Faber seems to take a step back and laugh at himself when he concludes: “We try our best to tell a story, so that others might be led towards Jesus, but Jesus is not a story. He is the end of all stories.” Good book.
What moved me most was Faber’s plausible depiction of the crucifixion scene on Golgotha – the palpable humanity, ultimate humiliation, and complete loss of dignity of one who was hung on the cross. Faber captured powerfully the participation of the crowd that witnessed the passion of Christ: “All I can say is that there is a joy in seeing a difficult thing achieved…Watching their (soldiers’) exertion, one forgets the evil of the enterprise, and wishes only to add one’s strength to the labor. The soldiers groan, their faces turn red, the laden cross dips back towards the earth, and there is many a man in the crowd who leans his shoulder forward, as it were to share the burden. And many a women also.”
The incendiary devastation wrought by the 5th gospel consumed the world and Theo himself. Maybe I’m over-reading it, but I thought it fascinating that in the Epilogue, Faber seems to take a step back and laugh at himself when he concludes: “We try our best to tell a story, so that others might be led towards Jesus, but Jesus is not a story. He is the end of all stories.” Good book.
June 23, 2009
Underwhelming. I like my satire more scathing and my humour, well, funnier.
This book needed to be at least twice as long, with a slower build-up and many more scenes of the damage Theo Grippen's book was causing to the faithful. It needed detail...everywhere, but especially the ending, which frankly left me believing that Faber petered out and/or chickened out.
As it was, I'm left with the thought that The Fire Gospel's real-life editor and publisher must have demanded the plot be sanitized; something akin to what its fictional editor/publisher may have wished they had done to "The Fifth Gospel." There's no other reason for this to be so bland, is there?
Pet peeve: if you're going to make your main character's hometown Toronto, it might be worthwhile to visit. There was absolutely NO recognizable character to the city, and that annoys me no end as a native. Plus, it's just damn lazy. This whole effort felt lazy to me.
This book needed to be at least twice as long, with a slower build-up and many more scenes of the damage Theo Grippen's book was causing to the faithful. It needed detail...everywhere, but especially the ending, which frankly left me believing that Faber petered out and/or chickened out.
As it was, I'm left with the thought that The Fire Gospel's real-life editor and publisher must have demanded the plot be sanitized; something akin to what its fictional editor/publisher may have wished they had done to "The Fifth Gospel." There's no other reason for this to be so bland, is there?
Pet peeve: if you're going to make your main character's hometown Toronto, it might be worthwhile to visit. There was absolutely NO recognizable character to the city, and that annoys me no end as a native. Plus, it's just damn lazy. This whole effort felt lazy to me.
November 25, 2011
Fairy tale? Myth? Legend? Religion? What do thses terms means?
Well, I'm not answering the question. You figure it out. But Faber does deal with the question in this book.
Part modern morality tale, Faber's Canongate volume attacks the play of religion in the media? What play I hear you ask? You mean 24 and its Muslim terrorists?
No, though one of the best sections of the book have a Muslim and Christian working together. I mean the whole Shroud of Turin, Da Vini Code, tomb of Jesus' brother, gospel of Judas thing. Each time something like that comes out it gets news time and magazine covers, yet it doesn't really seem to affect anyone who believes in a certain way, if you know what I mean. It doesn't distrub, I guess is what I'm trying to say.
The title of this book comes from an alternate title to the discovered "Fifth Gospel" which Theo finds, and publishes, more concerned about translation then religion. Reactions vary, and the novel is far more a critque of the media then of religion. If you are reading this and thinking it is anti-Christian or religious, I would still reccomend the book. There is something about the last page of the book. Something that can be taken many different ways. Faber is closer to the Terry Pratchett way exploring religion than the Phillip Pullman.
Actually this book seems to be really about fame and the truth behind the ideas of truth. Which is what the Canongate series seems to be really about.
Think about it. We live in a meida flooded society, at least most of us. Yet, few people can grasp the allusions that flood us everyday. I'm not talking just about Disney version of stories. I'm talking about an Ice Age Christmas (Christ wasn't born then, so how is there Christmas?), a song about irony with examples that are not ironic, comparing any mainstream politican to Hitler, and Lady Gaga's "Judas" song. People don't understand terms like Samson Scenrio, or see a connection to 13 and Christ and his Apostles (forget about Balder). How about the "let's boycott Snapple because there are slaves on the label"? (Ever hear of the Boston tea party?) Here in America, people root for sports teams and do not see or know about the references of the names - Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Sixers (okay, Utah I'll give you. But the Utah Jazz was the New Orleans Jazz). They don't know why the Trojan man is the Trojan man.
Or that Puss in Boots predates Shrek.
The media convinces us that we know more, when in fact we know less. Here in America, for instance, we have Thanksgiving for Black Friday (which I heard a newscaster on the BBC say was named for the traffic. Huh?).
This is what Faber is writing about.
Well, I'm not answering the question. You figure it out. But Faber does deal with the question in this book.
Part modern morality tale, Faber's Canongate volume attacks the play of religion in the media? What play I hear you ask? You mean 24 and its Muslim terrorists?
No, though one of the best sections of the book have a Muslim and Christian working together. I mean the whole Shroud of Turin, Da Vini Code, tomb of Jesus' brother, gospel of Judas thing. Each time something like that comes out it gets news time and magazine covers, yet it doesn't really seem to affect anyone who believes in a certain way, if you know what I mean. It doesn't distrub, I guess is what I'm trying to say.
The title of this book comes from an alternate title to the discovered "Fifth Gospel" which Theo finds, and publishes, more concerned about translation then religion. Reactions vary, and the novel is far more a critque of the media then of religion. If you are reading this and thinking it is anti-Christian or religious, I would still reccomend the book. There is something about the last page of the book. Something that can be taken many different ways. Faber is closer to the Terry Pratchett way exploring religion than the Phillip Pullman.
Actually this book seems to be really about fame and the truth behind the ideas of truth. Which is what the Canongate series seems to be really about.
Think about it. We live in a meida flooded society, at least most of us. Yet, few people can grasp the allusions that flood us everyday. I'm not talking just about Disney version of stories. I'm talking about an Ice Age Christmas (Christ wasn't born then, so how is there Christmas?), a song about irony with examples that are not ironic, comparing any mainstream politican to Hitler, and Lady Gaga's "Judas" song. People don't understand terms like Samson Scenrio, or see a connection to 13 and Christ and his Apostles (forget about Balder). How about the "let's boycott Snapple because there are slaves on the label"? (Ever hear of the Boston tea party?) Here in America, people root for sports teams and do not see or know about the references of the names - Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Sixers (okay, Utah I'll give you. But the Utah Jazz was the New Orleans Jazz). They don't know why the Trojan man is the Trojan man.
Or that Puss in Boots predates Shrek.
The media convinces us that we know more, when in fact we know less. Here in America, for instance, we have Thanksgiving for Black Friday (which I heard a newscaster on the BBC say was named for the traffic. Huh?).
This is what Faber is writing about.
October 31, 2014
Interesting premise, about a venal, flawed man who stumbles across a series of perfectly preserved scrolls from Jesus' time, including an eyewitness account of Judas' betrayal and Christ's crucifixion that completely contradict the existing gospels. But the execution is brief and minor, skipping across a lot of key connective material to draw some elaborate but disjointed sketches about the books' reception and its effect on the man who found it. It feels like so much is missing here — any attempt to verify the scrolls, or protect them (the protagonist leaves them unprotected in his fleabag apartment, and the point is made that this is phenomenally insecure, but nothing comes of it), or any attempt for the country where he stole them to reclaim them. The book jumps from the days where the author is a crank doing awkward appearances on local news to the point where he's a mega-bestselling author whose phenomenally gorgeous, capable, accomplished liaison on one of his book-tour appearances sleeps with him apparently just as part of the perks of selling books. (Another character I was sorry to see disappear after one scene—the publisher who first takes on the book back when no one believes in it. What happens to him?) This book feels vaguely satirical, reminiscent of Christopher Moore's Lamb, but while the individual scenes are well-drawn and Faber's writing is terrific, this feels like an aborted novel, a bunch of well-realized but disconnected pieces that don't add up to a whole.
May 13, 2014
"We speak of things that cannot be spoken."
I never really know what to expect from Michel Faber, but whatever he does, he invariably does it well.
In other hands, this story could be (and has been before) turned to long and meandering tales of ancient conspiracy, or eloquent statements about the nature of religion and belief. But for Faber, The Fire Gospel is sharp and funny and spare, poking fun at the modern businesses of publishing and journalism, exposing the inevitable conflict between faith and facts, and even having a laugh at the expense of the murky waters of Amazon reader reviews. He does all this with a broad brush, quick strokes, a sharp wit, and tongue placed firmly in cheek.
On the surface, The Fire Gospel is the story of Theo Griepenkerl, a minor linguistics scholar who happens to make a discovery that could change the Western world as we know it - a few ancient scrolls, written in Aramaic, and detailing the life of Malchus, witness to the final hours of Jesus Christ's life. Malchus, as is turns out, was not a very interesting guy, and neither is Theo. His find, however, becomes a "Fifth Gospel" that sets the world on fire.
The Fire Gospel is such a short book that we don't really have time for some of the deep, complicated storytelling Faber is known for in longer works. The characters are often thin, even to the level of being little more than archetypes themselves, and the plot leaps from point to point while we poor readers scurry to catch up. But here's the thing - for this story, it works, because the point is not really Theo's story or even Malchus' faith-shaking revelations of a Christ more human than we've ever heard of before. The point is that humans are often petty, doubting, fragile creatures...and never more so than when our beliefs are challenged.
For all its wit and humor, The Fire Gospel is a rather thoughtful volume. For being so slim, it still packs a punch and left me thinking at the end - wondering if faith and facts can ever co-exist peacefully, if our symbols can ever stand up to the petty realities of being human...and if this review is making it better, or worse.
"We seek to store understandings...like a madman who would snatch a moonbeam and put it in his purse."
I never really know what to expect from Michel Faber, but whatever he does, he invariably does it well.
In other hands, this story could be (and has been before) turned to long and meandering tales of ancient conspiracy, or eloquent statements about the nature of religion and belief. But for Faber, The Fire Gospel is sharp and funny and spare, poking fun at the modern businesses of publishing and journalism, exposing the inevitable conflict between faith and facts, and even having a laugh at the expense of the murky waters of Amazon reader reviews. He does all this with a broad brush, quick strokes, a sharp wit, and tongue placed firmly in cheek.
On the surface, The Fire Gospel is the story of Theo Griepenkerl, a minor linguistics scholar who happens to make a discovery that could change the Western world as we know it - a few ancient scrolls, written in Aramaic, and detailing the life of Malchus, witness to the final hours of Jesus Christ's life. Malchus, as is turns out, was not a very interesting guy, and neither is Theo. His find, however, becomes a "Fifth Gospel" that sets the world on fire.
The Fire Gospel is such a short book that we don't really have time for some of the deep, complicated storytelling Faber is known for in longer works. The characters are often thin, even to the level of being little more than archetypes themselves, and the plot leaps from point to point while we poor readers scurry to catch up. But here's the thing - for this story, it works, because the point is not really Theo's story or even Malchus' faith-shaking revelations of a Christ more human than we've ever heard of before. The point is that humans are often petty, doubting, fragile creatures...and never more so than when our beliefs are challenged.
For all its wit and humor, The Fire Gospel is a rather thoughtful volume. For being so slim, it still packs a punch and left me thinking at the end - wondering if faith and facts can ever co-exist peacefully, if our symbols can ever stand up to the petty realities of being human...and if this review is making it better, or worse.
"We seek to store understandings...like a madman who would snatch a moonbeam and put it in his purse."
Read
October 10, 2018An interesting what-if? little novel on the subject of a gospel written by someone who actually knew Jesus (and who flatly contradicts a number of details found in the canonical gospels) as translated and brought into the present by a Canadian academic of sorts who is wholly unprepared for what happens once the book is published. Lots of contemporary fanaticism and bandwagoning, Amazon listings, book tours, threats, etc. The ending is sufficiently ambiguous to allow each reader to conclude according to her/his own personal levels of optimism/pessimism.
April 11, 2009
Very disappointed in this book; it had immense potential for a scathing commentary on current media marketing and religious lassitude. Unfortunately, the characters were rather pat (loser breaking up with his girlfriend, nutty Christians) and there was little else to offer. The plot moves quickly, but takes some rather unbelievable jumps. Also, the "translations" offered by the main character of the Book of Malchus simply don't read well. The problem is, if Faber intended this as a wry commentary on translation, it doesn't come across as such. Rather, it simply comes across as another somewhat hollow portion of text. Worth reading only for the good ideas inside and wondering who (maybe you?) could have done better.
January 3, 2015
Well, that was kind of lame.
December 13, 2022
I've known him as a writer with a slowburn premise and plot, and loves to introspect on things like loss and grief. This novel is the perfect opposite — it is satirical, ironic, and very very short. It doesn't deliver the first impression I have of him.
The book was okay though. If you are interested in a humanized Jesus, you can take this one a shot.
The book was okay though. If you are interested in a humanized Jesus, you can take this one a shot.
November 18, 2019
3.5 stars.
April 26, 2011
I purchase this over the Christmas period as a present to myself, after liking the review, and because it was going for such a bargain price. As soon as I'd done that, I squirreled it away in the archives and forgot all about it.
I'd previously been reading my way through The Diviner's Tale by Bradford Morrow, and was feeling soggy and saturated by the time I'd reached the end and as I was looking for something short and cheery I felt this Fire Gospel might just be the thing to dry me out and warm me up a bit.
Except that by the time I'd started to read it I'd completely forgotten what the story was supposed to be about. Therefore, as books have always been a serious matter for me, that's the way I took it.
Seriously.
It would doubtless come as no surprise to seasoned readers to discover that I found myself splurting and coughing not long after starting the book, but it came as a considerable surprise to a greenhorn like me. It happened to me one morning when all-of-a-sudden I sneezed over my morning cuppa, spraying a mist of tea and Canderel Sweetener all over my Kindle screen. Oh dear!
Yet it was a nice surprise to be expecting a cold sandwich, only to find that the dish had been flambéd by the waiter, right in front of my eyes and at no extra cost. The book set off a sequence of small explosions in my psyche which danced like jumping jacks - cracking and leaping and yet hopping back to snigger at you when you thought the show was over.
Theo (our hero) had wanted (and won) fame and fortune, having landed himself a gorgeous, slim and highly seductive lady who now manages his affairs as well as acting as his care-giver awho gives him as much sex as he wants; she's also a highly successful literary agent who can pleasure him with a spare eye glued to her wristwatch whilst monitoring total sales volumes. One hand pleasures him (sexually), and the other one acts as nanny and mouth mopper:
"Jennifer, still talking, jammed her cellphone between her jaw and shoulder, and extracted a small item from her jacket pocket. She handed him what at first appeared to be a condom foil but proved, when torn open, to contain a moist towelette."
At one point the selfsame "wife" must needs produce a gun to protect her charge. It appears as if from nowhere from her slender person before slickly returning to its source: "She had already returned her weapon to wherever she’d concealed it before. Theo couldn’t imagine a cavity in her snugly tailored clothing where a hunk of steel could be stashed away without causing a bulge, but it was done."
Yet for me the killer chapter was the one where the Amazon reviews are scanned by our hero, giving delightful examples of pig-ignorant attitudes to books and reading:
"If you read the King James (per) version you won’t see the name Yahweh and if you don’t see it you can’t call it and therefore can’t be saved. Clever! So, in conclusion, read this book for the information but beware the traps and pitfalls. Satan’s hand is all over it."
and the one which creased me up until my chest ached and I was left gasping:
"I haven't read this book yet but I can't wait to read it some I am reviewing it early. The other people on Amazon who say don't read it are brainwashed stooges of the Catholic religion, which has been sexually abusing children for 100's of years. Who needs it? I already LOVE this book."
Left breathless, I can only add gaspingly: "If this book jaundices your opinion about Amazon reviews, give thanks you're not reading this review on it"
Wackily delightful, I award it five stars.
But not to amazon because they've got 16 of them already.
I'd previously been reading my way through The Diviner's Tale by Bradford Morrow, and was feeling soggy and saturated by the time I'd reached the end and as I was looking for something short and cheery I felt this Fire Gospel might just be the thing to dry me out and warm me up a bit.
Except that by the time I'd started to read it I'd completely forgotten what the story was supposed to be about. Therefore, as books have always been a serious matter for me, that's the way I took it.
Seriously.
It would doubtless come as no surprise to seasoned readers to discover that I found myself splurting and coughing not long after starting the book, but it came as a considerable surprise to a greenhorn like me. It happened to me one morning when all-of-a-sudden I sneezed over my morning cuppa, spraying a mist of tea and Canderel Sweetener all over my Kindle screen. Oh dear!
Yet it was a nice surprise to be expecting a cold sandwich, only to find that the dish had been flambéd by the waiter, right in front of my eyes and at no extra cost. The book set off a sequence of small explosions in my psyche which danced like jumping jacks - cracking and leaping and yet hopping back to snigger at you when you thought the show was over.
Theo (our hero) had wanted (and won) fame and fortune, having landed himself a gorgeous, slim and highly seductive lady who now manages his affairs as well as acting as his care-giver awho gives him as much sex as he wants; she's also a highly successful literary agent who can pleasure him with a spare eye glued to her wristwatch whilst monitoring total sales volumes. One hand pleasures him (sexually), and the other one acts as nanny and mouth mopper:
"Jennifer, still talking, jammed her cellphone between her jaw and shoulder, and extracted a small item from her jacket pocket. She handed him what at first appeared to be a condom foil but proved, when torn open, to contain a moist towelette."
At one point the selfsame "wife" must needs produce a gun to protect her charge. It appears as if from nowhere from her slender person before slickly returning to its source: "She had already returned her weapon to wherever she’d concealed it before. Theo couldn’t imagine a cavity in her snugly tailored clothing where a hunk of steel could be stashed away without causing a bulge, but it was done."
Yet for me the killer chapter was the one where the Amazon reviews are scanned by our hero, giving delightful examples of pig-ignorant attitudes to books and reading:
"If you read the King James (per) version you won’t see the name Yahweh and if you don’t see it you can’t call it and therefore can’t be saved. Clever! So, in conclusion, read this book for the information but beware the traps and pitfalls. Satan’s hand is all over it."
and the one which creased me up until my chest ached and I was left gasping:
"I haven't read this book yet but I can't wait to read it some I am reviewing it early. The other people on Amazon who say don't read it are brainwashed stooges of the Catholic religion, which has been sexually abusing children for 100's of years. Who needs it? I already LOVE this book."
Left breathless, I can only add gaspingly: "If this book jaundices your opinion about Amazon reviews, give thanks you're not reading this review on it"
Wackily delightful, I award it five stars.
But not to amazon because they've got 16 of them already.
February 2, 2009
**********Spoiler Alert*********
This book had so much potential and it let me down. Faber is great with description and even though I did not like the book his writing kept me moving along. I know that the book is fictional, yet I was not able to believe the premise of the story and did not care for the character. First I had a problem with the fact that he happened to be an expert in Aramaic who finds these lost gospels in Aramaic after in explosion in an Iraqi museum and then he is able to smuggle them out of Iraq in his brief case through at least 2 check points into Canada. Then he is able to translate the text within a week and he happens to be an atheist. Now that may not sound like a bad start to a book, but everything happened so fast and easy. He then tries to shop the idea of the Gospels for a book, and publishers turn him down except for a small publisher that advances him $250,000 for content that could be life changing and generate so much interest because it is the find of the century. Throughout the whole time, Theo does not worry about or mention the fact that he stole the gospels and someone might want to sue him or kill him to get them back. He just goes about his life reading reviews from Amazon, which Michel Faber actually writes some reviews in the book about the Fire Gospels. Theo goes about thinking about his ex-girlfriend, sleeps with one of his publishers escort, and does signings at Borders and Barnes & Noble. Jump to the end, he is held captive by a Christian and a Muslim who think that these Gospels will lead people to Judaism. So they make Theo say that he made it all up so that people will not believe the book. Oh, he keeps these 2,000 year old scrolls in his apartment unattended without the proper precautions to handle these rare and ancient scrolls. While he is held captive, Theo's mind wanders without any real thought to his own mortality. No serious discussion is made into the impact that his finding has had on the whole of the population of believers and non-believers. My girlfriend also pointed out the clever use of the name "Theo" as in Theology for the main character. I could have seen this book go in so many directions and wished that it did.
This book had so much potential and it let me down. Faber is great with description and even though I did not like the book his writing kept me moving along. I know that the book is fictional, yet I was not able to believe the premise of the story and did not care for the character. First I had a problem with the fact that he happened to be an expert in Aramaic who finds these lost gospels in Aramaic after in explosion in an Iraqi museum and then he is able to smuggle them out of Iraq in his brief case through at least 2 check points into Canada. Then he is able to translate the text within a week and he happens to be an atheist. Now that may not sound like a bad start to a book, but everything happened so fast and easy. He then tries to shop the idea of the Gospels for a book, and publishers turn him down except for a small publisher that advances him $250,000 for content that could be life changing and generate so much interest because it is the find of the century. Throughout the whole time, Theo does not worry about or mention the fact that he stole the gospels and someone might want to sue him or kill him to get them back. He just goes about his life reading reviews from Amazon, which Michel Faber actually writes some reviews in the book about the Fire Gospels. Theo goes about thinking about his ex-girlfriend, sleeps with one of his publishers escort, and does signings at Borders and Barnes & Noble. Jump to the end, he is held captive by a Christian and a Muslim who think that these Gospels will lead people to Judaism. So they make Theo say that he made it all up so that people will not believe the book. Oh, he keeps these 2,000 year old scrolls in his apartment unattended without the proper precautions to handle these rare and ancient scrolls. While he is held captive, Theo's mind wanders without any real thought to his own mortality. No serious discussion is made into the impact that his finding has had on the whole of the population of believers and non-believers. My girlfriend also pointed out the clever use of the name "Theo" as in Theology for the main character. I could have seen this book go in so many directions and wished that it did.
March 13, 2011
This is a short novel at 224 pages, but I think the story lends itself well to the size and you don't at any point feel that the narrative is moving on too quickly or isn't developed enough. The story covers an academic who, whilst visiting war torn Iraq to try and look after some of the artefacts, discovers by chance some scrolls. Worrying for their safety, and with his personal life in turmoil, he steals them. When he begins working on the translation of the stolen scrolls he finds that he has something very important - the work of someone who actually met Jesus and was there at the crucifixion. Having nothing to lose he decides to publish his translation and the book continues following the story of the publication and publicity.
This is almost the 'antidote' to Dan Brown in that it is remarkably down to earth and the character of Theo is a typically befuddled and undramatic academic as he stumbles through all of the events, often making bad decisions, and often confused by the responses to his work. Although following a sensationalist idea, it is handled with just the right amount of realism and I kept having to remind myself that it was a work of fiction.
This is almost the 'antidote' to Dan Brown in that it is remarkably down to earth and the character of Theo is a typically befuddled and undramatic academic as he stumbles through all of the events, often making bad decisions, and often confused by the responses to his work. Although following a sensationalist idea, it is handled with just the right amount of realism and I kept having to remind myself that it was a work of fiction.
August 10, 2015
I really liked this book. I wanted to really love it. It had all the hallmarks of the sort of philoso-satire I tend to enjoy. The idea of an earnest, if a little duplicitous, academic causing a history-exploding breach in the world's major (and most troublesome) faiths is awesome. "The Fifth Gospel," the newly-discovered and translated Aramaic book-within-the-book that starts all the hubbub is both funny and humane. The satiric skewering of fanatics (of both the religious and Dan-Brown-loving variety) is snort-aloud funny.
But then, it kind of just . . . ended. The story was complete, I suppose, but the denouement came all in a rush and I was like "wait, that's it?" Maybe I wanted it to be longer because I was enjoying beleaguered (and bewildered) Aramaic scholar Theo's nutty adventures in publishing enormously. But it felt more novella than novel, and I felt a bit cheated of potential deeper content. Leave 'em wanting more doesn't always leave 'em entirely pleased.
But then, it kind of just . . . ended. The story was complete, I suppose, but the denouement came all in a rush and I was like "wait, that's it?" Maybe I wanted it to be longer because I was enjoying beleaguered (and bewildered) Aramaic scholar Theo's nutty adventures in publishing enormously. But it felt more novella than novel, and I felt a bit cheated of potential deeper content. Leave 'em wanting more doesn't always leave 'em entirely pleased.
January 16, 2011
Fifty percent of the way through this book, I just started skimming it. The main character is not particularly sympathetic, and there's no one else really of note in that time, and the plot itself is pretty well-trodden. The myth it's supposedly based on doesn't really make an appearance in that half, either -- I normally like the Canongate series, at least as light reading, but really, not a fan of this one.
It isn't exactly fast-paced, and there's more than a whiff of male wish-fulfilment surrounding the main character's night with Jessica, given that in the morning after he makes it clear he doesn't consider himself attractive and has little confidence to make up for the unattractiveness.
Just... not worth it, to me.
It isn't exactly fast-paced, and there's more than a whiff of male wish-fulfilment surrounding the main character's night with Jessica, given that in the morning after he makes it clear he doesn't consider himself attractive and has little confidence to make up for the unattractiveness.
Just... not worth it, to me.
January 25, 2009
I went into this book with very high expectations because I simply adored Michel Faber's book The Crimson Petal and the White. This book didn't disappoint at all. It's a thin book, which is rather nice because TCPATW is such a dense and meaty read. Yet Faber's writing just pulls you right into the story from the beginning.
I highly recommend this.
I highly recommend this.
October 2, 2020
çevirisi, hikayesi ve anlatımı ile o kadar kötü bir kitap ki harcadığım zamana üzüldüm. bu konu ve tema daha iyi yazılabilirmiş hissiyatı veriyor sadece
April 7, 2024
I'll read anything from Michel Faber. Don't need to know what it's about ahead of time -- he's won my trust as a quality writer, although his books are often uncomfortable for me as a person of faith. It's good to be challenged, as he does.
This book follows a researcher's meteoric rise to fame after his discovery and translation of scrolls written by none other than Malchus -- the servant whose ear was cut off by Jesus's follower Peter, as recorded in all four gospels. What do Malchus's new revelations, and his faith, mean for Christians today? Can his words be trusted? What's in it for this researcher? Are some things just meant to remain hidden?
I especially enjoyed the "Amazon reviews" of The Gospel of Malchus. They felt real and represented a wide spectrum of reactions to a "new gospel" being found.
It's a fairly short book, and I think the story could have used a bit more filling out. It felt rather flat. My least favorite of Faber's so far. Yet it still gets stars, and a recommendation. :-)
This book follows a researcher's meteoric rise to fame after his discovery and translation of scrolls written by none other than Malchus -- the servant whose ear was cut off by Jesus's follower Peter, as recorded in all four gospels. What do Malchus's new revelations, and his faith, mean for Christians today? Can his words be trusted? What's in it for this researcher? Are some things just meant to remain hidden?
I especially enjoyed the "Amazon reviews" of The Gospel of Malchus. They felt real and represented a wide spectrum of reactions to a "new gospel" being found.
It's a fairly short book, and I think the story could have used a bit more filling out. It felt rather flat. My least favorite of Faber's so far. Yet it still gets stars, and a recommendation. :-)
January 13, 2025
Read in one, long, sitting. I wanted to read this straight after The Book of Strange New Things to see where Faber likes to go with Christianity, but it’s a whole other direction.
Theo, a world-leading expert in Aramaic, happens upon nine papyrus scrolls in Mosul. They turn out to be the never-before-seen ‘Fifth Gospel’: a contemporary witness account of the final days of Jesus, written by Malchus, and predating the others. Theo takes them home, translates them, and scores a book deal.
It’s literally blasphemous - hilarious, but awful - and just an adventure at the end of the day. Theo is a piece-of-sh**, and not for his writing, but also just a normal guy way out of his depth. This short-ish book didn’t pretend to capital-m meditate upon the institutions of Christianity and the media, but you see them in action, responding to each other, so it’s interesting.
The only thing that made me cringe, which I also noticed in TBOSNT, was that when Faber includes quotes from disgruntled or stupid characters’ messages (embedded snapshots, kind of), there are too many typos. But then, maybe it’s good for him that he doesn’t know what scrubberish internet writing actually looks like.
Theo, a world-leading expert in Aramaic, happens upon nine papyrus scrolls in Mosul. They turn out to be the never-before-seen ‘Fifth Gospel’: a contemporary witness account of the final days of Jesus, written by Malchus, and predating the others. Theo takes them home, translates them, and scores a book deal.
It’s literally blasphemous - hilarious, but awful - and just an adventure at the end of the day. Theo is a piece-of-sh**, and not for his writing, but also just a normal guy way out of his depth. This short-ish book didn’t pretend to capital-m meditate upon the institutions of Christianity and the media, but you see them in action, responding to each other, so it’s interesting.
The only thing that made me cringe, which I also noticed in TBOSNT, was that when Faber includes quotes from disgruntled or stupid characters’ messages (embedded snapshots, kind of), there are too many typos. But then, maybe it’s good for him that he doesn’t know what scrubberish internet writing actually looks like.
March 16, 2018
3.5 stars rounded up.
Part of the Canongate Myth Series, The Fire Gospel is a modern adaptation of Prometheus. An academic has smuggled a new and unknown gospel out of Iraq and we follow his rise and fall from grace in the hands of the publishing world and Christian fanatics. The main character is painted out to be a materialistic, self-serving man with illusions that he is doing good for mankind.
A quick paced and interesting read. Looking forward to finding more Canongate Myths books!
Part of the Canongate Myth Series, The Fire Gospel is a modern adaptation of Prometheus. An academic has smuggled a new and unknown gospel out of Iraq and we follow his rise and fall from grace in the hands of the publishing world and Christian fanatics. The main character is painted out to be a materialistic, self-serving man with illusions that he is doing good for mankind.
A quick paced and interesting read. Looking forward to finding more Canongate Myths books!
July 23, 2022
Ik had meer verwacht van Faber, veel meer, nadat ik The Crimson Petal and the White en Het Boek van Wonderlijke Nieuwe Dingen heb gelezen. Dit boek kan wat mij betreft daar niet aan tippen, zelfs niet in de buurt komen. Platvloerse taal, slecht uitgewerkt plot, totaal niet passend bij een Bijbels Evangelie. Niet mijn ding. 2 sterren voor het originele thema.
November 28, 2022
Faber pisses me
off, wallowing in hateful
men doing dull things.
off, wallowing in hateful
men doing dull things.
June 15, 2024
This book was about as climactic as I’m sure the sex was for Meredith and Jennifer. It wasn’t.
March 2, 2016
On a trip to Iraq to arrange the loan of antiquities, liguistics scholar Theo Griepenkerl discovers nine perfectly preserved papyrus scrolls that contain the eyewitness account of Jesus' last days and his death. Believing he has just found a goldmine, Theo smuggles the scrolls out of Iraq and publishes their translation. The publication of the translation, which he calls the Fifth Gospel, brings much more than fame and fortune to Theo. The account contradicts some of the information from the Bible and many people are unhappy that it reveals that Jesus was much more human than they believe.
The Fire Gospel is part of the Canongate Myth series. It was inspired by the myth of Prometheus. I found the book to be an interesting satire on the publishing industry and our media driven society. I found myself chuckling in one chapter where Theo, anxious to see how his book is doing, reads through his Amazon reviews. I did not particularly like Theo, but I did find his story very believable. The book made me think a lot about people's reactions to new information and how it can strengthen some people's faith and shatter others. Like other Canongate Myth books that I have read, the novel examined its myth in a new and interesting way, I definitely recommend it.
The Fire Gospel is part of the Canongate Myth series. It was inspired by the myth of Prometheus. I found the book to be an interesting satire on the publishing industry and our media driven society. I found myself chuckling in one chapter where Theo, anxious to see how his book is doing, reads through his Amazon reviews. I did not particularly like Theo, but I did find his story very believable. The book made me think a lot about people's reactions to new information and how it can strengthen some people's faith and shatter others. Like other Canongate Myth books that I have read, the novel examined its myth in a new and interesting way, I definitely recommend it.
June 27, 2016
This was a huge disappointment. It's part of the Canongate myth series; however, it was not a retelling of an old myth. It was a new story about a fifth book of the Gospels, written by Malchus, a former servant of the high priest Caiaphus. Malchus is traditionally believed to have had his ear cut of by Peter, a disciple of Jesus. The manuscript of Malchus has been discovered by a scholar who goes through difficult times after he convinces a publisher to read his book. I'm disappointed because this novel is a story about Theo the scholar more than it is a retelling of a myth. For sure, the shock of the book via a translation of the discovered account is its portrayal of a very human death, rather than a divine Son of God. But this has been explored and done better than Faber does it. For a better book from the series regarding Jesus, you should instead read Pullman's, THE GOOD MAN JESUS AND THE SCOUNDREL CHRIST.
November 14, 2020
The basic plot of The Fire Gospel is that the lead character Theo finds some scrolls by questionable means and translates them, to find that they are a lost account of the times of Christ. He publishes and people react to it in varying ways.
Given how much I like Michel Faber it pains me to score this so low, but for me this book was a miss. There is a great kernel of an idea here, that could have spiraled out in many strange and different directions, but instead was much less interesting. This feels like a short story that is padded out to novella length, which may be why it doesn't sit well with me. I think, perhaps if it had gone in more extreme directions it may have worked better for me, but as it stands it feels a little lukewarm.
If you haven't read Michel Faber then I'd suggest starting with The Book of Strange New Things, The Crimson Petal and the White, or (for fans of poetry) the phenomenal and heartbreaking Undying.
Given how much I like Michel Faber it pains me to score this so low, but for me this book was a miss. There is a great kernel of an idea here, that could have spiraled out in many strange and different directions, but instead was much less interesting. This feels like a short story that is padded out to novella length, which may be why it doesn't sit well with me. I think, perhaps if it had gone in more extreme directions it may have worked better for me, but as it stands it feels a little lukewarm.
If you haven't read Michel Faber then I'd suggest starting with The Book of Strange New Things, The Crimson Petal and the White, or (for fans of poetry) the phenomenal and heartbreaking Undying.
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