Kenogaia

by David Bentley Hart

The genre of the modern Gnostic novel encompasses an especially eclectic range of works. With this book—a fantasy by turns dark, absurd, comic, frantic, and lyrical—David Bentley Hart joins a company that includes figures as diverse as Georges Bernanos, Anatole France, David Lindsay, Philip K. Dick, Patrick White, Umberto Eco, William Gaddis, Harold Bloom, Jorge Luis Borges, Vladimir Nabokov, John Crowley, and Philip Pullman. In Kenogaia, a clockwork universe, an oppressive global society of ever-present surveillance, and the coming of age of its protagonist, Michael Ambrosius, are all disrupted by the arrival of a mysterious child from beyond the stars. Modeled on the Gnostic Hymn of the Pearl, Hart’s tale is an imaginative exploration of the relation between good and evil, the difference between reality and illusion, the struggle to live life in truth, and the nature of spiritual existence. In these pages, Hart emerges as a master of mythopoesis even while spinning out a rollicking full-on adventure about friendship, loyalty, and the rescue of true goodness from a universe darkened by delusion.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Philosophy, Religion, Novels, Literature, Spirituality

434 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 6, 2021

About the author

David Bentley Hart, an Eastern Orthodox scholar of religion and a philosopher, writer, and cultural commentator, is a fellow at the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study. He lives in South Bend, IN.

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who Should Read this Book: Readers who enjoy a good story, readers who enjoy books that make them think and especially readers who appreciate a combination of those two things.

What is the Big Takeaway: The best theologians can write good fiction.

And a quote - “Orthodoxy is a humble half-truth exalted to the majesty of a total falsehood” (136)

With this book, David Bentley Hart moves from my list of favorite theologian to my list of my favorite authors. The former is a list of the scholarly types whose writings appeal to a specific small subset of humanity who takes on the task of working through such heady works. While Hart was on the former list, he has always defied it. His best writings have been his books of essays which defy easy categorization (The Dream Child’s Progress, The Hidden and the Manifest, A Splendid Wickedness). With this novel, he moves to the latter list, my list of authors who are a pleasure to read regardless of what they are writing.

I am not sure what other writers are on Hart’s level today, possessing the ability to write theological or philosophical tomes and then turn around and give us imaginative novels that are both page-turners and deeply thoughtful.

This does make me think that the best theologians are the ones with imagination. I would include Marilynne Robinson, George MacDonald and C.S. Lewis on this list (I am tempted to throw Tolkien on there too). Imagination in writing is not just about writing fiction, but about writing enchanting books that speak to both heart and mind. Last year I dove into Russian sophiologist Sergius Bulgakov and his theology was enchanting (and I suppose, the translator gets some credit here). Of course, you get plenty of beauty in some of the early church fathers as well. Maybe the point is simply that I have developed a great distaste for any sort of theology that reads like a systematic outline. Its boring.

Give me something imaginative and fun.

I seem to recall writing something similar to all of this in my review of Hart’s Roland in the Moonlight last spring. These might just be my two favorite books by Hart and both are beautiful, enjoyable, enchanting and imaginative.

Kenogaia is a fantasy story. It has elements familiar to popular fantasy, taking place in a world familiar to ours but also a bit different, a world where magic may be (is) real and there are supernatural beings at work. I could see readers who would never pick up some of Hart’s other books, readers who only read fiction, enjoying this one. It is a bit more challenging, as Hart employs a wide vocabulary, than a typical popular level fantasy story. Yet nothing here is too difficult for the average reader. I’d say if you can handle Lord of the Rings, you could handle this.

In the story Michael Ambrosius’ father is arrested by the sinister world government due to his questionable beliefs and research. Shortly after this Oriens shows up, a divine being who has come from the land far beyond this universe in search of his sister who is being held captive. Oriens and Michael set off to find and rescue her, along with Michael’s friend Laura.

Kenogaia is a retelling of the ancient Gnostic poem the Hymn of the Pearl. Portions of the hymn head up each part of the book. For anyone interested, Hart has recently written about Gnosticism on his substack. He argues that “Gnostic” has become a pejorative term thrown out to describe anything one does not agree with. The ancient Gnostics were much closer in thought to the writers of the New Testament. There are certainly differences between ancient Gnosticism and mainstream Christianity, but they are not as stark as we think.

Actually It’s Good podcast - DBH interview on Gnosticism - https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/...

Article - https://davidbentleyhart.substack.com...

Those familiar with Hart will find expected themes here. For example, Oriens has no patience for the idea of suffering in some sort of unending hell (or Hel, in this story):
“No good creator could allow such an end, even for the sake of freedom. And how could it be freedom anyway? No creature could truly be free whose choices could lead to such an end. They would be choices made int eh darkness of ignorance and fear . . . Delusion. Eternal suffering could never be anything but a work of vengeful, cruelty - especially from a creator whose world is so flawed that its children die of incurable diseases” (135).

Overall, this is a beautiful and thoughtful book while also being a page-turner. Hart’s description of eternal bliss at the end is deeply moving. I’ve always said my favorite description of heaven in fiction is Lewis’ The Last Battle. I am not sure I’d call what Hart is speaking of here as “heaven”, but it is a vision of the afterlife. Hart’s vision is one of continual progression towards beauty, goodness and bliss (which is in line with Gregory of Nysa among others).

Finally, Hart’s view of evil (or let’s just say, “the bad guys”) is refreshing. Oriens mentions frequently early on that he does not think his antagonists are all that smart. The evil forces here certainly have power, but their defeat reveals them to be almost comical. Rather than leaving the characters, or the readers, with feelings of vengeance we are left with hope that even the worst evils can eventually be redeemed. That said, this theme also pops up in the new Spider Man movie, so maybe such hope is becoming more commonplace.

Do we want our villains and enemies annihilated or redeemed?

I’m sure a never ending hope for redemption would be seen as naive by a lot of people. Yet such hope is at the core of the gospel and, when done with skill and imagination, makes for a brilliant story.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kenogaia is a moving tale about Michael Ambrogius, an inquisitive boy from Oreiotopia, and his loyal friend Laura, as they embark on a grand adventure with a mysterious and wise boy called Oriens. Recently arrived in stunning fashion from another world, Oriens relies on Michael and Laura to help him navigate through the strange and treacherous world of Kenogaia in pursuit of his long-lost sister. Along the way, Oriens shows Michael and Laura secret truths almost too wondrous to believe, and calls in to question the teachings of the state-run religion. The trio’s grit and bravery are tested as they face adversaries both cunning and cruel, encounter moments of psychological deception and physical suffering, and ultimately have their understanding of good and evil tested.

Kenogaia is truly dazzling from start to finish. The characters are compelling, the world-building immaculate, and the philosophical insights on par with Hart’s best nonfiction. Those familiar with Hart’s ideas on salvation will certainly find them represented in the novel, but the gnostic universe and pace of the plot both provide a fresh spin on old ideas. With rare exception, Hart’s penchant for lofty vocabulary and intricate sentence structure add to rather than detract from the story. In fact, Hart’s writing is so skillful and immersive that I felt better able to visualize the Kenocosmic universe than any other fantasy land I’ve encountered. There is a scene near the end of the novel where you zoom out and get the full picture of the universe Hart has constructed — it is so beautiful, glimmering with details, expansive beyond imagination, and a delight to behold.

My only qualm with the book is that I wanted it to be longer. There were a couple characters from the middle of the novel that I wish had reappeared at the end (at least by name). And I would have loved to see more of Michael’s life with his father and with the Magian family at the beginning of the novel, as well as more about Oriens’ life with his family. Maybe a prequel could be in order, David?

Kenogaia means “empty land.” Why then, after reading, does my heart feel so full?

[Joel Wentz · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a lot to unpack here, and I might do a full video review. But I love Hart's theological/philosophical writing, and I was cautiously optimistic about his chops as a fiction writer, and suffice it to say, he is just as excellent and profound with fiction.

This is a beautiful story that reads like an epic fairy tale and is suffused effortlessly with Hart's theological ideas. I never found it too heavy-handed, and the story genuinely pulled me in (and I read a lot of fantasy fiction!), and the ending is so moving. I also learned more about what true Gnosticism is from this story than from the countless non-fiction theological commentaries I've read on the subject.

[Maria Copeland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This felt extremely reminiscent of Pullman from the outset, especially in the way science and enchantment are treated. I think the writing is a little overshadowed at times by DBH's philosophy and even some of the writing itself (the descriptive passages are gorgeous but became a little over-wrought, and the characters were pretty archetypal -- maybe intentionally but they lacked dimension). Some extraordinary and insightful lines of thought, though.

"... What is truly alive can never truly die, but the living can be born anew in a body of death, a prison of perishable flesh, never remembering."

"Never remembering?" Michael prompted, after a moment.

"Never remembering their former lives," said the bird.

"Never remembering," said Oriens, "that they are gods."

[Matthew J. Winbow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: Kenogaia: A Gnostic Tale by David Bentley Hart

This is a wonderful book! I loved it and cannot wait to read it again. Please do not let the word “gnostic” scare you away! Gnostic here refers to some of the key themes within the story.

David Bentley Hart has a keen interest in Gnosticism because of some of the themes within the New Testament itself. In one interview Hart says: “It is actually Paul who speaks of the ‘god of this age.’ John and Ephesians both speak of the archon, the prince of this cosmos. First John, all things lie in the power of the evil one. The heavenly spheres are throned by archons and powers and principalities in Romans, in First Corinthians, and in Ephesians. They are cursed by a law that was in fact ordained by lesser, merely angelic powers. Galatians quite clearly says the law was written by angels and delivered through human mediators. So even the law comes to us in a defective form because the angels that govern the nations, even the angel that governs Israel apparently—the Angel of the Lord, is defective in his rule. So the world is a prison of spirits, and this is darkness and in John, it doesn’t know the true light. A divine savior descends from the aeon above into this world. In John, aionios doesn’t mean everlasting in the durative sense. It doesn’t necessarily even mean the age to come, in the sense of the future but actually refers to things heavenly or divine that exist in the aevum or aeon above rather than in the realm of chronos time. He brings with him a wisdom that has been hidden from before the ages we’re told in Romans and Galatians and Ephesians and Colossians. It’s a secret wisdom unknown even to the archons of this cosmos in First Corinthians. He has the power to liberate fallen spirits we’re told in John 8. And now there are certain blessed persons who possess gnosis, First Corinthians, and they constitute an exceptional group called the pneumatikoi, the spiritual ones. …In Jude, when it speaks of psychical men who do not possess spirit, and that is always translated as ‘who don’t possess the Holy Spirit’, but there is no ‘the’ and no ‘holy.’ It means …who are without spirit. In that context, it is as much a quality of one who has been sanctified as it is an actual element or constitution of their nature. And so the savior opens a pathway through the planetary spheres, the heavens, and the armies of the air and the powers on high. That is when Paul will tell us that neither death nor life, nor angels nor archons nor things present nor things imminent nor powers nor height nor depth nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God.”

I admit that Gnosticism is an often misunderstood term (especially today). Gnosticism itself is thought to pre-date Christianity. Ethel S. Drower suggests "heterodox Judaism in Galilee and Samaria appears to have taken shape in the form we now call Gnostic, and it may well have existed sometime before the Christian era." This seems to be a widespread view within scholarship. It should be noted that the last surviving gnostic sect from the ancient world is the Mandaeans who follow John the Baptist but reject Jesus. There are only c. 60,000–100,000 of them left today.

Many of the earliest gnostic figures in the Christian tradition namely Simon Magus, Menander, and Dositheos were Samaritans. Their ideas flourished in Antioch under figures like Saturninus before being transplanted to Alexandria in Egypt under figures like Basilides. It is worth commenting that in John 8:48 the Jews accuse Jesus of being a Samaritan and being demon-possessed. Later works such as Pseudo-Clementine literature include the tradition that the Samaritan Simon Magus was a disciple of John the Baptist. If true, this would place John the Baptist at the fountainhead of the gnostic stream in both its non-Christian (Mandaean) and Christian forms. Jesus was of course baptised by John in the river Jordan.

Menander particularly is known for preaching a baptism that bestowed immortality and liberation from the archons and spiritual rulers who had created the present world.

The story takes place in the world of Kenogaia, a clockwork universe, ruled by an oppressive global society of ever-present surveillance under the control of Lord Theoplast.

Our hero is Michael Ambrosius waiting for the arrival of Oriens, the Son of the True God who has come to rescue his sister Aurora. We discover that Lord Theoplast has created this world from the dreams of the sleeping Aurora. Perhaps we could say, Sophia?

We read “Just as there is no reason that something may be real, like this world, while not being true. Since this world exists only because of my sister’s dreams, and lives because of the glory that sleeps captive here, in all of you, it may be—I do not know—that something from her dreams shines through into your dreams, into your stories. And maybe the glory that sleeps and dreams within you recalls something of how it came into this darkness.” He stared upward to the stars. “It is merely a thought.”

The main antagonist is Lord Theoplast who does not want to relinquish control of the souls that he has trapped in this world. He has styled himself as the Architect and god of this world.

We read “Oriens looked at her. “The God of this world, yes,” he said. “The God of this terrible machine, of this cosmos and its … inner worlds, inner ages … yes, I do. Such a God must be as much a prisoner of his creation as its lord. What spite, what envy, what cruelty must dwell in him—to cling so fiercely to what he has stolen, to use such violence and terror to preserve his power, to marshal armies and build prisons, to tell lies and threaten eternal torments. Eternal torments —how hideous, how vile that idea is, how cruel. He has made himself a pompous, malevolent, jealous tyrant, one who calls his vindictiveness love, calls it justice. I do not understand him at all. But I do know that he is pitiable.”

This line of thinking goes on “Eternal suffering could never be anything but a work of vengeful cruelty— especially from a creator whose world is so flawed that its children die of incurable diseases.” Michael repeats his father’s words “Orthodoxy is a humble half-truth exalted to the majesty of a total falsehood.” This is pure Hart. Please remember that this is a work of fiction. Lord Theoplast is the Archon of this world who claims to be the true God when he isn't. He is a Satanic figure. All that he has created is a pollution of Wisdom/Sophia's dreams, twisted into new shapes.

Oriens recalls the loss of his sister in the age of eternal time before this world was created saying “The searchers had found a city, terrible, grim, and seemingly empty, at whose heart stood a giant citadel that was simply a great sphere of impenetrable black crystal, so large that it rose far higher than any tower of our city and took most of a day to walk around. There were gates into it, adorned with strange occult devices, but they were sealed, and at first, we did not know how to open them. The royal counselors, however, were soon certain that what we sought could be found only within it—that my sister was hidden inside, that it was the dwelling of the sorcerer, that whatever had become of the sparks that were scattered in the breaking of the vessels could be discovered only there.” This is Hart’s reference to the Shevirat haKeilim of Jewish Kabbalah.

Oriens continues “And our agents discovered that it was by my sister, by her dreams, that the sorcerer had conjured up his great invention … his great machine. Those of them who were able to make the journey back to us told us so.” This sets the scene for the story. The world of horrors is a polluted dream from Wisdom/Sophia. Lord Theoplast has corrupted the world and remade it in his image.

We are told “Myth is the true, if symbolic, memory of the immemorial; history is the false, if factual, memory of the unforgettable.” which is a wonderful thought to contemplate at length.

In trying to keep Aurora prisoner Lord Theoplast says “You know me, my child. You know I love you. You know that I am your God, the maker of all that is and that beside me there is no other. O, my dear daughter, remember all that we have done together, all that I have shared with you, all the joys we have shared between us.” This is a clear reference to Isaiah 45:5.

Many of our main early texts of Christian Gnosticism are Alexandrian (Egyptian) where the Covenant God of Abraham and Moses was equated with the evil Egyptian god of foreigners Set. Set was the god of the desert and was often depicted as a man with a donkey’s head. Within Christian gnostic circles rejection of the Covenant God and Temple Priesthood (akin to John the Baptist influenced Mandaeans) was combined with the anti-Jewish polemic from Alexandria that the god who created the world, (the god that the Judean people had a covenant with, the one who had flooded the world, sent plagues upon the Egyptians and ordered the deaths of the Canaanites), was an evil god (or ignorant and stupid) and that Jesus had been sent from the True God (connected with Adam, Seth [the son of Adam/man], and John the Baptist) to liberate us from his power.

It should be noted that the earliest known depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus, the Alexamenos graffito, describes a Christian by the name of Alexamenos being mocked for worshipping a donkey-headed crucified god. This association of the Judean god with Set seems to have been widespread in the Egyptian milieu. In one rumour Antiochus IV Epiphanes supposedly discovered a donkey head idol when he ransacked the Jewish temple around 167 BCE. The Roman Tacitus commented that the Jews dedicated in their holiest shrine a statue of a wild ass.

Hart here has Lord Theoplast, the Architect and maker of the world, scream about his own importance. Please remember this is fiction.

Aurora (or should we say Sophia/Wisdom) replies “Really, I am everything here, one way or another. It all came from me, and I brought everything into this world from what I had with me up above. You simply can’t keep speaking such nonsense. Just look around—it’s all my dream. I’m in everything and everyone here. Pick up one of these stones, and you’ll find me there. Split any of these pieces of wood, and there I am.” This is a clear reference to the Gospel of Thomas where we read “77 Jesus said: "I am the All. Cleave a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up a stone, and You will find Me there."

As they escape from the physical clockwork world created by Lord Theoplast they pass up through the various planetary spheres to “a wide and level bridge, luminous and milky white and stretching out like an immense frozen beam of light over a boundless darkness and toward some faraway place that he could not see.” perhaps a reference to the Chinvat Bridge, in Zoroastrianism, that separates the realm of limited time and eternal time. It is perhaps the Milky Way that acts as a bridge across the night sky beyond the seven planets that move above the Earth. The reference to the “milky white” bridge makes this guess more probable.

Beyond the bridge, the realm of Light and the Kingdom of the Father. Having escaped the Great Engine world they do see Lord Theoplast again, no longer pretending to be a god, but now as a cave-dweller hiding in the woods. Perhaps, a final reference to Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" where Lord Theoplast would rather live in his fantasy world than in the real world. I am sure Hart has littered this work with many references that I have missed and I will be returning to read it again soon. You don't have to agree with Hart on everything to enjoy this work of imaginative fiction. It is just that...fiction.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of kind. I was hooked from the start. DBH tells an amazing adventure story within a gnostic worldview. Clearly he is sympathetic, even as one who ultimately is Christian rather than gnostic. I am fascinated now to explore how DBH understands these things further.

[Garrett Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few notes from a place of mixed feelings:

1) The explicit gnostic framework makes this story genuinely compelling and a much needed modern incarnation of an old and nearly forgotten tale. It is easy to forget that in the beginning there were many Christianities vying for attention, the gnostic strain being a prominent one that, alas (?), did not win the day because it is not naturally conducive to the political structures necessary to win out. Regardless, the gnostic mythos remains compelling and powerful.

2) I usually do not enjoy novels with too much of the "and Michael whipped around in suprise, clutching Laura's arm as the color drained from his face" etc. etc. loaded with the same tired tropes and foreseeable outcomes, but again, the gnostic mythos made it worth it.

3) Hart seems to have intentionally cultivated the landscape of character archetypes -- the bookish boy, the spirited girl, the stupefyingly joyous stepmother, the lupine bad guy, etc., which make this at once corny and memorable. I found myself dwelling on this story a lot simply becuase it is so easy to recall. It is mnemonically maximized, if I may put it that way.

4) I, and probably everyone else, picked this book up and kept reading because of who wrote it. As a long time admirer of Hart, I found this to be an insightful window into Hart's imagination but less philosophically dense than I thought it would be, though not without the requisite mockery of traditional Christianity's vision of hell and who ends up there for how long, and a few gems on the story/myth/truth/reality spectrum. But don't expect something like Roland in Moonlight.

5) Overall, would recommend to anyone wanting to inhabit a gnostic cosmos for a time.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written novel, full of rich symbolism and imagery. An absolute delight from beginning to end.

[Rif A. Saurous · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. I know very little early Christian theology, but I didn't need to to love this book. Sort of a trippy combination of the Narnia Chronicles, The Little Prince, and His Dark Materials?

[Kevin Staley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written and thoroughly entertaining fantasy novel by Hart. I have read several of his academic works and continue to be impressed by the depth of this author's writing abilities and knowledge.

My understanding of some of his philosophical and theological perspectives enabled me to see glimpses of them in this novel. I am grateful that he wrote the novel in a way that it is unnecessary to have such knowledge in order to enjoy the novel fully. I am especially grateful that they are subtle enough so as not to appear to be an in-your-face theological/philosophical statement in a novel.

I highly recommend this novel. I would direct the reader of this post to review the commendations of the novel on Amazon (and possibly elsewhere) to get a little more information on the contents of the novel.

[Mina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a reasonably well-traveled reader in the realm of fiction and fantasy and even so I wouldn't know how to begin to classify this book. Certainly it is a fantasy, and it is particularly helpful I think that Mr. Hart tells you right on the cover that it is "a Gnostic Tale" for the world which he has crafted is definitely different in its structure than ours. It is also Gnostic in the sense that the characters are dealing with the constriction of knowledge by those entities who are in power, and the obfuscation of the truth, and so all along they are striving to understand what is really going on in their world.

The themes that reached me most clearly in this singular adventure were that of reality vs. delusion, truth vs. lies and the essential qualities of goodness as opposed to evil. These simply shine through what the characters are experiencing and it is my opinion that Mr. Hart has accomplished this in a very fresh and beautiful way.

The book is full of very rich and often amusing dialog and colorful descriptions of everything that the characters experience. And I mean colorful in all it's implications, for the environments in which the tale takes place are visually stunning and every character is colorful metaphorically. The protagonists all feel quite relatable and likeable and so it is a pleasure to travel with them. Even the villains are interesting in both appearance and speech. Despite the troubles and terrors our heroes encountered, I always had the feeling that everything would resolve well and it does - and that is not to spoil the end at all, for in such a realm every new element is rather unexpected even if we feel sure of its nature.

Ultimately, I found the most delightful aspect of this book to be the writer's distinctive and unusual (for our day) use of language. Mr. Hart has created a particularly luminous work by apparently employing every remotely applicable word in the English language, stretching even into the past for terms long forgotten. Finding even that vast catalog insufficient it would appear that he simply created new words (though I may be wrong as I am no linguist). These novelties in no way distract from the reading experience though, for they seem to communicate despite their eccentricity. Furthermore, I suspect that someone with a good understanding of Greek and Latin roots might be able to grasp their meanings even better than I.

I would say that these very fine points of writing, plus the subject of eternal themes makes for a book appropriate for anyone philosophically well formed enough to not be confused into believing that our universe shares the same structure as Kenogaia. Beyond that, there is nothing in the work which usually causes a moral parent's censure or concern. If a youngster is up to the rich verbiage and the page count, I would easily recommend this to precocious adolescents as well as fantasy-loving adults.

[Spoiler note for the tenderhearted: the main characters are about 12 years old and they do face very scary things at times but they never suffer much more than simply Fear in those situations and handle themselves quite admirably overall.]

[Paul Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in conjunction with DBH’s 2021 substack series on Gnosticism, breaking upon us as looong time coming reset for the late modern ‘nature as machine’ mindset, whose children, since Darwin, we all unavoidably are.

Or

“Free your mind!” Morpheus.

I read this after Peter Suskind’s The Pigeon - who does major shenanigans ensue after an encounter with a small pigeon like bird (Hart’s is white and faintly glowing.)
Alice is in here, also The Little Prince. Hymn of the Pearl, obviously.
Quite as much as the delight of Hart’s prose and the wonder of where he is going to take you, it’s as much fun to trace the abundance of provenance, even long after finishing the book.

[Scriptor Ignotus]

What on earth, David?

[Brandon Christian Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kenogaia was an enjoyable read, at times inspired and captivating and at others forced and bland. The story, not the characters, are the driving force of this novel and I found myself more connecting with the themes of the novel rather than its protagonists. This is certainly a book about ideas, not emotions; but ideas are best transferred with compelling characters. Michael and Laura and likable enough, if rather vanilla. The villain of the story arrives too late to loom all that large over the story in the way that would have allowed climax to be as rewarding as it could have been. I thought Hart's best bit of writing takes place toward the conclusion of the book when the characters have been transferred from Kenogaia back to the original realm from whence they derive and must begin to prepare for entrance into the great kingdom beyond. The episodic snippets left me wishing that the whole book had been an extended exploration into the way in which these souls dissolve and dissever their past sins and failures in preparation for the next phase of their existence. This was the best portion of the book and worth the lengthy read to get to this section.

A personal desire (though not necessarily a literacy critique) would be for Hart to have explored more of who Oriens' parents are. Perhaps the point is to shroud them; elusive, to evoke the uncanny feeling of a mystery beyond our world, a spiritual reality only reached for but never attained - but I'm speculating.

Hart's female characters are never as fully fleshed out or realized as his male characters (whom which he develops well). I suspect this is because Hart is a man and his writing is notedly masculine, though his prose style is sometimes loquacious and sensual (in a non-sexual way). I'll certainly read his next fiction installment, though I hope he becomes slightly more concise in the future.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read some of David Bentley Hart's theological writing. I learned of him when he discussed on NPR a literal translation of the New Testament which he wrote. I was curious to see that he also writes fiction.

This story has an interesting plot but it went on too long. The divine is light and evil is darkness. OK.
We must all try to stand up to the Darkness but sometimes the whole world that we know is one of darkness, error and evil. We can't leave this darkness without the intervention of the Light. And when the light invades, and after a mighty struggle defeats the darkness, we all, the living and the dead, become shining stars in our own right.

[Groucho42 · Rating 1 out of 5]

The subtitle of "A Gnostic Tale" shouts "I'm important! I'm LITERATURE!" It's neither.

The basic fantasy tale is of early teen kids in a mechanistic world, kids who are too precocious and preachy about faith. It's run by bad men. Luckily, a god-boy comes to earth. Unfortunately, the author preaches so much that it's an overwritten, dull, piece of tripe. It comes in at 400 pages, but it's in a small font. It'd probably be the latest Maas's 800+ pages if in a normal font.

It's dull and the characters are cardboard.

Not until I gave up and entered this into my database did I look up the publisher. It's a Catholic press. That doesn't surprise me in the least.

[Rex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could complain about Hart's weaknesses as a writer, but really, I'm glad I decided to swoop in on this book. It is our generation's Lilith : an imaginative if unevenly realized theological fantasy that intends to awaken our desire for a Love we have forgotten in these shadowlands.

[Brady Hornstra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful coming-of-age gaslamp fantasy (or phosphorion fantasy, in this case) with rich, evocative prose. Given its subtitle, it is a tale with themes of cosmic corruption that may be resisted from within and overcome from without. And given its author, it is a tale influenced by ancient religious thought, but never heavy-handed.

[Harley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe 3.5 stars is a better rating. This is indeed an gnostic tale, and one that conforms to DBH’s universalism. It is a simple story and somewhat predictable. The pacing is good so, despite it being 420 pages long and in small print, I wasn’t bored.

[Ted · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again David Bentley Hart has me wondering, as a child wonders at finding something new, and being amazed at a world only truly opened by the expansive territory of the imagination.

[Derek Kubilus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who would have thought? Just an amazing work of platonic fantasy.

[Jeremy Wall · Rating 5 out of 5]

The genius of Hart is indisputable. As he often sows his best theological writings within his fiction, here he seems to be embedding his true beliefs within Gnosticism.

[Ooniemme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed it

I liked the prose, and characters, and the little twists in the story that were fun. I haven't read many gnostic tales but I quite enjoyed this one.

[Dominic De · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kenogaia is unlike any modern novel I’ve read. It instantly feels like finding a lost novel from the era of George Macdonald: slow paced, broken by chases and action scenes through a weird and unusual world, every page thick with words you half know, and the most beautiful descriptions you've ever read.

A fantasy novel by David Bentley Hart, everything changes for a young astronomer's assistant when a star falls to earth. His hurry to retrieve it is complicated by an army of wolves out for blood, intent on keeping the world neat and orderly. In the style of these older, dream-like novels that feel like running your hands through a box of gems and dreams, you have no idea what's next, or what to expect.

Michael, the assistant, finds that the falling star is a child, landing in a dark world crushed by a sinister, totalitarian government. With his friend Laura, they hasten through life-threatening adventures across the world to help the star reach its goal. And everything wants to stop them.

I said it was unusual. It feels like a Greek myth and a Narnian epic mashed up with a science-fiction nightmare. This Victorian-esque world is sick, overrun by mind-numbing secret societies and brutalist governments bent on keeping control, especially if it means mind-wiping anyone who challenges them. And it seems that the star has a special mission, to tackle the most impossible dream: break up everything.

If you loved "The Last Battle" from C.S. Lewis, and were raised on a steady diet of mythology and fairy tales, you'll feel right at home in this, all the way through to the mind-bending end where nothing you think will happen... does. And the edges of everything get blown out and put back together.

This novel is more than a fun story for a weekend. It's also a experiment, or an experience, to feel through a view of how the world is made, and why things are the way they are. It's like a densely detailed parable, or a fairy tale.

But by the end, when you finally surface from the deep and brilliant world, you'll blink and look around, and wonder if you just got back from Narnia yourself. Because maybe what you just read was actually real. Not even kidding.

[Josh Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing. We need more books like this. DBH tells a wonderful story, maintains key elements of fantasy writing in a rapturous manner. He allows you to live primarily in the world of Kenogaia as you read this thang. Concurrently with the tail unfolding, DBH cheekily develops a iron man critique of religion and silly theological ideas, which for him includes the idea of eternal conscious torment. All in all, this is a novel for anyone who loves fantasy, theology, or DBH. hurrah, hurrah.