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Authors' new directions produce worthwhile reading

Kevin Lucia - August 28, 2007

"Christ The Lord: Out of Egypt" (Ballantine Books) by Anne Rice

Anne Rice is best known for her vampire fiction, but, in her latest novel, she strikes out in a bold new direction, telling the story of an adolescent Jesus Christ. She handles the most revered icon of Christianity with care, crafting an excellent story built on meticulous research, keen insight and imaginative wonder.

As the Holy Land burns under Rome's tight-fisted rule, 7-year-old Jesus and his family journey home to Nazareth. Along the way, Jesus is beset with troubled thoughts about the violence consuming his homeland, his brother James' unreasonable jealousy and why everyone -- including his father, Joseph -- treats both his mother, Mary, and him with fearful awe.

Inside, Jesus knows he's different. He accidentally brings clay pigeons to life, sees hosts of angels in his dreams and when he prays for rain to stop, the sun instantly shines forth. Behind these wondrous miracles, however, is a peculiar dread. Slowly, he realizes that which makes him different must also separate him from his loved ones, putting him on path that he must walk alone.

Writing such a novel -- especially from a young Jesus' perspective -- is an endeavor rife with opportunity for controversy, but Rice acquits herself marvelously. There's nothing sacrilegious here as Rice paints a poignant picture of a deeply Jewish Jesus and his Jewish family. Though the novel is steeped in the wonder surrounding Christ's life, it's not an evangelical tale. Rather, it is a tender musing on the childhood of perhaps the greatest figure in history and faith.



"Lisey's Story" (Scribner) by Stephen King

Stephen King has taken readers to horror's depths and to strange new worlds, both wondrous and bizarre. Showing dual insight into what terrifies and delights; he's easily one of our generation's most versatile writers. With "Lisey's Story," King digs deeper emotionally, telling of a grieving widow who must face the past not only to move on but also to survive.

Consciously, Lisey Debusher Landon has always been content as the semi-invisible wife of acclaimed author Scott Landon, but subconsciously, she's been aware of dark secrets about Scott's childhood. For the most part, however, she's happy. Though she loves the complex Scott with an intimacy that's sometimes frightening, she loves and she is loved, which is enough.

However, when Scott dies, Lisey's left alone with nothing but Scott's whispered voice and those dark secrets. Torn between an ailing sister and a dangerously obsessed fan of her husband, Lisey must unveil the past, no matter how painful. Only this way can she survive, not only in this world, but another, right next door, a place Scott lovingly called "Boo'ya Moon."

Tagged as King's best novel, "Lisey's Story" indeed nears such a distinction. His favorite themes are there: the afterlife, alternate worlds and the metaphysical power of writing fiction. However, he invests himself wholly in grieving widow Lisey Debusher, and the result is something a lot like "supernatural chick-lit." Deeply emotional and profound, it's evidence of King's continual growth as a writer, something to be enjoyed by everyone.

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