Customer Reviews

The Fire and the Light: A Novel of the Cathars and the Lost Teachings of Christ

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I disagree with the previous reviewer on one point only. This reminded me more of War and Peace, particularly given Tolstoy's beliefs regarding pacifism and his mystical inclination later in life. I loved this novel on so many levels. It's a throwback to the old-fashioned epics that sweep across time and immerse you in another world from the start. The author moves from battle scenes and sieges to intimate encounters and interior exploration with admirable grace and skill. Second, this is a most unusual yet believable love story. I hate it when reviewers give away too much of a book, so I won't say more, but suffice it that this is so much better than your typical formulaic bodice ripper. Finally, and most important for me, it's a work of esoteric mystery that should be required reading for every person in the world who believes that he or she knows the true and only path to God--and that everyone else should be forced to accept these same beliefs.

Excellent reading. Mr. Craney has taken the little known facts about the life or St. Esclarmonde de Foix and woven a captivating tale around her and the other historical figures of her day. In doing so he has not only helped to keep the myths and legends of the Cathars alive he has in story form explained many of the themes of the Gnosis ancient, and modern.
Don't read this looking for a lesson in history, for her story, much like that of the Magdalene and the Christos, it is the myth that takes precedence. Read this novel for pure enjoyment. This book is well written. I was particularly fond of Mr. Craney's vocabulary. It was wonderful to read a modern novel that makes such good use of the English language. I savored reading this one.

Rev. Mother Marsha+
Abbess: The Order of St. Esclarmonde
The Gnostic Church of St. Mary Magdalene

This satisfying debut puts us inside the hearts and minds of the factually-based characters; takes us through the dust, heat and hell of combat, and into the shadowy, cool caverns and hard-stone castles; and even lets us taste and smell what's on a 13th-century dining table. At times while reading it, I felt my heart pounding. The settings are magnificent, exotic, and painted with exact detail. The author moves the plot with such compelling flair that the book reads like a historical thriller. That's not just because of the story's global importance (consider the obvious comparisons to modern religious terrorism and The Da Vinci Code), but also the stimulating fact that he's not afraid to write to smart, fearless readers who want more than a ninth-grade level of historical fiction. Add up all the elements, and it's easy to see why this makes a combustible first effort: world-class scholarship, gut-level characterizations, you-are-there settings, and the kind of writing that went the way of the masters.

In a vein similar to The Mists of Avalon, Glen Craney's Fire and The Light takes the reader into a universe unknown to most of us, but that nevertheless affects the way we look at the world today. Had the Cathar teachings not been crushed by the catholic church, christianity today - and the world as we know it - would sing to a very different melody. The book transports you not only to the dark centuries, but to the inner life of characters that in the end you will care very much about. I have been deeply inspired by the rediscovery of the Goddess and the feminine aspect of spirituality, so naturally I was excited when the Da Vinci Code came out. I was disappointed to find it mostly a detective novel which used the myth to sell itself as a future movie. Glen Craney is more patient, and more thorough. He believes his readers are intelligent enough and patient enough to walk the less-trodden path and touch the treasures our ancestors left behind, hoping one day, someone, maybe through a dream, could help recover our past. I highly recommend it.

The First and the Light is a wonderful book. It is great story, well written and rich in historical detail. Glen Craney is a rare combination of a top-notch storyteller and historian. I highly recommend this book.

Fire and Light is very engaging as a story. The reader suffers and triumphs with the well-drawn characters. The history is carefully researched, and leaves one with a desire to learn more about the Cathars and other heretical movements. I'm looking forward to Glen Craney's next novel with great anticipation.

I loved this book for many reasons. It stretched me in heart and mind. I cared deeply about the people and the land, all the while knowing the ultimate outcome of the history. I got closer to the experience of the time and people, looked the events in the face, allowed the waves of knowing to wash over me, released so much, then settled into acceptance. Only a truly gifted storyteller can weave such a tapestry of tale. This book is definately a higher octave of work. My thanks to the author.

That's perhaps the best way to describe this remarkable, moving novel. Esclarmonde de Foix, the heroine, stands at the eye of the storm as her beloved Occitania is brutally swept away by the Church and its crusader army. The Albigensian Crusade was France's equivalent of our Civil War, with the North and Paris invading the South and destroying its troubadour culture. The author--this is his first novel, difficult as it is to believe--follows the history of the war and the Dominican Inquisition with attention to authenticity and bases his characters on actual persons. Some of the scenes depicting the siege of Montsegur will haunt me for a long time. Esclarmonde's story is beautifully written and the book's ancient-looking design is stunning. Truly, this was one of the best historical novels I've read in years.

Extremely well written to the point that it is very difficult to put down. I was absolutely captivated by the story, characters and historical content. The quality of the writing literally puts you right into the scenes and you can't help but become emotionally connected to the story and the characters. This is an absolute "must read"!!

The Cathars were real people (many of their descendants continue to live in Occitania.) Their stories are poignant and gripping, and they deserve better than to be used as fodder for the endless scenes of torture, blood, and gore in Glen Craney's book. In his "Author's Note," Mr. Craney states that he was required to use "possibilities, extrapolations, and suppositions" because most Cathar accounts have been lost or destroyed. On the contrary, the history of the Cathars does exist, in their own words, in their depositions to the Inquisition. This is especially true of the depositions of the survivors of Montsegur (recorded in Jean Duvernoy's "Le Dossier de Montsegur: Interrogatoires de l'inquisition, 1242-1247 (1998).

In truth, Bertrand (not Bernard!) Marti, not Esclarmonde de Foix, was the spiritual leader of the Cathars at Montsegur, and he died with them there in the flames. He was not an ineffective bumbler as portrayed by Craney. Pierre-Roger was was not a war-monger who tried to interfere with the sanctuary of "priestesses" led by Esclarmonde de Foix (who was never there - she died at least 30 years before Montsegur in Pamiers), he was one of its heroes. Phillipa, the wife of the Count of Foix was never bound to a Crusader battering ram, and their son, not daughter, was Loup. He was never initiated as a Perfect in Lombrives cave, and there were no Cathars walled in to their deaths in Lombrives. These are several of the many, many, inaccuracies and exxagerations in the book. If Mr. Craney had dug deeper into his research, he might have been able to tell the real story of Occitania, its Cathars, and their resistance - a story of courage and heroism more compelling than his sensationalized account.

Sherilyn Moss, M.A.
(M.A. thesis: "Beyond Dualism: The Cathar Ritual of the Consolament for the Dying as Visionary Experience"