October 26, 2022
Curve of the Earth: A Novel of Lazarus
Craig A. Brockman
Curve of the Earth Publishing (2022)
ISBN 979-8218006372
Novel Imagines Extended Life of Biblical Lazarus
In Curve of the Earth, Craig A. Brockman answers the question of what happened to Lazarus after the gospels. Because of Lazarus’ miraculous resurrection at the hand of Christ, he may have no longer been subject to the same rules of death that the rest of humanity is, and that situation, as played out in the pages of this novel, makes for fascinating reading.
A blend of historical fiction, adventure, and deep questions about the meaning of life, Curve of the Earth is biblical fiction at its best, raising theological ponderings while showing the effects of religious belief or lack thereof upon its characters.
The novel opens with Lazarus’ memories of what he experienced during the brief time he was dead. While his body lay in the tomb, his spirit found itself in a beautiful and limitless garden-like landscape. He describes his time there, but continually questions the experience and what it means.
Then as the years go on, Lazarus finds himself drifting away from the other believers in Christ, partly precipitated by the discomfort he feels because he is not aging and others are beginning to notice. The result is an often tumultuous life, one filled with wanderings about the Mediterranean and Europe over the course of centuries. Lazarus does not choose this long life, and he often questions why it was gifted—or perhaps inflicted—upon him. He seeks answers in various situations and through his conversations with others, most notably an Irish abbess.
And there are those who seem to wish Lazarus dead. Some of his own friends want to know his secret, or they turn upon him for being different. But worst of all, he is pursued by two supernatural beings he comes to refer to as The Immortals. He continually sees them following him from a distance. Sometimes they disappear for many years, but then they reappear again, causing terror in those who see them as they relentlessly pursue Lazarus.
Amid Lazarus’ angst-ridden questions about the meaning of life are many moments of adventure and catastrophe, from surviving the earthquake that destroyed Alexandria, Egypt, in 365 AD to hiding treasure in Sardinia, and from fighting pagans in Germany to being captured as a slave and brought to Ireland. Lazarus, at times, enjoys deeply spiritual encounters while at other times, he is appalled by the growing hypocrisy within the Christian Church. In Curve of the Earth, a veritable history of the Roman Empire and early Dark Ages swims before the reader’s eyes as we wonder whether Lazarus will ever die, find answers, or simply find love and a home.
The book’s title refers to the curve of the earth that sailors always see before them but can never reach because the curve constantly extends. Lazarus, during his years sailing as a merchant, comes to equate the curve of the earth with the human condition. He states: “Because we stand within it and on top of it, because it is such an expanse, we are hidden from a view of the earth itself. We see the curve only as it is reflected upon something else: upon a celestial display that betrays its vastness.” Similarly, the deepest questions of life cannot be answered because we view them from our limited human perspective. Consequently, our inability to find answers makes us fear life is meaningless, and that meaninglessness is what we are forced to ponder.
In the end, Lazarus does receive some answers, but they are not answers easy to receive or explain unless you have first taken the journey with him, walking in his footsteps. I encourage you to do so. Craig Brockman, who previously has published Dead of November, an award-winning supernatural novel drawing upon Native American lore, has created for us a vivid and unforgettable portrait of one of the Bible’s most enigmatic characters. Lazarus’ story very well could have turned out this way, and if it did, it was a remarkable life. Readers will be richer for having experienced it.
For more information about Craig Brockman and Curve of the Earth, visit www.CraigABrockman.com
— Tyler R. Tichelaar, PhD and award-winning author of The Gothic Wanderer and Arthur’s Legacy
