The Heretic

Andrew Feder
AuthorHouse (2007)
ISBN 9781434330543
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (7/08)

“The Heretic” by Andrew Feder is the sequel to Feder’s first novel “When The Angels Have Risen.”  Having not read the first book, I was concerned that I would be lost when I started reading this one.  My fears were definitely unwarranted as “The Heretic” works extremely well as a stand-alone novel.  There was never a point when I was reading it that I experienced any confusion at all.  However, I enjoyed the writing a lot and will most likely go back and read the first book anyway!

The book begins with Jerry Fletcher waking up from a dream that is all too common to him, one where he has taken on the role of a prominent historical figure.  After meeting up with an ex-girlfriend in a museum, Jerry takes her advice and seeks the guidance of a psychic named Yonah in an attempt to make sense of these dreams and to learn about his past lives.  Yonah performs a regression on him and he is taken back through various periods of history like the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the Middle Ages. 

He continues on until he finally stops in Ancient Greece.  In this life he is Aias, wife of Nefertiri, and father of Jason and Lysia.  One day his children’s friends were admiring Aias’ sword, shield and armor, and Aias proceeds to tell them the story of his days with his good friend Alexander the Great.  The rest of the book is a continuation of the battles and adventures of Alexander and Aias, dubbed the Heretic by Aristotle, because of his lack of belief in the Greek gods.  Aias also claims that he is different than the typical Greek male of this period in that he is a heterosexual whereas most of the others practiced homosexuality. 

Feder’s work of historical fiction is very creative and really held my interest.  The fact that the novel is written in contemporary language made the book an easy read even though it may have detracted from providing an air of authenticity of the era.  I would also like to add that the author does use a lot of profanity in the book, even when we are transported back to Ancient Greece.  There is a note at the beginning of the book warning readers of this fact, so if this type of writing offends you then you may want to skip the book.  However, the writing is very unique and entertaining and I think that anyone who enjoys historical fiction should definitely give Feder’s writing a try!      

Comments

[rebecca]

I interviewed this author on my blog. Did you know that he grew up in the San Fernando Valley. Check out his interview at valley girl musings.