Creation

A Novel

By: Gore Vidal

Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner

Length: 27 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

A sweeping novel of politics, war, philosophy, and adventure - in a restored edition, featuring never-before-published material from Gore Vidal’s original manuscript - Creation offers a captivating grand tour of the ancient world.

Cyrus Spitama, grandson of the prophet Zoroaster and lifelong friend of Xerxes, spent most of his life as Persian ambassador for the great king Darius. He traveled to India, where he discussed nirvana with Buddha, and to the warring states of Cathay, where he learned of Tao from Master Li and fished on the riverbank with Confucius. Now blind and aged in Athens - the Athens of Pericles, Sophocles, Thucydides, Herodotus, and Socrates - Cyrus recounts his days as he strives to resolve the fundamental questions that have guided his life’s journeys: how the universe was created, and why evil was created with good. In revisiting the fifth century B.C. - one of the most spectacular periods in history - Gore Vidal illuminates the ideas that have shaped civilizations for millennia.

©1981, 2002 Gore Vidal (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Foreword by Anthony Burgess © The Estate of Anthony Burgess; previously published in 99 Novels: The Best in English Since 1939 (Summit Books: 1984).

Masterpiece

Vidal took on an enormous endeavor and along with a likewise brilliant narrator achieved a 5-star audio book.

Beautifully Constructed Historical Novel

A masterful work. Vidal immerses you in the ancient setting of Achaemenid Persia in the 6th-5th century BCE, both within the empire and beyond its far-reaching borders as the protagonist Cyrus Spitama (grandson of the prophet Zoroaster) undergoes a lifelong exploration of the concept of creation, challenging his own beliefs as a priest of the "Wise Lord" as he interacts with a multitude of cultures and characters, including real historical figures such as Herodotus, Confucius, and Xerxes.

If you wish to replace your current reality with another, look no further, and prepare to be swept away as you enter the world as it was over 2,500 years ago.

Sparked an interest in the Achaemenid Empire

A nice story overall. worth a listen. however not as epic as elanticipated. dwelled on some boring material for a while. definitely sparked an interest in ancient Persia though and have researched more since. will read more about this century of great people, 500Bc.

Splendid, Delightful, and Instructive

What a marvelous historical novel! I highly recommend it to anyone who loves fiction based on ancient history and rejoices in Hellenistic philosophical concepts...

Great work

Enjoyed the entire book Gore Vidal has a lot of talent and this is surely one

Unbelievably complex and interesting

The names, the places and the incidents Are mind-boggling. The cruelty, treachery, and Heartlessness of Royalty Are unbelievable. The value of life seems insignificant. This book is a must read.

beautiful journey

This is a wonderful journey to the courts of Persian, Indian and Chinese kings and to monasteries and temples. The protagonist is curious, observant, and sharp witted. He is interested in details, and he gives very rich accounts of his travels and his interactions with the movers and shakers, as well as with the wise men.

A Magnificent Tour de Force

I can't believe twenty seven hours of listening went by so fast. I wanted more. This is Gore Vidal at his very best with all his wit, charm, eloquence, funny sarcasm, irreverence, defiance, curiosity and love of his fellow men. These attributes are all present in the protagonist of the novel, Cyrus Spitama, as well. In fact, I think Cyrus Spitama IS Gore Vidal to a large extent. I think, Cyrus Spitama is the avatar of Gore Vidal in the Persian Empire.

I won't bore you by repeating the synopsis of the story given in other reviews and the book description (take a look also at the Amazon reviews of the book). Suffice it to say that if you like historical novels, works of fantasy based on real history, thought-provoking what-if books given in beautiful prose, and narrated beautifully, you'll love this book. You will also enjoy this book if you are interested in ancient history or philosophy.

Finally, the narration was outstanding. Malcolm Hillgartner IS the older Cyrus Spitama, narrating an account of his life to his young nephew. So Hillgartner doesn't change his voice and accent much, but he does a FANTASTIC job of projecting the emotional content, humor or gravity of conversation by his intonation and the cadence of his speech. The perfect narrator for this book.

Overall, listening to this book, even after having previously read it, was a very enjoyable experience.

Great overview of the Axial age

Vidal is a solid writer, and he does a fine job here. My only reservations about the book are the constant name dropping, both of famous and not so famous people. It gets difficult for the reader. I say this because most of the people in my book club who read this did not finish it for this reason. I found the audiobook a better choice, because the presentation of the novel fits well with the audiobook format. This is an ambitious and mostly successful novel. Especially worthwhile if this era of history interests you.

Edifying

I would recommend this book to anybody who is interested in ancient religiony/philosophy. If, however, one is not so inclined, it may feel a bit dry. Luckily, I am so inclined, so I was thoroughly entertained. The story, while not exactly suspenseful (more historical/biographical in tone), is quite rich and did much to deepen my understanding of the more subtle differences between various ancient schools of thought--greek philosophy, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Confuciunism, Jainism etc...