Lazarus

The Vatican Trilogy, Book 3

By: Morris West

Narrated by: James Wright

Iron-fisted Pope Leo XIV emerges from open heart surgery with the chilling realisation that his reforms have devastated the Church.

As he struggles to overcome the policies he himself put in place, he must battle enemies from within the Vatican, as well as Islamic terrorists determined to assassinate him. Amid political intrigue and counterespionage, his brilliant surgeon Salviati becomes a target too, along with Salviati’s beautiful mistress, Tove, and her fragile daughter, as the plot builds to a dramatic climax.

Lazarus completes Morris West’s bestselling Vatican trilogy, following The Shoes of the Fisherman and The Clowns of God. It can also be listened to on its own as a gripping exploration of Church politics in a world of crises.

©1990 The Morris West Collection (P)2002 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Critic reviews

"A tense and exciting thriller." (Library Journal)

"Timely and absorbing." (Publishers Weekly)

An Intriguing Read

For those who have never had Morris West, he is an Intriguing author. His thoughtfulness and accurate portraiture of a way of life and time is magnificent and will draw anyone who has an ounce of contemplation in for more.
Make time to think about what is said and focus on the ideas presented in his books, you will not be disappointed.

Transforming reading

The story reads easily... Recognizable death as part of life. The book evokes many questions that are like seeds, and shoots, and announcing the eternal gift of new life, new spring for the world

Weakest in Vatican Trilogy but great audiobook

Not as good as the first two books in the trilogy but highly engaging and listenable. As with the other books, the plot is just an excuse for long discourses on theology and the role of the church in the modern world. There’s a bit too much focus on the old liberal shibboleths (married and female priests, less opposition birth control etc.), but much of the discussion is relevant to debates over reform today. The reforming pope’s idea of solving the problems of the church by collegiality and decentralization are exactly in line with what Pope Francis is implementing.

The terrorist plot is the weakest part of the novel. It doesn’t feel authentic or particularly interesting. The ending is way too similar to a certain Tom Clancy novel which would’ve been recent when the book was first published. The journalist character is also very uninteresting and seems to be merely a device to move the plot along. I guess he did the jaded knowledgeable Roman journalist so well in the first book it would be hard to top.

Overall West wrote so well and insightfully about faith, the Church and the inner life of people that the weaknesses bothers me far less than they would by other authors. The narration is great. I almost returned it at the beginning because of the gruff voice of the pope, but it ends up working.