The Flight to Lucifer: A Gnostic Fantasy

Harold Bloom himself has long disowned this novel ... but it's definitely worth reading, for all that it's wildly uneven. He's exploring some knotty ideas here, sometimes to the detriment of the story, sometimes to illuminating effect. You can't take it as a straightforward novel, though. This is his attempt at visionary literature, which often has a dreamlike, quicksilver quality to it -- and can also become ponderous if the author can't control it. First & foremost, you MUST read David Lindsay's nightmarish classic, "A Voyage to Arcturus," a novel highly praised by Bloom. This is crucial, because Bloom's own narrative is essentially a retelling & a sequel of sorts to that genuine original. Oblique reference is made to the previous journey of Maskull, Krag, and Nightspore, although not by name; but readers of Lindsay will recognize it & realize where they stand here. It's not entirely successful, as Bloom's remarkable talents in literary criticism don't translate as well to the task of writing fiction. Yet if it's a failure, it remains a compelling one. Not many writers would be willing to tackle such a project in the first place. You can sense Bloom struggling & toiling to make the novel cohere as you read, and you can see him falter at times. But there are also moments where everything works. You'll notice that I'm not going into the actual plot. Beyond saying that it involves a flight to another world, one in which Gnostic philosophy is explored & lived out by the characters, I'll remain silent. Read Lindsay's "A Voyage to Arcturus" first -- and if that strikes a mysteriously resonant chord within you, then give Bloom a try as well. If nothing else, it'll be quite an experience!

"The Flight to Lucifer" is a fantasy, nothing more, nothing less; set on a distant world where time and space shift back and forth and where the conflicts of first-century religion are still being played out. Harold Bloom's story begins with an Aeon, Olam, descding to earth to bring two men, Valentinus, a reincarnation of a Gnostic prophet, and his young warrior escort Perscors, back to Lucifer on a quest to help Valentinus recover the call that motivated his previous life. For Perscors, the quest is a search for a transcendental principle, but to reach it, he has to do battle with enemies both divine and semi-divine, to finally reach his inner discovery of his own uniqueness. If you're looking for an in-depth study of Gnosticism and other religions that flourished during the early Christian era, you'll be disappointed because you won't find it here. You'd be better off perusing Elaine Pagels' "The Gnostic Gospels". But as an unusual adventure story, "The Flight to Lucifer" is interesting and absorbing. Bloom subtitled his book "A Gnostic Fantasy", and on that level, it's a good read.

Great read and thought bending proposition.