The Master of Secrets

This is a simple, and simply profound tale, that continues D.S. Lliteras's modern examination of the beginnings of Christianity. Readers of the author's other Biblical Tales will be rewarded and fascinated by the way those other works resonate in this one. But knowledge of them is not essential in appreciating this, which stands well alone. Master of Secrets tells the story of a young boy, Addan, who loses his family in the aftermath of the crucifixion of Jesus. He meets up with the book's main character, the mystical and charismatic Jeshua, and the two begin a journey that is both literal and metaphorical. This work quietly gathers strength as it unfolds, and by its end has a effective message of love at all costs - the message of Christ himself. Lliteras remains a master of dialogue, and this work, like his others, offers rewards in a second reading. I love two quotes in this book, one where an old woman laments, "Let there be something I can understand," and later the character Dinah states "There can be truth and goodness without God." The author deserves so much credit: his goal is nothing less that a revitalization of the basic, original principles of Christianity.

In this fourth re-visitation to the crucifix of Jesus, D. S. Lliteras moves from his re-creations of the effect of the event on the lives of the disciples to that of a young boy. While still close to some Biblical facts and quotations, Lliteras is able to broaden the story to introduce a new cast of characters. By choosing a "master of secrets" he is able to offer a very interesting character who shares attributes with the concept of Jesus, while manifesting a strange, dark side of life. This ominous tale is so very complex that the reader has to rethink everything he or she ever thought about Jesus. What is considered to be good and what is bad are mixed and played out for the reader's scrutiny with such finesse that one almost doesn't realize the manipulation. Lliteras has done his research so the story rings true and the trip back two centuries ago in Jerusalem feels plausible. Reading The Master of Secrets felt like finding a long-lost manuscript that had just been found. Only I doubt an account written then could have the grace and insight contained in this book.