Paradises Lost by Eric-Emmanual Schmitt

How our world came to be made is always a subject of interest and when that tale is told with skill, imagination and a great writer’s touch it becomes more than an epic novel: it bids fair to become part of the canon of western literature. Quick-paced and laden with detail as well as vivid characters and an enchanting story, this is a must-read.

Paradises Lost: The Passage Through Time: Book 1 – Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, translated by Steven Rendall
Europa Editions
Hardcover | $30
9781609458492
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As the first of a series of novels recounting the history of civilization starting with The Flood, this book is the beginning of a grand adventure in literature. The promise of many more volumes in this ambitious project will bring untold joy to the hearts of readers who love fine writing, immaculate research and inspired storytelling. Schmitt is one of the finest artists of the current literary world, in the opinion of this reader, and those who agree will be gratified with this newest effort. The only downside to reading his work is that it spoils one for others’ less-worthy efforts. When fiction meets history with an added measure of fantasy, the results can be satisfying in the extreme and this is no less than an epic of the genre. I believe this sequence of books will become part of the canon of western literature.

 

Beginning in the Neolithic era with a village of simple folk who farm, produce simple products such as woven textiles and make pottery and stone tools we are introduced to the family of the local chief, Pannoam and his son Noam. All seems well until a newcomer, a healer and shamanic figure predicts that the lake beside which these dwellings have grown will soon prove to be the end of everything when it rises and drowns everyone. As time passes, it becomes clear that this will occur, and sooner than would be welcome. Noam finds craftsmen who can build canoes and enlists them to build “floating houses” to accommodate the people when the waters come. One in particular is built larger to accommodate the principals of the village and enough livestock to sustain those who are expected to survive the flood. If all this sounds familiar, it is in fact the story of “The Flood” told in many mythic legends and of course, the Bible. Noam (or Noah, as he becomes known) experiences a violent exchange with lightning and becomes, unexplainably, immortal. He is telling the story from the present based on his experiences of many centuries of life. His unique point of view flavors everything for good and ill, his own sufferings not the least of the occurrences making up the tale.

 

Written with a style that is easy to read but clearly the work of a master craftsman the story bounds through time and human experience with a rapid pace, accompanied by fascinating details of daily life, religion, philosophy and the beginnings of science. This reader is eagerly anticipating the upcoming books.