A Renaissance Fanatic Is Reborn — Again And Again — In 'Lent'
Jo Walton's new novel imagines the Florentine friar Girolamo Savonarola, living life over and over again in an attempt to change his course, save his city, his friends — and himself from damnation.
I've long loved a species of historical fiction that takes the past's mainstream beliefs at face value. Often these read as historical fantasy: a world where the sun really revolves around the Earth, for instance, or outer space is actually full of aether.
But I have a special appreciation for books that take this approach with Christian theology, which is so often considered beyond the bounds of any mythographical playfulness. The notion that Christians have Scripture while further literalize various Christian denominations' spiritual beliefs.
