The Publisher's Weekly review refers to Robert Pilpel's long, meditative novel as ponderous and sententious. Tastes differ, I guess. I found this well-researched historical novel, set in the late second century A.D., to be an engaging study of self-delusion and self-discovery. It is true that the style is uneven: at times very good, at others flat and wordy. I agree: the plot of Between Eternities moves slowly, perhaps because it is filled with complex insights. The book is definitely not a tale of battles and adventures (not Simon Scarrow in other words), nor does Pilpel have any particular gift for writing action scenes. Instead his themes are universal aspects of human nature: the joys and sorrows of life examined retroactively. Which is not to say that the historical setting is not richly detailed - it is. The well-imagined setting anchors Pilpel's meditations on character, morality and mortality. This is a thoughtful book, in the best sense of the word. Stay with it reader and (pace Publisher's Weekly) you will be rewarded.
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