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This edition is sponsored by HarperCollins Focus
Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey—the basis for Christopher Nolan’s hit film—begins, “Tell me about a complicated man.” Today’s three books, as reviewed by professor Paul Marchbanks, could easily begin the same way. These creative works follow challenging, thought-provoking figures: an ancient Roman dictator, a poet musing on faith, and a sinner drawn into a search for God. Can these stories identify something redemptive amid flawed heroes in a fallen world? Read on to find out.
Happy Reading,
Taylor Berglund
Senior Features Editor, Christianity Today
A portion of this newsletter appeared as a column at Christianity Today. Join CT for full access to all our journalism.
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Three Books on Fiction & Culture
Robert Harris, Agrippa: A Novel of Ancient Rome’s Descent into Dictatorship (Doubleday, 2026)
Toward the close of Robert Harris’s Agrippa (2026), the novel’s eponymous narrator admits he lacks the secretaries who helped shape Julius Caesar’s memoirs, adding that he “cannot abide long books that drag on to no purpose or try to end with some grand philosophical conclusion.” Indeed, those seeking a historical novel leavened with the psychological and spiritual musings Harris wove into Conclave should look elsewhere, as should those looking for more about Israel or Judea in the period tha