Damascus

The novel Tsiolkas was born to write * Financial Times *
A visceral portrait of the life of St Paul -- Rob Doyle * Guardian *
A powerful testament to spiritual yearning and the human desire to transcend the physical world. * Sunday Times *
A narrative of shock and awe, fear and trembling, so large in ambition it will probably be the book for which he will be best remembered... Tsiolkas has made a career of taking sanctioned narratives and flipping them to reveal a dark human underbelly... At its best, which is miraculously often, the novel is conjugated not in the simple present but in what is knows as the "prophetic perfect". * The Weekend Australian *
There are too many highlights to count in this daring, shocking, speculative work of biblical fiction by one of Australia's highest-profile authors. Captivating... * The Herald Sun *
One of the most significant contemporary storytellers at work today * Colm Tóibín *
A vivid novel... an insightful and sympathetic portrait of a man assailed by doubts, envy and pride, and tormented by his own homosexuality. Both insider and outsider, Tsiolkas writes with enormous respect and admiration for Christianity's message of love and equality, while recognizing all the flaws that Christianity, like any religion, is subject to - intolerance, populism and fundamentalism, and grubby worldliness. * Selina O'Grady *
An enormously ambitious novel... Tsiolkas' message is ultimately one of hope and humanity... This is a brave, unflinching book. * The Listener *
Hyper real. I could taste the salt of Saul's sweat as I gasped and cried my way through the book... This latest release confirms his ability to identify and describe both the best and the worst of us humans, whether we wear sandals or sneakers. * The Age *
Startling... Moving and powerful... * ABC *
There aren't any cinematic sandal-and-toga moments here; these people are hyper real. I could taste the salt of Saul's sweat as I gasped and cried my way through the book. * Sunday Star Time *
A deeply researched, crafted fictional world created by one of Australia's greatest literary talents. * Sydney Morning Herald *
Tsiolkas takes on nothing less than the birth of Christianity - and does so with rigour and grit. This is as-it-happens history, deeply immersive, yet alive to hindsight irony. It's a brave book, and sincerely spiritual. * Sydney Morning Herald *
One of Australia's best writers... rough, gutsy and sometimes shocking book, but always a gripping read. * About Regional *