The Relic Master, Christopher Buckley
The Relic Master, Christopher Buckley
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The Relic Master

Author: Christopher Buckley

Narrator: James Langton

Unabridged: 10 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/08/2015


Synopsis

Christopher Buckley’s “hilarious, bawdy, and irreverent frolic of a tale” about a sixteenth-century relic hunter and the artist Albrecht Dürer who conspire to fabricate Christ’s burial shroud reads “like Indiana Jones gone medieval” (USA TODAY).

The year is 1517. Dismas is a relic hunter who procures “authentic” religious relics for wealthy and influential clients. His two most important patrons are Frederick the Wise and soon-to-be Cardinal Albrecht of Mainz. While Frederick is drawn to the recent writing of Martin Luther, Albrecht pursues the financial and political benefits of religion and seeks to buy a cardinalship through the selling of indulgences. When Albrecht’s demands for grander relics increase, Dismas and his artist friend Dürer fabricate a shroud to sell to the unsuspecting noble. Unfortunately Dürer’s reckless pride exposes the trickery, so Albrecht puts Dismas and Dürer in the custody of four mercenaries and sends them all to steal Christ’s burial cloth (the Shroud of Chambéry), Europe’s most celebrated artifact. On their journey to Savoy where the Shroud will be displayed, they battle a lustful count and are joined by a beautiful female apothecary. It is only when they reach their destination they realize they are not alone in their intentions to acquire a relic of dubious legitimacy.

“A rollicking good time, Christopher Buckley has transported his signature wit and irreverence from the Beltway to sixteenth-century Europe in The Relic Master” (GQ). This epic quest, “as rascally and convivial as any that Mr. Buckley has written” (The Wall Street Journal), is filled with fascinating details about art, religion, politics, and science; Vatican intrigue; and Buckley’s signature wit “holds the reader till the very last page” (The New York Times Book Review).

About Christopher Buckley

Christopher Buckley is a novelist, essayist, humorist, critic, magazine editor, and memoirist. His books include Thank You for SmokingThe Judge HunterMake Russia Great Again, and The Relic Master. He worked as a merchant seaman and White House speechwriter. He was awarded the Thurber Prize for American Humor and the Washington Irving Medal for Literary Excellence.

About James Langton

James Langton trained as an actor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and later as a musician at the Guildhall School in London. He has worked in radio, film and television, also appearing in theater in England and on Broadway. James was born in York, England and now lives in New York City.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Stella on July 23, 2011

I needed more from this book. I kept on looking for it and even with my sister's constant: OMG STELLA. YOU HAVE TO READ IT." I was disappointed by Fisher. When introduced to a brand new fantasy world, description of the setting is key. I find Fisher fell short on this and at no time did I feel like......more

Goodreads review by Julie on May 17, 2011

This review first appeared on my blog: [URL not allowed] Galen Harn is a Keeper, otherwise known as a Relic Master. He is part of the Order that is tasked with keeping the relics of the Makers safe. Raffael Morel (Raffi) is his scholar, an apprentice of sorts, who left his fami......more

Goodreads review by Jenny on May 22, 2011

I have been craving some fantasy lately and I got just that with The Dark City. This book is high fantasy with some sci-fi elements mixed in what with the relics being advanced technological gadgets. The story follows several characters: there’s Master Galen, Raffi, and Carys. Galen is a Relic Maste......more

Goodreads review by Natalie on January 24, 2015

Mixed feelings. Those are my current thoughts on this book. I have so many fixed feelings about this that I honestly didn't know what to rate it. Let's first look that what the summary on the back of the book says. The only hope for Anara, a world crumbling to devastation, lies in a master, his appr......more

Goodreads review by Rickard on February 26, 2023

Lättläst, spännande fantasy om magiker som letar efter Kråkan/The Crow i hopp om en ljusare framtid. Fanns en del potential till långsamma, episka berättelser men författaren drar snabbt igenom händelser som annars kunder förlängas. Detta skapar en snabb handling utan större tankeverksamhet. Helt go......more