The Universal Stage: A Trial of Mind and Soul
On the edge of a profound awakening, Lucian—a young seeker torn between intellectual brilliance and spiritual longing—ventures into a journey that dissolves the boundaries between reality, dream, and the divine.
Nestled in a modest retreat by Lake Arrowhead, Lucian spends his days among books, storms, and the soft symphony of rain tapping against ancient pine boughs. Yet his solitude is no sanctuary from the questions that haunt him: Are we the masters of our own fate, or are we bound by truths we fear to face? The world, with all its beauty and suffering, presses against the walls of his mind until they fracture, giving way to visions that blur the lines of sanity.
In a single night, the quiet of his cabin becomes a portal to realms unseen. Lucian finds himself standing before a towering medieval gate in Bohemia, where he is greeted not by the living but by the lingering spirits of history's greatest composers. In a spectral castle, Salieri—forever marked by envy and regret—ushers Lucian into a ghostly symposium where Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven gather to play the music of eternity. The melodies here are more than sound; they are echoes of human frailty, ambition, and redemption.
But Lucian's journey does not end with music. It becomes a trial of the soul. On a train slicing through Europe, he dreams himself into a celestial courtroom unlike any other: pillars of stardust, floors of swirling mist, walls holding the cosmos itself. Here, the rebellious angel Samyaza stands accused of heresy—not just for doubting the gods, but for daring to offer humanity forbidden knowledge and the terrifying freedom that comes with it. Lucian, an uninvited guest in the court of Zeus, Odin, and Isis, finds himself a witness whose mortal words carry the weight of humanity's fate.
As he testifies before gods and ancient deities, Lucian's mind becomes the battleground between faith and reason, divine order and rebellion, salvation and self-destruction. Each answer he gives weaves him deeper into a tapestry of myth and philosophy, forcing him to confront humanity's timeless paradox: Is our longing for truth worth the chaos it brings?
From the serene banks of the Seine to the cobblestone alleys of Prague and the hidden catacombs of an ancient library, Lucian's path is guided by the whisper of timeless voices—Socrates, Dante, Plato, Shakespeare, and Nietzsche. In haunting dreamlike scenes, they gather around him to debate love, envy, the will to power, and the fragility of hope. Their arguments become Lucian's crucible, forging his understanding that truth is not given, but found in the fragile balance between the questions we dare to ask and the silence that follows.
As storms batter the roof of his cabin and his headaches grow more vivid, Lucian seeks answers from Dr. Bucherer, a psychiatrist whose cryptic words suggest that perhaps these visions are not hallucinations but awakenings. Guided by the mythical ferryman Charon, Lucian must decide: Should he open the Book of Secrets that promises enlightenment but risks unraveling the very fabric of faith? Or should he close it, preserving the delicate balance that binds human hearts together?
The Universal Stage is more than a novel—it is a lyrical, metaphysical odyssey that invites the reader into a world where the past and present, reason and faith, music and silence all converge. Rich with allegory and timeless themes, it asks the questions that linger long after the last page is turned: What does it mean to truly awaken? Can we bear the truths we seek? And in a world torn between the known and the unknowable, where do we find our place on the universal stage?
For readers drawn to vivid dreamscapes, philosophical inquiry, and a narrative that blurs the lines between reality and the mythic, The Universal Stage offers a haunting, thought-provoking reflection on the eternal human quest for meaning.
1147909170
Nestled in a modest retreat by Lake Arrowhead, Lucian spends his days among books, storms, and the soft symphony of rain tapping against ancient pine boughs. Yet his solitude is no sanctuary from the questions that haunt him: Are we the masters of our own fate, or are we bound by truths we fear to face? The world, with all its beauty and suffering, presses against the walls of his mind until they fracture, giving way to visions that blur the lines of sanity.
In a single night, the quiet of his cabin becomes a portal to realms unseen. Lucian finds himself standing before a towering medieval gate in Bohemia, where he is greeted not by the living but by the lingering spirits of history's greatest composers. In a spectral castle, Salieri—forever marked by envy and regret—ushers Lucian into a ghostly symposium where Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven gather to play the music of eternity. The melodies here are more than sound; they are echoes of human frailty, ambition, and redemption.
But Lucian's journey does not end with music. It becomes a trial of the soul. On a train slicing through Europe, he dreams himself into a celestial courtroom unlike any other: pillars of stardust, floors of swirling mist, walls holding the cosmos itself. Here, the rebellious angel Samyaza stands accused of heresy—not just for doubting the gods, but for daring to offer humanity forbidden knowledge and the terrifying freedom that comes with it. Lucian, an uninvited guest in the court of Zeus, Odin, and Isis, finds himself a witness whose mortal words carry the weight of humanity's fate.
As he testifies before gods and ancient deities, Lucian's mind becomes the battleground between faith and reason, divine order and rebellion, salvation and self-destruction. Each answer he gives weaves him deeper into a tapestry of myth and philosophy, forcing him to confront humanity's timeless paradox: Is our longing for truth worth the chaos it brings?
From the serene banks of the Seine to the cobblestone alleys of Prague and the hidden catacombs of an ancient library, Lucian's path is guided by the whisper of timeless voices—Socrates, Dante, Plato, Shakespeare, and Nietzsche. In haunting dreamlike scenes, they gather around him to debate love, envy, the will to power, and the fragility of hope. Their arguments become Lucian's crucible, forging his understanding that truth is not given, but found in the fragile balance between the questions we dare to ask and the silence that follows.
As storms batter the roof of his cabin and his headaches grow more vivid, Lucian seeks answers from Dr. Bucherer, a psychiatrist whose cryptic words suggest that perhaps these visions are not hallucinations but awakenings. Guided by the mythical ferryman Charon, Lucian must decide: Should he open the Book of Secrets that promises enlightenment but risks unraveling the very fabric of faith? Or should he close it, preserving the delicate balance that binds human hearts together?
The Universal Stage is more than a novel—it is a lyrical, metaphysical odyssey that invites the reader into a world where the past and present, reason and faith, music and silence all converge. Rich with allegory and timeless themes, it asks the questions that linger long after the last page is turned: What does it mean to truly awaken? Can we bear the truths we seek? And in a world torn between the known and the unknowable, where do we find our place on the universal stage?
For readers drawn to vivid dreamscapes, philosophical inquiry, and a narrative that blurs the lines between reality and the mythic, The Universal Stage offers a haunting, thought-provoking reflection on the eternal human quest for meaning.
The Universal Stage: A Trial of Mind and Soul
On the edge of a profound awakening, Lucian—a young seeker torn between intellectual brilliance and spiritual longing—ventures into a journey that dissolves the boundaries between reality, dream, and the divine.
Nestled in a modest retreat by Lake Arrowhead, Lucian spends his days among books, storms, and the soft symphony of rain tapping against ancient pine boughs. Yet his solitude is no sanctuary from the questions that haunt him: Are we the masters of our own fate, or are we bound by truths we fear to face? The world, with all its beauty and suffering, presses against the walls of his mind until they fracture, giving way to visions that blur the lines of sanity.
In a single night, the quiet of his cabin becomes a portal to realms unseen. Lucian finds himself standing before a towering medieval gate in Bohemia, where he is greeted not by the living but by the lingering spirits of history's greatest composers. In a spectral castle, Salieri—forever marked by envy and regret—ushers Lucian into a ghostly symposium where Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven gather to play the music of eternity. The melodies here are more than sound; they are echoes of human frailty, ambition, and redemption.
But Lucian's journey does not end with music. It becomes a trial of the soul. On a train slicing through Europe, he dreams himself into a celestial courtroom unlike any other: pillars of stardust, floors of swirling mist, walls holding the cosmos itself. Here, the rebellious angel Samyaza stands accused of heresy—not just for doubting the gods, but for daring to offer humanity forbidden knowledge and the terrifying freedom that comes with it. Lucian, an uninvited guest in the court of Zeus, Odin, and Isis, finds himself a witness whose mortal words carry the weight of humanity's fate.
As he testifies before gods and ancient deities, Lucian's mind becomes the battleground between faith and reason, divine order and rebellion, salvation and self-destruction. Each answer he gives weaves him deeper into a tapestry of myth and philosophy, forcing him to confront humanity's timeless paradox: Is our longing for truth worth the chaos it brings?
From the serene banks of the Seine to the cobblestone alleys of Prague and the hidden catacombs of an ancient library, Lucian's path is guided by the whisper of timeless voices—Socrates, Dante, Plato, Shakespeare, and Nietzsche. In haunting dreamlike scenes, they gather around him to debate love, envy, the will to power, and the fragility of hope. Their arguments become Lucian's crucible, forging his understanding that truth is not given, but found in the fragile balance between the questions we dare to ask and the silence that follows.
As storms batter the roof of his cabin and his headaches grow more vivid, Lucian seeks answers from Dr. Bucherer, a psychiatrist whose cryptic words suggest that perhaps these visions are not hallucinations but awakenings. Guided by the mythical ferryman Charon, Lucian must decide: Should he open the Book of Secrets that promises enlightenment but risks unraveling the very fabric of faith? Or should he close it, preserving the delicate balance that binds human hearts together?
The Universal Stage is more than a novel—it is a lyrical, metaphysical odyssey that invites the reader into a world where the past and present, reason and faith, music and silence all converge. Rich with allegory and timeless themes, it asks the questions that linger long after the last page is turned: What does it mean to truly awaken? Can we bear the truths we seek? And in a world torn between the known and the unknowable, where do we find our place on the universal stage?
For readers drawn to vivid dreamscapes, philosophical inquiry, and a narrative that blurs the lines between reality and the mythic, The Universal Stage offers a haunting, thought-provoking reflection on the eternal human quest for meaning.
Nestled in a modest retreat by Lake Arrowhead, Lucian spends his days among books, storms, and the soft symphony of rain tapping against ancient pine boughs. Yet his solitude is no sanctuary from the questions that haunt him: Are we the masters of our own fate, or are we bound by truths we fear to face? The world, with all its beauty and suffering, presses against the walls of his mind until they fracture, giving way to visions that blur the lines of sanity.
In a single night, the quiet of his cabin becomes a portal to realms unseen. Lucian finds himself standing before a towering medieval gate in Bohemia, where he is greeted not by the living but by the lingering spirits of history's greatest composers. In a spectral castle, Salieri—forever marked by envy and regret—ushers Lucian into a ghostly symposium where Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven gather to play the music of eternity. The melodies here are more than sound; they are echoes of human frailty, ambition, and redemption.
But Lucian's journey does not end with music. It becomes a trial of the soul. On a train slicing through Europe, he dreams himself into a celestial courtroom unlike any other: pillars of stardust, floors of swirling mist, walls holding the cosmos itself. Here, the rebellious angel Samyaza stands accused of heresy—not just for doubting the gods, but for daring to offer humanity forbidden knowledge and the terrifying freedom that comes with it. Lucian, an uninvited guest in the court of Zeus, Odin, and Isis, finds himself a witness whose mortal words carry the weight of humanity's fate.
As he testifies before gods and ancient deities, Lucian's mind becomes the battleground between faith and reason, divine order and rebellion, salvation and self-destruction. Each answer he gives weaves him deeper into a tapestry of myth and philosophy, forcing him to confront humanity's timeless paradox: Is our longing for truth worth the chaos it brings?
From the serene banks of the Seine to the cobblestone alleys of Prague and the hidden catacombs of an ancient library, Lucian's path is guided by the whisper of timeless voices—Socrates, Dante, Plato, Shakespeare, and Nietzsche. In haunting dreamlike scenes, they gather around him to debate love, envy, the will to power, and the fragility of hope. Their arguments become Lucian's crucible, forging his understanding that truth is not given, but found in the fragile balance between the questions we dare to ask and the silence that follows.
As storms batter the roof of his cabin and his headaches grow more vivid, Lucian seeks answers from Dr. Bucherer, a psychiatrist whose cryptic words suggest that perhaps these visions are not hallucinations but awakenings. Guided by the mythical ferryman Charon, Lucian must decide: Should he open the Book of Secrets that promises enlightenment but risks unraveling the very fabric of faith? Or should he close it, preserving the delicate balance that binds human hearts together?
The Universal Stage is more than a novel—it is a lyrical, metaphysical odyssey that invites the reader into a world where the past and present, reason and faith, music and silence all converge. Rich with allegory and timeless themes, it asks the questions that linger long after the last page is turned: What does it mean to truly awaken? Can we bear the truths we seek? And in a world torn between the known and the unknowable, where do we find our place on the universal stage?
For readers drawn to vivid dreamscapes, philosophical inquiry, and a narrative that blurs the lines between reality and the mythic, The Universal Stage offers a haunting, thought-provoking reflection on the eternal human quest for meaning.
29.95
In Stock
5
1
The Universal Stage: A Trial of Mind and Soul
168
The Universal Stage: A Trial of Mind and Soul
168Hardcover(2nd ed.)
$29.95
29.95
In Stock
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9798319619495 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Barnes & Noble Press |
| Publication date: | 07/03/2025 |
| Edition description: | 2nd ed. |
| Pages: | 168 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.44(d) |
About the Author
From the B&N Reads Blog