Brendan Murphy Livres

The Star of Gnosia collects five hallucinatory narratives steeped in secrecy and transgression, complex rites and protocols, the delirium of the sleepless wanderer and the obsessions of the savant. Ceremonial initiations, forgotten sacraments, inexplicable machines, and God-intoxicated exiles are brought together by duplicitous stratagems and infernal revelations in which the gates of the senses are ravaged by fires both sacerdotal and profane.

The narrative follows Brendan Murphy, who, after several attempts, returns to Ireland in 1996, coinciding with the appearance of Comet Hale-Bopp. Settling in the Cooley Mountains, he finds a deep sense of belonging and identity through the supportive warmth of his neighbors and community. His journey reflects themes of diaspora, homecoming, and the importance of connection to place and people.

Bright colors, good use of thought bubbles, and the use of close-ups for effect combine to draw and keep readers' attention. . . . Readers' empathy for Murphy will be very strong even before the final page turn.- Kirkus Reviews