To Kill the Pope (Lisa Drew Books) [Hardcover]

Had I confined myself to the contents of this book I would perhaps be writing a one or possibly two star review. Even now I could write my thoughts from a solitary star, or a five star quincunx. If the last word irritates this book may not be to your liking.

What is this book, fiction, historically based fiction, or the truth as far as it is possible to relate today. From the Afterword, "To Kill The Pope" is a work of fiction. And then later on the same page, "The fictional form was adopted for "To Kill The Pope" in order to honor commitments of discretion to my principal sources".

Mr. Tad Szulc is eminently qualified to write on the topic of the attempt on the life of Pope John Paul II. He also is clearly a man who has an extensive historical grasp of the Catholic Church in it's present, ancient, and all of its forms contained therein.

As I reached the halfway point I was ready to put this aside for when I had nothing else on my reading list. Luckily the Internet intervened and with a bit of research the book came into good focus, and would only improve with more effort. I have some website addresses that I will be happy to share if the reader is interested. These sites allowed the identification of some individuals, living and dead, from the information the Author provided, as well as some understanding of the Histories and facts that you will be buried in if they have no familiarity to you.

A sampling of references; Council of Ephesus in 449AD, 16th Century Council of Trent, affirmation of Trent by St. Pius X in 1903, Vatican II, which amongst other actions did away with the Latin Tridentine Mass, as well as the direction the Priest faces when Celebrating the service.

You will go back to the Crusades, read debates pertaining to an "ius bellum" "just war", the Commandment of not murdering as opposed to not killing. The difference is as important as the latter version is wrong. Schisms and heresies, and the "integrists" that populate them, Cathars, Waldenses heretics, The Messalians of Armenia, Priscillians in 4th century Spain, Paulicians, Bogomils, and even Joan Of Arc are brought to bear on the reader.

This is a 317-page book that could have run to 1,000 pages. Your enjoyment of it will be directly related to the knowledge you bring with you, or search for along the way. There is material that will give offense to some Catholics, and Natives of at least one Country. The concept of "Comparative Fundamentalisms" can be taken lightly, or seriously, and that will determine who is taken aback by the ideas it contains.

This is a great piece of work. It is NOT a casual read, it is NOT light Historical Fiction of which there is much available, some of it excellent, some of it is wretched.

To get enough from this book to really enjoy what the Author has crafted requires information you already have, or are willing to hunt down. This book made me work, and I felt well rewarded. Mr. Szulc has displayed dozens of topics and historical figures that I look forward to reading more about.

If you give the Author his due by expending extra time on this work you will be pleased that you did. This is not lightweight, this is not mediocrity, it is what you make of it.

I heartily recommend you enter headfirst!

If this is as accurate in broad brush as Szulc claims, then one wonders about the reactions in Rome and Southern France. The timing of publication is exquisite: it obviously triggered the release of the Third Secret of Fatima, despite Szulc's omission of any mention of it. One hopes that the paperback edition will include annotations. This review refers to the hardback version.