Lester Myles
Richmond Daily News
When I was given a copy of The Unauthorized Biography of Nostradamus, I didn’t know what to expect. How could anyone write an ‘unauthorized” biography of a man who died in the 1560s? I quickly found out in this superb, hysterical funny account of the life of the great seer. Told in first person, the book follows Nostradamus from childhood to death, using actual predictions and a modicum of real history.
The author, Bill Lazarus, has written several nonfictions before, but an experienced writer, he demonstrates complete mastery of the novel form. This book should be required reading for anyone who wants to know how to write. Few people write like this anymore, with details, emotion and, above all, humor. The book is filled with puns, plays on words and anecdotes that put Lazarus on par with some of the great comic writers of any generation.
The humor continues through the characters. For example, Nostradamus meets a priest who is raising money for the church by collecting signatures. They are all Xs. When captured, the priest begins his “suicide” effort by inhaling the aroma of British cuisine, which is notoriously bad. In one delightful episode, Nostradamus, his companion Ernest and a papal envoy trade relics like baseball cards.
This incredibly imaginative tale has a serious side. Lazarus is examining the pitfalls of belief by using a famed seer who, in reality, had no clairvoyant abilities but was believed to be able to see the future. In the book, Nostradamus cannot see beyond the end of his nose. In real life, he was equally inept.
Since the author is not well known, it will be hard for him to reach the audience this book richly deserves. On the other hand, his publisher is planning to print a variety of his novels. In time, Lazarus may finally be recognized as one of this country’s finest writers. The Unauthorized Biography of Nostradamus is proof of that already.
The Unauthorized Biography of Nostradamus
Halifax County
2010
404 pages
$24.95
Available on Amazon.com, www.halifaxcounty.com and www.williamplazarus.com
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