More on “The Relic Master” by Christopher Buckley
Something that I particularly appreciate about the novel I’m reading (Christopher Buckley’s “The Relic Master”, 2015) is the fact that I find myself frequently reaching for a dictionary. The writing isn’t at all dense or pretentious, and the tone is very casual despite being set in the 16th-century, but at least once per chapter I find myself wanting to know more about a word I’ve just read. I love a story that can tickle my fancy and sweep me away, just as I love a book that can teach me in concrete ways (like expanding my vocabulary). “The Relic Master” does both of these things!
Some of the words I’ve encountered are unfamiliar to me due to their historical context (1517), the cultural context (mostly German/Austrian), religious context (I’m relatively unfamiliar with the terminology of the Catholic Church), or failing any of these excuses, because well-established author and Yale graduate Christopher Buckley has a more developed mental thesaurus than I do. I may have been called a word snob once or twice, but I don’t hesitate to admit my amateur status as wordsmith.
I’m really enjoying this novel, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction that exercises the imagination without straining the head.
