The Vatican Trilogy
3 primary works • 4 total works Complete
Book 1
The pope is dead and the corridors of the Vatican hum with intrigue as cardinals gather to elect his successor. The result is a surprise: the new pope is the youngest of them all-a bearded Ukrainian. The Shoes of the Fisherman is the moving story of Kiril I, recently released from seventeen years in Siberian labour camps and haunted by his past. Not only is he the leader of a fractured Catholic Church, but he also finds he must confront his inquisitor and tormentor in order to avert another world war. An international bestseller, The Shoes of the Fisherman is one of the great novels of the twentieth century and is still widely read today. It is the first novel in Morris West's Vatican trilogy. Tough, spare, brilliant, vital. The Bookman High drama . . . beautifully executed. The Sunday Times A masterpiece. Chicago Tribune
Book 2
Book 3
Iron-fisted Pope Leo XIV emerges from open heart surgery with the chilling realisation that his reforms have devastated the Church. As he struggles to overcome the policies he himself put in place, he must battle enemies from within the Vatican, as well as Islamic terrorists determined to assassinate him. Amid political intrigue and counterespionage, his brilliant surgeon Salviati becomes a target too, along with Salviati's beautiful mistress, Tove, and her fragile daughter, as the plot builds to a dramatic climax. Lazarus completes Morris West's bestselling Vatican trilogy, following The Shoes of the Fisherman and The Clowns of God. It can also be read on its own as a gripping exploration of Church politics in a world of crises. Timely and absorbing. Publishers Weekly A tense and exciting thriller. Library Journal
Pope Gregory XVII has spent a lifetime quietly serving the Church he loves-until he announces a prophecy so alarming that it threatens to tear the Vatican apart. Terrified, the Vatican cardinals imprison him in a monastery. Is he mad, as they believe, or is it all an elaborate plot? An old friend of the pope sets out on a risky quest to find out. On the way, he discovers the power of love and faith, while terrorists and politicians use every deadly and unholy means to stop him. The Clowns of God spent twenty-two weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and is the second novel in Morris West's Vatican trilogy. West is a skillful storyteller who knows how to build suspense into every twist of the plot. The Christian Science Monitor An engrossing tale that keeps you reading impatiently all the way through. Goodreads review