Damascus Gate

Written by Robert Stone

Narrated by George Guidall

Robert Stone receives critical acclaim for the philosophical layers of his writing as well as the intensity of his multidimensional characters. Setting this deeply provocative, best-selling novel in modern day Jerusalem, Stone puts a disillusioned American journalist adrift in the supercharged atmosphere at the end of the millennium. Christopher Lucas, unsure of his own beliefs, is wandering through Jerusalem, working on an article about religious mania. When he meets Sonia Barnes, dusky nightclub singer, devoted Sufi and mystic, he is entranced. As Sonia helps Lucas meet some of the visionaries and gurus who fill the city, the two suddenly find that they have become pawns in a fanatical bombing plot. Its target is no less than the Temple Mount, the ancient city's holiest site. Through visions ranging from Armageddon to Paradise, Damascus Gate captures the whirlwinds of spiritual fervor that swirl through Jerusalem. George Guidall's narration adds dramatic shadings to the physical and psychological landscapes Lucas traverses in this crossroad of nations.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 6, 2009
• ISBN: 9781440772955

Robert Stone

ROBERT STONE (1937–2015) was the acclaimed author of eight novels and two story collections, including Dog Soldiers, winner of the National Book Award, and Bear and His Daughter, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His memoir, Prime Green, was published in 2007.

Reviews for Damascus Gate

[charlie68_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An entertaining story that delves into Israel and metaphysics and the people it attracts.

[rondoctor · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I picked up this book because of a review I read. It looked intriguing. Unfortunately, the story didn't live up to its review. Too much repetition and false erudition. I was tempted to give it up a dozen times, but I tend to keep reading even if the story and writing is not wonderful. In this case, it was good enough to keep me reading, but just barely. The 500 page book could have been condensed to 200 pages and that might have made it better. I would not recommend this book.

[theampersand · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Some elements in "Damascus Gate" will seem pretty familiar to fans of Robert Stone: illegal opiates, the presence of seductive, destructive personalities, a general atmosphere of paranoia and eschatological dread. "Damascus Gate" differs from Stone's other novels in important ways, though. Stone's made something of a specialty of exploring the messy, often sinister aftermath of the revolutionary sixties, but "Damascus Gate" is set in Jerusalem, and many of the novel's protagonists aren't merely after pleasure or some self-defined personal Nirvana. Some, such as a half-Jewish practicing Sufi and the illegitimate child of a Jewish academic and a Christian woman, are attempting to navigate between religious traditions. Others are seeking to fulfill age-old prophecies. Since "Damascus Gate" is still a Robert Stone novel, we do meet a few hustlers, maniacs, and con men, but all of this book's characters are attempting to reconcile ancient traditions and modernity in a place where, to paraphrase one character, religion isn't just the past, it's also the future. Stone seems to have done his homework, too. While many of the characters in his other books are more-or-less content to get by on the easy hippie aphorisms of the peace and love decade, some of the characters in "Damascus Gate" get caught up in the less-accessible mysticisms and political movements of the past. This isn't just set dressing, mind you: Stone's characters aren't always acting out of self-interest, and the choices that they face often hinge on how they've answered big questions regarding culture, place, and God. Stone's take on Jerusalem is also invigorating: he refuses to treat the place as either a shrine or a museum and seems well attuned to the complex patchwork of political, economic, religious and sectarian interests that seem to dominate even the simplest action or transaction there. What's most conventional about "Damascus Gate" is its plot -- Stone's working within a fairly standard, if well-rendered, thriller structure here, which might disappoint some of his more literary-minded readers. Even so, his writing's sinewy economy, and his gift for rendering swift, accurate descriptions of characters and landscapes is still very much in evidence here.

[glenline · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story line meanders a bit without any apparent reason. But then that is true of life also. Not everyone is living out a carefully conceived plot. However the stories themselves are interesting and informative.

[catien_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Thriller set in Jerusalem with religious and political intrigue. I realized after I started reading that it was not the kind of book I normally read, but it got rave reviews from most reviewers, so I think if this is your kind of genre, you will love this book.

[jaygheiser · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An intellectual thriller that dabbles in Jewish mysticism and syncretic exotica. I found the ending disappointingly flat.