SOPHIA’S TALE – A Fairytale for Adults.
A Soul Journey about how the Goddess of Wisdom became wise. Princess. Goddess. Whore.
Seduced by the Emperor of Diamonds, Sophia follows her beloved into a dream. Lost in the desert, she begins her adventure in The Land ofImpermanence. From palace harem to street brothel, Sophia must live by her wits as she encounters soothsayers, lecherous gatekeepers and warmongering desert tribes, fleeing the ruthless Emperor to find her way home before he finds her.
A retelling of the ancient Gnostic myth, Pistis Sophia, for the modern heart – and what one woman is prepared to risk to discover her authentic self. Banished from the Bible in the 4th century, SOPHIA’S TALE gives Sophia back her voice.
If you liked THE ALCHEMIST, you’ll love SOPHIA’S TALE. Magic, mysticism, wisdom and wonder weave into an inspiring tale about following your intuition. SOPHIA’S TALE is a simple fable full of ancient wisdom about a heroine’s journey, told by a woman for seekers of wisdom everywhere.
Reviews
‘Beautifully and imaginatively written and resonating deeply in the realms of allegory, Sarah Walton takes us on Sophia’s fascinating journey of adventure, magic, sex, survival, personal resourcefulness and hard-won wisdom as she pursues her elusive dream in the Land of Impermanence.’
Philip Ayckbourn, Playwright
‘Exquisitely written, Sophia’s Tale crosses the disciplines of literature,depth psychology and mysticism. Abused and abandoned Sophia recovers her soul and becomes the source of wisdom that was her birthright.’
Dr Alan Mulhern, Jungian Analyst & Author
‘This is a tale of compassion and cruelty, community and betrayal, love and abuse, promise and disillusion. Tread in Sophia’s footsteps and learn what she learned. I assure you, you will not find this a comfortable read; but then, as Blake reminds us, wisdom is not bought with a dance in the street.’ Adrian Bott, Novelist
‘Words whispered softly down the centuries, times of old and new, past and future, words of wisdom, tales of woe. Actions of innocent love, abandon and the lessons they bare. This is Sophia’s tale, written in a heartfelt, honest way. A pleasure to follow her journey, be a part of her story, for a moment, be a companion, a silent shoulder.’
Ricardo, Buddhist Monk.
RUFIUS – A Novel of Ancient Rome.
Long-listed for the 2017 POLARI PRIZE.
In 4th century Alexandria, a poor orphan learns to scribe. Meanwhile Rufius, a rich Roman, tends the books in his care and years for the youth on the streets. It’s a time of rampant bishops, mad heretics, and a city so ruled by passion it is set to consume itself along with the world’s greatest library. As the poor boy and the rich Roman unite, hell almost literally breaks loose. In this startlingly fine debut, Sarah Walton steps into the classic terrain of Mary Renault and Margeurite Yourcenar. Like them, she stirs a spectacular story of the Ancient World. Unlike them, her lead character is not one of history’s heroes. For the first time in literature, a cinaedus steps front stage. Sexually, Ancient Rome ran by a different moral code. One thing firmly outlawed was the passive male. Exiled to 4th Century Alexandria, put in charge of books while zealots set to burn libraries, Rufius is only passive sexually. He is an irrepressible creation. Searching the streets for a youth that excites, he finds Aeson. Their love story transcends age, scruples, class barriers, and the historical record.
Reviews
Warning: Reading Rufius may induce forbidden thoughts. Also laughter, wonderment, and a discombobulating sensation of time travel. Proceed with caution but by all means, proceed!
Steven Saylor – bestselling author of the ‘Roma Sub Roma’ series
Reminds me of Marguerite Yourcenar. Armed with the hypnotic prose of a pedigree writer, Sarah Walton shows how we got here and the wonders, beliefs and wit we have left behind forever.
Jose Luis de Juan – author of THIS BREATHING WORLD
In this novel, Sarah Walton comprehensively excavates the sights, disputes and social structures of the port of Alexandria in the quarter century leading up to the inter-faith massacres and wholesale destruction of the city’s famous library by Nicene Christian mobs in 391 AD. In doing so, she reveals the loosening threads of a society once renowned for its tolerance, dissent and learning through the interlinked voices of three characters. The publishers compare Walton’s work to the novels of Mary Renault and, while that is partly true, in her remarkably adroit handling of the intersections between the big questions of faith and politics and the smaller-scale concerns of relationships and identity, there are elements that would not be out of place in novels by Gore Vidal set in the classical era. Highly recommended.
MORNING STAR – Paul Simon