Reviewed by Charles Remington for Readers' Favorite

The Confessions of Socrates are daily articles written by Socrates while being held in his prison cell, awaiting the day of his execution. This new novel by R.L. Prendergast tells how his family and friends have arranged for him to receive food, along with quill and papyrus so that he can record his final thoughts. The resulting manuscripts take us through the philosopher’s life, from his earliest memories after barely surviving being trampled by a horse, right up to his trial where he is accused of corrupting the youth of Athens, not believing in the Gods of the city, and worshiping other new divinities of his own creation. They tell of a man battling with his own insecurities, questioning his peers and contemporaries in his struggle to find answers; a man who loses his adored mother early in life and who is left with a dour, taciturn father bereft of any warmth or affection; a man highly regarded and admired by his friends, but unable to fathom what it is that is admirable or likeable about himself. The narrative takes us though his brief and interrupted schooling, his military training, his visit to the oracle at Delphi with his friend, Chaerephon, his distinguished participation in three major battles, and his life as a stonemason apprenticed to his father. It describes daily life in the ancient bustling city of Athens, the plagues, the constant wars with Sparta and the Persians, the politics, and the development of his philosophical views. It tells us how he meets his wife, about the birth of his sons, about his friends, students and contemporaries, and finally his trial and sentence of death.

The Confessions of Socrates is a well-researched, beautifully written work. R.L. Prendergast has managed to weave a compelling story built partly around historical fact and, as no direct writings have ever been attributed to Socrates, what is known about him through the writings of Plato, Xenophon, and Aristophanes. I was especially impressed with the descriptions of life in the Athens of the day and the battles in which Socrates participated. The visit to the temple complex at Delphi was particularly vivid. Although the book is a work of fiction, it is soundly anchored in the currently available data and comes with a useful Historical Timeline along with Glossaries of Names and Terms. A thoroughly enjoyable, informative, and thought-provoking book which I highly recommend.