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Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
The Temple at Sunset by Karin Ciholas is the final installment in The Cyrenian Trilogy. In book one, a doctor named Simon searches for his sister, who has been captured by a slaver. In Jerusalem, Simon is conscripted to help carry a stranger’s cross that revolutionizes the course of history. In Alexandria, he faces an impossible choice. Book two sees Simon fighting to protect his people while his wife and sons follow Christianity. Caligula seeks revenge, sending Valerius, Aurelia’s brother, to Jerusalem to place his statue in the temple, forcing Valerius to choose between obedience and mass slaughter or defiance. Now, Paul faces judgment as fires devastate the land, with blame landing on the Christians. Peter boldly remains for a confrontation, and Simon aids those suffering through widespread violence and collapse. “All my life I have struggled against forces far beyond my powers. I have fought prejudice, hatred, and injustice. I thought my fiercest opponent was death... I have come face to face with my enemy... and I’m powerless against it.”
Karin Ciholas’ The Temple at Sunset is a fantastic finale to the series, which beautifully and agonizingly places the reader within the historical realities of ancient Rome for Christians and Jews, integrating political, social, and religious issues. This is accomplished by piecing together large-scale catastrophes, like the destruction of Rome by fire, and intimate individual ways of life, such as faithfully representing Jewish religious practices and rituals through Simon. Without any hint of heavy-handedness, Ciholas brilliantly offers moral dilemmas that test faith, conscience, and courage. We see a constant juggling of obedience to man's law and religious authority, and the difficulty of striking a balance between the two is the core of almost every scene. Simon’s maneuvering around priests, a boy named Esdras, and his own doubts illustrate the exercise of courage guided by faith. I love the agency of women, especially Aurelia, who is in a perpetual oscillation between calm patience, anxiety, and determination. Overall, this is a completely immersive story, and I would give it a whole bucket of stars if I could.
