It is 1524 and Europe is in flames. The Church is fracturing, revolution is brewing, and society is changing rapidly. Three authors who shaped this new world with their pens-- Martin Luther, Desiderius Erasmus, and Philipp Melanchthon-- will now be shaped by it in turn. When the pope and King Henry VIII of England pressure Erasmus to take a public stand against Luther, both authors will be forced to wrestle with literal and figurative demons. Erasmus is haunted by his illegitimate birth and an instance of same-sex attraction that left him feeling ashamed. Luther struggles with the rejection of the Church and his own father. Melanchthon, Luther's associate and a long-time admirer of Erasmus, is increasingly caught in the middle, forced to choose between two men he venerates or be torn asunder. The three men's lives and fears are woven together as events spiral out of their collective control. As the story wraps up, all three men are reminded of their mortality in ways that heighten their fears and reveal their priorities. This is a book about the things that terrify us, the battles we wage, and the hope that gives us strength.
