Between the Shadow and the Flame

Epic in scope, Between the Shadow and the Flame is the allegorical retelling of the history of philosophy, seen through the journey of its three main characters.

When a pandemic and ensuing nuclear war all but destroy civilization, and conspiracy theorists whisper of a plot to wipe out humanity, armchair philosopher Sophia Xiao is caught up in a quest to find the truth. Shadowed by a mysterious figure, she travels across a devastated land with Newman, a former theology student, and Hyle, a snarky young science writer, as they evade paramilitary death squads, encounter pockets of survivors, and match wits with the charismatic cult leader who has prophesied her role in the coming battle at the end of days.

Between the Shadow and the Flame skillfully integrates a suspenseful mystery plot with a serious inquiry into the structure of reality and knowledge, developing the main themes of philosophy, theology and science through a series of dialogues between the protagonists. This unique, thought-provoking novel introduces the reader to more than two millennia of ideas from over one hundred thinkers who helped shape our modern view of the world, including Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Avicenna, Aquinas, Luther, Galileo, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Newton, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, James, Freud, Einstein, Russell, Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Sartre, and Kuhn, and delves into topics such as determinism, metaphysics, quantum physics and relativity, humanism and spirituality, epistemology and the philosophy of science, and the limitations of mathematics, logic and language. As they investigate the causes of the war, Sophia, Hyle and Newman draw on their diverse backgrounds and collective knowledge to examine age-old questions: Does God exist, or is the material world all there is? Can religion coexist with science? Do we have free will? Is certain knowledge possible? What is the structure of reality?

An entertaining introduction to philosophy and a compelling examination of philosophy's role in the world, Between the Shadow and the Flame will challenge your beliefs and keep you turning pages until the full impact of these questions is revealed in the provocative conclusion.