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Luca Bastardo descended from a race of people with unusually long life spans. But, as a boy in 1330, he was lost on the streets of Florence, where he was subjected to unimaginable brutality, especially in the brothel of Bernardo Silvano. The Silvano family then becomes Luca’s mortal enemies, vowing to have him burned as the witch and heretic they believe him to be—for they know where he came from and who his parents are.
As the decades pass without Luca aging as other men do, he searches for his parents and the love he once saw in a vision. He also seeks to understand God and why He allows so much suffering. Luca learned from an early age that when God laughs, it’s an evil laugh—and he wants nothing more than for God to leave him alone.
On his two-hundred year journey, while hiding from the Silvanos, Luca studies alchemy and healing, becomes a trusted confident to the Medicis, and watches as the Bubonic Plague and the Inquisition try to destroy his beloved city. His love of art—according to Luca, the only true form of peace and beauty to be found on earth—leads him to befriend Giotto and Leonardo da Vinci and others.
Luca’s search for answers takes him on an unforgettable spiritual journey, where, in the end, God always gets the last laugh—but it’s up Luca to decide if it’s evil or not.
Immortal is such a wonderful novel that it’s hard to find the right words to describe how wonderful it truly is. You not only read about Luca’s struggles, you feel them. You’ll weep as Luca tries to understand what he perceives as the cruelty of an evil God; you’ll become angered by religious figures and their stupid superstitions; you’ll be fascinated by Florence and its history; and you’ll learn the mysteries of faith, art, and alchemy. Ms. Slatton picked a fascinating time period to write about, and it’s made me want to know more about fourteenth-century Italy.
Do not pass Immortal up. It’s one of the best novels I’ve read since I first discovered books. The story is written with such a depth and beauty that I rarely encounter in the written word. Read it, and you’ll come away with a deeper understanding of your own faith—no matter how or who you worship—and the life you’ve lived.
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