Chesterton sits down, props you on his lap, and spins a strange yarn here in The Everlasting Man, his Christian apologetic masterwork. This story that he tells sounds familiar, because we've heard of all the characters before, and we know in advance what actions they are responsible for. But for some reason, the history of the world according to Chesterton's pen sounds new and fresh all over again. His goal is to present the Incarnation of Christ as the centerpiece of all human history, and does so by painting that same history with colors to which we are not accustomed in our rationalist world. His greatest achievement here is to convincingly show that human history is a great adventure with a PURPOSE, and without Christianity this purpose can never be identified or even be real. If the world is a creation of an omnipotent God, as Chesterton thinks we all either explicitly or implicitly believe, then why is it so insane for us to think that this God may have some interest in the progress of His creation? Why must humanity necessarily function entirely outside the influence of its loving Creator? Chesterton shows that not only would the other possibility exist, but that it is actually the only possibility. We see the grand strokes of this God's paintbrush throughout the adventure of humanity, from the "caveman" to pagan society to Christ to Christianity to the so-called deaths of the Faith to the present day. The key of the Faith fits the lock of life. Of course it does, because the key and the lock have the same Author.
This is not a work only of philosophy and theology, but also of humor and creative ingenuity (and Chesterton would hesitate to give any credit to the former two if they lacked the latter two). It does contain expressions regarding ethnic groups for which we must substitute the modern polite equivalent in order to understand Chesterton; his language was different from ours is today and he should not be misconstrued. His scientific knowledge is limited even for his own time, and it shows when he treats scientific topics; however, his aims are not to prove or disprove scientific truths. So I think that if you sit down to read this book for the reasons that Chesterton would have you read it, you will find plenty of reasons to appreciate it. Christians should read this book for the faith-affirming truths it contains, and non-Christians should read it if for nothing else, for its humor. Staunch atheists and Church-haters should be very afraid of this book, and I encourage them to read it. They will not find many "arguments" to refute, only a beautiful affirmation of what Christians have known all along: that our world is not a random belch of nature, that human beings are religious beings not because of some grand joke but because they were made that way, and that God dares to disregard our own scattered and contrary wills and take a hand in our own salvation. When Chesterton gets done with this crazy world, it somehow all seems to make sense. Why is it so hard for people to allow themselves to see the beauty and hear the music that Chesterton sees and hears?

Tiberius Claudius, one of the "good apples" from the Claudian line of Roman emperors and gentry, narrates his childhood, adolescence, and the years up to his being crowned Emperor. Note: this is a work of fiction by ROBERT GRAVES, not a true autobiography of the Emperor. I learned more about Roman history from this book, and from its sequel Claudius the God, than I ever could have by reading a history textbook. But it absolutely churns as a novel, as well...the characters, from the insidious poisoner Livia (wife of Augustus and surrogate grandmother of Claudius) to the courageous but naive Germanicus, are compelling and believeable. For example, as Claudius describes Germanicus' funeral ceremony, he ends the chapter with the statement: "Of my own sorrow I would not trust myself to write," but the reader feels as if he could write it for him. The book drew me into the Roman Empire, and delighted me with its resigned cynicism through the eyes of the crippled bystander Claudius. From what we gather from his own words, Claudius is not a hero. He just wants to escape public life and live his days as a historian. His matter-of-fact style of describing the decadence of Tiberius' reign and Caligula's insanity will have you laughing out loud more than once during your read. Caligula tells Claudius that he is a divine being and is hiding in a human form, and Claudius does not hesitate to prostrate himself and affirm these proclamations: "your face shines a strange and bright glow, my lord." As he leaves the chamber of the new "god", he chuckles to himself, "good, now they will lock him up and restore the Republic." As you read, keep in mind the point of view from which it is being told, and you will enjoy the subtleness of the humor all the more. The book brings previously chronicled history alive with real characters and is as enjoyable a satire as you will ever read.