The Atheist
Heretical Novel
Written in the 4th century BC by Jan Crito, a Galencian philosopher and scholar, has the distinction of being Tarien's first novel. At several hundred pages, it takes constructs typical of drama - exposition, rising action, climax, and denouement - and combines them with deep character development. Told from the first person, for the first time, a reader sees the world through the eyes of another as they witness the Arkady's - the protagonist - thoughts evolve as his life hands him a series of escalating catastrophes that lead him down a path of self-reliance and the denial of the divine. While not intended as an indictment of the organized religion, the content was so inflammatory that it ultimately resulted in Jan's death at the hands of Anderi fundamentalists.