Mike Webster

Paradise Renewed

Fiction

“I came to Paradise Renewed with an expectation born out of reading the author’s 2023 volume, Songs of the Beloved. That expectation was challenged as in the space of a day and a half I read through Steve’s vision of the last days. For this reader, the entire title projected a powerful, overarching image of the purpose of composing a striking work of art. The style of Beguely’s poesy ..... bore similarities to Songs, but the construction of the stanzas and the depiction of a journey with New Jerusalem in sight introduced significant differences ..... After immersing myself in the tapestry of verse, explanatory text and the author’s profound grasp of the Bible, I reflected on why Paradise Renewed presented itself with such singularity. That reflection led me to an unexpected place: the first volume of Winston Churchill’s history of the Second World War, The Gathering Storm...”