Title: Edge of the Cave
By Sarah Beam for Writer's Digest
Edge of the Cave works beautifully as an allegory of a man seeking enlightenment who draws on wisdom from history's wisest, most spiritual figures to attain it. I'm most impressed by it playful yet earnest discussions of weighty philosophical questions like the role of law and punishment in society, war, and the existence of a divine being. That you've cast the philosophical and artistic greats as justices running a tribunal inside what certainly seems to be Plato's cave is a fun twist and, as your back cover copy suggests, creates a jewel of a puzzle the reader may piece together. Also impressive is your version of a thriving utopia for learning and enlightenment. Your concept of a center for learning as a physically comforting, timeless space is very engaging, and I really enjoyed seeing how your vision unfolded. And the poignant introduction provides a perfect frame for a novel of unceasing discovery and insight. You might try categorizing this as a philosophical allegory, to be shelved with philosophical inquires and essays rather than general fiction.

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Reviewer: The Midwest Book Review
Blake Bailey's Edge of the Cave is the enticing story of an ordinary lawyer who becomes drawn into the deep spiritual questions, who seeks wisdom from a variety of religions and philosophies - and finds so much of it that he winds up committed to the county psychiatric hospital. Witty, thoughtful, filled with subtle insights and a candidly askew look at life, Edge of the Cave is a most absorbing and rewarding read.

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Reviewer: Jan from Tyler, Tx United States
The book, Edge of the Cave, challenges the reader to look beyond his own perspective and see the world from a different viewpoint. It is written on several levels all at one time. Based on the Platonic Cave, John Yates finds himself engaged to debate the crime of war. The philosophy behind John's adventure points out that man lives in his own little world he creates inside of his head. If he can let go of his fear enough to see past the shadows he himself created, he will be able to face the truths that are around him yet fails to see because of his insecurities.

This is very descriptive of society as a whole. When faced with the prospect of having to change our ideas of truth, we as a society tend to panic. This has been a fact of life down through history, Christ and Socrates being the most prominant examples. When they challenged our ways of thinking they were seen as a threat. And so it is with John Yates who, in the beginning of the book, is in the process of a commitment hearing. Whether John is a Master, or just insane is left up to the reader to decide.

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Reviewer: Steve from Tyler, Tx, USA
Having recently just received this book from Barnes and Noble, 4 days ago, I will warn you that do not start to read this late at night before you go to bed. Needless to say, 3 sleepless nights later, I am finished and it was a very good read and really could qualify as a text book for some of my old philosphy or ethics courses. Being an avid student of the law this book held my interest, yet was not dull, dry and boring.

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Reviewer: Shadow*, Tyler Texas
I read Edge of the Cave, and there were several parts of it that reminded me of another book, Illusions by Richard Bach... especially the passage in Illusions where Donald Shimoda picked up the guitar. When he was asked when he learned to play the guitar, Donald Shimoda said that he had learned to play in a previous lifetime - "allow yourself to play well." The idea is that we are all perfect indestructible thoughts of "the Mind", thoughts of The Is, ideas of The Is, and children of God. Three different religious philosophies that all mean the same thing. This all leads me to believe that the walls that exist between all the different religions of the world are created by man - NOT by God. If we could figure this out and get over it we could see that we are all a part of a wonderous whole rather than being billions of seperate beings with no connections. Just as Yeshua compared the Church to being like parts of the body - a hand is useless without the arm, and the arm useless without the rest of the body; all people compose a perfect thought of God. The things, beliefs, hatreds, prejudices that seperate us make no sense. It's like identical twins fighting with each other and saying, "My Dad is bigger/better than your Dad!!!"

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Reviewer: Jan, from Tyler Texas
In looking at your website again, I noticed that you said something about comments of other books ... so I thought I would send you some thoughts on some others I've read recently. A few of the books I read I saw listed on Oprah's Book Club: We Were The Mulvaney's by Joyce Carol Oates, Midwives by Chris Bohjalian, The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve, The Reader by Bernhard Schlink, and Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman. Of those, Here on Earth was by far my favorite. It was just a very well written book that was entertaining without being taxing at the same time. On the other hand, We Were the Mulvaney's by Joyce Carol Oates was the worst of the bunch. The author jumps from story to story, sometimes so fast that it becomes very very difficult to follow. I found myself wanting to throw the book at her and scream, "Stick to the story!!!!". There are two book series that I have read that I think are wonderful too. The Joshua books by Joseph Girzone are fantastic. The have the same basic philosophy as Edge of the Cave and are written in parable form... neat little books, easy to read, and they, like Edge of the Cave, also make you think about what you believe and why you believe it. They also each have a little hint of mystery to them that keeps you on the edge until the very end. The other series is the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B Jenkins. Whether or not you subscribe to the "Rapture Theory" the story is well written and very engaging. It grabs you from the first book and won't let you go. Currently I am reading Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells. I like it so far... it's quite entertaining and fun to read - definitely a "chick book"! Another book that I read recently is The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield. This book is really interesting. I have been reading it and thinking back on past events in my life and noticing exactly what he's talking about with the transference of energy. A very interesting read!!!