The God of the Labyrinth

By: Colin Wilson

Narrated by: Paul Jenkins

Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Gerard Sorme has been hired by a New York publisher to edit a book on Esmond Donelly, notorious 18th-century Irish rake, friend of Rousseau, Boswell, and Horace Walpole, and author of a bawdy work on the deflowering of virgins.

Sorme's quest for information on Donelly takes him to the home of a pyromaniac and flagellant in Baton Rouge, the labyrinthine corridors of the British Museum, and a remote castle in Ireland. As he digs deeper into the mystery of Donelly, Sorme uncovers a tale of intrigue, conspiracy, and murder involving a secret society, the Sect of the Phoenix, that dates back to medieval times. But the Sect still exists, and Sorme's researching has not gone unnoticed by powerful men who have their own reasons for wanting the truth about Esmond Donelly to remain hidden...

©1970, 2018 Colin Wilson (P)2018 Valancourt Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"The God of the Labyrinth (1970), the third book of Wilson's 'Gerard Sorme trilogy', is a novel in the mode of Jorge Luis Borges that explores two of Wilson's major interests - philosophy and sex - in the form of a thrilling literary mystery. 'He writes a clear, light prose, and he makes his interests, however bizarre, seem important." (Punch)

"One of the more earnest and interesting writers of his generation." (The Guardian)

"He has the kind of story-telling power which could charm the birds off the trees." (The Journal)

The book was an ok listen

The book was a fine listen to get me thru my commute. That being said, I don't think I will re-listen to the book again in the near future.

The story took about an hour to really come together for me. The first hour of the book seemed to jump around from topic to topic and was hard to follow what was going on. After about the first hour, the story really came together and everything was good from there. The characters sometimes feel a bit flat, but the writing was good enough to keep me listening without boredom (again, once I got past the first hour).

The narration was good. No unusual vocal ticks. I did find that I couldn't listen to the book any faster than 1.25 (I usually listen at 2x), but I think this is in large part because I don't typically listen to narrators with accents.




*I received this title for free in exchange for an unbiased review!

A Pretty Good Philosophical Story

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This story is more like a philosophical approach to human sexuality than a novel. It's almost a dissertation that takes root in the need for men to justify their basic instincts. I was expecting a very different storyline, but in all honesty the mystery that is supposed to hold the story together is pretty fragile at best.
I also found that the main character came across as being a little whiny, with little backbone. Even though he professes great love for his wife and baby daughter, his multiple sexual encounters with strangers (so much for safe sex...) proves him to be opportunistic and inconsiderate. I don't know of any wife that would be that forgiving and open minded...
The excuse for these experimentations is the need to unravel the machination of an evil secret society. It is an excuse as good as any. But if that alone is not justification enough, the protagonist is also suffering from a state of possession by the spirit of a debauched rogue. At the end it is a story of voyeurism at its best where lust and reckless reign supreme. The writing however is good as is the narration. I did find that the author's explanation after the book ended, was a further attempt to justify his choice of subject matter and to offer a wordy explanation of why his writing is not pornography. I don't think that he's wrong in that as I didn't perceive the story as pornographic, but it is at the very least sexually graphic, so keep that in mind when deciding if it is a book for you.

Sex,history but no Video tapes.

A very sexy mystery mixed with history and some Philosophy.

The Narrator keeps all the elements together with a good performance.


This is not a classic work of Art but it is entertaining for those
who enjoy this type of genre.



This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

I wanted to like it, but I didn't...

This book reminds me a lot of the sort of pseudo-intellectual conversations you had in college while listening to Morrissey when you thought you were being deep, but when you get older you realize that it's circular self-aggrandizing nonsense.

I like a main character who has flaws, but there has to be something redemptive about the character as well. This guy thinks he's brilliant, repeatedly cheats on his wife sans guilt, and bemoans his life. What's to like? I quite simply didn't care what happened to him, and that's never good.

The reader was okay. His narration was fine, on tone, and solid. But the characters in the book are from all over the world, and alas I don't think accents are his forte. He made a run at one or two, but wasn't consistent and didn't make the voices distinct enough that without the "she said" I wouldn't know who was talking. I imagine he would be an excellent narrator for a non-fiction work as his voice is otherwise lovely and kept my attention (not droning, or weird affect).

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review, which is unfortunately what I've given it.