'I was drawn deeper and deeper into the simple solid reasoning ...Stedall's imagined dialogue had me fully in the present' Midwest Book Review A re-introduction to Marcus Aurelius is long overdue. Alan Stedall satisfies this deficiency in an interesting and stimulating way. The Philosopher's verdict: In places, it is irresistible...' The Philosopher In this delightful and well-written book, Alan Stedall...has ... Read moredone an enormous service in making Marcus Aurelius's reflections very accessible to the modern reader.' Faith and Freedom Overall, this book presents a splendid compression and a compelling synthesis of Marcus Aurelius's thought (and something of the author's own too). This accessible, elegantly designed volume is, quite simply, a blessing.' The Compulsive Reader Alan Stedall has done something remarkable; he has taken his own doubt about religion, searched for alternatives, and created a compelling philosophy out of the notes by Marcus Aurelius. His approach is compact, yet easy to read and flawlessly argued. He integrates moral and spiritual issues, and comes up with real-life advice. For me, this is the best book I've read in a long time, as it addresses issues and concepts that have been swirling as a nebulous mass in my brain and organises them coherently. Because of the issues Alan addresses, and the clear, elegant way in which he presents his thoughts, I'd say that this book is compulsory reading for anyone who has ever had thoughts and/or doubts about life and the universe - and who hasn't?'
Robert Helle on Amazon.co.uk. I knew within a few lines this was going to be a treasure... Stedall is a word master... Bravo!' The Smoking Poet 'I knew within a few lines this was going to be treasure... Aurelius (that is, Stedall) takes on the dissection of good and evil here, and it is fascinating to watch the concepts take shape without various religious laws to fall back upon. He does it skillfully, with reason as his tool of precision, and there are few things more beautiful than logic falling neatly into place like an intricate puzzle. There is room here for pain, and there is room for tragedy. That inevitable question of why me? is addressed as well. Joy has its place, and so does peace, as each sends out ripples to begin another ripple in neat succession.' Zinta Aistara, June 2007 'I found much to inspire me in this small, easy-to-read volume. It was helpful too that the Author sets the debate into context, offering the reader both a lightning tour through Marcus's life and experiences, and casting some light on his own attempts to rationalise an early belief in God with a need for purpose and meaning which was never fully realized within conventional religion.' One of our readers, J Lawford Show Less