From New York Times bestselling author Christopher Buckley, "one of the funniest writers in the English language" (Tom Wolfe) , a compelling and hilarious adventure featuring a sixteenth-century relic hunter and his best friend, Albrecht Durer, who conspire to forge the Shroud of Turin. The year is 1517. Dismas is a relic hunter: one who procures "authentic" religious relics for wealthy and influential clients. His two most important patrons are Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony and soon-to-be Cardinal Albrecht of Mainz. While Frederick is drawn to the recent writing of Martin Luther, Albrecht pursues the financial and political benefits of religion and seeks to buy a cardinalship through the selling of indulgences. When Albrecht's ambitions increase his demands for grander and more marketable relics, Dismas and his artist friend Durer conspire to manufacture a shroud to sell to the unsuspecting noble. Unfortunately Durer's reckless pride exposes Albrecht's newly acquired shroud as a fake, so Albrecht puts Dismas and Durer in the custody of four loutish mercenaries and sends them all to steal Christ's burial cloth (the Shroud of Chambe'ry) , Europe's most celebrated relic. On their journey to Savoy where the Shroud will be displayed, they battle a lustful count and are joined by a beautiful female apothecary. It is only when they reach their destination that they realize they are not alone in their intentions to acquire a relic of dubious legitimacy. Filled with fascinating details about art, religion, politics and science; Vatican intrigue; and Buckley's signature wit, The Relic Master is a delightfully rich and intelligent comic adventure.
