Set in various locales during the intellectual and historical orgasm that was the 5th Century, BCE, Vidal’s tale is the "autobiography" of Cyrus Spitama, Persian ambassador to Periclean Athens and the grandson of Zoroaster. Incensed that louts the likes of Herodotus would so badly butcher the history of the last decades, Cyrus recounts to his nephew, Democritus of Abdera, his memories of a life of travel, intrigue, and adventure.

This isn’t just ancient pulp fiction, however; due to the rise of his grandfather’s religion to official status in the Persian empire, Cyrus comes under the royal family’s protection. He is an advisor to Darius, friend to Xerxes, and confidante of Atossa. Filled with wanderlust, his desire to travel is granted and he becomes a sort of superambassador, moving among the various states in India and China as he searches for trade agreements, conquerable territory, and a bit of religious truth.

A firm believer in Zoroaster’s prophetic teachings, Cyrus is nonetheless piqued at the many versions of the world’s creation and, over the course of his embassies, he discusses impermanence with the Jain Gosala, the nature of suffering with the Buddha, acquiescence to the Way with Lao Tse, and the righteousness of ritual with Confucius. Later, while reciting, he off-handedly mentions discussions with the likes of Socrates. For all the debating, for all the travel and travail, Cyrus never does quite find the answer he seeks.

Vidal clearly began this novel with a simple intent: to explore the great ideas that have shaped civilization and do it by moving among o­ne of history’s most important (and interesting) epochs. To that end, mission accomplished. This is an incredible work, detailing with almost first-hand expertise the tumultuous politics of the period: the royal scandals, the backroom deals, the real brokers of power. He lavishes descriptions of exotic cities and people o­n the reader, his narrator always feeling the same mix of wonder and cultural superiority we moderns might while o­n vacation. And always, Vidal keeps his eyes locked firmly o­n the objective, teaching us while Cyrus learns, maybe hoping to impart just the slightest bit of wisdom o­n an incredulous audience.

In what must have been a tremendous labor, Gore Vidal crafted "Creation" to educate as well as elucidate and succeeded where most anyone else would have foundered. As far as the proverb goes, Vidal should just keep o­n doing.