Edge of the Cave is a philosophic novel that addresses many issues and explores the thoughts from Plato to Nietzsche. The story itself is an allegory of the Platonic Cave. Most important in this post 9/11 age however, is this novel’s deep and intellectual treatment of war and terrorism.. It explores the effectiveness of the strategies of Christ or Gandhi practicing civil disobedience and the terroristic tactics of Hitler or Saddam Hussein for effecting change in the world. Since more and more countries are acquiring weapons of mass destruction, it becomes more important than ever to consider how use of them comports with traditional concepts of international law. How can one now determine a war crime from a reasonable use of modern weaponry? How should Iran or India or Pakistan or North Korea or any number of other countries feel about the concept of “preemptive strike” against another that could use nuclear weapons against them? How does Osama Bin Laden’s attack on the World Trade Center compare with a nuclear or other weapon of mass destruction attack against a country at war? How do we draw legal, moral and religious distinctions? These issues are debated in The Edge of the Cave. No answers are given, but the framework for the reader to reach his or her own conclusion is carefully laid. It gives us the opportunity to shift through the rapidly changing political world of military might.

Edge of the Cave by Blake Bailey, challenges readers to look beyond their own perspective. The work is layered with levels of sophistication, giving flexibility to the reader. John Yates finds himself engaged in a debate exploring war and its relationship to criminal law in front of a mysterious tribunal. It becomes obvious that the story is really an allegory of the Platonic Cave and Yates becomes too enlightened to be tolerated by the very society in which he had enjoyed so much success.

With as much depth and insight as Lindbergh in "Gift from the Sea", Blake Bailey's "Edge of the Cave" examines our perceptions - the way we see the world around us as well as within us - and leaves us with the burning question, "What happens if we change our perceptions?"

Don't let the philosophic nature of this book scare you away. It is a quick, adventurous read, very much like Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach (author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull and One), and an inspiration for those who are not afraid to see beyond the shadows. Many of the questions that September 11, 2001 forced into our lives are addressed in this book. Through an entertaining story not a lecture, Edge of the Cave, proposes ideas of how we should respond to war and terrorism. Edge of the Cave acts as a handmaiden to bring forth the reader's own thoughts and conclusions concerning these confusing times. Read the story and come to your own conclusion as to whether John Yates is traveling the road to wisdom or insanity.

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