At Play in the Fields of the Lord. This item is unavailable.At Play in the Fields of the Lord

In a malarial outpost in the South American rain forest, two misplaced gringos converge and clash in this novel from the National Book Award-winning author. Martin Quarrier has come to convert the elusive Niaruna Indians to his brand of Christianity. Lewis Moon, a stateless mercenary who is himself part Indian, has come to kill them on the behalf of the local comandante. Out of this struggle Peter Matthiessen creates an electrifying moral thriller--adapted into a movie starring John Lithgow, Kathy Bates, and Tom Waits. A novel of Conradian richness, At Play in the Fields of the Lord explores both the varieties of spiritual experience and the politics of cultural genocide.

Inventive and extremely well-written. . . . Incredibly moving. . . . A remarkable performance. San Francisco Chronicle

Matthiessen has produced, in expertly crafted and sometimes deeply affecting prose, an entertainment full of glittering color, nose-to-nose conflict and heroic gestures. The Washington Post Book World

A work approaching the highest art, of the most serious purpose. St. Louis Post-Dispatch

A haunting novel. . . . A sardonic wit and a huge fund of compassion illuminate its pages. Newsday

A brutal yet compassionate narrative . . . that will remain long in the reader s mind. Minneapolis Star Tribune"

"Inventive and extremely well-written. . . . Incredibly moving. . . . A remarkable performance." --San Francisco Chronicle

"Matthiessen has produced, in expertly crafted and sometimes deeply affecting prose, an entertainment full of glittering color, nose-to-nose conflict and heroic gestures." --The Washington Post Book World

"A work approaching the highest art, of the most serious purpose." --St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"A haunting novel. . . . A sardonic wit and a huge fund of compassion illuminate its pages." --Newsday

"A brutal yet compassionate narrative . . . that will remain long in the reader's mind." --Minneapolis Star Tribune