Before I reached the midpoint of Howard Fast's new novel [Torquemada] I was prepared to subhead this review "For Ages 12 to 16." Most of the paragraphs could be used verbatim as captions in a children's encyclopedia. The excursion into Spain, when the Dominican prior Tomás de Torquemada (1420–1498) served as generalissimo of the Inquisition, the cardboard cutouts used as "set pieces," the grimly-telegraphed story-line, seemed parts of the same pattern, illustrating the eternal theme that Man plays God at his peril.

Later, of course, it is apparent that this book is a tract for our times, for all ages. "He is a righteous man, your Torquemada," says the wise Rabbi Mendoza. "Out of his righteousness, he states what God wills. This is the curse of all righteous men." It would be pleasant to report that Mr. Fast has dramatized this truism, within his self-imposed framework, in terms that would...