He believes the former manifests as the presence of his angel on his back whereas the latter is the will of God. His narcissism is belied by these failing structures he reinterprets to maintain his worldview. Further reading The Spire is subject to critical analysis by Steve Eddy in the York Notes Advanced series. Reviews by Frank Kermode and David Skilton are included in William Golding: Novels 1954–1967. Don Crompton, in A View from the Spire: William Golding's Later Novels, analyses the novel and relates it to its pagan and mythical elements. More recently, Mark Kinkead-Weekes and Ian Gregor cover all of William Golding's novels in William Golding: A Critical Study of the Novels. Recent interest includes comparisons between The Spire and Brexit and as an example of contemporary historical fiction. Reception "A most remarkable book, as unforeseeable as one foresaw, an entire original... remote from the mainstream, potent, severe, even forbidding." – Frank Kermode, New York Review of Books, 30 April 1964. Adaptations Canadian-British director Roger Spottiswoode optioned The Spire in the mid-1990s, originally intending to adapt it for screen and cited as a project in development. In November 2012, a play adaptation by Spottiswoode was premiered at the Salisbury Playhouse, directed by Gareth Minchin. An audiobook version, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, was released by Faber & Faber Audio in 2014. Excerpts from Cumberbatch's reading are included in an introductory film on the novel produced by William Golding Limited. References Sources External links William Golding by William Golding Limited The Spire audiobook, Scribd.com 1964 British novels Novels by William Golding British historical novels Salisbury Cathedral Novels set in Wiltshire Cathedrals in fiction Faber and Faber books Novels set in the Middle Ages