Lucian of Samosata was a traveling speaker and writer in the Roman Empire, but think of him less as a dusty philosopher and more as a stand-up comic with a classics degree. This sixth volume of his complete works gathers some of his most famous pieces. In ‘A True Story’, he invents a wild sea voyage that gets blown off course to the moon, where our narrator gets caught in a war between the Sun and Moon kingdoms over colonizing Venus. It’s packed with absurd details like wine-drinking rivers and armies riding on giant three-headed birds. He tells you right up front it’s all lies, making it a parody of the exaggerated travelogues and historian tall tales of his time.

The Story

There isn’t one continuous plot. Instead, you get a series of short works and dialogues. In ‘The Passing of Peregrinus’, Lucian recounts the life of a charismatic con-man who joins (and then mocks) the early Christian movement before publicly setting himself on fire for fame. In ‘Alexander the False Prophet’, he details how a clever scam artist builds a thriving oracle cult using a trained snake and planted predictions. Through these stories and his famous ‘Dialogues of the Dead’, where famous figures like Achilles and Diogenes chat in the underworld, Lucian exposes the vanity, greed, and sheer silliness he saw in religion, philosophy, and everyday life.

Why You Should Read It

You should read it because Lucian is shockingly modern. His frustration with people who prefer comforting lies to hard truths, or who follow gurus without question, hits home today. His humor isn’t just for laughs—it’s a tool. By making you laugh at a fraudster like Alexander, he makes you question who you might be blindly trusting in your own life. The ‘A True Story’ piece is a genuine joy; it’s creative, silly, and smart all at once, showing that satire can be both deeply thoughtful and wildly entertaining.

Final Verdict

Perfect for anyone who loves history but wishes the primary sources had better punchlines. If you’re a fan of satirists like Twain or Swift, you’ll meet their brilliant, ancient ancestor here. It’s also great for readers who enjoy philosophy but find some texts too dry—Lucian drags big ideas into the messy real world. A word of caution: some references will fly over your head if you don’t know the period, but the core jokes about human nature are timeless. This isn’t a passive read; it’s an invitation to a 2,000-year-old conversation about truth, power, and why we believe the things we do.