David Czuchlewski's 2001 debut novel, The Muse Asylum, is one of the best books I've ever read. So I was excited, but also a little fearful, when I received this book, doubtful that he could live up to that high standard the second time around.

I needn't have worried, as Empire of Light is a first-rate story. Further, writing it doesn't seem to have cramped his style as a student; his publisher reports that he's now in his final year of medical school.

Empire is a fast-moving and complex love story. Matt Kelly, a young teacher in New York City, is briefly reunited with his ex-girlfriend Anna. She's a gifted painter, but also a heavy substance abuser, and so it's not surprising that, when she comes to his door one rainy night, she appears to be headed for a horrible end.

Still, it takes all of his willpower to keep from making love to her during the night she crashes at his apartment. Matt doesn't want to be an enabler, so he keeps his distance, and in the morning, Anna is gone.

Shortly after, however, he receives word from her that she is now part of what many would term a Roman Catholic "cult," Imperium Luminis. The group, which is heartily endorsed by the Vatican, was founded by a former Mafia don, and its followers devote their lives to being worthy of God and doing good works.

Anna reports that she's found her true self in the group and tells Matt that she wants him back in her life. He visits her and discovers, among other things, that she's no longer painting. While she's obviously in great physical condition and seems truly happy, he still has his doubts:

"I could hardly make any connection between the carefree, vibrant person I used to love and this earnest creature of God. I could trace the trajectory that she had followed, I could hear the echoes of her old self in her phrasing and voice, but I understood for the first time that she had changed in a truly fundamental way. I could either keep trying to make out the old within the new - keep trying to rebuild our lost world in its original configuration - or I could give up. At that moment the lateness of the hour caught up with me and I was overcome by an exhaustion that felt like sickness. 'I can't be with you this way,' I said, almost before I had decided to say it."

As it turns out, it isn't that simple. Matt delves into the lore concerning the group, and decides that he can "rescue" Anna, even if he has to fake his own conversion to be able to stay close to her long enough to persuade her to leave.

Well, it's not that simple, either. Imperium Luminis, despite some shady practices, is actually helping people. In fact, it even causes Matt to address major issues in his own life, including his relationship with his father, a brilliant English major in college who came back from Vietnam a greatly changed person and ended up as a subway motorman.

However, it's not merely a story about the inner workings of Matt's mind, because Czuchlewski's other characters, and their stories, are equally compelling.

Oh, and there's also a major mystery in the middle of all of this, one that causes Matt to deeply question the motives of everyone with whom he comes in contact, and to probe ever deeper within himself.

Further, there are frequent passages from the Imperium Luminis "Bible," Conti's The Pilgrim. They're akin to a Greek chorus, as they help to keep things moving along rapidly, toward a startling conclusion.

Finally, a word of advice to aspiring novelists: Skip the composition and literature courses. Czuchlewski conclusively proves that pre-med's the only way to go.

Ed Halloran is a Denver-based author and journalist.