- Paperback: 385 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins; New edition edition (2 April 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007114656
- ISBN-13: 978-0007114658
- Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,555,886 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
‘A fascinating novel with a leavening of tantalising historical detail’ Irish News
Praise for The Mastership Game:
‘This superior thriller does more than entertain: it questions the nature of power and the lengths people will go to acquire it.’ Christopher Matthew, Daily Mail
'A conspiracy thriller of the highest order . . . a tight and always intriguing novel which examines the depths to which people will sink in their quest for power. A masterly debut.' Evening Herald
‘McBain has a talent for creating believable characters and situations… For those who thought he was going to carry on in the usual vein of thriller writers, this will be a surprise; for those who enjoy good writing, a pleasant one.’ Richard Pedley, Jersey Evening Post
Product Description
A dramatic novel, based on a wonderful historical concept: the power of evil, given to one man.
For thirty pieces of silver, Judas committed the most famous betrayal in history. Thirty coins which gave their possessor such a power for evil that it could only be resisted by the greatest saint, Peter. Twenty- five of the pieces have been safely gathered and kept safe in the sacred tomb of St Peter in the Vatican. But what became of the remaining five coins?
Paul, a brilliant criminal psychologist, has been responsible for an accused murderer being released. Meeting the man later, he fears the consequences of his mistake, but is distracted by an unusually attractive visitor. And the first coin appears. Paul’s path to evil, the choices and the temptations on the way are brilliantly portrayed.
The Church, led by the formidable Cardinal Benelli, knows of the evil performed by previous holders of the coins, such as Diocletion, but none was as terrifying as the conjunction of the hapless Paul and, through him, the rise, once more, of the Magus.
Powerful, fascinating, full of historical detail, of secret histories of the Vatican, of occult practices and philosophy, The Coins of Judas is a spellbinding new novel.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book uses the theme of the missing coins of Judas Iscariot's blood money, which wield diabolical power. Some of the characters are inevitably sketched in as the book is crammed with story, but Cardinal Benelli in particular lingers in the memory. The horror of Paul's fate swells as the story continues, and the quirk at the very end of the novel throws everything before it in a new light.
Well worth a read.
Well worth a read.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
After reading "The Mastership Game" for the 3rd time I thought I would see if Scott McBain had written any other books - I was only disapointed because he's only written one other and this is it.
The Coins of judas is an excellent book. Some might say its just the good v. evil thing done over again - but McBain has added plenty of new ideas, detail and has obviously researched it extremely thoroughly. If you liked "The Mastership Game", if you like good stories about evil spirits taking over the world, or if you are just looking for a well thought out, well written and intelligent thriller I would recommend this to you whole-heartidly.
I hope Soctt McBain writes more, and maintains the high standards he has already set.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Paul Stauffer is a professor of crime-psychiatry at the university of San Francisco and in his opinion religion and faith would have their best time behind themselves. The avowed atheist is conviced, that there for everything in the universe is a rational explanation and that religion and art are of the same kind, because they are either the work of a genius or a bag player trick. Because there would be neither God or still some kind of bad power, criminal behavior has to be evaluated by means of medical instead of moral terms....
Although better knowledge and by self-interests Stauffer defends his psychological appraise during the court hearing, that finally causes to the acquietal of the murderer Karl Kramer an gets him the acquaintance of the puzzling Helen. At a dinerparty Helen asks the professor, what he would be ready to give, in order to experience all "eternal truths"....
At the same time the indications of a 1000 years old, dark prophecy of pope Silvester II. accumulate. This prophecy is standing directly before it's fulfilment. In the Vatikan pope Johannes XXV and his three combatant fellows are preparing temselves for the fight against the messengers of the darkness.....
The novel is a fantastic and fascinating mixture with the elements of psychology and mystic. The borders between C G. Jung and the medieval "Malleus Maleficarum" (witch hammer) are flowing. The strictly scientific-rational beginning follows a gradual change into a religious-mystical action, whereby the figure of puzzling Helen(a) riminds of Goethe's Doctor Faust Part II.. Now astral journeys with bilocations belong to plot, like the hunger for knowledge, an greed for power, betrayal and other abysses of soul. The name of the Leading actor Stauffer is an interesting allegory, becauses it awakes associations to medievallyn emperor Friedrich II. of Hohenstaufen, who was recognized as the "Anti-Christi" by many of his contemporaries and the pope, who put a spell on him. At the end of the novel origin and meaning of the term "simony" becomes understandably. The mention of historical events and persons (Bannockburn, Milvi bridge, the Roman emperors Diokletian and Julian Apostata), of astrology (conjunctions of the planets) and hermetic (Hermes Trismengistos, Zoroastranism, Kabbala. Manichaeism) and the notes of the author together are rounding the overall view. ... ....
....that means the maximum valuation of 5 Amazonstars!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Beam Me up Scott
Fast paced adventure yarn set in the modern day but continuing themes and even events from the time of the New Testament. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Rotgut
Take a look at yourself
This book was recommended to me by my brother-in-law and as a rule we don't share the same taste in books at all but this is the exception tha proves the rule the book is... Read more
Published on 24 April 2008 by Christine
Good 1, Evil 0
A potentially interesting idea botched, as becomes painfully apparent after the Prologue. He should have stuck to the secret corridors of the Vatican and left those beautiful... Read more
Published on 16 Dec 2003 by Suetonius
Done to death Good verses Evil theme.
Despite the author's evident extensive research the story fails to rise above a clichéd story of forces of Good fighting Evil. Read more
Published on 3 Mar 2002 by tgaston
Slow and muddled
This book is trying to be cleverer than it is. The idea of the Coins of Judas Iscariot was used to much better effect by Graham Masterton in Flesh and Blood. Read more
Published on 5 Jun 2001
Brilliant, couldn't put it down. No dinner cooked tonight
The novel is set in 2 locations, but contains numerous plots characters and periods in history - the historical pieces are fascinating and make you want to read more on the... Read more
Published on 3 May 2001 by iain.mcquillan@onmail.co.uk
Thriller with a difference
This book looks at the age old fight between good and evil whilst making the reader feel the need for God to prevail and therefore ensuring the security of the Christain faith. Read more
Published on 14 April 2001 by Mg Burnage
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