A Most Unusual Messianic Thriller, 11 May 2004

By	Donald Mitchell "a Practical Optimist" (Boston) - See all my reviews

The book opens with a journalist accidentally finding a way to be part of the scientific team that plans to examine the Shroud of Turin, the linen that many believe was used to cover the body of Christ after His death. The story closely follows the actual scientific investigations into that relic, and includes many footnotes to the actual news reports.

The flight of fancy begins when a scientist discovers some cells that can be used to clone other cells, and a person. The references here are well beyond anything that science was able to do in the timeframe described here, so you just have to play along. If you like your science fiction to be literal, you will probably be disappointed in this section.

The story then evolves around a person being grown from these cells. Here again, science fiction takes many unlikely turns. For example, there is a theory that a clone can remember experiences that occurred in the original's body.

Around this plot revolves helpful people in the background who seem to be playing the role of prophets, religious conflict that turns into terrorism and warfare, and a changing role for the United Nations. Of these themes, I found the one involving the United Nations to be quite interesting. If that body were to become more effective, how would it have to change from its current make-up and governance? You will find the author's answers to be quite useful, I think.

The story is fast-paced, cutting quickly from one story line to the next. I found myself sitting up late to finish it.

As you are aware, I'm sure, having lots of action means giving up other things. In this case, having lots of characters and plot complications means that you do not spend much time with any characters but two. Only one of these seems to get decent development. The other one is deliberately kept as a mystery. Since I love character development, that made the plot less interesting for me. If you like action, it will make the plot more interesting for you.

This book is the first in a series called "The Christ Clone Trilogy." From that title you can see that the story will probably parallel the life of Jesus in important ways, but there is less of that than you might imagine. In fact, if the book had hewn closer to a Christian theme, I suspect that I would have enjoyed it more. On the other hand, by not doing so, this book will be more accessible and appealing to people of all faiths and beliefs. So it is very democratic in that way.

You should be aware that the book leaves you hanging, like an old Saturday morning cartoon serial just before the cereal commercial. If you decide to read this one, I suspect that you will feel compelled to read the rest of the series. That's okay as long as you don't mind reading two more books . . . both of which I liked better than this one.

There is a serious side to the book in that it realistically portrays the dangers of proliferating weapons of mass destruction. Anyone who reads this book will end up thinking quite a lot about what needs to be done to make the world a more humane and less dangerous place. That's a very worthwhile lesson to get from an action novel.

What can you do to help with the issues of making this a better world for every one in it?

Live with love and hope in your heart, and share them with all you meet!

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