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The Savior
When the pain is so bad, can a man ever find his way back to the light?
Toby Riordan has sunk as low as a man can go when death becomes his best friend. He calls out to the darkness for someone to listen, help. When all he perceives is silence, he decides that it’s all a joke, a fable. That maybe Karl Marx wasn’t too far off. A djinn and a television program give him the tools to find out for himself, give him the chance to go laugh in someone’s face about it all.
Toby lands in the middle of Nazareth of the first century—and meets the young Yeshua ben David. The boy who will one day be known as Jesus. But the closer he gets to the young man, the more he finds that maybe divinity isn't a fairy tale. That in losing his past, Toby just might gain his future. And that finding his faith may be as easy as accepting that he was never really alone to begin with.
Toby Riordan has sunk as low as a man can go when death becomes his best friend. He calls out to the darkness for someone to listen, help. When all he perceives is silence, he decides that it’s all a joke, a fable. That maybe Karl Marx wasn’t too far off. A djinn and a television program give him the tools to find out for himself, give him the chance to go laugh in someone’s face about it all.
Toby lands in the middle of Nazareth of the first century—and meets the young Yeshua ben David. The boy who will one day be known as Jesus. But the closer he gets to the young man, the more he finds that maybe divinity isn't a fairy tale. That in losing his past, Toby just might gain his future. And that finding his faith may be as easy as accepting that he was never really alone to begin with.
419 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 19, 2013
Ms. Coffey has written an amazing journey. The story revolves around Toby Riordan, a former soldier who has had his life pretty much destroyed before his eyes, who is then sent on a fantastical journey through time. Make no mistake, this book is a FANTASY, with historical characters. Don't read expecting traditional Christian all-feel-good fiction. This is exceptionally diverse.
The premise is that Toby is given an unexpected gift that gives him three abilities: To travel through time, to speak whatever the language is where finds himself, and well... he's immortal.
The story is told in many layers. We meet Toby in 'the present' as he is telling the story of he journeys to "John" (who is skeptical to say the least). The book flashes back to Toby's travels to circa 4AD where his adventures take him from Jerusalem to Ir with a cast of very diverse characters.
Ms. Coffey explores different faiths and cultures through Toby's journeys. There is emphasis on early Celtic traditions, early Buddhist and yes, the early years of Yeshua ben David. An open mind is necessary.
There are historical characters other than the title character, and a twist at the end that made this reader cry.
The prose are crisp and quick. The dialog 'real'. Toby is a gritty, disgruntled mess at the beginning, and yes, as one reviewer pointed out, there are some swear words. They are necessary to the character development and move the story along. All characters evolve and change during the story. They are well developed and real. The plot moves right along, and just as you are forgetting about "John", she brings the narrative back to the present just long enough for us to be reminded why Toby is telling the story to begin with. There are seamless transitions between past and present. Very well paced and a real page turner.
Read!
The premise is that Toby is given an unexpected gift that gives him three abilities: To travel through time, to speak whatever the language is where finds himself, and well... he's immortal.
The story is told in many layers. We meet Toby in 'the present' as he is telling the story of he journeys to "John" (who is skeptical to say the least). The book flashes back to Toby's travels to circa 4AD where his adventures take him from Jerusalem to Ir with a cast of very diverse characters.
Ms. Coffey explores different faiths and cultures through Toby's journeys. There is emphasis on early Celtic traditions, early Buddhist and yes, the early years of Yeshua ben David. An open mind is necessary.
There are historical characters other than the title character, and a twist at the end that made this reader cry.
The prose are crisp and quick. The dialog 'real'. Toby is a gritty, disgruntled mess at the beginning, and yes, as one reviewer pointed out, there are some swear words. They are necessary to the character development and move the story along. All characters evolve and change during the story. They are well developed and real. The plot moves right along, and just as you are forgetting about "John", she brings the narrative back to the present just long enough for us to be reminded why Toby is telling the story to begin with. There are seamless transitions between past and present. Very well paced and a real page turner.
Read!
March 18, 2013
The Savior by Jesse V Coffey is an interesting take on the old question of "What if...". What if you were granted three wishes? What if you could go back in time? What if you could understand, and speak, any language? What if you could be a companion to a growing Christ child?
Ms. Coffey looks at the "missing" years of Jesus, namely those from late childhood through early adulthood and spins an intricate back-story for where Jesus may have been during that time. Though some may find conflict in her portrayal of these years, I found them intriguing, and hopeful that she will continue to expound on those missing years.
The Savior is a well laid out story that kept me entertained from beginning to end. It made me pause at times, and wonder, "Could this have really happened?" It's a beautiful story that will hopefully touch many people, and bring them closer to knowing themselves.
Ms. Coffey looks at the "missing" years of Jesus, namely those from late childhood through early adulthood and spins an intricate back-story for where Jesus may have been during that time. Though some may find conflict in her portrayal of these years, I found them intriguing, and hopeful that she will continue to expound on those missing years.
The Savior is a well laid out story that kept me entertained from beginning to end. It made me pause at times, and wonder, "Could this have really happened?" It's a beautiful story that will hopefully touch many people, and bring them closer to knowing themselves.
April 25, 2013
This book could be SO good--if I could just get past the religious aspects of it. As a born again, evangelical Christian, I just could not stomach the idea of Jesus becoming a Celtic druid priest or living with Buddhist monks to learn their beliefs and ways in His search for His life's ultimate purpose. The title and description caught my eye immediately due to the mix of historical fiction (Jesus and his life) and fantasy (a modern-day man time-travels back to Jesus' time to meet Him). To be fair, the author makes it clear from the very first pages, before the story even begins, that she believes that all religions are just different paths to the same end. Therefore, I had a good inkling of what kind of book it would be before I started. Amazingly, she manages to connect Operation Desert Storm, djinns, ancient Celts, and Buddhist monks with Jesus and time travel in a way that works overall--IF I can just get past the fact that Jesus is thrown into the mix. My only other problem is that I just didn't get it, aside from the Jesus thing. The book opens and closes with the phrase, "Do you have it now?" And I just don't have it, not at all. I don't have any clue what that means or anything. I thought I understood the story, except for that phrase, and maybe the ending, but I just don't know. It's entirely possible that I simply did not put enough brain energy into figuring it out, because I was reading quite skeptically throughout. Or perhaps it's not meant to be understood in this, the first book of a trilogy. As of right now, I am not at all certain that I will read the next 2 books. I got this one as a free download on amazon.com, and I am glad that I didn't spend money on it. I will see what the next book is about--and if I can get it for free--once it is published. However, people who do not have the same beliefs as I do would probably enjoy this book very much.
July 24, 2017
This was written by a friend of mine but that has no bearing on my eating now recommendation. This book is engrossing and the definition of " a real page turner".
Jesse is a brilliant author and has written several other books that I would rate just as high and recommend as well.
Jesse is a brilliant author and has written several other books that I would rate just as high and recommend as well.
April 1, 2008
A cross-genre piece: there are elements of fantasy, historical, and romantic fiction in here. More of a literary fiction piece than any other genre.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews