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The Jesus Thief #1
The Jesus Thief
The story of a momentous undertaking -- an attempt to clone Christ. Brilliantly conceived, masterfully written, this soaring novel is a triumph, and a touching and unexpected love story, born amid swirling events.
"It never failed to move Felix, this image on the cloth, viewed with scorn or veneration by millions over centuries ..."
So begins a virtual autopsy of the Shroud of Turin in J R Lankford's sweeping novel that mixes medical high tech with the author's obvious love of people, cultures and religions.
The Jesus Thief is the story of a momentous undertaking -- an attempt to clone Christ.
At its center is Dr. Felix Rossi, a wealthy microbiologist who burns with unspoken questions as he leads a scientific investigation of the Shroud. Do the threads contain the blood of Jesus? Is the DNA still intact?
Later at his Upper East Side New York home, he must avoid the scrutiny of a fiancée, a devoted sister, and a prying maid as he works. When a reporter suddenly appears, hidden allegiances form against him. He must find a modern Mary without delay.
The Jesus Thief takes the reader from society galas to Irish pubs to Harlem churches to Italy in Fascist and current times with all the suspense of a detective novel, the drama of a thriller, and the periodic chills of high adventure. It tells of lost family ties and a lost heritage, of a man's search for God and a poor woman's yearning to be special. It tells a touching and unexpected love story, born amid swirling events.
Brilliantly conceived, masterfully written, this soaring novel is a triumph. You will believe every word and haunt bookstores in hope of a sequel.
Author’s Note
In 1988, a scientific team took samples from The Shroud of Turin, a 14 by 3-1/2 foot piece of ancient, handmade linen purported to be the burial cloth of Christ. The samples were subjected to radiocarbon tests in labs in Arizona, Oxford, and Zurich. All three labs dated the Shroud’s linen between AD 1260 - 1390.
It seemed that the most famous winding sheet in the world was, after all, one of the many fake Christian relics produced in Europe around this time—few of which had ever been near Jerusalem, much less the crucified body of Jesus Christ.
Unconvinced, two Shroud experts subsequently announced, "We believe the Shroud has been patched … with material from the sixteenth century." Was the carbon dating done on part patch, part Shroud, skewing the results?
The historical record could indeed imply that portions removed from the edges—perhaps as early as the reign of Charles IV of Bohemia—were later replaced or repaired, commingling first century and sixteenth century threads in the corner from which the radiocarbon test samples came. A renowned textile expert examined a sample and said, "There is no question that there is different material on each side … It is definitely a patch."
In 2002, chemical analysis confirmed these experts were right. The authenticity of the Shroud became more plausible, but its Pontifical Custodians have not so far rejoiced, having newly removed all patches from the Holy Cloth.
Unless and until the Church approves new tests, the faithful must rely on results from the previous scientific investigation. The 1978 Shroud of Turin Research Project said in its Final Report: "We can conclude for now that the Shroud image is that of a real human form of a scourged, crucified man. It is not the product of an artist. The bloodstains are composed of hemoglobin and also give a positive test for serum albumin. The image is an ongoing mystery."
Meanwhile, one part of the puzzle seems to have been solved. Two highly regarded scientists associated with universities in Jerusalem and North Carolina studied pollen samples taken from the Shroud and concluded their source was a plant that grows in Israel, Jordan, and Sinai and nowhere else on earth.
"It never failed to move Felix, this image on the cloth, viewed with scorn or veneration by millions over centuries ..."
So begins a virtual autopsy of the Shroud of Turin in J R Lankford's sweeping novel that mixes medical high tech with the author's obvious love of people, cultures and religions.
The Jesus Thief is the story of a momentous undertaking -- an attempt to clone Christ.
At its center is Dr. Felix Rossi, a wealthy microbiologist who burns with unspoken questions as he leads a scientific investigation of the Shroud. Do the threads contain the blood of Jesus? Is the DNA still intact?
Later at his Upper East Side New York home, he must avoid the scrutiny of a fiancée, a devoted sister, and a prying maid as he works. When a reporter suddenly appears, hidden allegiances form against him. He must find a modern Mary without delay.
The Jesus Thief takes the reader from society galas to Irish pubs to Harlem churches to Italy in Fascist and current times with all the suspense of a detective novel, the drama of a thriller, and the periodic chills of high adventure. It tells of lost family ties and a lost heritage, of a man's search for God and a poor woman's yearning to be special. It tells a touching and unexpected love story, born amid swirling events.
Brilliantly conceived, masterfully written, this soaring novel is a triumph. You will believe every word and haunt bookstores in hope of a sequel.
Author’s Note
In 1988, a scientific team took samples from The Shroud of Turin, a 14 by 3-1/2 foot piece of ancient, handmade linen purported to be the burial cloth of Christ. The samples were subjected to radiocarbon tests in labs in Arizona, Oxford, and Zurich. All three labs dated the Shroud’s linen between AD 1260 - 1390.
It seemed that the most famous winding sheet in the world was, after all, one of the many fake Christian relics produced in Europe around this time—few of which had ever been near Jerusalem, much less the crucified body of Jesus Christ.
Unconvinced, two Shroud experts subsequently announced, "We believe the Shroud has been patched … with material from the sixteenth century." Was the carbon dating done on part patch, part Shroud, skewing the results?
The historical record could indeed imply that portions removed from the edges—perhaps as early as the reign of Charles IV of Bohemia—were later replaced or repaired, commingling first century and sixteenth century threads in the corner from which the radiocarbon test samples came. A renowned textile expert examined a sample and said, "There is no question that there is different material on each side … It is definitely a patch."
In 2002, chemical analysis confirmed these experts were right. The authenticity of the Shroud became more plausible, but its Pontifical Custodians have not so far rejoiced, having newly removed all patches from the Holy Cloth.
Unless and until the Church approves new tests, the faithful must rely on results from the previous scientific investigation. The 1978 Shroud of Turin Research Project said in its Final Report: "We can conclude for now that the Shroud image is that of a real human form of a scourged, crucified man. It is not the product of an artist. The bloodstains are composed of hemoglobin and also give a positive test for serum albumin. The image is an ongoing mystery."
Meanwhile, one part of the puzzle seems to have been solved. Two highly regarded scientists associated with universities in Jerusalem and North Carolina studied pollen samples taken from the Shroud and concluded their source was a plant that grows in Israel, Jordan, and Sinai and nowhere else on earth.
287 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
14 people are currently reading
137 people want to read
About the author
J.R. Lankford
6 books11 followersProbably the best way to introduce myself is via the openings of my first two published novels. Writing them gave me more joy than any other work I've done.
THE CROWNING CIRCLE
Copyright © 2001 J R Lankford
All rights reserved
Republished as
MURDER WITHOUT MOTIVE
Thursday, 9:03 a.m.
Oaklawn District, Chatsford, Ohio
Gloria Wentworth Hampton stood in her driveway, her face shaded by her broad-brimmed gardening hat. She wished the shadow would somehow widen, darken, descend to the ground, and envelop her. Since coming to America from England a year ago, she’d often felt this way.
“Do come with us, Mum. Won’t you please?” her daughter begged, pulling at her skirts.
“Maybe another time, darling . . . ” Gloria began and, from recent habit, looked up and down the sidewalk. It was vacant except for a boy, perhaps eighteen, wearing jeans and plaid shirt. To Gloria he looked the typical American male, who thought himself a Wild West cowboy. She glanced away, feeling suddenly empty, wondering why she’d become so judgmental.
“Gloria, really!”
Her husband, Jim, held their son’s hand and looked exasperated.
“Surely we should go as a family,” he said. “It’s their Founder’s Day.”
“Please, Jim, I just — I don’t feel good about that air show. None of us should go."
THE JESUS THIS
Copyright © 2003 J R Lankford
All rights reserved
Wednesday p.m., January 12—Turin, Italy
For the better part of his forty-two years, Dr. Felix Rossi had wanted to be here in the Capella Della Sacra Sindone, the chapel at the top of the stairs in the Duomo, Turin’s Renaissance cathedral, when priests came to open the tabernacle. Only six times before in the twentieth century had it happened and rarely in the presence of anyone but the priests. He’d wanted to stand beneath Guarini’s famous glass-paned dome as the sun cast dazzling kaleidoscopes of brilliance down through the tabernacle’s iron gates. The day had, at last, arrived.
In awe he waited with Father Bartolo, black marble beneath their feet, a white marble balustrade surrounding them, angels at each end. Everywhere in this chapel its designer, Guarini, had put statues of angels. For over four hundred years they had been here—blowing trumpets, playing harps, flying on spread wings, hovering in a frozen watch as they guarded Christianity’s most famous relic. Sunlight flashed off the pair of gold Cherubs above the gates and the two Archangels leaning on their staffs as if to regard only him. In the brilliant light, Felix Rossi could barely see, but he couldn’t look away. He would remember this moment until he died.
THE CROWNING CIRCLE
Copyright © 2001 J R Lankford
All rights reserved
Republished as
MURDER WITHOUT MOTIVE
Thursday, 9:03 a.m.
Oaklawn District, Chatsford, Ohio
Gloria Wentworth Hampton stood in her driveway, her face shaded by her broad-brimmed gardening hat. She wished the shadow would somehow widen, darken, descend to the ground, and envelop her. Since coming to America from England a year ago, she’d often felt this way.
“Do come with us, Mum. Won’t you please?” her daughter begged, pulling at her skirts.
“Maybe another time, darling . . . ” Gloria began and, from recent habit, looked up and down the sidewalk. It was vacant except for a boy, perhaps eighteen, wearing jeans and plaid shirt. To Gloria he looked the typical American male, who thought himself a Wild West cowboy. She glanced away, feeling suddenly empty, wondering why she’d become so judgmental.
“Gloria, really!”
Her husband, Jim, held their son’s hand and looked exasperated.
“Surely we should go as a family,” he said. “It’s their Founder’s Day.”
“Please, Jim, I just — I don’t feel good about that air show. None of us should go."
THE JESUS THIS
Copyright © 2003 J R Lankford
All rights reserved
Wednesday p.m., January 12—Turin, Italy
For the better part of his forty-two years, Dr. Felix Rossi had wanted to be here in the Capella Della Sacra Sindone, the chapel at the top of the stairs in the Duomo, Turin’s Renaissance cathedral, when priests came to open the tabernacle. Only six times before in the twentieth century had it happened and rarely in the presence of anyone but the priests. He’d wanted to stand beneath Guarini’s famous glass-paned dome as the sun cast dazzling kaleidoscopes of brilliance down through the tabernacle’s iron gates. The day had, at last, arrived.
In awe he waited with Father Bartolo, black marble beneath their feet, a white marble balustrade surrounding them, angels at each end. Everywhere in this chapel its designer, Guarini, had put statues of angels. For over four hundred years they had been here—blowing trumpets, playing harps, flying on spread wings, hovering in a frozen watch as they guarded Christianity’s most famous relic. Sunlight flashed off the pair of gold Cherubs above the gates and the two Archangels leaning on their staffs as if to regard only him. In the brilliant light, Felix Rossi could barely see, but he couldn’t look away. He would remember this moment until he died.
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October 6, 2007Can't review or rate my own novel but I probably enjoyed writing this more than any work I've ever done.
December 6, 2017
Onvan : The Jesus Thief (The Jesus Thief, #1) - Nevisande : J.R. Lankford - ISBN : 971869413 - ISBN13 : 9780971869417 - Dar 296 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 2003
April 16, 2010
Lankford’s style reminds me of nothing more than the most pedestrian of romance novels. Lankford tries to create suspense, but doesn’t do more than pad a tedious story with characters that never come to life (if you’ll pardon the expression, considering the novel’s plot). The whole thing seems dated, as if the author hasn’t read anything more contemporary than issues of TRUE ROMANCE circa 1962. Dropping in the names of current products and celebrities doesn’t help, but rather makes the style more awkward. You never feel anything beyond simple curiosity about where the author is going with all this.
Felix Rossi is a well-known physician and geneticist, who believes that his invitation to take part in an examination of the Shroud of Turin is his opportunity to bring Jesus back to life. Having been raised Catholic, Rossi and his sister, have recently discovered that they are in fact of Jewish descent. In his twisted logic, Rossi comes to believe that not only will his research bring about another ‘resurrection’ but also will also make the world ‘forgive’ the Jews for killing Jesus in the first place. In a plot so convoluted that characters seem to appear and disappear haphazardly, Langford tosses in subplots that never amount to more than momentary complication and then are forgotten. This may have actually worked as a short-story or novelette, but in this case the author seems to be watching the word count more than what is going on on the page before her.
I realize that so-called Christian Fiction is popular and books of that type have actually cracked the New York Times bestseller list, but I can’t see even readers of those novels as an audience for this.
Felix Rossi is a well-known physician and geneticist, who believes that his invitation to take part in an examination of the Shroud of Turin is his opportunity to bring Jesus back to life. Having been raised Catholic, Rossi and his sister, have recently discovered that they are in fact of Jewish descent. In his twisted logic, Rossi comes to believe that not only will his research bring about another ‘resurrection’ but also will also make the world ‘forgive’ the Jews for killing Jesus in the first place. In a plot so convoluted that characters seem to appear and disappear haphazardly, Langford tosses in subplots that never amount to more than momentary complication and then are forgotten. This may have actually worked as a short-story or novelette, but in this case the author seems to be watching the word count more than what is going on on the page before her.
I realize that so-called Christian Fiction is popular and books of that type have actually cracked the New York Times bestseller list, but I can’t see even readers of those novels as an audience for this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2007
What sets Lankford's book about from other mystery/thrillers is the
engaging quality of her writing and the sense that immersing yourself
in this page-turner is time very well spent indeed. I would be pressing
my copy into the hands of friends and family except that I want to keep i
t for myself and start reading it again soon.
The story meshes an exciting speculative science concept with an
intriguing bit of theological fiction. Suppose that it were possible to
clone a human being using a bit of dried blood as the starting point
for DNA. Suppose that the blood were blood from the shroud of turin
and that the shroud were actually the winding-cloth of a certain Yehoshua
of Nazareth. Suppose that this person actually was the promised messiah
and now you have-quite literally-the second coming of christ.
So what would happen if people believed that their messiah had returned
to earth? We have some clues. There's Dostoevski's Grand Inquisitor chapter
in Brothers. There are the followers of the mahdi in the 19th century and
perhaps a few others.
What Lankford has done is deflect some of this speculation-putting it off
'til a sequel-in favor of the action-laden story of getting the job done. There
is a lot more to this book than is necessary to tell the basic 'cloning Christ'
story and the beauty of the set-up is that it involves the reader personally in the story.
A good read and a great set-up for the next volume which will tell us what happens
when the word gets out.
--Lynn Hoffman, author of bang-BANG isbn 1601640005
engaging quality of her writing and the sense that immersing yourself
in this page-turner is time very well spent indeed. I would be pressing
my copy into the hands of friends and family except that I want to keep i
t for myself and start reading it again soon.
The story meshes an exciting speculative science concept with an
intriguing bit of theological fiction. Suppose that it were possible to
clone a human being using a bit of dried blood as the starting point
for DNA. Suppose that the blood were blood from the shroud of turin
and that the shroud were actually the winding-cloth of a certain Yehoshua
of Nazareth. Suppose that this person actually was the promised messiah
and now you have-quite literally-the second coming of christ.
So what would happen if people believed that their messiah had returned
to earth? We have some clues. There's Dostoevski's Grand Inquisitor chapter
in Brothers. There are the followers of the mahdi in the 19th century and
perhaps a few others.
What Lankford has done is deflect some of this speculation-putting it off
'til a sequel-in favor of the action-laden story of getting the job done. There
is a lot more to this book than is necessary to tell the basic 'cloning Christ'
story and the beauty of the set-up is that it involves the reader personally in the story.
A good read and a great set-up for the next volume which will tell us what happens
when the word gets out.
--Lynn Hoffman, author of bang-BANG isbn 1601640005
May 28, 2013
From the GR summary page:
The Jesus Thief is a scientific-religious thriller about an attempt to clone Jesus of Nazareth....John Grant, co-Editor of The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, summarizes, "Wealthy Dr Felix Rossi is part of the latest team permitted by the Vatican to examine the Turin Shroud. He has plotted to snip a tiny thread from one of the apparently bloodstained areas in order to attempt to create a clone of Christ. His plans become more urgent when he discovers, just before his trip, that, while raised a Catholic, he is in fact the child of Jews who sought refuge from Nazism in the USA and adopted Catholicism ... since Jews are held responsible for Christ's death and persecuted as a result, reasons Rossi, then his restoration by a Jew might decrease the attacks ...."
It took me a bit to get into this; I had a hard time buying into the idea that anyone would be crazy enough to attempt cloning Christ and think they could get away with it. Once I got over that hump, though, I did get caught up in the drama and start to care about Maggie, who truly believes she has been called to be the second mother of God's son. The end of the book is a tense, danger-filled chase that kept me turning pages. In spite of taking a while to warm up to it, I haven't been able to get this book out of my head since I finished it.
The Jesus Thief is a scientific-religious thriller about an attempt to clone Jesus of Nazareth....John Grant, co-Editor of The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, summarizes, "Wealthy Dr Felix Rossi is part of the latest team permitted by the Vatican to examine the Turin Shroud. He has plotted to snip a tiny thread from one of the apparently bloodstained areas in order to attempt to create a clone of Christ. His plans become more urgent when he discovers, just before his trip, that, while raised a Catholic, he is in fact the child of Jews who sought refuge from Nazism in the USA and adopted Catholicism ... since Jews are held responsible for Christ's death and persecuted as a result, reasons Rossi, then his restoration by a Jew might decrease the attacks ...."
It took me a bit to get into this; I had a hard time buying into the idea that anyone would be crazy enough to attempt cloning Christ and think they could get away with it. Once I got over that hump, though, I did get caught up in the drama and start to care about Maggie, who truly believes she has been called to be the second mother of God's son. The end of the book is a tense, danger-filled chase that kept me turning pages. In spite of taking a while to warm up to it, I haven't been able to get this book out of my head since I finished it.
April 26, 2019
Why I chose this book: I picked out of the library's African American authors section. I was intrigued by the science behind it and interested in reading a book that was very different from the narrower view into African American literature that we typically get from school.
I really want to give this book 2.5 stars.
It had moments. There were all the elements that make up a sound (if a bit derivative) thriller: conspiracy at high levels, a discovery that threatens the status quo and everyone's worldview, a complicated family history, political wills.
Without giving away spoilers, a devout biochemist (with a background in obstetrics--how convenient!) decides to try to clone Christ from the Shroud of Turin. The science bits were fewer than I had hoped but they did seem to be well-researched. What disappointed me was the characters. There was not enough time spent building them up to make me believe that they would all participate in this dangerous, sacrilegious (for many) undertaking. I wanted to see them struggle, to really war over the idea. I wanted to believe these were people who had thought long and hard and then took a huge leap into a perhaps insane endeavor. Instead, every fight was resolved in a few pages. Rather than showing us the conflict building up, Lankford makes allusions to previous internal struggles the characters already had. But I needed to read those to really believe in these people and care about them.
Once we got deep into the thriller piece (car chases and all), the plot was too fast. Again, things fell into place too quickly to be believable. This book is about 300 page and The DaVinci Code, a well respected thriller about religious and political intrigue, was 480. I needed those 180 pages to flesh out the characters and add to the plot.
I really want to give this book 2.5 stars.
It had moments. There were all the elements that make up a sound (if a bit derivative) thriller: conspiracy at high levels, a discovery that threatens the status quo and everyone's worldview, a complicated family history, political wills.
Without giving away spoilers, a devout biochemist (with a background in obstetrics--how convenient!) decides to try to clone Christ from the Shroud of Turin. The science bits were fewer than I had hoped but they did seem to be well-researched. What disappointed me was the characters. There was not enough time spent building them up to make me believe that they would all participate in this dangerous, sacrilegious (for many) undertaking. I wanted to see them struggle, to really war over the idea. I wanted to believe these were people who had thought long and hard and then took a huge leap into a perhaps insane endeavor. Instead, every fight was resolved in a few pages. Rather than showing us the conflict building up, Lankford makes allusions to previous internal struggles the characters already had. But I needed to read those to really believe in these people and care about them.
Once we got deep into the thriller piece (car chases and all), the plot was too fast. Again, things fell into place too quickly to be believable. This book is about 300 page and The DaVinci Code, a well respected thriller about religious and political intrigue, was 480. I needed those 180 pages to flesh out the characters and add to the plot.
Read
July 5, 2020Me encanto, me mantuvo atrapada totalmente, casa capítulo me me dejaba con ganas de seguir leyendo, no hubo momento en que me aburriera.
Conecte con cada personaje, sentí sus emociones, estoy simplemente encantada con este libro.
Y sobre todo reflexione en qué me gustaría tener la fe de los personajes de está novela.
5/5
Conecte con cada personaje, sentí sus emociones, estoy simplemente encantada con este libro.
Y sobre todo reflexione en qué me gustaría tener la fe de los personajes de está novela.
5/5
March 29, 2021
I enjoyed this book a lot but in the end I felt it was really rushed and there were just too many things that didn’t add up. A fun read but fell apart at the end. The actual ending is so weak and unsatisfying that I felt the author, like the reader, just wanted to move on!
July 16, 2019
not a good one i think
April 13, 2021
This was an interesting concept and a very good book.
June 12, 2021
Momento otária: nem sabia que esse livro tinha continuação 🤡
August 11, 2014
Félix Rossi é um cientista especialista em genética, com doutorado pela Universidade de Harvard, nos Estados Unidos. Em virtude de sua fama na área e por ter seus trabalhos publicados com mérito em importantes revistas científicas internacionais, ele é contratado pelo Vaticano para liderar uma equipe de cientistas que tem por objetivo atestar a autenticidade do Santo Sudário, tecido que teria envolvido o corpo de Jesus Cristo logo após sua morte e que, por conta disso, teria seu sangue e restos mortais. Em Turim, na Itália, ao participar da reabertura das relíquias cristãs, Rossi retirará, sem autorização da Igreja, pequenos fragmentos do tecido para usar em um experimento secreto que sempre teve em mente: clonar o filho de Deus.
Em seu apartamento de luxo em Nova York, Félix mora com sua irmã mais velha, Frances, e com a empregada da família, Maggie. Sendo todos muito devotos do cristianismo, sua casa contém vários elementos de santos e da própria igreja. Em seu laboratório particular, a portas fechadas e sem que ninguém de seu convívio saiba, Félix acaba por promover a fertilização in-vitro de óvulos com o DNA do sangue de Cristo. Começa então sua saga em tentar, a todo custo, trazê-lo de novo à vida.
O Clone de Cristo é um livro que mistura ficção científica com toques de romance policial e sobrenatural. Nele é contada a jornada de Félix em obter sucesso em seu experimento secreto. Após a inoculação dos óvulos, Rossi terá que achar uma mulher que promova a gestação do clone. Qual mulher, do mundo atual, teria condições, ou seria digna, de ser a nova Maria? Esbarrando em questões éticas, sociais e culturais, Félix terá que reconstruir todo o nascimento de Cristo para a sociedade moderna, refazendo seus ensinamentos e colocando em risco sua vida e a de sua família.
Este foi o primeiro livro da autora que tive contato. A narrativa foi muito envolvente, com bons momentos de ação e boas descrições. Em um determinado ponto da leitura há uma virada na história que prende o leitor e faz com que ele não consiga largar o livro até o final. Também gostei do uso de cenários pela autora. Ela faz a trama se desenrolar em vários países e respeita bem a relação espaço-tempo na escrita.
Vale destacar as descrições científicas feitas por Lankford ao longo do livro. Como biólogo, sou muito crítico quando alguma informação biológica é colocada em um livro e nesse fiquei completamente maravilhado. Percebe-se claramente que a autora fez uma boa pesquisa antes de escrever e o uso de termos e as descrições dos procedimentos foi impecável.
Também é notável o trabalho com a construção dos personagens e suas motivações. Vale muito prestar atenção em Maggie e em sua visão de mundo. Há grandes coisas que acontecerão com essa personagem. O núcleo de Félix também foi bem desenvolvido, trabalhando bem os problemas do passado que refletem nas atitudes das pessoas no presente. Lankford tratou de um tema extremamente polêmico, o clone humano, e aumentou esse teor ao colocá-lo como fonte da volta do filho de Deus à Terra. Isso faz suscitar muitas questões filosóficas, sociais e humanas ao longo do enredo.
Recomendo a todos que gostam de romance policial com toques de ficção científica.
http://capaetitulo.blogspot.com.br/20...
Em seu apartamento de luxo em Nova York, Félix mora com sua irmã mais velha, Frances, e com a empregada da família, Maggie. Sendo todos muito devotos do cristianismo, sua casa contém vários elementos de santos e da própria igreja. Em seu laboratório particular, a portas fechadas e sem que ninguém de seu convívio saiba, Félix acaba por promover a fertilização in-vitro de óvulos com o DNA do sangue de Cristo. Começa então sua saga em tentar, a todo custo, trazê-lo de novo à vida.
O Clone de Cristo é um livro que mistura ficção científica com toques de romance policial e sobrenatural. Nele é contada a jornada de Félix em obter sucesso em seu experimento secreto. Após a inoculação dos óvulos, Rossi terá que achar uma mulher que promova a gestação do clone. Qual mulher, do mundo atual, teria condições, ou seria digna, de ser a nova Maria? Esbarrando em questões éticas, sociais e culturais, Félix terá que reconstruir todo o nascimento de Cristo para a sociedade moderna, refazendo seus ensinamentos e colocando em risco sua vida e a de sua família.
Este foi o primeiro livro da autora que tive contato. A narrativa foi muito envolvente, com bons momentos de ação e boas descrições. Em um determinado ponto da leitura há uma virada na história que prende o leitor e faz com que ele não consiga largar o livro até o final. Também gostei do uso de cenários pela autora. Ela faz a trama se desenrolar em vários países e respeita bem a relação espaço-tempo na escrita.
Vale destacar as descrições científicas feitas por Lankford ao longo do livro. Como biólogo, sou muito crítico quando alguma informação biológica é colocada em um livro e nesse fiquei completamente maravilhado. Percebe-se claramente que a autora fez uma boa pesquisa antes de escrever e o uso de termos e as descrições dos procedimentos foi impecável.
Também é notável o trabalho com a construção dos personagens e suas motivações. Vale muito prestar atenção em Maggie e em sua visão de mundo. Há grandes coisas que acontecerão com essa personagem. O núcleo de Félix também foi bem desenvolvido, trabalhando bem os problemas do passado que refletem nas atitudes das pessoas no presente. Lankford tratou de um tema extremamente polêmico, o clone humano, e aumentou esse teor ao colocá-lo como fonte da volta do filho de Deus à Terra. Isso faz suscitar muitas questões filosóficas, sociais e humanas ao longo do enredo.
Recomendo a todos que gostam de romance policial com toques de ficção científica.
http://capaetitulo.blogspot.com.br/20...
April 26, 2017
The premise of this book is pretty interesting. Bringing Jesus Christ back by creating a human clone makes a great story.
I read about this idea years ago and was a little bit surprised to learn that there were actually real people considering cloning Jesus Christ to be a valid and rational process to bring about the Second Coming. I mostly thought it was humorous, but it certainly piqued my interest when I saw this book based on the same idea.
Overall I think I would have to say that I was just a little bit disappointed with the book due to the characters not really feeling genuine. The story is good and the writing itself if fairly solid, but for me the characters just weren't quite believable. Still a fun read and I enjoyed it. I'm not sure yet if I'll continue the series.
I read about this idea years ago and was a little bit surprised to learn that there were actually real people considering cloning Jesus Christ to be a valid and rational process to bring about the Second Coming. I mostly thought it was humorous, but it certainly piqued my interest when I saw this book based on the same idea.
Overall I think I would have to say that I was just a little bit disappointed with the book due to the characters not really feeling genuine. The story is good and the writing itself if fairly solid, but for me the characters just weren't quite believable. Still a fun read and I enjoyed it. I'm not sure yet if I'll continue the series.
May 24, 2014
I LOVED this book! What a thriller! I was extremely sorry I could not find it in English here in Lisbon, not even at FNAC! And this is the first of a trilogy, of which the two next volumes are not yet published in Portugal, so I hope I will be able to find them if and when I travel...
Intriguing, with lots of suspense and its own special atmosphere, I really loved everything about it, from the characters (especially Sam and Maggie) to the fact that there is a certain "aura" about the book!
Maria Carmo,
Lisbon 24th. May 2014.
Intriguing, with lots of suspense and its own special atmosphere, I really loved everything about it, from the characters (especially Sam and Maggie) to the fact that there is a certain "aura" about the book!
Maria Carmo,
Lisbon 24th. May 2014.
March 29, 2013
Thought provoking. The research and the attention to detail made this book difficult to put down. I didn't feel it was slow as some other reviewers suggested; it was clear that the author wanted her readers to understand not only the depth of emotion that went into this novel, but to be clear and concise about the possibility of a Second Coming via today's technology.
February 11, 2014
Interesting premise that cloning could be possible on recovered DNA from thousands of years ago. Equally interesting that if were possible there would be those who would go to any lengths to end his life.
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October 6, 2007This is the Spanish translation of my novel, THE JESUS THIEF.
February 9, 2008
A novel about a scientist who secretly steals bloody threads from the Shroud of Turin and sets out to clone Jesus from them.
January 5, 2011
A wonderful book that inspired me to write my own thriller.
November 6, 2012
OK...a little draggy in spots
February 14, 2013
Really enjoyed this book!
August 9, 2013
Moves quickly. Exciting conclusion.
July 20, 2016
Book facing who is connected to religion.
January 26, 2017
Até nem começou mal, mas foi piorando, piorando, piorando. Diálogos e acções totalmente irrealistas. Enfim... Mau demais
July 22, 2009
One of my favs--written by my sister too
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