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In Simon Mawer's remarkably poised and poignant novel, the small moment is as significant as the large, and "the detail dictat[es] to the whole." Biblical scholar Father Leo Newman has spent a lifetime deciphering meaning from evanescent fragments of papyrus; he is much less accustomed to descrying the metamorphosis of a relationship writ large ("a mysterious thing, much too mysterious for a simple naming"). How unlikely, then, that he should fall in love with Madeleine Brewer, the vibrant but unbalanced wife of a bureaucrat. How unlikely, too, that he should be confronted with an ancient scroll whose details are radically incendiary rather than dustily abstruse: an apparent account of Jesus' life from Judas's point of view. But how marvelously likely that Mawer should take these elements and create a haunting narrative of doubt and faith, "the thin wash of immediacy" and memory, passion and the fragile remains of its absence. Madeleine and the Judas scroll thrust themselves, uninvited and unexpected, into Leo's quiet life in Rome, their very presence a counterpoint to his isolation and vulnerability. Asked by Madeleine to compromise a lifetime, asked by his colleagues to verify or deny the scroll's authenticity, Leo is a profoundly Prufrockian figure, "No Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be." Does he dare disturb the universe?
Mawer skillfully interleaves three narratives: the story of Leo's German mother's life in Rome during World War II, a woman who was herself forced to choose between principle and passion; the unsettling story of Leo's relationship with Madeleine and the scroll; and a circumspect "present," in which Leo is still "a hermit in a cave, a hermit who was hoarding the few fragments of his faith lest they too be swept away by circumstance."
The novel represents a solemn quest, striving back toward half-forgotten origins in an attempt to bring order to a present and future spinning out of control. Its most poignant irony is that Leo is at once creator and destroyer--as he pieces together the story of the scroll, he is simultaneously unraveling his own faith, his own raison d'être:
A dun-colored fibrous fragment hung there behind the glass, a fragment of papyrus the color of biscuit, inscribed with the most perfect letters ever man devised, words wrought in the lean and ragged language of the eastern Mediterranean, the workaday language of the streets, the meaning half apprehended, half grasped, half heard through the noise of all that lies between us and them, the shouting, roaring centuries of darkness and enlightenment. How was it possible to communicate to her the pure, organic thrill?
The thrill, thanks to Mawer, is ours. --Kelly Flynn
Book Description
The Gospel of Judas is the story of an American priest brought to Rome to decipher an ancient scroll that appears to be a Gospel written by Judas - with a very different view of Christ's crucifixion from the ones handed down in the Bible. Already beset by a crisis of faith and on the brink of his first sexual affair, Father Leo Newman must tease out the meaning of this document even as he wrestles with its authenticity and what its revelations mean for him. This is a profound book about loss, faith, redemption, and the possibility of a complete re-interpretation of Christianity. It is also a love story and a literary suspense thriller that is impossible to put down.
Customer Reviews:
Get to the Point.......2005-12-20
I was looking for a meaningful last Christmas present for the Judas rAt in "The Family". Any suggestions where the rat learns his lesson then gets a blue moon in the eye?
Drags on waaaaay tooo long.......2005-04-21
What a great premise for a book--a secret or newly found gospel that may change Christianity forever! Unfort., the prose of this book is fine but the plot is....well, plodding. By Ch 5 we have yet to read @ what the new discovery contains! Poorly organized plot, I say avoid this one.
A Novel That Explores Themes of Faith and Betrayal........2004-12-28
This is a well-written, intelligent and sensitive work of the imagination in which issues of fidelity and faith are examined by a close analysis of several interlocking stories.
The overarching narrative of betrayal by Judas of Jesus, frames the story of betrayals by Gretchen of her husband; by Madeleine of hers; by Leo Newman of his vows as a priest. Francesco (Gretchen's Jewish lover), is tortured and probably killed -- pretty much as Jesus was in ancient Judea. The theme of Christian anti-semitism is delicately placed on the table and left for the reader to pick up.
Leo Newman is an aging priest and scholar, undergoing a crisis of faith, as he meets the middle-aged wife of Jack, an American diplomat, who is named Madeleine (the reference to "the beloved apostle," Mary Magdaleine, of the scriptures is obvious) -- who has a history of infidelity and suicide attempts. The results are predictably tragic. This occurs as a new discovery of a "Gospel by Judas," predating the synoptic gospels, is made in Israel.
The issues raised have to do with whether the "new man" who is Leo Newman, besotted and without faith, can cope with loss, the pains of love, suffering and come to terms with his own complicity in evil and mortality. The result is ambiguous.
The text suggests that a first century account claiming that Jesus did not rise physically from the grave would somehow defeat the Christian faith. I disagree. Although I am not a believer, many sophisticated Christians today read the resurrection story symbolically. Others might question the veracity of a witness who was hardly unbiased.
Christianity, or any of the great religions, cannot be undermined by such a text.
The novel is ambitious and brave, but fails to make the most of all of its materials, which would have required several books. Mr. Mawer was got himself a reader, anyway, for making the effort. I look forward to reading his other books, especially his novel about Mendel, since Mr. Mawer is both a geneticist and a writer, which alone may be a curious genetic mutation.
Spare yourself.......2004-10-26
The main character was interesting, but the author couldn't seem to begin to get around to the point of the book in the six chapters I read... very disappointing, as I was intriqued by the supposed premise.
"Life is too short to read a badly-written book." ~ T.M.
interesting.......2004-09-29
I picked this up out of the bargain section because ever since Harvey Keitel played Judas I have found him fascinating. This wasn't as revolutionary as that, but I still found it worth reading. There was something compelling about this story, so much so that I didn't want to finish it because I was afraid the ending would disappoint (it did a little). I don't think it was terribly realistic, either in terms of biblical history or the secret lives of priests, but there was some elegant writing and interesting character points.
Average customer rating:
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El evangelio de Judas (The Gospel of Judas)
Simon Mawer
Manufacturer: Rba
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 8478718273
Release Date: 2006-11-01 |
Product Description
A scroll is discovered, buried for over 1,600 years among the ancient papyri of the Dead Sea. Although fragile and crumbling, the scroll is mostly intact, the faded lines of Koine script still legible. When Father Leo Newman, a priest from Rome, is called to Jerusalem to help decipher the scroll's meaning, he soon discovers that the text appears to be a fifth gospel - one that tells the story of Jesus' life and crucifixion from the point of view of Judas Iscariot. If the scroll is authentic and if the radical, incendiary story it tells is true all of Christianity itself will be open to a complete reinterpretation. Not to mention that his whole life, which has always been held together by the strength of his faith and his intellect, is poised on the brink of an abyss.
Description in Spanish: "Durante 1.600 años el Evangelio de Judas permaneció escondido. Cuando por fin los expertos consiguieron descifrar su significado, su sorpresa fue indescriptible. Estaban ante un evangelio del que muchos de ellos desconocían su existencia, escrito desde el punto de vista de Judas Iscariote, el traidor de la historia, que ahora aparece, en estas páginas, como un héroe. Esta reinterpretación radical sostiene que fue Cristo quien le pidió que lo traicionara contradiciendo al Nuevo Testamento y los evangelios conocidos. Judas Iscariote se presenta aquí como ejemplo de los otros discípulos, el único apóstol que realmente comprendía a Jesucristo. Es esta la primera publicación del manuscrito que fue encontrado a mediados de los años setenta por unos campesinos egipcios en Al-Minya. Durante estos años, fue comprado y vendido por anticuarios, escondido y trasladado por tres continentes que redujeron gran parte de él a fragmentos. En 2001, llegó a manos de un equipo de expertos que ha trabajado con minuciosidad en la restauración del códice. El Evangelio de Judas, traducido del copto a una prosa clara, aparece aquí acompañado de comentarios sobre la fascinante
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Sojourners Magazine, published by Thomson Gale on August 1, 2006. The length of the article is 745 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Judas, we hardly knew ye: the "gospel" of Judas and The Da Vinci Code make Christianity unrecognizable.
Author: Rose Marie Berger
Publication:
Sojourners Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 35
Issue: 8
Page: 9(1)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
- Met and occasionally exceeded my expectations
- The Rage: A Good Beginning, but . . .
- Mediocre
- Retarded Dragons and "Infinite" Life
- Let the dragons rage!
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The Rage (Forgotten Realms: The Year of the Rogue Dragons, Book 1)
Richard Lee Byers
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0786931876
Release Date: 2004-04-06 |
Book Description
The first in a new trilogy of novels from R.A. Salvatore's War of the Spider Queen author Richard Lee Byers.
The Rage is the first title in a new trilogy exploring the ancient secrets of dragon society in the
Forgotten Realms world. Author Richard Lee Byers will be writing the entire trilogy, and the cover art for the trilogy and the associated anthology will be rendered by award-winning fantasy artist Matt Stawicki.
Customer Reviews:
Met and occasionally exceeded my expectations.......2007-08-23
I find that your appreciation of a book is directly related to what you expect from the book. As this is a Forgotten Realms book I was not expecting a masterpiece. I was however, expecting an enjoyable, action packed book with an undercurrent of plot. As per the title of my post I was not disappointed.
Byers style is very action oriented, with lots of fight scenes but the book developed a strong plot and did a good job developing inter character relationships. My only complaint is his repetitive use of phrases like "mystic pass" to describe the somatic components of spells. This usage was both repetitive, and made the book (and the other books in the series) sound somewhat like a DM's narration of a role playing session.
The Rage: A Good Beginning, but . . ........2007-04-09
Richard Lee Byers, brings us a tale about dragonslayers, and their fight to rid the Realms of their depredations. The main characters are: a human Half-Golem, an arctic dwarf Ranger, a human Cleric of Lathander, a halfling Warsling sniper, a good Song Dragon, an avariel (winged elf) Bladesinger, and an arrogant Faerie Dragon. With only a little background, the author puts you in the shoes of these unlikely adventurers, and introduces you to the world of dragonslaying. It is amazing how easy an ill-equiped band of people can kill a dragon in just a few pages. If this book has a fault, it is in its treatment of dragons in combat. It is explained that the dragons are under the spell of the mysterious "rage," and not thinking straight, but somehow they still retain the intellect to cast spells. It stretches my suspension of disbelief, but the story redeems itself with the introduction of the lich, Sammaster. While it starts out as an unlikely group of semi-heroes doing outrageous things, you eventually get to know these characters and their unique personalities. The good-natured ribbing between Will (the halfling) and Pavel (the cleric) is truly entertaing. While it took me a while to warm up to the story, I began to enjoy the characterization of this odd assortment of heroes and villains. If you're a gamer, like me, I suggest giving this book at least a chance before you pass judgement. It gets better, I promise!
Mediocre.......2007-04-08
When I saw this trilogy was written by Richard Lee Byers, I must say I was a bit disappointed. I consider his books to be extremely action oriented, disregarding plot and character development. Some of my predictions came true, some didn't.
First, this novel, the first one of the trilogy, does have a grand story behind it, although the author doesn't delve into reasons of the Rage in this novel, you can see it is a beginning of something epic. The characters of this book are a mixed bunch. Two main characters Dorn and Taegan (a very interesting, memorable character), get pretty much space and that naturally leads to depth and good character development. Other characters, however, get very limited space for their introspections and points-of-view. I hope we will see more of their characterizations in following two books. Besides that, Byers shows once again that he is a master of the flow, and he reminds you of some important characters or events throughout the book, without being repetitive or boring.
I'll quote one of the characters in the book. "Illmater's Tears, will this fight ever end?" Oh man, is he right. There is so much fighting in this book, that it is simply unbearable. I knew Byers is an action-oriented author, but this is too much even from him. He could've given up on full 50 pages of battles, and still make it a fighting-heavy novel. That is my biggest complaint. Otherwise, maybe he could have made protagonists of the book a less eccentric bunch (but I understand WotC have to sell their Monster Manual XVIII somehow), and could have given the villains some space. As it is, they appear and disappear at the point of a sword.
I hope to see an improvement in the following books.
Retarded Dragons and "Infinite" Life.......2007-04-05
I've only read about 50-60 pages and decided not to waste anymore of my time with this book. The dragons are absolutely retarded in this book. I hate reading books where authors make the main characters all Rambos and stupidifying powerful enemies or creatures so the Rambos can mow them down in a lame attempt to show how "awesome" the main characters are. This book also reads like you're watching somebody play a game. Somebody almost dead? No problem, here's a healing potion. Gored by a dragon? No big deal, here's a healing potion! If not a healing potion, then a handy cleric with the cure dragon bite spell. And while we're at it, let's chug some acid resistance potions to make that acid from the dragon useless! Being instantly revived from fatal wounds totally cheapens combat scenes, and having a seemingly endless supply of those healing potions or healing spells is ridiculous. I was half expecting somebody to say they got 2,000 experience points after killing a dragon. If this sort of thing turns you off, don't buy this book, because I imagine this book would continue with the stupid dragons & instant cure themes. I know I'm never buying a book from this author again
Let the dragons rage!.......2007-01-10
This novel is another excellent series in the making and who better to tell it than Richard Lee Byers. Being aware of his other works on the underworlds, vampires and the such, I thought huh "dragons and Byers must = something special and I was right but underestimated it nonetheless for this is truly a remarkable start to a trilogy.
The story is heavily submerged, but not overdone, in the depths of dragon lore and war, blended with non-stop action packed dragon wars.
From the very beginning you are confronted with the most gruesome and graphical dragon encounter I have yet to read. It is so vivid and frightening you will tremble and that's just the first handful of pages...enjoy!
*This review is being brought over from an older account.
Book Description
The second in a new trilogy of novels from R.A. Salvatore's War of the Spider Queen author Richard Lee Byers.
The Rite is the second title in a trilogy exploring the ancient secrets of dragon society in the Forgotten Realms world. Author Richard Lee Byers will write the entire trilogy, and the cover art for the trilogy and the associated anthology will be rendered by award-winning fantasy artist Matt Stawicki.
Customer Reviews:
Bad.......2007-03-28
"The Rite" is the second book in the Year of the Rogue Dragons trilogy by Richard Lee Byers. I must say that the first book failed to impress, although it wasn't bad. I gave it three stars.
This novel is really not what I hoped for. I expected more mystery, intrigue and some details behind the Rage of Dragons. What I got, is 230 pages of boring, repetitive, pointless slaughter, and fairly interesting last 100 pages. I felt the author had absolutely no idea what to make of this bridge book, so he filled the page-count in the easiest possible way - with fighting. The problem (besides the obvious pressing quantity of battle scenes) is their repetitiveness. They differ from one another only in the variety of the dragon waiting to get slaughtered. As I already said, first 230 pages lack any substance. The protagonists are split in three groups and sent on different errands to try and learn something of the Rage. The problem is that they learn absolutely nothing, and then start having inexplicable epiphanies towards the back end of the novel. No feeling of progress in this book.
If you expected to see more of Sammaster and the Cult in this book, you'll be disappointed once again. The lich appears only in the prologue, and once towards the end, and that is all you see of him.
Next, the descriptions of people, places and their customs protagonists meet in their travels are minimal. You won't learn anything about Thentia, Monastery of the Yellow Rose or Damara in this book. Instead, you'll see at least 10 different kinds of dragons get terminated in the same way, with sword and sorcery.
Character development is minimal, again, and obviously everything that we had to learn about the characters happened in the first novel. Dorn is even losing his gruffness and phlegmatic habits (I came to like in the first book), and becomes more and more of the washed-out hero we see in the novels over and over again.
Another thing that bothered me is the constant use of game terms in the novel. I do understand that D&D game (which I immensely enjoyed in my time, and would recommend to everybody who hasn't tried it out) and these FR novels are strongly connected, but I think there is really no need for references such as "I can use this power only a couple times per day" in novels. On the other side, he stomps all over some of the more important aspects of the game, such as paladin's code of conduct.
IF there is a redeeming quality of this book, it must be the introduction of the wizards of Thentia and the mystery Taegan has to solve around them. Again, I would have liked to see more of that, but I understand that the author didn't have the space to really fit it in beside all the dracocide in this book.
I hope the third book will be better than this one, or at least as mediocre as the first one, but I must confess I'm a pessimist. Enjoy.
Good for entertainment.......2006-04-05
It is not a masterpiece, but I like the trilogy so far. Epic happenings and battles are always thrilling. But, I think it is too many battles in the book, as goes for many of the latest forgotten realms novelles. It is almost as if you haven't finished one battle until the next starts. The book is divided in three different sitings, and on every siting there is just as much battle as on the last. More intrigues, and insight in the villains minds could have made the book more interesting.
Fun book.......2006-03-18
Action, dragons, all the things I enjoy plus a well done story. A good read for any fantasy reader.
If you like books like this one, might I suggest another I've recently come across. The Unsuspecting Mage by Brian S. Pratt. It's another fantasy adventure sure to please. I highly recommend it.
A fun book.......2006-02-22
I think this was better than book one in the series :) I never thought that combat scenes could last that long and still retain their excitment and my interest. An execellent work and well worth it. My only regret is my lack of sleep before finishing it :P
Byers keeps the story moving.......2005-08-15
This is the middle book of the Year of the Rogue Dragons trilogy. As such parts of the story need to be moved along and things set up for what will surely be a great final installment.
Byers follows through on all accounts and does a fantastic job of keeping the story going without recycling things used in the first book. As you read this one you can sense things coming to a head in the next book. You can almost anticipate what is going to happen in book three, the the second you do there is a twist that makes you rethink all that you thought before.
All-in-all this is a very good middle book and makes me eagerly anticipate the third in this very good trilogy.
Average customer rating:
- A fitting conclusion of a disappointing trilogy
- I liked it
- good plot
- Horribly dull
- Two and a Half Stars Rounded Down
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The Ruin (Forgotten Realms: Year of Rogue Dragons, Book 3)
Richard Lee Byers
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0786940034
Release Date: 2006-05-09 |
Book Description
The climactic conclusion of The Year of Rogue Dragons! Madness takes hold, Sammaster draws closer to victory, and forgotten secrets are revealed at last. Dorn and the rogue dragons will have to find the source of a millennia-old curse, then find some way to destroy it, before the Rage overcomes the world.
Customer Reviews:
A fitting conclusion of a disappointing trilogy.......2007-04-08
"The Ruin" is the last novel in the "Year of the Rogue Dragons" trilogy by Richard Lee Byers. The trilogy was a disappointment so far, and this book follows that trend.
I won't berate much about this book, since it generally follows the line of previous installments. Very action oriented, with no intrigue, mystery or realmslore whatsoever. There are fewer battles in this one, to be honest, but even that is way too much for my liking. The novel culminates, of course, with a 60 page battle on the end. I didn't expect anything less.
The series as a whole, as I said, is a very weak piece of FR literature. What you won't find in these books is details about Cult of the Dragon, any intrigue or plot twists. You'll get only plenty, and I mean PLENTY, of dead dragons, of all kinds and colors. I'm a gamer, and I confess I've never heard of half of the dragons that appear in this books. I just can't imagine how hard and confusing would reading of these novels be for someone who doesn't play the game. At moments I had a feeling that this trilogy is nothing more that a huge advertisement for some WotC D&D supplements. The problem with the battles in this book, besides their sheer quantity, is their repetitiveness. You've read one, you've read them all. I had a feeling the author was in serious creative crisis while writing these books.
All in all, a bad set of novels. A grand idea that went awfully bad. If you like your books with much muscle and no brains, then this is the trilogy for you. Otherwise, avoid it. If you want some nice dragon stories, check out the two anthologies published alongside this trilogy, Realms of the Dragons II: A Forgotten Realms Anthologyand Realms of the Dragons (Forgotten Realms Anthology). Some very good stories in both of those books.
I liked it.......2007-03-25
Hey what can I say; I like books about dragons. I like Byers writing style as well, so this book/ series just did it for me.
good plot.......2007-01-11
i liked this story it was very well written
it was exciting the villans were memorable
avery good read
Horribly dull.......2006-08-19
Like a previous review said this book was very poorly written for the quality of author Mr. Byers is. I was looking forward to this book for quite some time and I have to say I'm very disappointed. The plot was fine but the tone of the story was so....lackluster I guess... that I couldn't stay interested in it for more than a few sentences. I must say that I am a die hard Forgotten Realms fan and that's the only thing that enabled me to finish this book. The very talented Richard Lee Byers usually does superb work but this one was left wanting. Frankly, the characters sucked, the tone of the story and the way it was told sucked and it really could have been told better.
I put this on par with those horribly written excuses for literature that come from the Eberron line. This is the first Forgotten Realms book that has left me really disappointed in quite a few years (since the Pools of Darkness line). As much as I love the realms I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone and that kind of makes me sad because I've recommended the realms to hundreds of readers who've instantly fallen in love.
Two and a Half Stars Rounded Down.......2006-06-15
This conclusion to the Year of Rogue Dragons trilogy was hamstrung from the every beginning with the lackluster plot and tone set by its predecessors. As the first two books in the series didn't exactly blow us away, I cannot say that The Ruin singlehandedly ruined the series, but it definitely left MUCH more to be desired. The Ruin made me so disinterested that only my status as a hardcore Forgotten Realms fan enabled me to truck through this book after several weeks and several sittings. This once promising story is so devoid of any excitement, richness and character, I couldn't care less, with the exception of Pavel the priest, what happened to each and every personage. I could think of a lot of things, a rock for example, I could better empathize with. The author just seemed to randomly generate a band of 7 wildly dissimilar yet completely bland adventurers (a half-golem, song dragon, human priest, winged elf, halfing, ice dwarf, and a pseudodragon) and have them quest AND survive against humorously impossible odds. There is zero connection to them and the Forgotten Realms universe; the author might've well as written "abracadabra" and then have 7 adventurers appear out of nowhere to do battle with dragons. Cursory and transparent attempts were made at character development such as the love affair between the Dorn the half-golem and the Kara the song dragon (!?!?) but it is painfully obvious that this was nothing more than a page filler until the next gigantic battle. The redeeming qualities? It is a grandiose journey through a large breath of Faerun that includes Sammaster and Iyraclea and has plenty of varied and frenetic action albeit ill-conceived.
Needless to say, I expected more out of the talented Mr. Byers.
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