At first I thought perhaps my fascination with and enjoyment of The Eighth Scroll was prejudiced by my recent immersion into Lawrence Brown's captivating style when I read his non-fiction books Misgod-ed and God-ed. After finishing Dr. Brown's first novel (anxiously awaiting more...), I read a New York Times Best Seller in a similar genre by a widely acclaimed author who has seen several of his novels made into popular action movies, and was somewhat surprised to discover it paled in comparison to the intrigue, character development, plot consistency and credibility, and... yes, writing style that I enjoyed in The Eighth Scroll. Then, while being entertained, I was also learning, as Dr. Brown weaves some very interesting historical facts into his fictional story.
The plot centers around a purported Dead Sea scroll, the contents of which would provide conclusive support to other extant evidence that undermines commonly espoused but controversial versions of the life and mission of Jesus Christ. A surprising collection of individuals and groups would, and do, kill to gain control of the scroll, and the reader is kept on edge as the plot develops to its exciting climax. Speaking of which, it is also very refreshing to know there is an author who can include romance in his works without feeling compelled to appeal to assumedly deprived readers' desire for graphic descriptions of certain acts and anatomy. This book is exciting, entertaining, and laugh-out-loud funny throughout... and even if read only for those reasons, I truly believe that, as I did, all readers will discover they continue to think about it long after turning the last page.
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