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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