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hollyn_middle's review
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
wdecora's review
3.0
Religious/historical thrillers. I think this is a sub-genre I am into. Basically "Indiana Jones" type stuff. I'm always looking for other titles.
guylou's review
4.0
It took me a while to finish this book. The tempo of the story was slow but the author kept me hooked enough to keep me reading to discover more. The plot was well composed and delivered. The characters were well developed and each were interesting in their own way. In a few book reviews, The Fifth Gospel was compared to Dan Brown's series featuring Robert Langdon as the main character. I did not find the books to be similar with the exception that, just like Dan Brown, it is obvious that Ian Caldwell did his research on the Catholic church and rituals before writing this story. If you decide to read this book, don't give up because the story might be a bit slow; it all comes together in the end and you will say: "Awww! This all makes sense now!"
jfkaess's review
5.0
5 stars - a murder mystery, the shroud of Turin and a journey into church history and the schism between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The plot is complex, the characters are well developed, the story is well written and the narrator is superb. The closest book i've read in style and type to this one is Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco. If you enjoy mysteries and don't mind a look inside the intricacies of The Vatican and its structures (physical and organizational) you will find this book as engrossing as i did.
takwin's review
3.0
Not as Good as Rule of Four
The book started off with some promise and it does have some clever writing in places, but it sputtered in the last third or so and just couldn’t hold my attention. It was decent, but didn’t have the punch or the mystery of Rule of Four, and that was only a 4-star book to begin with.
The book started off with some promise and it does have some clever writing in places, but it sputtered in the last third or so and just couldn’t hold my attention. It was decent, but didn’t have the punch or the mystery of Rule of Four, and that was only a 4-star book to begin with.
soniafrey2000's review
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
jackyobrien6's review
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
jeneskra's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
Intrigues in the catholic church - right up my alley
shiradest's review against another edition
4.0
This is the edition I just read, and thought I had reviewed, but l guess it got lost.
This was a fascinating and moving read, live with both interesting details of history and theology, orphans, and empathy. Very glad that the library had this one out on display.
This was a fascinating and moving read, live with both interesting details of history and theology, orphans, and empathy. Very glad that the library had this one out on display.
jgolomb's review against another edition
4.0
“We are a religion of captains hoping to go down with the ship…the truth is that what moves the lifeblood of our faith is a thumping impulse toward self-destruction. “Greater love has no one than this," Jesus says in the gospel of John. “To lay down one’s life for one’s friends.””
- from Ian Caldwell’s “The Fifth Gospel”
This is a very strong (and long-awaited) second offering by the co-author of “The Rule of Four”. I won’t spend much time summarizing the story lines…plenty of those words exist already...but suffice it to say that the plot orbits the Shroud of Turin and a newly discovered fifth Gospel. Caldwell’s a bit inconsistent through the first half of the book, in developing the series of mysteries, both secular and non-. But the smoldering plot ignites about midway through. The book is very smart…at times confusing, but very much worth the patience in understanding and learning. Patience is a virtue.
This is certainly similar to Dan Brown and yet it's not. Yes, there exists a mystery and yes, it revolves around a Catholic relic. The story itself is strong: in-depth Catholic knowledge not required. But one won't avoid reading this book and feeling smarter for it. I found myself engrossed by Caldwell’s deft hand at baking an almost religious dissertation (without seeming preachy), woven cleanly around the multi-threaded plot.
Brown has his almost superhuman Robert Langdon, and Caldwell has his Father Alex Andreou. Andreou's smart, wise and a little crafty, but far more human and, in many ways, realistic than Langdon. Langdon is a hero. Fr. Alex is a human. “The Fifth Gospel” is emotionally poignant, drawn subtly around Father Alex and those closest to him, and I’m not ashamed to admit that tears came to my eyes at two different points near the end of the book.
Father Alex narrates the following, perhaps even giving a little nod to the every increasing popularity of religiously-based thriller fiction: “Priests underestimate the appetite of payment for cheap thrills about Jesus. Most of us roll our eyes at the prospect of new gospels. Every cave in Israel seems to contain one, and most turn out to have been written centuries after Chris by little sects of Christian heretics, or else forged for the publicity."
"The Fifth Gospel" is a very good thriller/mystery. But it's more than the latest pseudo-archaeo-Dan Brown clone. It's about family, brothers, and sacrifice.
Highly Recommended.
I received this through the Amazon Vine program.
- from Ian Caldwell’s “The Fifth Gospel”
This is a very strong (and long-awaited) second offering by the co-author of “The Rule of Four”. I won’t spend much time summarizing the story lines…plenty of those words exist already...but suffice it to say that the plot orbits the Shroud of Turin and a newly discovered fifth Gospel. Caldwell’s a bit inconsistent through the first half of the book, in developing the series of mysteries, both secular and non-. But the smoldering plot ignites about midway through. The book is very smart…at times confusing, but very much worth the patience in understanding and learning. Patience is a virtue.
This is certainly similar to Dan Brown and yet it's not. Yes, there exists a mystery and yes, it revolves around a Catholic relic. The story itself is strong: in-depth Catholic knowledge not required. But one won't avoid reading this book and feeling smarter for it. I found myself engrossed by Caldwell’s deft hand at baking an almost religious dissertation (without seeming preachy), woven cleanly around the multi-threaded plot.
Brown has his almost superhuman Robert Langdon, and Caldwell has his Father Alex Andreou. Andreou's smart, wise and a little crafty, but far more human and, in many ways, realistic than Langdon. Langdon is a hero. Fr. Alex is a human. “The Fifth Gospel” is emotionally poignant, drawn subtly around Father Alex and those closest to him, and I’m not ashamed to admit that tears came to my eyes at two different points near the end of the book.
Father Alex narrates the following, perhaps even giving a little nod to the every increasing popularity of religiously-based thriller fiction: “Priests underestimate the appetite of payment for cheap thrills about Jesus. Most of us roll our eyes at the prospect of new gospels. Every cave in Israel seems to contain one, and most turn out to have been written centuries after Chris by little sects of Christian heretics, or else forged for the publicity."
"The Fifth Gospel" is a very good thriller/mystery. But it's more than the latest pseudo-archaeo-Dan Brown clone. It's about family, brothers, and sacrifice.
Highly Recommended.
I received this through the Amazon Vine program.