Past and present collide to fulfill prophecy.
Written: Nov 18 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Elements of intrigue and mystery.
Cons: Underdeveloped characters, past and present did not flow well.
The Bottom Line: Though I don't do this often, I cannot recommend this book. I just didn't feel it was well written and I personally did not enjoy it as I'd hoped.
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| cshell76's Full Review: The Messiah Stones : A Tale Of Our Times Books |
The Messiah Stones by Irving Benig opens with a letter written from a man named Phillip to his wife Barbara. The year is 1955 and Phillip is writing from Tel Aviv, Israel. An archaeological dig has unearthed something incredible - something that will change the world and the faith of the multitudes.
Fast forward 40 years. John McGowan, a college professor, receives a mysterious call from an elderly attorney, who says that he needs to give John something that John's father has left to him. The attorney tells John that he cannot talk to him over the phone, he cannot even reveal what the items are. John is shocked. His father disappeared when he was only a child. In fact, John is not even sure whether his father has been alive or dead for all this time.
When John arrives at the attorney's office, he is handed a packet of letters, some written to him from his father, and some written by another man. The letters tell an impossible story of intrigue and secret spies which operated under the guise of archaeologists after World War II. The letters also indicate that something was in fact found in these digs. They are stones believed to have been given to Moses at the same time as the Ten Commandments. These "Messiah Stones" mark the the exact timing of the return of the Messiah.
John and Sarah soon learn that they have been chosen for a task. One of the stones bears the inscription "MCGOWAN." The other stone says "SARAH." Thus begins a strange journey for John McGowan and his wife Sarah - a journey that will take them all the way to Israel.
The Messiah Stones combines intrigue, archaeology, history, ancient faith, mysterious letters, and prophesy. It is both a quest for truth and a question of faith. We are asked what we would sacrifice for what we believe. The novel is quite interesting.
I enjoy reading fiction based on faith and historical religious tenets, so when I picked up The Messiah Stones, in a used bookstore and read the inside cover I was fascinated. I liked the elements of past and present written into the story. The spies and secret letters and the stones sounded extremely interesting.
Unfortunately, I was not as impressed with the book as I had hoped I would be. The exchange between then and now was a bit muddled for me at times. I was also disappointed that the characters were not developed extremely well, though a few of the characters did flesh out some over the course of the story.
Finally, one aspect that bothered me was the depiction of the Messiah as a man who is continually reincarnated into different lives, sexes, races, ethnicities, etc. but of course, dies a horrible death in each life. For example, He is depicted as a black man shipped in the hull of a boat and sold into slavery. It is very graphic and I personally found it distasteful and offensive.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
cshell76
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Member: Shelley Kirkpatrick
Location: Bellefontaine, OH
Reviews written: 66
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
I love my amazing husband, my four cats, reading and music!
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