Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, Informative and Refreshing
Review: Paul L. Maier's A SKELETON IN GOD'S CLOSET found theologian Dr. Jonathan Weber involved in an archaeological dig; such a dig opens his latest novel, MORE THAN A SKELETON (with its tag line of "It was one man against the world.") Here, a small but significant find at that dig draws Weber over to Israel and finds him interested in a young man who has begun to captivate the world beyond Jerusalem: Joshua Ben-Yosef, whose personal traits, curriculum vitae and Apostles-like band of followers have already convinced many people that he is The Christ.Maier, a specialist in ancient Rome, is a personally conservative but intellectually liberal academic who has clearly modeled his protagonist on himself: when fundamentalist preacher and television personality Dr. Melvin Merton begins to espouse Ben-Yosef as Christ in his Second Coming, Jon Weber's well-credentialed hackles rise almost instantly. If this really is Jesus, where are His miracles? Where is His death and resurrection? While Shannon Weber seems to fall under Ben-Yosef's spell as her husband doesn't (causing inevitable conflict in their sunny-side-up marriage), Jon waits for Proof. He doesn't have to wait long, since Ben-Yosef starts evincing not just run-of-the-mill miracles, but miracles that nearly replicate those in The Gospels. Water into wine, becalmed seas, and a blind man seeing are all not just run-of-the-mill miracles, but so close to The Gospels that they confirm Ben-Yosef's status for so many people that the world media begins to pay attention --- very, very close attention --- to the man who would be the Messiah. Soon, as his research attempts into Ben-Yosef's past point again and again to the probability of his telling the truth, Weber himself begins to believe. Maier has a brilliant premise for a plot, but his academic execution of pacing, dialogue and setting mean that some readers will drop off before the going gets interesting. Professor Maier has clearly modeled his protagonist on himself, and perhaps his well-credentialed self was well-intentioned --- but Jon Weber speaks stiffly and unnaturally both when he's whispering sweet nothings into Shannon's slightly-too-perfect ear and when he's chatting heartily with his colleagues. On the other hand, sometimes Maier is dead-on accurate and even funny, as when Weber's father tells him that his mother is at a Lutheran ladies' get-together: "I hope the coffee, cookies, and green Jell-O are good!" The plot has its problems, too: it's very hard to believe that in the post-millennium "global village," Ben-Yosef and his merry men would be able to hide out so effectively and so often --- even if he is the real thing, surely Christ walked more often among the people. And unless Maier meant to tip his hand, the interaction between Ben-Yosef and Shannon seems wrong. Nonetheless, MORE THAN A SKELETON is entertaining, informative and refreshing, about as different from the Left Behind series as you can get while still staying within the realm of Christianity and Christian questions. Perhaps Maier will write more thrillers and gain more authority with the elements of suspense writing so that his smart, thoughtful stories will be supported by tight, fresh writing. --- Reviewed by Bethanne Kelly Patrick
Rating: 
Summary: Of the making of many books, there is no end
Review: Picture this: A man appears in modern Galilee who reproduces all the miracles of the Gospels. The blind see. A dead man is raised. And the man--Joshua ben-Yosef, wouldn't you know--offers a new revelation about God. Could it be? Has Jesus come a second time? Rather far-fetched in the abstract. And unfortunately, not very convincing in the finished product. An author needs more than theological training to carry off something this ambitious. Nor does the book succeed on purely literary qualities. The narration is flat; the dialogue is strained -- one man's impression, evidently, of how daredevil Harvard profs and their peers ought to speak: "How in the very devil," and so on. All told this book bears the marks of a work written in haste and sent for publication with little revision. I almost pity the author that no one stopped him from writing this line: "But since truth was rolling out like a crystal stream, far be it from him to play beaver and build a dam to halt the flow." If that made you wince, be thankful I've spared you the attempts at foreign accents that come in the press conference scene at the end. A tour de force it is not. The unveiling, when the would-be Messiah reveals his tricks, reads like an homage to Scooby Doo. You almost expect a snarl at "meddlers" and "do-gooders." And when the author can't think of a convincing explanation for something, well, presto! That's just more evidence of the antagonist's unprecedented genius. He's so smart not even the author knows how he hacked into the world's computers. C. S. Lewis, who indeed was a great Christian writer, observed that there are no special rules that govern "Christian" fiction. A novel is to be judged good on its literary merits, not its theological bona fides. If the author wants to refute modern clones of the Arian heresy, there is a place for apologetics, and it's not in the pages of a potboiler.
Rating:
Summary: READER USA
Review: THIS IS ONE OF THE WORST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ. IT WAS A TOTAL WASTE OF MY MONEY AND TIME. THE BOOK IS ALL SLANTED TOWARDS CATHOLIC AND LUTHERAN DOCTRINE AND IT ACTUALLY IS VERY OFFENSIVE TO EVANGELICALS. IT MAKES FUN OF PROPHECY AND PEOPLE WHO STUDY IT AND BELIEVE IN IT. IT PUTS THE POPE ON THE HIGHEST LEVEL. I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED. IF YOU ARE PENTECOSTAL, CHURCH OF GOD, ASSEMBLEY OF GOD, BAPTIST OR ANY ONE WHO BELIEVES IN THE END TIME PROPHICIES YOU WILL BE OFFENDED BY THIS BOOK.
Rating: 
Summary: a theological thriller
Review: This is the most original and thought-provoking work of Christian fiction since C.S. Lewis wrote "The Great Divorce", and the best book I have read in years. I couldn't put it down and stayed up well into the night to finish it on the day I received it. Dr. Maier simply gets better and better as the years go by. This book really puts the reader in the place of the New Testament characters who encountered Jesus and considered his claims. What questions would you have asked Jesus if you had been in Nicodemus' place? Dr. Maier recreates that confrontation in this book when a skeptical historian, Jon Weber gets a personal interview with the man who claims to be the messiah. Its that sort of dynamic which made this book a literal thrill to read. Unlike most writers in the Christian Fiction camp, Dr. Maier is an acclaimed master in his field which is Ancient Roman History. He is one of the most recognized and admired Christian Scholars living. Yet he is also blessed with the rare ability to write an exciting and plausible novel. Just like C.S. Lewis, Dr. Maier is able to write brilliant works within various genres. He has even created 2 new ones, the so-called "Documented Historical Novel" containing "Pontius Pilate" and "The Flames of Rome" and the so-called "Theological Thriller" consisting of "a Skeleton in God's Closet" and now "More than just a Skeleton". Of all 4 works, which I have read many times over, I have to say this newest work was the most intriguing and fun to read.
Rating:
Summary: a theological thriller
Review: This is the most original and thought-provoking work of Christian fiction since C.S. Lewis wrote "The Great Divorce", and the best book I have read in years. I couldn't put it down and stayed up well into the night to finish it on the day I received it. Dr. Maier simply gets better and better as the years go by. This book really puts the reader in the place of the New Testament characters who encountered Jesus and considered his claims. What questions would you have asked Jesus if you had been in Nicodemus' place? Dr. Maier recreates that confrontation in this book when a skeptical historian, Jon Weber gets a personal interview with the man who claims to be the messiah. Its that sort of dynamic which made this book a literal thrill to read. Unlike most writers in the Christian Fiction camp, Dr. Maier is an acclaimed master in his field which is Ancient Roman History. He is one of the most recognized and admired Christian Scholars living. Yet he is also blessed with the rare ability to write an exciting and plausible novel. Just like C.S. Lewis, Dr. Maier is able to write brilliant works within various genres. He has even created 2 new ones, the so-called "Documented Historical Novel" containing "Pontius Pilate" and "The Flames of Rome" and the so-called "Theological Thriller" consisting of "a Skeleton in God's Closet" and now "More than just a Skeleton". Of all 4 works, which I have read many times over, I have to say this newest work was the most intriguing and fun to read.
| 
