Rating: 
Summary: Hardly inspirational, barely readable
Review: Considering myself spiritual AND literate may make me a commoditiy, but I think hardly a rare one. This thinly veiled telling of John's Apocalypse appeals to neither side of me. An addition to the growing list of fundamentalist novels, it will have appeal to the Wednesday night study group, but I fear, not to many more. As a Christian, I found the pseudo-scientific approach to Christ's return insulting. (Do we really think that He will come again by being cloned from cells scraped off the shroud of Turin? Really!) As a reader, I thought the writing too weak to grab me in its own right. (I never learn enough about the manchild to really care about him.) I see that it has been revised to a second edition. This must be a unique event; a novel rewritten to make the story more accurate. Per haps my expectations were too high, but I fear that Christian Literature has not found its Faulkner. Read this if neither mind nor soul need exercise,
Rating: 
Summary: One Giant Leap for Christian Fiction
Review: Intelligent accurate fiction with a Christian world-view: Is The Christ Clone Trilogy a new genre or has Christian fiction, in a single leap, both come of age and surpassed the quality of most secular fiction? Whichever it is, James BeauSeigneur has established himself as both the creator and master with his first three books. The tremendous scope of the novel and the way that BeauSeigneur weaves fact, fiction and faith is extraordinary. I eagerly await whatever BeauSeigneur puts his awesome talent to next.
Rating:
Summary: Better than LaHaye series
Review: The Left Behind series held my interest until, I read this series. The writing is better, the context more informative and offers believable scientific explainations for situations. I read the three books in a very short time span. I couldn't put them down. I especially enjoyed being able to read the series without having to wait for the next book to be published. It does not repeat or drag out the storyline unnecessarily. BUT, beware you may need to remind yourself that it is fiction, it could cause you to start questioning your faith.
Rating: 
Summary: Fundamentalist View of the Apocalyspe
Review: The back cover of this book tells us that the author, James BeauSeigneur, was a former intelligence analyst for the National Security Agency, a newspaper publisher, a political science professor, a contender for a seat in Congress in 1980 (he ran against Al Gore), and a writer of numerous speeches, manuals, and articles. What this description doesn't tell us is that BeauSeigneur is a fundamentalist Christian as well. This is important to note because this series of books, of which "In His Image" is the first, is a fundamentalist Christian view of the end of the world. Some people will have a problem with a fundamentalist based view of the apocalypse. They shouldn't worry, however, because these books are exciting and about as "unputdownable" as you can possibly imagine."In His Image" introduces us to the main character of the trilogy, Decker Hawthorne. Decker is a publisher and writer for a small paper in Tennessee when he gets a call from one of his buddies, Tom Donafin, about a scientific expedition that is planned to examine the Shroud of Turin. One of the scientists involved in the trip, Harry Goodman, was Decker's mentor years before when Decker was a pre-med student. Decker ingratiates himself with Goodman and manages to involve himself in the expedition. By going on the trip, Decker starts a voyage that will place him at center stage in the battle of good versus evil. Scientific tests on the shroud captures some dermal cells from Jesus, and Goodman clones them and places them in a woman's womb (a Mexican servant named Maria, of course). The result is Christopher Goodman, an exact replica of Jesus Christ. His birth sets off a series of events that are taken right out of the New Testament. BeauSeigneur spices up the biblical story with the adventures of Decker. Decker is hired by a big name publisher and sent to Israel with Tom Donafin, where the two witness the destruction of the Wailing Wall and suffer through three years of captivity in Lebanon. Shortly after their release (through an unusual involvement with Christopher), Decker's family, along with 1/5 of the world's population, dies in the "Disaster," and the story starts to zoom. I am not really giving anything away with the above story description. Most of it appears on the back cover of the book. Needless to say, there are tons of other characters and events that interact and help set up the story in ways that reappear later in the series. What is impressive about this series, and what makes it stand out from other books with similar themes is the artful way BeauSeigneur weaves religion, science, history, and politics into a realistic and coherent pattern. At the beginning of the book, BeauSeigneur acknowledges many scientists and theologians for help in creating his tale. Some of the characters in the book, at least during the Shroud of Turin trip, are real people. This emphasis on real events, people, and religious and scientific themes gives the book certain credibility. When Harry Goodman discusses cloning techniques, BeauSeigneur brings in the theories of Nobel Prize winner Francis Crick to provide an explanation for the origin of Jesus. I found the religious aspects of the story fascinating, even though I am not a Christian. BeauSeigneur has one of his characters, Joshua Rosen, explain a theory about the Ark of the Covenant that is absolutely mesmerizing. Rosen brings in biblical passages, conspiracy theories about the Knights Templar, and obscure writings from apocryphal texts to create a theory that makes you nod your head in agreement, even though it is highly unlikely. New Age religions are presented as the wave of the future, through the characters of Bob Milner and Alice Bernley. These New Age elements work through the United Nations to bring about a global system of government. I guess my only concern with the trilogy is the lack of character development. It may be successfully argued that the main character of the book is the apocalypse, but there is no reason to ignore the other characters. BeauSeigneur rarely provides adequate descriptions of his characters beyond their words and actions. It is an uneven process; Decker's internal thoughts are described, but others are completely ignored. It is also difficult to sympathize with characters when you have no idea what they look like. Get out there and pick these three books up as quickly as you can. I originally bought "In His Image" without getting the others. I finally picked up the other two when I realized they might go out of print before I read the first one. I am glad I did this because I wanted to start reading the next book right after I finished the previous one. These books are so engrossing that the pages fly by at lightening speed. I think I finished the whole trilogy in about three days. Get going!
Rating: 
Summary: Cloning christ? Give me another one!
Review: Well, all I have to say is just that I won't just go for anything in search of entertainment. The Left Behind series was true to the scriptures. All this stuff about cloning Christ's tissues and stuff leave me with a bad taste in the mouth. It's not scriptural and I wonder what we are headed to...
Let's not take creativity too far, please. Otherwise there's no difference between true christianity and the rest. That's no thanks for me.
Of course, some may disagree. That's OK.
Rating:
Summary: TWO BOOKS/ONE GOOD ONE!
Review: I bought two books from Amazon, BeauSeigneur's IN HIS IMAGE and A.T. Nicholas' THE FIST OF GOD. I could hardly finish IN HIS IMAGE. I'll buy the next one in hopes of improvement. But I was greatly pleased with THE FIST OF GOD. The story was moving and interesting, and the plot was well done. It could have been better,but not bad for a first novel. There's too much cussing and violence in this book for some, but I can overlook it for the better of the message. There's a great message for all of us in Nicholas' novel. Read it. IN HIS IMAGE was OK, looking for better work on number two. The Fist of God a solid (three and a half star). Can't wait for his next attempt.
Rating:
Summary: For lovers of Christian Fiction only
Review: Clearly many people love this book so I am not going to denigrate their opinions. However, this book is very poorly written. The characters are extremely two-dimensional and the dialogue is weak. The author is not a good writer. What he does have, however, is a great imagination. I liked the story of this book and thought the hook (ie. Jesus cloned from the Shroud of Turin) was enticing. I think you would have to be a lover of Christian fiction to be blown away by this book. If you are not, this is an average thriller and not "edge of your seat" stuff. I am not feeling inclined to read the rest of the series and I feel slightly suckered that I bought this book based on the glowing reviews which are found everywhere else, it seems, on Amazon.com.
Rating:
Summary: Gotta have More!
Review: My only disappointment with the Christ Clone Trilogy is that there's not a dozen of them. I want a sequel, a prequel, and if not that then at least more books by Beauseigneur.
Rating:
Summary: A nail-biting, edge of your seat novel, hard to put down
Review: This entire series is great. For me, the detailed approach to explaining prophecy made it all so believable. The plot is fast-paced and enthralling, and the writing style is smooth and pleasing to read. A great beach book, or night stand reader.
Rating:
Summary: Really Really Good
Review: After reading The Christ Clone Trilogy for a class, I realized how true they are. James BeauSeigneur has described the future and even though his books are fiction it's hard to imagine how else the predictions of prophecy will come true if not as he describes them.
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