Rating: 
Summary: Clever.
Review: There are two books this year I have read that stand out as exceptional fiction literature. The first is Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code - which has, in my opinion received proper fanfare. The second is Peter Senese with Robert Geis' novel Cloning Christ.I would like to simply point out what I beleive to be the main difference from a reader's perspective between these two wonderful books: In The Da Vinci Code you rush to see what the protagonist Langdon will discover next regarding the Holy Grail and Mary Magdaline's interactions with Christ. In Cloning Christ you rush to experience how you the reader would react if you discovered what may in all likelyhood be the True Cross of Christ the protagonist Train discovers in Jerusalem. Cloning Christ is a cleverly written story that grasps the reader into engaging themselves with a very personal experience about faith and the ascension of Jesus Christ.
Rating:
Summary: Universal Truths.
Review: We like stories because they tell us about our world and enable us to learn from the experiences of others, an imaginative capacity that is one of the principal endowments of man. Cloning Christ by Peter Senese disseminates and explains the cultural traditions of religious beliefs that shape our lives by creating an praise-worthy historical thriller evolving around the Cross of Christ. In creating Cloning Christ, the main support characters of this Cross, Dr. Max Train and his guide, the Mossad agent, Sara, the author develops a story that counsels on existential dilemmas of the spirit and soul so to admonish us and point us in new directions, to give us courage to stay a given course, provides us a sense of universal kinsmen, kinswomenship - offers us other eyes through which we might see, other ears which we might hear. It is true that stories attract us by resonating with our anxieties; they allay our anxieties by conveying information or conferring wisdom. By essentially handing to the reader the Cross of Christ, Senese effectively causes great anxiety to the new Cross-bearer while provoking this reader to confront, indirectly at first, and then directly as the story unfolds, the essence of one's faith. If we rely on stories to guide us through life, we want the guide to be reliable and truthful, and to tell it like it really is or could be; however, we also want the guide to be artful and witty, and to lead us along paths with which we are familiar. Cloning Christ is an inescapable contradiction in terms; a nonfiction fiction; a factual fantasy; a truthful deception; a non-beleiver beleiving. Cloning Christ is a fascinating, cleverly written geo-theological thriller in a class by itself.
Rating: 
Summary: Nearly unreadable!
Review: Given the incredible popularity of "The DaVinci Code" and Mel Gibson's "The Passion" alot of people are probably becoming more interested in spiritual and religious matters. Well, if thats you, DONT BOTHER WITH THIS BOOK! First of all, the subtitle is a lie -- theres no science and theres no faith anywhere in this. Furthermore, the book is nearly unreadable. Youll groan alot, thats for sure. This was a clearly self-published, with horrible grammar and spelling mistakes, and awful writing. Plus, if the previous review is to be believed, the author is probably not someone you want to give your money to, either. TERRIBLE BOOK.
Rating:
Summary: Everyman's Thriller!
Review: There were several times while reading this spell-binding dogmatic thriller where I actually needed to stop and go back a few pages to fully grasp the writer's powerful control and understanding of the subject matter brought to the reader's attention. Leaping from one question of faith to another . . . belief in self, belief in society, belief in God - and belief God really cares about each of us, 'Cloning Christ' captivates the reader by elegantly and unnoticeably at first handing a cross which may be The True Cross of Jesus to you so that the reader and the story's protagonist, Dr. Max Train, become one and the same. In 'Cloning Christ' author Peter Senese writes an unsurpassed tale of the struggles each of us has with holding onto the pulse of life - faith in each other. Each character is specific, reminnding me of the passion play 'Everyman' except, without question, the execution of character development in 'Cloning Christ' is simply 'beautiful'. I would like to add this book, though religious in title, is full of modern day intrigue and rich in historic traditions the author carefully weaves together to make this one of the better contemporary works I have read. Katie Hutchenson's written works have been published in newspapers and magazines in over thirty countries.
Rating:
Summary: Dazzling!
Review: 'Cloning Christ'is a dazzling performance by Senese, a delightful display of a combined sense for high drama and erudition. Though Senese concentrates at times on historical settings or social perspectives regarding the life of Jesus, also known as Jeschua Hanotrsi, Notsri, Otho Isch, Peloni, Talui, and Naggar bar naggar, without question the true protagonist in this fast-paced novel is the author's Christ - and the author clearly establishes his beliefs by Not Intending To Clone the possible human remnants the story's moving protagonist, Dr. Max Train, discovers on what appears to be The True Cross. Senese delivers a crackling, intricate mystery, complete with breathtaking escapes and several stunning surprises. It's challenging, exciting, and determined! To best summarize this rare treasure I would say it is exhilaratingly brainy.... In this gleefully erudite suspense novel, Peter Senese takes the reader on a journey only their own imagination and spirit will allow - yet he coaxes the reader to open up and take a look within themselves. The use of language and rhetoric as a device to move the reader into the various climatic conditions and settings is brilliant - perhaps too much so, but to no fault of the author. It is rare an author so flagrantly leads readers on a breathless, spiritual chase while coaxing them through spiritual quests --- Dr. Scott Rollins
Rating:
Summary: Whatever happened to the Cloning Christ movie?
Review: I've been waiting months to get news on this movie that Peter Senese announced on www.cloningchrist.com. Said Cloning Christ was going to be made into a movie. Never happened. What gives? Was it just hype? Was it a lie?
Rating:
Summary: a deceptive book
Review: This book claims to be one thing, but is actually another. It tricks you into buying it by appealing to America's growing interest with Christianity and faith (witness the success of "The Passion" and "The DaVinci Code"), but it doesn't deliver the goods. Reading the book, it makes promise after promise to discuss great things like science and belief, but it continually puts off these important conversations in favor of badly done, cliche-ridden action scenes. Without spoiling the climax of the so-called plot, it's safe to say that the book's ending makes it clear that the reason the book makes all these promises and then conveniently abandons them without fulfilling them is that Mr. Senese and Mr. Geis lack the literary ability to do so.
Rating:
Summary: One star means poor
Review: I have never read a book so in need of being edited prior to publication. In addition to inconsistencies in spelling, format, and style, this book managed to avoid its own presumed topic -- the whole subject of actually cloning Christ, much less any exploration the links and divisions between science and religion, is absent from the book. Instead, it seems that the title is an attempt to appeal to a particular niche market. But those who love Christian literature, as I do, beware! There is no sense of "faith" here, nor is there any investigation of what being faithful in the modern era really means. The book is a series of poorly written, unrealistsic close-calls between an unsympathetic scientist and the satanic minion of an evil priest (and this minion, by the way, is one of those only-in-bad-fiction creations who manages to kill everyone BUT his intended target). If you're a reader who groans at typos, bad dialogue, and forced plotting, you'd do best avoiding this book.
Rating:
Summary: Literary equivalent of a root canal
Review: Immature, god awful typos everywhere, a theme that has no foundation, and a style that nauseates the sensitive temperament. It is just as bad as Senese's first "work", War on Wall Street. Absolutely painful.
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary Book
Review: Once I began this extraordinary book, I could not put it down. "Cloning Christ" is so much more than a gripping suspense thriller. Peter Senese takes us beyond the main plot and leads us on a quest to understand the history of Christ and how his history has changed the world. With his impeccable research, Senese introduces us to aspects and interpretations of Western history and Christianity that I,have never even thought about. I found myself engulfed in the story of Max Train and his protagonist, Anselm Cardinal Mugant. Readers will enjoy this book.
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