Divine Blood : A Novel of Science and Faith

Rating:
Summary: Mediocre Presentation
Review: Hewlett's book begins with the discovery of a burial shroud, which is transported to the University of Arizona for analysis. When the shroud is carbon dated to the time of Jesus Christ, all hell breaks loose leading to a worldwide political and religious power struggle. Stir in some religious fanatics and a secret society who want to reclaim the holy relic, a researcher who clones the DNA which could possibly be Jesus, and then you have Hewlett's book, Divine Blood.

This could have been a great book, but turned out to be a quick, predictable read.

Rating:
Summary: Religion vs. Science
Review: Hewlett's book begins with the discovery of a burial shroud, which is transported to the University of Arizona for analysis. When the shroud is carbon dated to the time of Jesus Christ, all hell breaks loose leading to a worldwide political and religious power struggle. Stir in some religious fanatics and a secret society who want to reclaim the holy relic, a researcher who clones the DNA which could possibly be Jesus, and then you have Hewlett's book, Divine Blood.

This could have been a great book, but turned out to be a quick, predictable read.

Rating:
Summary: A Quick Read
Review: Put simply, a quick read with little or no suspense. Divine Blood begins with a priest from France who finds a shroud and brings it to the University of Arizona to have it tested. The results found after extensive testing by the lab date it back to the time that Jesus Christ may have died. Soon, the media paints a portrait that the shroud is the same that was used to wrap up Jesus Christ and all hell breaks loose-sorta of. This is where the story falls apart. The author combines three or four sub-plots trying to transport the reader on a journey of where the shroud has been as well as keeping the reader in suspense over the situations the main characters are put through. For example, although it was easy to follow the various plots, The scientist who did the cloning of the DNA is threatened by various groups and loses his fund money after apparently breaking some of the rules. The ending is rushed leaving the reader wondering why the novel was written in the first place. I know I did.

Rating:
Summary: Mediocre Presentation
Review: There was not one moment when I was reading this book that I wasn't aware I was reading a book. The potential was there, the historical and scientific ducks were all in their rows, but a near-total lack of storytelling ability on the part of the author turned it into a textbook with dialogue.

As each character is introduced, everything screeches to a stop while a brief bio is provided. As each decision arrives, once again, a halt is called while relevant past experiences are recounted and the particular character's reasoning is explained. Very little of the characters' personalities is revealed through their words, thoughts, or deeds -- just neatly-printed signs hung around their necks by the author.

In short, if reading detailed microbiology experiments is your cup of tea, then this book is for you. If not, don't bother.