Rating: 
Summary: Great Surprise Pick
Review: My somewhat random choice of this book from the library (I judged it --favorably--by its cover) turned out to be a great pick. This gripping, well-written story provides a fantastic alternative to the chaff one normally finds in the genre. In fact, Requiem transcends easy classification, as do many great stories. Joyce handles the protagonist's descent into madness in clear, convincing and chilling fashion. Heartily recommended for those seeking an imaginative tale
Rating: 
Summary: A Strange Read
Review: Requiem is a quick book--filled with all sorts of psycho-religious science fiction--that is written in a very provocative, graphic way. Graham Joyce wraps Christian and Islamic mythology into western paranoia and presents a story that stays with you. He uses the Mary Magdalene character as a thread to draw you through the story--posing her as the demon and angel that keeps the reader questioning every turn in the plot.
Its fun.
Rating:
Summary: Is personal revelation equal to being mad?
Review: Requiem is a stronger novel than Dreamside (which I previously read), which shows the author's writing skills are improving as he continues to write. This novel was a tense one, despite very little action. It is a heady novel, one that explores the inner landscape of the mind and emotions. The book often forces the reader to ask what is real and what is not...and if there is truly a difference. I enjoyed this book particularly for this exploration. It aptly shows the results of a life unexamined. The protagonist Tom has only recently come to grips with his life following the accidental death of his wife. As he is confronted with many unresolved feelings he begins to question his sanity--for he is plagued with strange visions of Mary Magdalene and recurring flashbacks of past events. Guilt and anger are only the most obvious emotions that fuels the drive of this book. The book asks, what would happen if all those unresolved things in our lives took form and haunted us. There is little to critique about this novel. The story was engaging, the characters very real and fully dimensional. I think it was because of the the realist portrayl of the characters that makes this book so powerful. Because the people feel real, it is easier to believe the events occurring in the novel may be real. Who knows perhaps there is something to the Magdalene theory...I already believe we are all haunted by our own personal djinn! As a previous reviewer had mentioned, Joyce's style is very similar to Johnathan Carroll's. If you enjoy Carroll you may very well enjoy Joyce's writing. If you haven't read anything by Carroll, do it! Try From the the Teeth of Angels...or the Panic Hand.
Rating:
Summary: Is personal revelation equal to being mad?
Review: Requiem is a stronger novel than Dreamside (which I previously read), which shows the author's writing skills are improving as he continues to write. This novel was a tense one, despite very little action. It is a heady novel, one that explores the inner landscape of the mind and emotions. The book often forces the reader to ask what is real and what is not...and if there is truly a difference. I enjoyed this book particularly for this exploration. It aptly shows the results of a life unexamined. The protagonist Tom has only recently come to grips with his life following the accidental death of his wife. As he is confronted with many unresolved feelings he begins to question his sanity--for he is plagued with strange visions of Mary Magdalene and recurring flashbacks of past events. Guilt and anger are only the most obvious emotions that fuels the drive of this book. The book asks, what would happen if all those unresolved things in our lives took form and haunted us. There is little to critique about this novel. The story was engaging, the characters very real and fully dimensional. I think it was because of the the realist portrayl of the characters that makes this book so powerful. Because the people feel real, it is easier to believe the events occurring in the novel may be real. Who knows perhaps there is something to the Magdalene theory...I already believe we are all haunted by our own personal djinn! As a previous reviewer had mentioned, Joyce's style is very similar to Johnathan Carroll's. If you enjoy Carroll you may very well enjoy Joyce's writing. If you haven't read anything by Carroll, do it! Try From the the Teeth of Angels...or the Panic Hand.
Rating:
Summary: Great almost to the end
Review: The main effect of this book on me was to make me search for alternative historical interpretations of the Gospels. Joyce's seems plausible, and I'd like to know if historians have delved into it. As for the plot--it is an intense book. The main character, Tom, may be experiencing either religious visions or schizophrenia--or both. So may other characters with similar experiences. The setting, Jerusalem, is always simmering on the edge of violence. Tom's feelings for his deceased wife and his friend Sharon are intense but mixed, and not entirely understandable to him. It is a strength of the book that the author never "explains" whether the religious visions are "real." It is a weakness that the author never resolves Tom's feelings about the rest of his life, or what he plans to do with it.
Rating:
Summary: Dazzling...this book brings the imagination to its knees...
Review: This book is an amazing twist of fantasy and realism -- leaving the reader truly changed -- not just a book to force one to question the historical accounts of religion, but I was awed by the author's persistence in his search for the numinous. Mere words can't recommend this book enough!
Rating:
Summary: Intense
Review: Unfortunately, the rating system limits me to five, or I would get really extravagant... An excellent novel with well-drawn, multi-dimensional characters, and a fascinating historical take juxtaposed with a very modern moral dilemma. I love the revisionist view of Christianity. After reading this book, I went on a mission to find everything Joyce has ever written, including his work for children, and I was not disappointed. (Sadly, I haven't been able to find "Stormwatcher" in the US.) An excellent read -- I hope Joyce finds the wide audience he deserves.
Rating:
Summary: Only 5 stars? :-)
Review: Unfortunately, the rating system limits me to five, or I would get really extravagant... An excellent novel with well-drawn, multi-dimensional characters, and a fascinating historical take juxtaposed with a very modern moral dilemma. I love the revisionist view of Christianity. After reading this book, I went on a mission to find everything Joyce has ever written, including his work for children, and I was not disappointed. (Sadly, I haven't been able to find "Stormwatcher" in the US.) An excellent read -- I hope Joyce finds the wide audience he deserves.
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