The Blood of the Lamb: A Novel of the Second Coming [Hardcover]

Thomas F. Monteleone (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1992

A charismatic American priest discovers that he possesses extraordinary healing powers and sets out on a well-televised mission across the United States, but many wonder if he is the new Messiah or the Anti-Christ.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Monteleone ( Fantasma ) gives the idea of genetic cloning a new twist in this apocalyptic thriller set in the final days of the 20th century. Within the first few pages, two extraordinary events occur. A Vatican priest doing special research for an "old Jesuit" is summarily executed by his employer immediately after delivering an unspecified item to him. Thirty years later, in the 1990s, Father Peter Careza, a parish priest in Brooklyn, is horrified when "lightning blasts" from his hands incinerate a murderous mugger. Summoned to the Vatican, the shaken Carenza discovers that his birth was the result of an incredible genetic experiment using one of the most famous religious artifacts in Christendom. The roller-coaster plot then involves biblical prophecy and the promise--or fear--of the millennium, and features a vicious clerical assassin and a beautiful American reporter. When Father Carenza's extraordinary powers turn out to include healing properties as well as death-dealing ones, he embarks on a journey across the heart of America and a bitter confrontation with organized religions, especially those of the electronic church. Is he a force of light, or of darkness? In building toward an answer, Monteleone has written a riveting story about evil done in the purported service of good.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A Jesuit priest begins to manifest supernatural powers of healing and destruction, becoming the target of a Vatican investigation as he uncovers the secret of his true identity. Monteleone alternates between a novel of dark conspiracies and a satire of evangelical movements in this uneven horror fantasy that will, nevertheless, appeal to fans of The Omen . Purchase where Apocalyptic horror is in demand.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 419 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (May 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031285031X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312850319
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #258,874 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great plot, but poor ending, September 6, 2005

By 

Zeus - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Blood of the Lamb (Mass Market Paperback)

Here is a book which had all the makings for a truly great novel. It has a great plot, with a very believable storyline, i.e. the origins of the Anti-Christ. I think in many respects this view of the Anti-Christ's origins is highly plausible, and I give much kudos to the author for developing it.

However, the ending was very anticlimatic. Maybe the author ran out of steam towards the end. Nevertheless an interesting book to read for many individuals (Christians and non-Christians alike) who may also be students of Eschatology (the study of end-times theology).

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, though somewhat silly, June 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Blood of the Lamb (Mass Market Paperback)

"Blood of the Lamb" contains an extremely creative idea: to clone Christ. Of course, such a premise is fairly hard for anyone to take seriously, and this book doesn't achieve that. But it's a good, readable book which I felt had many unusual plot twists which occasionally made one feel a bit queasy on the inside. It's easy to find all the biblical references in it; Satan's temptation, virgin birth, calling of the first disciples, Judas' betrayal, and the idea of Jesus having a lover (Marion in the book, Mary Magdalene in legends). After reading it and finding the "surprise" ending (which isn't really a surprise; you can probably guess who Peter REALLY is halfway through the book) it's hard to resist the temptation to get out your Bible and turn to Revelations, 'cause the similarities are definitely there. I disagree with Kirkus Reviews that this book calls for a sequel. It's one of the books that sound like there would be one, but would definitely be ruined by it. Probably my biggest problem with the book is that Peter Carenza is such a likeable character that it is much too hard to accept the truth. But I guess that that's what the author wanted. In short, it's really a good book. Get it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, Great Characters, Great Story!!, January 4, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Iowa, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blood of the Lamb (Mass Market Paperback)

While cloning Jesus might seem like a great thing to be doing, on the surface, we find out that it might not be the best thing to be doing. Thomas F. Monteleone comes out with a great premise. Suppose the Vatican cloned Jesus to bring about the Second Coming. As with most any book of a religious basing, the Vatican once again becomes the bad guy. But, in truth, as the book progresses, the idea of any villian or hero beomes mixed and confused. Monteleone has done something that I absolutely love to hate. He has made the true villian of the book a most interesting and lovable character. All of the clues are put before us in this wonderful thriller, but we choose to either ignore them or interpret them in a totally different light as the story progresses. It makes for excellent storytelling when a plot that twists as much as this one does turns the characters the reader abhors into the actual "white hat good guys." It is seldom that a writer can do this in a satisfactory way, but Monteleone has pulled it off with stunning success. The book has quite a few well-developed characters, though, in truth, I would have liked to have seen about 200 more pages dedicated to the "prequel" of this story wherein we could better get to know the main character's mother, the old scientist, etc. However, as it stands, the book is quite excellent. One thing that has always bothered me about books such as this is that if the Vatican has all these wonderfully naughty people working for them, why must they constantly attack a main character head-on. Would it not be simpler to place a guy on a tower with a high-powered rifle? Of course, the story might be quite a bit shorter if such were to happen, so I will live with these delicious little thrillers as they are. An excellent book. Well-written, intricately plotted, and most certainly thoroughlt entertaining. A must-read!