Customer Reviews

The Last Gospel

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

David Howard's "The Last Gospel" is a captivating story, at once provocative and inspiring. With his vivid imagination and outstanding talent for storytelling, the author weaves in this novel two stories--one of a biblical testimony, that challenges the conventional image of Jesus, and the other, set in 2020 A.D., of a young Jewish linguist and her lover, who struggle against all odds to decode a prophecy contained in the testimony. Synthesizing the past and the future; spirituality and science; and romance and tragedy, this novel is a tapestry of rare complexity, pleasing tension, and superb beauty. It belongs in the library of any serious fiction lover. -- Yoshiko Samuel, Profesor of Asian Literature at Wesleyan Univeristy

"The Last Gospel" continues in the worthy literary tradition of the novelist Sholem Asch, who interpreted the life and times of Jesus for an audience largely composed of Jews who were allergic to Christianity because of the atrocities visted upon the Jewish world for centuries. Nevertheless, Jewish readers wished to understand Jesus and his milieu in a safe spiritual and intellectual environment, devoid of proselytizing.

Open-minded people generally and people involved in interfaith relationships specifically will find "The Last Gospel" fascinating because it expresses the idea that the teachings of Jesus (as differentiated from what became known as Christianity) are very much within the Jewish prophetic tradition. While this idea is not original to author David Howard, its expression in an intriguing suspense novel and love story set in both the ancient 1st century and the technologically sophisticated 21st century results in a unique combination of fact, fantasy and midrash. My interest was completely sustained.

"The Last Gospels" was a treat. I had the pleasure of reading it on a long plane trip back East and the time flew by! Two aspects of the book particularly impressed me: that a man could capture so well the voice and thoughts of a woman -- a pregnant woman at that -- and the level of research that made the historical sections so lively. Having read many books, primarily non-fiction, on religion and the history of religion, I was surprised how much I enjoyed a fictionalized account. The book is well written and paced. I recommend it to not only those who are interested in religion but to those who enjoy a good mystery as well.

As a psychologist, I've always been drawn to writers with that rare ability to transport their readers directly into the minds - souls, really - of those who inhabit other times and places. David Howard has this ability, in extraordinary measure. Even more impressive, however, is the fact that he has accomplished this task while writing about some of the most intriguing and important figures in Biblical history. Imagine what it takes to convincingly portray the minds and hearts of individuals like Jesus of Nazareth, Saul of Tarsus, Judas Iscariot and Mary Magdalene. One must be true to what is written, while expanding our knowledge and understanding in ways that are not only plausible but psychologically "true." I was deeply impressed by the author's subtle understanding of human psychology - as well as his intimate knowledge of the historical periods this book spans and interweaves. Whatever your personal religious beliefs may happen to be - or even if you have none at all - you will not fail to be deeply impressed with this book. It was a great read! And I've found that the characters linger on in memory, long after finishing the book. I look forward to more of Mr. Howard's work in the (hopefully) near future.

"The Last Gospel" is thoughtful and intriguing, a coming together of diverse worlds that would have been impossible before our day. -- Rabbi Arthur Green, Professor of Jewish Thought at Brandeis University and author of "Seek My Face, Speak My Name: A Contemporary Jewish Theology" and "These Are the Words: A Vocabulary of Jewish Spiritual Life."

If you like philosophical/spiritual reflection/speculation a la Huxley, Orwell and Robert Heinlein, you'll like this book. If you are a fundamentalist of any religion you'll probably hate it. What the author does that's pretty rare in sci-fi is explore interesting ideas and at the same time create rich characters. Sometimes "idea" novels are short on fully developed characters, which is why I don't read Michael Crichton, but Last Gospel's Rafaela is someone you'll think and care about even after you've finished the book.

This novel is so very well written and documented, that I believe that even religious fundamentalists will read it from cover to cover. At first I thought I would be offended by what seemed an attack on Catholicism, but as I kept on reading I discovered a whole new approach to Christianity fiction. Readers must treat this book as a work of fiction and not as an essay on Christianity, but I have to confess I was impressed by the command of religious philosophy and history Mr. Howard shows. I must tell you also that I couldn't stop reading until I finished the book five hours later. I felt mesmerized between the "voices of the witnesses" as reported by Issac and those findings of Rafaela, and many times I was tempted to skip paragraphs to find out what was coming. I only regret the more or less sudden finish -what will happen to Eva?, what are the other prophecies?-, but I hint that there may be a sequel coming sooner or later. I also feel this is sound material for a good movie -many times while reading the book I couldn't keep from playing the scenes in my mind- What do the characters look like? What actress would make a good Rafaela? Mohammed? Magadala? What were the reactions to Issac's questions? I must also confess that I feel now, after reading this excellent book, a lot more intrigued by Judaism and Christianity in general, and now I'm looking for numbers and patterns everywhere...

This is a very cool book. Read it if you are interested in authentic Jewish and Christian spirituality or if you just want to delve into some great characters who are caught up in the adventure of their lives. The chapters switch back and forth between the time right after Jesus is crucified and the year 2021 or so. The modern heroine, Rafaela, is involved in translating ancient scrolls that are reports of the life of Jesus written by his Indian girlfriend, his dad, some of his enemies and several of his disciples. As she works with the translations, Rafaela discovers prophecies within them. She ends up trying to prevent one of the prophecies from happening. But there is much more to this novel than just the rich plot. It's also a book about relationships. First, there are Rafaela's relationships in the not-distant future with her married boyfriend, her Orthodox rabbi dad, and her daughter. Then there are Jesus' relationships with everyone whose life he touched. You might expect the Jesus parts to be overblown and corny, but I found them to be subtle, profound and believable. Jesus is clearly a man here, not a God, but he is extraordinary anyway, often in very surprising ways. I'm not religious, but this book moved my spirit. I can't help but wonder how 'believers' will experience it. My hunch is that they will like it too. I can't wait for David Howard's next book.

An otherwise entertaining and fascinating read was butchered by a ridiculous ray gun. The author's insights on the middle-east were engaging, the cultural and historical context of the book was great. Saddly, the weeks of research that went into making an compelling and mature picture of the characters and their situation were ruined by a Star Trek ray gun that blasted through walls and killed someone outright at a mere touch of the beam. Preposterous. I hate Ray Guns. Terrific picture on the book jacket though!

Although the author is articulate, his ideas are pure nonsense, a blend of pseudo-rational/philosophical musings and New Age gobblety gook dressed up in the name of some long lost Judeo-Christian writings. That does not mean he cannot hold the reader's attention. For dramatic effect, there are, of course, the obligatory evil fundamentalists thrown in. But we've seen all this before.

Yawn.

I don't know. Maybe it was not as bad as I thought. But at times I just could not get past the arrogance seeping through the author's presentation, as if he were the second coming of God himself spreading the "Last Gospel" to the illiterate and intellectually inferior masses.

The author is full of himself. After a while, I just couldn't stomach it.