Customer Reviews

The Resurrectionist

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The best thing about my copy of The Resurrectionist is the cover art, by Phil Heffernan. Often it is the cover art that originally attracts us to a book, and all too seldom is the artist credited. Thankfully, Warner Books has done so, and Heffernan's metallic, disembodied head and arms in a crucified position is an arresting image.

But Monteleone's text doesn't stand up to this gripping image. The plot is unique and interesting, but Monteleone doesn't really grapple with the issues he raises. The title character is a US Senator who discovers he has the power to raise the dead--at least temporarily. Naturally everyone wants a piece of his gift, including the US government, who seek to keep it to themselves. Rather than exploring the nature of his character's singular abilities, or their origin, Monteleone gives us just another shady government conspiracy novel, albeit complicated by a mysterious presence that ultimately turns out to be discouragingly mortal. But the nature of death, or the afterlife, are hardly dealt with--one resurrected character describes hovering over his own body, but that's about all. More time is spent on the effect of the Senator's powers on his campaign for president, and whether they should be concealed or revealed.

There are some good moments in the book, particularly in Monteleone's characterizations. Suddenly discovering that he has the ability to raise the dead puts a tremendous strain on the Senator, and Monteleone portrays this well. But readers hoping for a supernatural thriller (whether of the Christian persuasion or not) are sure to be disappointed. In that regard, The Resurectionist's powers are treated as nothing more unusual than a scientist with a secret nuclear formula.

Monteleone has repeatedly gone to the well of Christian-related supernatural fiction with The Blood of the Lamb : A Novel of the Second Coming and The Reckoning. This time he comes up dry.

With the enticing cover artwork and an intriguing storyline, this novel had the beginnings of a good read. Somewhere along the way the story veared away from the plot, abandoned a central character and ended in a puffery. The love story feels forced and the opportunity to engage in some very interesting challenges are totally missed. The plot of a man who acquires the gift of restoring life dissipates into a paranoid anti-government rant.
I was disappointed as the book cover quotes that the author has written nineteen "acclaimed" novels. I expected more than what I received in reading this book.
Most disappointing is that the reader never receives an answer to the main question - how did this happen and what does it mean? It almost seemed like the author tired of the story and just closed shop after 300 pages with a pasted together conclusion. A good potential story ended in unachieved dramatic results. Not the good read this reader expected.

US Senator Tom Flanagan gains the power to raise the dead, which makes him the target of machinations by powerful groups such as the US government and the Catholic Church.

This is a terribly written novel with clumsy characterizations. Author Thomas F. Monteleone comes off like a crazy militant libertarian at times. His depiction of the government is filled with unabashedly sinister and self-serving caricatures that all but rub their hands together with glee and cackle over their evil plans. The whole millennial fever aspect of the story seems silly in retrospect (and seemed silly to some of us even at the time). The pointless subplot involving Flanagan's visions of a burning man foreshadow something that is completely unconnected to the main story. Perhaps it was meant to be developed in a sequel. Was such a sequel ever written? I couldn't care less.

"The Resurrectionist" takes on an interesting premise---one man's ability to raise people from the dead---and nullifies it by focusing on the governmental conspiracies that inevitably come with such a gift, particularly when that gift belongs to a senator who is running for the presidency. There is no explanation as to why the Senator has this gift, and why one of his resurrectees crumbles in front of a worldwide television audience. Conveniently, other beneficiaries of the senator's gift turn out okay. Overblown, overdrawn, and derivative, I give it three stars only because it holds your interest to a rather disappointing climax.

The story is about a presidential candidate who gets magical powers that bring dead people back to life. He discovers that there are dangerous consequences in using these powers. The concept of the story is very unique and entertaining.

The Resurrectionist has an interesting premise but ultimately the author's penchant to indulge in outrageous government conspiracy paranoia makes the whole story silly.

The Resurrectionist is a novel about a political figure who is running for the Presidency. While on a plane ride with his best friend, who is also his campaign manager, crashes. After the crash he finds his best friend dead and finds it within himself to bring his friend back to life...

At first I thought this was going to be a book that dealt with satanic characters (which I'm not into) but the ending is really surprising..

A Good Read...