Customer Reviews

Transgression (City of God Series #1

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Another of Randall Ingermanson's books, he uses his impressive scientific and Biblical knowledge to write an incredible story.

Rivka Myers finds herself used as an unwitting guinea pig and sent back in time to Ancient Israel! Fortunately, she is skilled in ancient linguistics, and manages to get around town pretty well...until she is mistaken for a prostitute. (Cut-off jeans, and no covered hair...shocking!) A "fellow" prostitute covers for Rivka until she can get her bearings and recover her modesty. She soon learns that the "mad" scientist who sent her back in the first place has followed her into his "wormhole" and into Ancient Times. Rivka must find out why, while also dealing with a new friend coming to her rescue...even after they had a fight.

I have it from a good source (the author) that his book is only the first of three (or was it five?) books in this series.

This book is incredibly well-written, entertaining, interesting, believable, and action-packed. There's twists and turns all along the way, and the fun's not over yet! Buy this book, and be on pins and needles for the next!

One question: It's never made clear why this book is called Transgression. Perhaps it will in future books, but for now, it's a mystery.

I love hard science fiction (NOT fantasy) and time travel is my favorite theme--when it's done well. Transgression is truly a remarkable mix of science, adventure, history, religion, and even romance. The balance is perfect. This is the first book I've read by Ingermanson, but now I'll read the others for certain. I do highly recommend Transgression--reading it is like taking a vacation into the past. As a Catholic, I enjoyed the Christian slant to it. I really can think of no criticism--definitely 5 stars!

Really, I did. I found this book by following up on recommendations from other books I'd liked, and I wanted to like it too. But it really doesn't deliver. It gets the third star solely because of Ingermanson's believable, sympathetic, and downright fascinating--though frustratingly brief--portrait of Paul. At the same time, it has three major problems.

First, don't look for much science here. The discussion of the theological implication of the arrangement of quarks is great, but only about two sentences long. Other than that, you mostly get high-sounding jargon.

Second, the theology is just plain weird. Ingermanson takes fiendish delight in trying to prove that most everything you ever learned about the early church is biased and wrong, and that obvious agenda gets REALLY ANNOYING after a while. Plus, he succumbs to the temptation, unfortunately pretty common in this subgenre, to present Jewish people as a sort of para-church group who retain something of their Old Covenant status as the chosen people of God under the New Covenant, without reference to a relationship to Christ as Redeemer. This is a pretty ironic weakness considering that Paul himself tried hard to correct this misconception. Maybe Ingermanson corrects this impression in his following books?

Third, unfortunately, Ingermanson's writing is weak. Character development in this story, when it happens at all, is oddly sporadic and has little connection to the events of the plot. Common sense is in woefully short supply among all the characters, from our hero who jaunts back into the past with an unbelievably small supply of his vital allergy medication, to our villain who was incredibly slipshod in his prep work, to our heroine with her remarkable cluelessness about gender norms in the period she should know so well. Some plot elements test your patience more than they should, too. Excuse me--even if you really could build a wormhole in your local physics lab, could you really use a cell phone while standing in it? In my building, cell phones won't even work in the elevators, folks! Also, assuming you build said wormhole, do you really think the Israeli government's immediately going to believe you can use it for time travel? (The whole government was apparently pretty blase here.) And even if they do believe you, do you really think their first concern is going to be whether your cool new technology should be shut down for the Sabbath? I wish!

Other minor gripes: this book is short on physical description of any kind. Also, the two and a half romances which meander along through its pages proceed so strangely that you'll occasionally feel you MUST have skipped fifty pages in there somewhere. Most everything is left hideously (NOT tantilizingly) unresolved at the end. And the sad fact is that if you don't speak a fair to middling amount of basic Hebrew, you will miss some detail. Exasperating.

So do what I did. Check this book out from the library, but don't buy it. If you can ignore a little strangeness for a big payoff, read (or re-read) A Man Called Blessed, instead.

Transgression is captivating and intelligent, a real pleasure to read. It is truly a surprise to find such engaging characters, historical insights, and well reasoned theoretical physics all combined in one work. To find all of these in a first novel should send up flags - bookmark this author! Randy Ingermanson's characters ring true. Not only are they intelligent, but they just feel real. The Israeli dialog, from both modern and first century periods, is very authentic, and naturally scented with Hebrew words. The compelling plot, intertwining with another plot straight from the bible, make this an exceptional page turner. An excellent read, and a wonderful gift for readers.

Rivka Meyers is trying to take some time off from life. Tired of constantly defending her Christian faith, she's spending her summer in Israel on an archaeological dig. While over there, she meets Ari Kazan, a physicist convinced he's found the secret to time travel, or time like, self-intersecting loops. But when Ari's partner, Damien West, uses the devise to travel back to the first century, Rivka and Ari find themselves caught in a plot to assassinate the Apostle Paul and changed the world as we know it. Can they overcome their differences and the different culture to stop his plan?

This book started out strong. The characters were interesting and the plot intriguing. I especially enjoyed a look at first century life from a modern perspective, a bit of a twist on the usual historical novel. However, about two-thirds of the way through, things fell apart. The plot, which had been developing nicely, suddenly became haphazard, with characters doing things for no apparent reason. After an intense climax, several important themes and sub-plots were glossed over, leaving little feeling of resolution.

It's a shame that this book did not finish the way it started. It gets high marks for originality, but the lack of follow-through keeps me from giving it a good recommendation.

I was skeptical. Time-travel and wormholes, Jerusalem and an attempt to assassinate the Apostle Paul? Great concepts, but could this new author pull it off?

Ingermanson not only pulls it off, he tells a story worth re-reading. I was impressed. "Transgression" works as a historical/futuristic suspense novel--and, on top of that, offers theological insights. This story of Rivka, an archeaology student, and Avi, a physicist, is suspenseful and taut. The dialogue is crisp, with subtle depth and honesty. As his characters took form early on, I was intrigued by their religious differences and wondered how they would interact once they time-traveled back to A.D. 57. Not only are they challenged by one another, they are confronted with a world of varying customs and traditions. In their quest to save the Apostle Paul from a modern scientist with a madcap scheme, they encounter various minor characters, all of whom are depicted with depth and grace. With numerous little details, Ingermanson builds a credible view of first century Jerusalem and I found myself wanting to visit, wanting to check some of the incidents described against the history of the New Testament.

To round off an entertaining and thought-provoking novel, Ingermanson also throws in a few doses of romance. Some of it worked for me, some of it seemed sudden and/or stilted. But give him credit for mixing in a little spice to this already flavorful book. Better quality publishing might've helped this book out (I personally found the graphics and cover a bit substandard), but the author managed to override my qualms with solid storytelling. I'm looking forward to reading his newest, titled "Oxygen."

This book has been sitting on my to-be-read-shelf for a long time and for some unknown reason I'd always grab something else. However I'm glad I finally picked it up. I found it not only very informative but entertaining as well. The story never let up and (unlike another review stated) it was not predictable. The characters were well developed and the storyline kept turning and twisting to make for a real page-turning experience.
I have few problems with the book though. I quote from page 327 "Christianity as she knew it didn't exist yet. No Catholics, no Protestants, no Jehovah Witnesses." End quote. Okay, for historical purposes (not Biblical) I'll accept Catholicism being added to the sentence but not Jehovah Witnesses. They are clearly a cult and should not have been in the same sentence that made them look like Christians. Someone with the intelligence of Randy Ingermanson should know better. Secondly why was Rivka, a multi-lingual scholar, not intelligent enough to know that Constantine, the Crusades and Hitler's atrocities where not acts from Christian's but radical religious groups that did not know God. (At the end of the book she does clarify the belief of Hitler.) The real church was underground in most of the world for 1400 years. And thirdly why did Rivka marry Ari? God's world strictly forbids marrying outside of the faith. Didn't she know that? Or does Ari come to Christ in the next book. I guess I'll have to read it to find out. If he does believe before she marries him I'm retracting the last complaint.
I've enjoyed the book immensely and will be stating "Premonition" today. Good work Randy.

1 Star = I've been robbed!
2 Stars = Why'd I finish it?
3 Stars = Good
4 Stars = Excellent
5 Stars = Life changing

What an entertaining book!

My wife (one of the most non-scientific people I know) thououghly enjoyed it, so I gave it a try. I rarely read Science Fiction but couldn't put it down.

I am in awe of the author's talent. This is his first novel, yet it has excellent story & character development, great dialog and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing as you turn to the next page. A really nice blend of science and faith, Ingermanson has pulled it off. Congratulations.

Dang! Another living author. I wish I could just like past writers. I hate to have to WAIT for the next book to come out!!

If you like tightly written, intelligent and thought-provoking fiction with a plausible story line, then this is the book for you!

Science and religion collide as Rivka Meyers, a Messianic Jewish archaeology student meets Ari Kazan, Israeli physicist (viva la 'big bang' theory)and together they embark on a dangerous trek back through time.

Of course, what fun would this novel be without a bad guy. Enter, Dr. Damien West, a somewhat deranged experimentalist whose job is to model and test the theories these smart guys keep coming up with.

What follows is an exciting 'what if' scenario, with Dr. West attempting to do away with the Apostle Paul, Rivka Meyers' attempt to thwart his evil plans, and Ari Kazan learning more about the Truth than he ever wanted to know.

Definitely a page turner...bring on a sequel!

What do you get when you mix time travel, a Jewish man and woman who seriously disagree about their religion, the Apostle Paul, a dastardly fiend, and a prostitute?

TRANSGRESSION.

Randy Ingermanson has pulled off an amazing feat, combining these eclectic elements into an action-packed novel that readers of diverse backgrounds can enjoy. The characters are believable; the premise is fresh and twisting. And with a Ph.D. in theoretical physics, Ingermanson handles the questions of time travel with aplomb, masterfully weaving them into his plot.

TRANSGRESSION is a rolicking, exciting read. This is a book I've recommended to many friends, and none has been disappointed. Fans of Ari and Rivka will be glad to know that Ingermanson plans more books in this series.