This is an extremely fine thriller. I went into it blind, knowing nothing about the plot. I picked it up because it was a Bram Stoker award winner for best novel, and also because I have enjoyed Monteleone's short fiction over the years. Going into the story with zero knowledge is a great way to approach it, as there are many twists and turns and surprises. The characters are rich and three-dimensional, and the chapters alternate between them and their various points of view, a method that I found very effective. At times pulpy, visceral, grisly, profound, suspenseful, emotional and fascinating, this epic tale is an absolute knockout. ( )

Meh. And I like Thomas Monteleone, but this booj left me a little empty. i think it was the idea that the Church would be so short-sighted (repeatedly) as to not head the warnings of the mother of their new Christ, . It would be like ignoring thr prophecies of Mother Theresa, had she only conveyed them to the Holy Father.Watching Peter change from a man of God to a man of Power wasn't so much unsettling as it was extreme. We have a man who all of his life has done wonderful things in the name of his ministry and suddenly he becomes dark and bitter and dangerous. It seemed very quick with him suddenly embodying emotions and feelings his character hadn't experienced before. Perhaps I'm not keen on human nature, but I would have thought a person who's done npthing but good would question why he was suddenly suck a dick. I liked the pacing of this book and Monteleone had his finger on how the public would initially react to the idea of a return of Christ, as well as how tele-evangelists would feel should they discover their empires suddenly dissolving. I just didn't buy the actions of the inner circle, and expewcially of Peter, himself. I've considered picking up the subsequent sequels, but i haven't brought myself to do it yet. ( )