Rating: 
Summary: Great
Review: Just superb. Best thriller I've read in years. History, theology and action all rolled into one. A must-read for any Katherine Neville or Umberto Eco fan.
Rating: 
Summary: Is it a book? Or a screenplay?
Review: Other reviewers share my opinion that this novel is weak in capturing readers' interest in the historical aspects of its theological theme. However, in contrast to other opinions, I found the "suspense and adventure" of this "thriller" uninspired and formulaic. Even the copy editors evidently lost interest in the book: The grammatical howlers in the final pages show that folks who read the galley proofs fell asleep too soon!
Rating: 
Summary: Not worth the time nor the money...
Review: Other reviewers share my opinion that this novel is weak in capturing readers' interest in the historical aspects of its theological theme. However, in contrast to other opinions, I found the "suspense and adventure" of this "thriller" uninspired and formulaic. Even the copy editors evidently lost interest in the book: The grammatical howlers in the final pages show that folks who read the galley proofs fell asleep too soon!
Rating:
Summary: Is it a book? Or a screenplay?
Review: Raab's "The Book of Q" weaves Vatican theology, Tom Clancy international conspiracy, and Indian Jones adventure into fairly coherent entertainment. In some ways, the work succeeds, but not entirely. Except for Professor Angeli, character development suffers consistently. Transistions often confuse, leaving one to wonder if chapters were somehow overlooked. Plot tangents, especially those concerning the fractured conspiracy, are hardly interesting and seldom necessary. Overall, it reads like a screenplay waiting for a movie, not a book seeking an audience.
Rating: 
Summary: Read this for fun, not Enlightment
Review: This book is a thriller/adventure book. Of course, that is my opinion. It is not a historical mystery or historical thriller. It is not a revelation on the true word of Christ; however, it is a small diatribe on the institution of the Catholic Church. Again, this is only my opinion.My point being, if you like the thriller or adventure genres, then you might find this book to your liking. If you are considering this book because you find the history of the church or scriptures interesting, or you are looking to find a new, different view of the Bible, look elsewhere. The story centers on a young priest, Ian Pearse, who gets caught up in a quest to find an ancient scroll. The Manicheans, a secret society of a Faith long thought destroyed by the Catholic Church, desperately want to find the scroll so that they may, in turn, destroy the Catholic Church with its revelations on the true word of Christ. 'The Book of Q' is, at points, far-fetched and contrived. But, hey, this IS fiction. My biggest complaint is the unnecessary detail Rabb uses in his descriptions of the various locales used in the book. Without providing maps to reference, his use of exact street names, as well as exact landmarks, often ends up being frustrating, and distracts from the story. Unless, of course, you have actually been to Vatican City and the other places described in the book. Read this book for the adventure and suspense, not for theological extrapolations.
Rating:
Summary: Good Solid Mediocre
Review: This really is not that good of a book. It starts out slow, speeds up very well about mid way through, then hits a serious wall when it should be climaxing. We run into old tired wishful thinking that some manuscript is going to bring down the Catholic church. (I am not a Catholic) The amount of time spent on a totally fictitious parchment that the author evidently desperately wishes existed really made finishing the book hard work for me. Jonathan Rabb is not Clancy or Grisham. The good news is that his books are only about half as long as theirs are.
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