Rating: 
Summary: Of the making of many books, there is no end
Review: Picture this: A man appears in modern Galilee who reproduces all the miracles of the Gospels. The blind see. A dead man is raised. And the man--Joshua ben-Yosef, wouldn't you know--offers a new revelation about God. Could it be? Has Jesus come a second time?Rather far-fetched in the abstract. And unfortunately, not very convincing in the finished product. An author needs more than theological training to carry off something this ambitious. Nor does the book succeed on purely literary qualities. The narration is flat; the dialogue is strained -- one man's impression, evidently, of how daredevil Harvard profs and their peers ought to speak: "How in the very devil," and so on. All told this book bears the marks of a work written in haste and sent for publication with little revision. I almost pity the author that no one stopped him from writing this line: "But since truth was rolling out like a crystal stream, far be it from him to play beaver and build a dam to halt the flow." If that made you wince, be thankful I've spared you the attempts at foreign accents that come in the press conference scene at the end. A tour de force it is not. The unveiling, when the would-be Messiah reveals his tricks, reads like an homage to Scooby Doo. You almost expect a snarl at "meddlers" and "do-gooders." And when the author can't think of a convincing explanation for something, well, presto! That's just more evidence of the antagonist's unprecedented genius. He's so smart not even the author knows how he hacked into the world's computers. C. S. Lewis, who indeed was a great Christian writer, observed that there are no special rules that govern "Christian" fiction. A novel is to be judged good on its literary merits, not its theological bona fides. If the author wants to refute modern clones of the Arian heresy, there is a place for apologetics, and it's not in the pages of a potboiler.
Rating:
Summary: READER USA
Review: THIS IS ONE OF THE WORST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ. IT WAS A TOTAL WASTE OF MY MONEY AND TIME. THE BOOK IS ALL SLANTED TOWARDS CATHOLIC AND LUTHERAN DOCTRINE AND IT ACTUALLY IS VERY OFFENSIVE TO EVANGELICALS. IT MAKES FUN OF PROPHECY AND PEOPLE WHO STUDY IT AND BELIEVE IN IT. IT PUTS THE POPE ON THE HIGHEST LEVEL. I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED. IF YOU ARE PENTECOSTAL, CHURCH OF GOD, ASSEMBLEY OF GOD, BAPTIST OR ANY ONE WHO BELIEVES IN THE END TIME PROPHICIES YOU WILL BE OFFENDED BY THIS BOOK.
Rating: 
Summary: a theological thriller
Review: This is the most original and thought-provoking work of Christian fiction since C.S. Lewis wrote "The Great Divorce", and the best book I have read in years. I couldn't put it down and stayed up well into the night to finish it on the day I received it. Dr. Maier simply gets better and better as the years go by. This book really puts the reader in the place of the New Testament characters who encountered Jesus and considered his claims. What questions would you have asked Jesus if you had been in Nicodemus' place? Dr. Maier recreates that confrontation in this book when a skeptical historian, Jon Weber gets a personal interview with the man who claims to be the messiah. Its that sort of dynamic which made this book a literal thrill to read. Unlike most writers in the Christian Fiction camp, Dr. Maier is an acclaimed master in his field which is Ancient Roman History. He is one of the most recognized and admired Christian Scholars living. Yet he is also blessed with the rare ability to write an exciting and plausible novel. Just like C.S. Lewis, Dr. Maier is able to write brilliant works within various genres. He has even created 2 new ones, the so-called "Documented Historical Novel" containing "Pontius Pilate" and "The Flames of Rome" and the so-called "Theological Thriller" consisting of "a Skeleton in God's Closet" and now "More than just a Skeleton". Of all 4 works, which I have read many times over, I have to say this newest work was the most intriguing and fun to read.
Rating:
Summary: a theological thriller
Review: This is the most original and thought-provoking work of Christian fiction since C.S. Lewis wrote "The Great Divorce", and the best book I have read in years. I couldn't put it down and stayed up well into the night to finish it on the day I received it. Dr. Maier simply gets better and better as the years go by. This book really puts the reader in the place of the New Testament characters who encountered Jesus and considered his claims. What questions would you have asked Jesus if you had been in Nicodemus' place? Dr. Maier recreates that confrontation in this book when a skeptical historian, Jon Weber gets a personal interview with the man who claims to be the messiah. Its that sort of dynamic which made this book a literal thrill to read. Unlike most writers in the Christian Fiction camp, Dr. Maier is an acclaimed master in his field which is Ancient Roman History. He is one of the most recognized and admired Christian Scholars living. Yet he is also blessed with the rare ability to write an exciting and plausible novel. Just like C.S. Lewis, Dr. Maier is able to write brilliant works within various genres. He has even created 2 new ones, the so-called "Documented Historical Novel" containing "Pontius Pilate" and "The Flames of Rome" and the so-called "Theological Thriller" consisting of "a Skeleton in God's Closet" and now "More than just a Skeleton". Of all 4 works, which I have read many times over, I have to say this newest work was the most intriguing and fun to read.
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