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muhavipi's review against another edition
3.0
Steve, I enjoy your books, and I am most open to a lot of novel ideas for a story, but this one is a bit absurd at the end. Constantine's gift has too many historical errors to be used as a nice alternative history, and those errors are not essential to the idea.
1. The notion of the Council of Nicaea "creating" the New Testament is off, as what occurred was more of consensual selection of various texts already in use and circulation. They obviously went down the Pauline path, which dramatically altered the face of the Church, but they didn't invent the New Testament.
2. The idea of an Angry, Vengeful God is much more evident in the Old Testament than the New. In fact, the development of an understanding of God as love and as a Father comes as an evolution of theology from Old to New.
3. Original sin was not a theological idea at the time of Nicaea. It was developed by St. Augustine, drawing heavily as he loved to do, from St. Paul, who offered his own queasiness with human sexuality that Augustine shared.
4. The Catholic Church does not teach that only priests can baptize. Literally anyone can baptize, even non-Christians, as long as baptism is the intent and the proper formula is followed.
5. Reincarnation was not a prominent belief among Greeks and Latins, although the idea of it was toyed with by certain philosophers. Hell is a later development that shows Greek and Zoroastrian thought on the Jewish faith development and especially Christian faith. Jews did not hold to reincarnation, so the point would be moot.
6. The Adversary was not a novel Catholic thought. It is found in Old Testament texts as well as other Jewish texts, and even from Zoroastrian emphasis on the gods of light and darkness.
7. Spiritual abilities were not condemned, and were in fact often used in the determination of sainthood.
8. Sacraments follow the life cycle and even have similarities to tribal practices that move people from childhood to adulthood. They developed over time and were not all in place by the 4th century.
9. Baptism and confirmation and First Communion were imposed on the faithful as children or babies in the 4th century. They did not separate into separate acts done at different times in the Western Church until many centuries later. The Eastern Church still retains them as one act in infancy.
10. Last rites are not performed on the dead, but on the dying.
Gosh, anything else? This unfortunately took away from the value of the story for me. Although this is a work of fiction, I think it is important to make your premise as believable as possible. Constantine' Gift, unfortunately, failed to deliver.
1. The notion of the Council of Nicaea "creating" the New Testament is off, as what occurred was more of consensual selection of various texts already in use and circulation. They obviously went down the Pauline path, which dramatically altered the face of the Church, but they didn't invent the New Testament.
2. The idea of an Angry, Vengeful God is much more evident in the Old Testament than the New. In fact, the development of an understanding of God as love and as a Father comes as an evolution of theology from Old to New.
3. Original sin was not a theological idea at the time of Nicaea. It was developed by St. Augustine, drawing heavily as he loved to do, from St. Paul, who offered his own queasiness with human sexuality that Augustine shared.
4. The Catholic Church does not teach that only priests can baptize. Literally anyone can baptize, even non-Christians, as long as baptism is the intent and the proper formula is followed.
5. Reincarnation was not a prominent belief among Greeks and Latins, although the idea of it was toyed with by certain philosophers. Hell is a later development that shows Greek and Zoroastrian thought on the Jewish faith development and especially Christian faith. Jews did not hold to reincarnation, so the point would be moot.
6. The Adversary was not a novel Catholic thought. It is found in Old Testament texts as well as other Jewish texts, and even from Zoroastrian emphasis on the gods of light and darkness.
7. Spiritual abilities were not condemned, and were in fact often used in the determination of sainthood.
8. Sacraments follow the life cycle and even have similarities to tribal practices that move people from childhood to adulthood. They developed over time and were not all in place by the 4th century.
9. Baptism and confirmation and First Communion were imposed on the faithful as children or babies in the 4th century. They did not separate into separate acts done at different times in the Western Church until many centuries later. The Eastern Church still retains them as one act in infancy.
10. Last rites are not performed on the dead, but on the dying.
Gosh, anything else? This unfortunately took away from the value of the story for me. Although this is a work of fiction, I think it is important to make your premise as believable as possible. Constantine' Gift, unfortunately, failed to deliver.
dustfrmpluto's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
andrew65's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
tense
medium-paced
4.0
duparker's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 Stars feels fair
This book crosses the line I've created for a while- secondary characters have become primary characters. Cotton isn't the focus of this book and Cassiopeia is mentioned but not here. The plot dragged on at times, which felt of from the typical flow too. I did like the info on Malta and the premise. The carrots time frames explored as historic backstory was a nice touch to.
This book crosses the line I've created for a while- secondary characters have become primary characters. Cotton isn't the focus of this book and Cassiopeia is mentioned but not here. The plot dragged on at times, which felt of from the typical flow too. I did like the info on Malta and the premise. The carrots time frames explored as historic backstory was a nice touch to.
kstumpf's review against another edition
4.0
Fun introspective about Constantine and the role of religion in today’s modern world. I enjoy the Cotton Malone series because they make me think while I read. There is just enough reality to keep you guessing until reading the author’s notes at the end.
cherylbookcollins's review against another edition
5.0
Really enjoyed this Cotton Malone installment. Very interesting storyline.
michelereise's review against another edition
4.0
I am a huge Steve Berry fan! I have read all of his books and am on the edge of my seat waiting for the next one. They are full of Indiana Jones style adventure with a lot of factual history and geography. I am always on the edge of my seat waiting for the next one to come out (already pre-order the next one). All that being said, this one didn't nab my attention like the others. The story was good, the history was excellent and the descriptions of Malta and Rome were perfection but I still felt something was missing. It was likely on me for having too much going on and my overall contempt for religion and the church. Either way, I still gave it 4 stars because even an okay Steve Berry book is 4 star!
lunacaelum's review against another edition
2.0
I've been reading Steve Berry books for years. I have to say this is definitely not his best work.
Berry's fictional dives into history is one of the things I love about his work, and usually his weaving of historical info dumps is smooth enough to progress the story. But in this novel it just felt very disconnected, and frankly some of it could have been done without, it felt very forced. I got the impression this was a very phoned-in effort on his part.
It felt like there were two separate narratives to this novel: (1) Cotton Malone hired to hunt down some letters sent between Mussolini and Churchill and (2) intrigue within the Hospitallers and Catholic Church on the eve of a Conclave to elect a new pope. These two narratives were connected via the search for the Nostra Trinita, but they were not weaved together very well, it seemed very forced. Not to mention the Cotton Malone appearances seemed were disappointing at best, despite this being advertised as a Cotton Malone novel (Luke Daniels had most of the action, but failed at nearly every turn). The brief appearance of the Magellen Billet/Stephanie Nelle fell flat too.
And while I'm not religious, Berry's rant against religion in his acknowledgments section was petty and unprofessional. I certainly expect more from an author who's been in the game a while.
I hope his next book is better than this one.
Berry's fictional dives into history is one of the things I love about his work, and usually his weaving of historical info dumps is smooth enough to progress the story. But in this novel it just felt very disconnected, and frankly some of it could have been done without, it felt very forced. I got the impression this was a very phoned-in effort on his part.
It felt like there were two separate narratives to this novel: (1) Cotton Malone hired to hunt down some letters sent between Mussolini and Churchill and (2) intrigue within the Hospitallers and Catholic Church on the eve of a Conclave to elect a new pope. These two narratives were connected via the search for the Nostra Trinita, but they were not weaved together very well, it seemed very forced. Not to mention the Cotton Malone appearances seemed were disappointing at best, despite this being advertised as a Cotton Malone novel (Luke Daniels had most of the action, but failed at nearly every turn). The brief appearance of the Magellen Billet/Stephanie Nelle fell flat too.
And while I'm not religious, Berry's rant against religion in his acknowledgments section was petty and unprofessional. I certainly expect more from an author who's been in the game a while.
I hope his next book is better than this one.
jmartin31545's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
just_one_more_chapter_please's review against another edition
4.0
The lesser known locations make this one very fun to read. Some good plot twists, and enough fiction and history to make the severity of the situation believable. The ending seems odd, why would the US willingly aid a country knowing capital punishment would be implemented? Otherwise, I'm glad Steve's returning to his crusade order/treasure hunt roots. He does well there.