The Blood Gospel

I’ve long been a fan of James Rollins’ work, and his collaboration with Rebecca Cantrell on The Blood Gospel has produced one of his best books yet.

Take a really interesting idea, add some great characters and a lot of action and you wind up with a very fun and entertaining book. This book has exoctic locales, from Israel to Italy and Germany to Russia, as well as events spanning from biblical times all the way to the present.

I’ve enjoyed Rollins for his great action, which this book has, but the addition of the supernatural elements and greater depth of characterization here I have to attribute to Cantrell. It’s a collaboration that really seems to work. Rollins and Cantrell quickly boil the cast down to three central and show more engaging characters. Each has a backstory, parts of which are revealed as the novel progresses. Fascinating supporting characters are folded in throughout the story. There are a number of “whoa” moments as some of these characters and events are revealed.

Part of the thrill of The Blood Gospel is the taking of events which most people are familiar with and putting a new interpretation on them which leads to chilling consequences if the heroes aren’t able to overcome them. The balancing act which is done so well here is to tell a thrilling story that keeps charging ahead, while also setting the stage for future books in the series with a world and characters that have so much left to explore.

Rollins and Cantrell have created a huge world and reality to explore and I can’t wait to read more adventures in it. Highly recommended. I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book. show less

I've been reading James Rollins for a few years but confess I was getting a little tired of his Sigma Force series. I was intrigued when I found this new collaboration between Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell, and I was not disappointed. A blend of Rollins' signature save-the-world, mystical conspiracy adventure novels and the best of supernatural adventure, Blood Gospel is the first in a series based on the premise that Jesus composed a gospel written in his own blood that reveals the source of his divinity.

Archaeologist Erin Granger is drawn into a maelstrom when she is summoned to Masada from a dig where she has discovered physical evidence of Herod's Massacre of the Innocents. Masada has been split in half by a powerful earthquake that show more has led two warring factions to believe the Blood Gospel has finally been found. She joins forces with mysterious priest Rhun Korza and Army Ranger Jordan Stone in a frantic search that spans the globe, culminating in a startling climax deep beneath the Vatican (of course!). Along the way, we learn about a powerful race of vampires, the Strigoi, and their sworn enemies, the Sanguinists, also vampires but vampire priests sustained by the transubstantiated Blood of Christ, or consecrated wine. Throughout the fast-paced adventure, we meet Nazis, enormous vampire bats, werewolves, Rasputin, Elisabeth Bathory the Blood Countess of Hungary, St. Peter, Lazarus (the first Sanguinist) and Judas, the leader of the mysterious but powerful Belial, the evil organization in opposition to the Sanguinists.

This is Rollins at his best, with Cantrell adding a new dimension to his signature adventure novel. The characters are likable and original, and the story moves fast. I look forward to next in the series. show less

New series, new collaborator, new genre for the New Year!

It’s no secret to readers of my reviews that I’m a huge fan of James Rollins’ novels, and have been ever since Subterranean was first published. In the years since, in addition to penning the wildly popular Sigma Force series and several excellent stand alone thrillers, he has written seven fantasy novels under the name James Clemens as well as two young adult adventures. I love that he isn’t content to write the same type of story over and over. Not only has he expanded his own literary horizons, he’s very much expanded my own.

The Blood Gospel is yet another new direction for Mr. Rollins. Well, two new directions, actually. For the first time, he’s sharing authoring show more responsibilities with Rebecca Cantrell, a writer well-respected for her own historic mystery series. And while The Blood Gospel is as much a fast-paced thriller as anything Mr. Rollins has written to date, it also falls firmly in the territory of a new genre: horror.

The novel opens with a brief prologue set in the past—AD 73 in Masada, Israel—where readers are witness to events leading to the tragedy for which the historic site is known. However, we are also witness to a far more inexplicable drama… After just a few pages, the action shifts to present-day Israel, at the dig of American archaeologist Erin Granger. Her own promising work is interrupted by an earthquake—and is further interrupted when Israeli and American soldiers arrive to escort her to Masada. The quake has unearthed something and her expertise is required. Along on the journey is a mysterious figure. “He was no soldier. He was a priest. He wore black pants, overhung by an ankle-length hooded cassock, along with black leather gloves, dark sunglasses, and the familiar white collar of the Roman Catholic clergy.” You’ve just been introduced to Father Rhun Korza. He’s not the first priest to appear in Rollins’ fiction, but I’m telling you right now that he’s the most interesting.

At Masada, this is what Erin finds:

“A macabre sculpture hung on the wall, like a blasphemous crucifixion. She moved past the corner of the sarcophagus. With each step, a growing horror rose in her.

It wasn’t a sculpture.

On the wall hung the desiccated corpse of a small girl, maybe eight years old, dressed in a tattered, stained robe. A handful of blackened arrows pinned her in place, a good yard off the floor. They pierced her chest, neck, shoulder, and thigh.”

What can I say? These authors can paint a tableau, and sometimes the details are haunting. I don’t know if it was Mr. Rollins or Ms. Cantrell who supplied the detail of the doll, but that is the beauty of collaboration. It’s hard to say who did what (I couldn’t tell), but hopefully the work is stronger when two talents bring their a-game.

I’m not going into any detail about the plot of this novel. What I can tell you is that the third primary character is an American soldier named Jordan Stone. The novel is the first of the new “Order of the Sanguines” series. These three diverse characters find themselves on an urgent quest for an artifact called the Blood Gospel. “It is the Gospel. Written by Christ’s own hand. In his own blood.”

So, let’s talk about religion. You may have heard, it’s a hot-button topic for some. I’ll be VERY curious to see the popular response to this novel. Me, I’m a secular Jew. I’m not going to lie. This got kind of New Testament for me. BUT this is not—emphatically— Christian fiction. I wouldn’t call it excessive, but there’s foul language within the text. Even more noteworthy, there’s some fairly steamy erotic content. (Well done, too!) So, this is NOT Christian fiction, but it has a fair amount of religion, some of which might be considered blasphemous by certain segments. Rollins tries to look at faith from different angles. At one point, Erin asks, “Why me?” and is told:

“I have followed your work, Dr. Granger. You are skeptical of religion, but steeped in biblical knowledge. As a result, you see things that nonreligious scholars could miss. Likewise, you question things that religious scholars might not. It was that rare combination that made you perfectly suited to bring the Gospel back to the world.”

Suffice it to say, there is significant opposition to our heroes’ quest. Some of it is worldly and some of it is otherworldly. There’s a big word that I’m not saying, but it won’t take you long to discover the supernatural elements to the tale. Readers have seen a lot of this in recent years, but James Rollins is putting his own twist on the familiar.

Mr. Rollins and Ms. Cantrell are off to a strong start with this series. This book introduces some truly intriguing characters with complex backgrounds and motivations. And it features a plot that surprised me at every turn. More importantly, there’s a complete story arc to Book One, with a conclusion. That’s not to say that there aren’t bigger picture questions left unanswered for future books—and one flat-out jaw-dropper in the final chapter. (Seriously, DO NOT PEEK.) You’ve gotta love the jaw-dropper! Um, when is Book Two out? show less

Wow! This book has it all. A romance, an archaeological dig, ancient history, miracles, murders,curses, legends, vampires, things that are close to werewolves, what more could you ask for? The book grips you from the beginning and sinks it's teeth in so you just can't let go. A word of warning - a great deal of literary licence was taken with this writing. Those that are very religious may be offended by some of it. However, I really enjoyed this offering.

For the most part, I enjoyed The Blood Gospel and flew through in no time. Sure it wasn't completely original, but it was different enough that I read it in two sittings. It's pretty fast paced, the whole story takes place over a few days and a lot happens in those few days.

The one thing that ruined it for me was the romance. It didn't need the romance and it certainly didn't need a love triangle. I do wonder sometimes why romance is thrown into books like this. I purposely look for books without romance. Why ruin a perfectly decent thriller? Is it to appeal to female readers? You do realise not every female likes to read romance right? This female found it completely unappealing, unbelievable, and out of place. Perhaps I'm in the show more minority, but in a situation like the characters found themselves in, the last thing that would be on my mind and the last thing I want to read about is constant inner thoughts about how a man's lips look, how their hair glints in the sunlight, how blue their eyes are, how the heat radiates off their skin, the list could go on and on... They were fighting their attraction at every step while evading the enemy, surrounded by chaos, wounded, in pain, and exhausted. It's ridiculous. It was extremely cringy and unbelievable and it certainly lowers my rating quite a bit.

That being said, I do plan on reading the next in the series because, aside from the romance, the main plot was enjoyable and I want to know what's to come. I just hope the romance is a lot less eye roll and gag worthy in the next instalment. show less

The Blood Gospel is the first in a new collaborative series called The Order of the Sanguines. The story begins when an earthquake in Masada reveals a tomb buried deep into the mountain. The three main characters: Father Rhun Korza, a Vatican priest; Sergeant Jordan Stone, a military forensic expert; and Dr. Erin Granger, a brilliant archaeologist are asked to investigate a newfound discovery, the crucified body of a mummified girl. They soon find themselves racing to find a book, The Blood Gospel, rumored to have been written by Jesus Christ’s own hand, before it falls into the hands of an evil and bloodthirsty enemy. The three of them together may fulfill an ancient prophecy requiring a Woman of Learning, a Warrior of Man, and a show more Knight of Christ.

This novel uses a lot of different settings and historical situations. The characters travel to Jerusalem, Germany, Russia, and Vatican City after finding clues from Nazi war plans, Masada’s history, and even Rasputin. I didn't know anything about the book prior to reading it so was unaware that there's a strong supernatural element throughout the story. While that isn't my favorite genre, I did really enjoy the action-adventure theme of this book and felt like the authors did a great job of making all the plots weave together in a cohesive story.

This is an exceptionally creative book and will appeal to the right audience. I didn't expect to like it very much but I will definitely read the next one of the series. show less

I discovered James Rollins' work while I was an undergrad in college, and he became a favorite almost immediately. His genre-blending into fun thrillers makes for fast, entertaining reading, and I just adore his storytelling. I think I put off reading this one only because I wasn't sure how a co-authored work of his would read, and of course, there are so many books that I never get around to anything as soon as I mean to anyway. In the end, though, I devoured this book--it kept me up well past when I'd normally have been sleeping on two consecutive nights, and I can't wait to dive into the sequel.

For a fast-reading horror-thriller that feels something like Indiana Jones blended in with Stephen King, this is perfect. Absolutely recommended.