A review by clockless
The Copper Scroll by Joel C. Rosenberg
4.0
Your reaction to the book will largely depend on your acceptance of the underlying premise. Ignoring the premise, this is a competent, engaging thriller -- with the exception of the occasional glimpse into the machinations of the bad guys, who seem to be written in a different, less thoughtful style as if they were tacked on after the book was finished.
The premise itself has two problems. The one is the obvious, heavy protestant-style Christian theme. It's not so much that the characters themselves are religious, but that the plot is religious too, so that the book doesn't just let you know that they believe in what they do, but that they are unambiguously right. Naturally, if you go into this book with the same worldview, you'll finish feeling a foot taller and incredibly self-righteous. You might say that it was designed by its creator with that in mind. For those that don't share that worldview, it would take a lot of patience to see through it to the decent story underneath.
The second problem with the premise is simple, but when you are dealing with not just a supernatural force but the Will of God, it's hard to justify putting the protagonists at risk. There shouldn't be any danger at all. Obviously starting from the premise that everything will work out according to God's plan doesn't make for good drama, but that's hardly my fault. To paraphrase Kirk in The Final Frontier, why does God need you to take a bullet to the knee?
The premise itself has two problems. The one is the obvious, heavy protestant-style Christian theme. It's not so much that the characters themselves are religious, but that the plot is religious too, so that the book doesn't just let you know that they believe in what they do, but that they are unambiguously right. Naturally, if you go into this book with the same worldview, you'll finish feeling a foot taller and incredibly self-righteous. You might say that it was designed by its creator with that in mind. For those that don't share that worldview, it would take a lot of patience to see through it to the decent story underneath.
The second problem with the premise is simple