My friend said this new books sounds like Smallville for Christ. I thought that was hilarious, the young Jesus, before He was Christ, He was just a boy...

> Has anyone read this book yet or are
> planning too? My initial reaction was to
> not, but I read the first few pages in a
> book store, and it seemed quite interesting.
> I may give it a try.

> I'm an Anne Rice fan, I've read almost all
> the Vampire series, Taltos, Servant of the
> Bones, and have her Mayfield Witch series on
> my 'to read' list.

> But I wonder how she can go to such an
> extreme in her writings, at least it would
> look like an extreme, in that vampires and
> witches would represent the 'dark' side and
> then Jesus represents the 'light' side.
> Unless she is viewing it from a historical
> or sort of paranormal viewpoint, then it
> could come from the same perspective as
> another step in writing about a touchy
> subject.

> My dad told me however that it seems she's
> had a real 'awakening' in her life and a
> going back to her religious roots. I view it
> sort of skeptically as a marketing or
> publicity move. I mean, after writing for
> years about demons and stuff, to suddenly
> switch sides, people would probably read the
> book just to see how she portrays Christ, if
> she brings in a dark side to his character,
> or keeps him as a truly 'perfect' being.

> editor's reviews From Publishers Weekly
> Rice departs from her usual subject matter
> to pen this curious portrait of a
> seven-year-old Jesus, who departs Egypt with
> his family to return home to Nazareth.
> Rice's painstaking historical research is
> obvious throughout, whether she's showing
> the differences among first-century Jewish
> groups (Pharisees, Essenes and Sadducees all
> play a part), imagining a Passover
> pilgrimage to Jerusalem or depicting the
> regular but violent rebellions by Jews
> chafing under Roman rule. The book succeeds
> in capturing Jesus' profound Jewishness,
> with some of the best scenes reflecting his
> Torah education and immersion in the oral
> traditions of the Hebrew Bible. As fiction,
> though, the book's first half is slow going.
> Since it is told from Jesus' perspective,
> the childlike language can be simplistic,
> though as readers persevere they will
> discover the riches of the sparse prose Rice
> adopts. The emotional heart of the
> story�\Jesus' gradual discovery of the
> miraculous birth his parents have never
> discussed with him�\picks up steam as well,
> as he begins to understand why he can heal
> the sick and raise the dead. Rice provides a
> moving afterword, in which she describes her
> recent return to the Catholic faith and
> evaluates, often in an amusingly strident
> fashion, the state of biblical studies
> today. (Nov. 7)
> Copyright � Reed Business Information,
> a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights
> reserved.

> From School Library Journal
> Adult/High School�In crisp,
> straightforward prose, Rice leaves the
> gothic behind and explores the mysteries
> beneath the childhood of Jesus. At age
> seven, the boy and his family leave Egypt to
> return to their home. They find themselves
> caught in a revolution after the death of
> the first King Herod, ruler of the portion
> of the Roman Empire that includes Israel.
> Although the historical and cultural details
> are authentic and well done, it is the
> character of Jesus that drives this novel.
> He feels like a typical seven-year-old, but
> he's also suddenly discovering abilities
> that no one else possesses. He brings clay
> birds to life, makes snow fall, and even
> resurrects a dead playmate. Stunned by these
> odd happenings, he turns to Joseph and Mary
> for answers. When they are not forthcoming,
> he's forced to hunt out clues through local
> legends, rumors, and a strange spirit that
> taunts him in his dreams. The story is told
> from Jesus's point of view, and the strength
> of the book weighs heavily on Rice's ability
> to make him believable both as a child and
> as the son of God; she does a winning job.
> The wisdom of all things religious fills
> Jesus completely, but he's naive about
> day-to-day events: he can't understand why a
> young girl he used to play with prefers at
> age 12 to learn about weaving and rearing
> children. This new direction for Rice is
> both bold and reverent, and is bound to
> please fans and newcomers
> alike.�Matthew L. Moffett, Northern
> Virginia Community College, Annandale
> Copyright � Reed Business Information,
> a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights
> reserved.