The Fifth Gospel Book Reviews

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Excellent!. A great read. Will choose it for our book group. I learned a tremendous amount about the workings of the Vatican, and also my faith.

Good book for catholic folks. I though it would be a sequel to Rule of 4 but it wasn't :(

The Fifth Gospel. Well worth the money. The book never slowed while providing intricate details about Vatican and life as a priest.

Thrilling & riveting. What a book! I could't put it down. I am not surprised it took ten years to write. The detail is beyond amazing. There is a reason this book is on the top of the New York Times best books list.

Fantastic Read. To say that I loved this book would be an understatement. Impressively researched and a storyline that grips. I learnt so much about the Vatican, and the catholic faith while being immersed in a great story with characters you really care about.

Tedious. I found this to be slow and tedious, the ending disappointing. Little action.

Great Book!!!. I received a free copy of The Fifth Gospel by Ian Caldwell through Goodreads First Read. I am a sucker for conspiracy theories. Add religion to the mix, and I am smitten! Give it enough verifiable proof and I am in love! I have among my collection The Rule of Four and was over the moon for the chance to read this book and add it to my library. Before reading this book, I did a little research on The Shroud of Turin and The Diatessaron. I remember when the carbon dating came out saying that the cloth could not be old enough to be the burial shroud of Jesus, I was a teenager and wanted to believe. I had never heard of the Diatessaron (the fifth gospel), so all of that was new for me. After the whole "Divinci Code" era, I had become obsessed with The Council of Nicea and what we today consider the complete Bible. Don't get me started on the whole Codex issue.... this could go on and on. So, in researching the Diatessaron and the scholars stance on the work, I could see where it would make GREAT fuel for fiction writing. With this Genre of books, you have to go into it accepting that you are getting a made-up story based loosely on facts. I think people get bent out of shape when they take a story such as this and try to make it real, as if it were history. The fascination with these stories is the grains of truth they portray. How do you make history tell a fictitious story and make it believable? The story is centered around 2 brothers: Alex and Simon, both priests, one is Orthodox, the other Roman Catholic. During the final days of Pope John Paul II's papacy, an exhibition is being planned by Dr.Ugolino Nogara around certain religious relics. It is the hope of many within the Vatican that this will bring a measure of peace between the Roman Catholics and the Orthodox Church. From the beginning, we know that Dr Ugolino was murdered. The classic plot with this story and others like it is not so much how and who, but it is more focused on why. In 2005 we know that the carbon dating on the shroud could not be deemed accurate. This is a fact admitted by one of the scientist involved with the initial carbon dating data. For many, it gives the hope that the image is real, that we do have a recorded face to give to Jesus. What is interesting to note, (and you can check your bibles on this one) The accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John don't add up when it speaks of the burial of Christ. That is where the Diatessaron comes in. It is a first century account of the 4 gospels contained in one book. So, now we get to the thick of the plot- which one is the fake and who will kill for/because this knowledge? I think the book was cleverly written with engaging characters and thought provoking dialog. There is a great sadness paramount in this book. One brother has an insatiable need to save the world, regardless of the cost to himself. The other brother must deal with the struggle to cope with a life of tragedy and pitfalls, while accepting that his career is firmly on a horizontal path. When you expose truth to the world, do you disregard the lives that the truth shatters as collateral damage? OR, do you take a different route, and bury the truth? Just let it evolve into a question for others to answer for themselves, thereby shielding others from the hurt it could cause? As humans, we all know it is easier to forgive others more than so than to forgive ourselves. The brothers know that there are ramifications for their actions in the role they played in Dr. Nogara death. It will affect their personal and professional lives as well as their faith. Not only will it alter how they view each other, it will change how they view themselves. The story is ultimately about forgiveness. I cried through the ending, for what was lost, and what was gained. I was invested in the lives of Simon and Alex.... that is a credit to the author's magic. You can get lost walking through Vatican City while reading this book, even envision the dormitories and buildings of the story. (pssst: You don't even need to be Catholic to understand it!) If you love Dan Brown and Charles Brokaw, you will love Ian Caldwell all the more for the intimacy of his characters. FIVE STARS GLADLY! Happy Reading.

The fifth gospel. A wonderful book. Well written,easily readable & obviously well researched. I could feel the emotion,almost to the point of tears. Don't miss this read! Dr. James R. Appleton

The Fifth Gospel. Well written and very interesting!

Not good. Some parts seem very slow till you read a little further and see that it can get even slower. If you can finish this book you are having a bad summer.

Great Story!. It took 10 years to complete and it is evident in every page. Great storyline, characters, and truly heartwarming. And, I'm a Roman Catholic!

The Fifth Gospel. I think this book may have been more interesting if I were Catholic.

Interesting but Slow. I stopped and started the book a half dozen times because it just wouldn't get to the point! That said a lot of detail about the inner workings of VaticanCity.

Superb!. Finally, a beautifully written novel, fascinating plot with the sense of an insiders view of the Vatican. Passion, loss, and plenty of unforeseen twists. Love his writing style. Rule of Four was a favorite book, and now I have another. Took him over 10 years to write this and you can tell. Not just more cranked out drivel.

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