I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, it's a cool concept: one guy travels back in time to prove Jesus is a fraud, another guy goes back to stop him, another guy goes back to kill them both, and a pesky demon wants to get his/its/their kicks in at the same time. On the other hand, the author really didn't need to add in the evil corporation doing evil corporate things because that's what evil corporations do because they are corporations bit. IMHO, that actually detracted from the fun and suspense of the tale. Hello cliche!The biggest issue I had revolved around how time travel works. Early on, the first guy goes back in time, and his buddy frets about how he's going to screw up the space time continuum, and he has to go back and stop him or we're all doomed, and they have no time to waste... Now, if the guy's gone back in time, everything he did has ALREADY HAPPENED. So going back to stop him from screwing something up would be futile unless guy #2 left at precisely the same moment, and arrived at precisely the same moment, but even then it wouldn't matter because what they both did had already happened. Arrgghhh. Sorry, but I couldn't get behind the drama that was supposed to be there because logic. And this guy's supposed to be a genius physicist (they both are) but he couldn't figure that out? Oy. Now in fairness, by about halfway through the book the characters figure this basic fact out, but...seriously? That seems a rather elementary thing to not get, especially as this is their freaking field of expertise!Once I got past that, though, the book was enjoyable. I had to suppress my "yeah right" reflex a few times, namely over historical things that a couple educated fellows really shouldn't be ignorant about. And there were a couple continuity issues (the character reading a sign in one place, then several chapters later noticing it "for the first time" - and it's an important sign, too). But that's ok. The interesting way the author wove the characters' story into the biblical one, and what he did with the demon, made up for those shortcomings.Some have called this a "Christian" book. I don't know about that. It doesn't stike me as an attempt to proselytize or anything, it simply assumes, as part of the story, that Christianity is true. Does that make a book "Christian"? *shrug* By that standard, so is The Last Temptation Of Christ, but all manner of Christians would object to that notion. Regardless, it was a fun book overall, despite the issues I had with it. And the narrator (I listened to the audiobook) did a great job, especially with the demon's voice. Really neat work, there.
Wow. This book was a great read for so many reasons. And it's probably obvious from reading the reviews as to the type of people who will like it and the type of people that will lead a crusade against it. I'm one of the people who loved it. Without giving anything away, I'll just say: think TIMELINE meets THE ROBE. However, this isn't a technical story that seeks to justify the science used, rather it's a "what if" story. The science takes a back seat - as it should. A Crichton-like diatribe on quantum physics wouldn't suite this story, as the real impact and feel of the plot is with the characters and where they are, with what they're going through. It's a spiritual journey, and the emphasis is appropriately applied within that sphere. Robinson's first novel hit the ball out of the park for me, and I think a lot of other people will fall in love with it, too! Moving on to his others!
What do You think about The Didymus Contingency (2007)?
Whether you find yourself a believer of the Christian Bible or not, author Jeremy Robinson has crafted a sci-fi thriller that any history or sci-fi enthusiast will love. He has created a character, a quantum physicist named Tom, who has the brains, the ability and the resources to use science in creating a way to travel in time. Through a series of events, he also has a strong, personal motive to travel back to the time of Jesus of Nazareth for one purpose: to prove the man is a fake. But when he meets Jesus, he is surprised at how “human” this so-called deity really is. The author paints a refreshing picture of the historical Jesus through his novel that makes you reconsider your own view of the man. Where the author’s skills shine and where the books develops its paged-turning, hard-to-put-down quality is in the way the author creates his fiction in a way that’s true to the historical texts he uses as a reference. Each section is filled with dangers from the current timeline as well as dangers from the first century. Through it all, Tom continues to the bitter end in proving that his friend, which Jesus becomes to him, is, indeed, a fake. The scientist in him forces him to seek the truth in spite of his feelings. Through the well-crafted words of a fast-paced thriller, the author takes you on a journey of one man’s personal pursuit for the truth, regardless of what history, and his closest friends may think. This is one journey you will be glad you took with Tom.
—Tony
What can I say, I am a time travel buff. Why? Because the possibilities are endless. The downside to this is that often sci-fi is told from a perspective and worldview that differs from what I hold as Truth. It does make sci-fi in its various forms somewhat bittersweet. Not so with Jeremy Robinsom who expertly weaves a time travel tale with the history of the Bible in The Didymus Contingency. The premise of the book lies in the fact that 2 scientists, one a believer, and the other not, travel back in time to see if Jesus existed, died, and rose again. The story is told from the perspective of the Bible as Truth, so for me this was fun all the way around and I didn't wholly removed from plot elements that do not resonate with me like I sometimes do with other books or television shows. It is not cheesy or corny...This book is a story well told. I felt like I was in it with the characters, and for a novel, that is key - if the world disappears and I can taste the food they eat in my imagination, then the world is well built. I have already downloaded a few of Robinson's other books onto my kindle and can't wait to get cracking on them. Tick tock!
—PK
An interesting notion more than slightly spoiled by the author's obvious belief and support for Christianity. In many ways it was very amusing - not least of which being the author's view that what was written in the bible was an accurate diary of the events of the time, who seems to have taken the book very literally. Science, however, is not dismissed or put down by the author, despite his religious beliefs, which is refreshing. The juxtaposition of religion and science is interesting, although this book doesn't quite push or test the juxtaposition to its full extent - there was potential to develop the story further, and the end result of Jesus being real and performing miracles and coming back to life was an unimaginative and over-zealously religious ending for my taste.
—Sandra Sandle
