In His Image [Audio Cassette]

It's the end of life on earth as we know it in this page-turning apocalyptic novel In His Image, the first installment of the Christ Clone Trilogy. Newspaper editor Decker wangles his way onto a scientific expedition that examines the Shroud of Turin, believed by many to be the burial shroud of Jesus Christ. When body cells stuck to the shroud are found to be "alive," they are cloned, and the resulting baby, Christopher, changes the course of history. The book is an interesting mix of fact and fiction (when was the last time you read a novel with footnotes?). There are nice touches of humor, and a dollop of prophetic scripture. It's difficult to peg who's "good" and who's "evil," which admirably sustains the suspense. A good edit might have smoothed some of the rough spots, and the use of bold type for emphasis is distracting. However, those less interested in the nuances of fine literature than in a fast-paced thriller will find that this novel covers all the bases. --Cindy Crosby --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

*Starred Review* BeauSeigneur's In His Image is the first installment of his Christ Clone trilogy, an End Times series that was all but privately published in the late 1990s but that developed a considerable underground following. This is mostly because BeauSeigneur knows how to write, deploying a tough, driving style in perfect cadence. He generates suspense by withholding details. Like a historian of the future, he goes out of his way to show every viewpoint. And, like Tom Clancy, BeauSeigneur throws in technical details about how systems and organizations operate, and since he was formerly a CIA operative, he's persuasive.In His Image begins as an almost scholarly account of scientific examinations of the shroud of Turin in the1970s, all to dissuade you of your disbelief for the cloning of Christopher Goodman from the blood of Christ. Christopher is a bright, lonely kid, entirely sympathetic. You will like this Antichrist. The odd events on the international scene have nothing to do with him, and what happens at the United Nations is entirely reasonable given the circumstances. The sequels are Birth of an Age (terrifying plagues, each given detailed, almost dispassionate, scientifically plausible explanations) and Acts of God (the reign of the Antichrist and the Battle of Armageddon). It's a shame BeauSeigneur had to wait so long for the kind of exposure publication by Warner Books will give him, but on the other hand, the paranoia he evokes is a perfect fit for these times of religious hatred and political terror.

John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

"...a lively three-part novel dramatizing the end times events...BeauSeigneur livens things up with a sci-fi premise" -- The New York Times, December 27, 1998

"...engrossing and ingenious...BeauSeigneur brings a fine mix of scientific, political, and religious knowledge to illuminate this powerful tale." -- Charles Sheffield, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning sci-fi author

"...grabbed me by the throat and never let go...C.S. Lewis couldn't have done it better!" -- Larry Lindner, Editor, Tickled by Thunder --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Recounting the actual events of a 1978 expedition of American scientists to examine the Shroud of Turin (believed by millions to be the burial shroud of Jesus), author James BeauSeigneur takes you to the origins of a conspiracy that will change the world forever. For unknown to the rest of the team, one of the scientists, Professor Harold Goodman, makes a startling discovery: a cluster of dermal cells, still alive after 2000 years. Based on his discovery and the theories of real-life Nobel Prize winner, Francis Crick, Goodman sets about to prove that the man on the Shroud was actually a member of an alien race, four billion years advanced to life on earth. The incredible plan to prove his theory: clone Jesus! The cloning of Jesus from the cells found on the shroud sets in motion forces which trigger worldwide cataclysms, precipitating the end of life as we know it and ushering in a New Age for the planet. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

James BeauSeigneur, a former intelligence analyst for the National Security Agency and newspaper publisher, taught political science at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and in 1980 was the Republican nominee for U.S. Congress running against Al Gore. His published works include The Christ Clone Trilogy, manuals on strategic defense and military avionics; newspaper articles; and lyrics for several published songs. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.