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50th out of 239 books
—
136 voters
Pierced by a Sword
Characters so real you'll swear you know them. A plot that twists and turns so fast you'll lose sleep to find out what happens next. A riveting story that whisks you from Salt Lake City to Chicago to Rome to Notre Dame. A supernatural thriller that will rock your world.
A savvy drug dealer from the meanest streets of Cleveland...
A no-nonsense Irish Pope who drives his own
...moreHardcover, 568 pages
Published
June 1st 1995
by Saint Jude Media
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This comes from the page just before the book's Prologue and is the source of the book's title: 'And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." (Luke 2:34-35)
Although it is a work of fiction, Pierced By a Sword is a thought-provoking read. An Irish Pope, a playboy, an unmarried pregnant...more
Although it is a work of fiction, Pierced By a Sword is a thought-provoking read. An Irish Pope, a playboy, an unmarried pregnant...more
I picked up this book for free from the local Catholic church and I guess the price was about right! Let me just start by saying that the theological positions the writer of this book apparently takes are horrible. He appears to have very little knowledge of the historic Catholic faith and oversimplifies a very complex and rich faith tradition.
I would venture to say that the superstitiousness of Macfarlane is almost laughable. I fail to see how it is genuinely spiritual to believe that God and...more
I would venture to say that the superstitiousness of Macfarlane is almost laughable. I fail to see how it is genuinely spiritual to believe that God and...more
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This is one of the few books I've ever read twice. It is not great literature: the author is competent, but the writing is pretty plain. It is, however, an interesting story. Pierced by a Sword is the Catholic answer to the Left Behind series. As the world begins to experience the Tribulations--a Biblical prophecy related to the end of times--a group of flawed but orthodox Catholics plant the seeds for resistance, renewal, and resurrection. I thought I would re-read it during this Lenten season,...more
This is one of the few books that actually makes me want to take action in changing the world. It's excellent Catholic fiction that clearly depicts the power of prayer and the influence of God in the world. It's a powerful tale with engaging characters (there are few more real people in fiction than Fr. Chet) and clearly illustrates the heroic courage they have in professing faith and doing what is necessary to "save mankind for eternity."
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This book helps you understand and experience what Divine providence is like. It can help fallen away catholics or even protestants come back to the Church even if your faith is as small as a mustard seed. In fact the book is used by the Mary Foundation and St. Jude Media to evangelize. They are offered free to anyone interested at catholicity.com.
If you are into Marian Apparitions and the Catholic Faith you'll want to read the next in the series: Conceived Without Sin. It is purely fiction as...more
If you are into Marian Apparitions and the Catholic Faith you'll want to read the next in the series: Conceived Without Sin. It is purely fiction as...more
This book is a page-turner for sure, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone unfamiliar with Catholicism as its presented in a far-fetched way. The plot has real characters, although I found some of their relationships, etc, to be unrealistic. I think it presents priests as real people, which is refreshing. Likewise, although some of the relationships were too quick in my opinion, it was nice to see couples start their love stories rooted in faith and how they were successful as a result. The cha...more
This is an edit:
I must re-examine my evaluation of Pierced by a Sword.
I had mixed feelings about this book. It is quite possible that God would allow the apocalyptic events to happen (unprecedented economic crisis, earthquakes in New York, nuclear war). However I'm not a fan of this type of literature. The Bible says clearly that only the Father knows the day and the hour.
"Pierced by a Sword" is very fast-paced with an overwhelming number of characters and personalities. However, it is stereot...more
I must re-examine my evaluation of Pierced by a Sword.
I had mixed feelings about this book. It is quite possible that God would allow the apocalyptic events to happen (unprecedented economic crisis, earthquakes in New York, nuclear war). However I'm not a fan of this type of literature. The Bible says clearly that only the Father knows the day and the hour.
"Pierced by a Sword" is very fast-paced with an overwhelming number of characters and personalities. However, it is stereot...more
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Lindsey B. gave me this book the day of my Confirmation and First Communion. She said she buys five at a time and gives them away. I thought she was a tad over the top until I read the book. Awesome! And again I say-- Awesome!
A guilty pleasure to be sure. It is a quick, light read that weaves heavy topics and theology in effortlessly. It is basically an RC friendly novel of the "Left Behind" genre.
Loved it! Just got 5 of my own to give away! ;)
A guilty pleasure to be sure. It is a quick, light read that weaves heavy topics and theology in effortlessly. It is basically an RC friendly novel of the "Left Behind" genre.
Loved it! Just got 5 of my own to give away! ;)
This book is the most intensely devout Catholic book I have ever read. The End Times prophecies are depicted in this fictional account from a decidedly Catholic view. This book, Susie Randash who gave me my first copy (autographed by Bud), and the grace of God were responsible for my return to the faith with a fire in my belly that could not be quenched. Go to Catholicity.com to request your free copy. Read it. Live it. Share it. To Jesus through Mary. May God bless you.
i really like the book for the most part.
The friendship and the development of the main characters was so blessed. Their commonality in their belief in Mary and the power of prayer was impressive. The "deliverance from evil" or lives of sins by some of the characters is the main theme of the novel.
The friendship and the development of the main characters was so blessed. Their commonality in their belief in Mary and the power of prayer was impressive. The "deliverance from evil" or lives of sins by some of the characters is the main theme of the novel.
Read this as a teen, when I was deep in the apocolyptic reactionary phase my faith journey. As a page-turner, it certainly gets the job done, because I kept turning the pages, eager to find out what happened next. For someone immersed in the conservative Catholic worldview as I was, this was a compelling read, cleverly incorporating the solid core of endtime fears and hopes for my fearful demographic, convinced that we would soon become the faithful remnant, and prepared to shhot it out with the...more
This book was noble attempt at fending off the Left Behind hysteria. Not all of the Marian Apparitions in the book were approved. I did enjoy the story line and the author's ability to weave in Catholic perspective was interesting. However, I thought there were many instances of unfavorable stereotyping. I would not encourage someone to read this book unless they were a devout Catholic and could see around these tricky nuances...between the True Faith and fear.
Fun read, good plot! I have given away a number of copies. The only thing that keeps me from giving it 5 stars is that it could use the skills of a good, professional editor. This is a fast paced read, and is deinitely worth a good read!
I don't often read fiction, so this was a nice break for me. Despite the story line being pretty interesting, the novel was written really poorly. This was disappointing to me because Bud Macfarlane had some great ideas within this book.
Have read this Catholic Apocalyptic novel many times. It may not be the best written novel in history (needs some serious stylistic editing) but is still fascinating and a page turning read. Try it out, and enjoy it
This series was great, I recommend it to all Catholics. Especially if you're in a religious slump. It's cool how these everyday Catholics bond together! Great novel. Easy read and not over religious
Left Behind for Catholics. A fun and occasionally thought-provoking read, but terrible, terrible literature.
Life changing. My sister-in-law told me to read this and it would change my life...I never dreamed she would be right. Available for $1 (donation) at Catholiccity.com.
I first read this book about 10 yrs ago and loved it. Just finished a re-read and while I found the writing a bit cheesier than I remembered, the overall story was just as good. It's a bit eerie reading about the destruction of NY city and the resulting financial collapse in the book, when it was written quite a few years before 9/11.
This was a very interesting Novel, really made me think about the world that we live in. cant wait to read the sequel
Exciting, eye opening - the Catholic version of the Left Behind Series - I loved it
Couldn't put it down. Totally enjoyable. Want to read his other books as well.
Have read this book 3 times now. Each time I get something new from it...
An excellent fictional story with a true catholic focus!
AMAZING book, I could not put it down. LOVED it!
Read years ago.
I'm reading this again for the 3rd time. I've forgotten most of it, so it was time to read it again. This is big for me because I can't think of another book, besides Bud Macfarlane's, that I've read more than once! I just can't read something more than once when there are so many other books I have on my waiting list!!! This one is worth it.
The writing doesn't compare to classics, but it's a good story, moral, and spiritual, and always has a lesson for me, so it's worth repeating for me.
The writing doesn't compare to classics, but it's a good story, moral, and spiritual, and always has a lesson for me, so it's worth repeating for me.
Horrible.
I read this book years ago, but I still love it! It's fantastical, yet also relevant. There's some stuff in there that will really make you think if you are a Catholic, or if you have ever wanted to know more about certain aspects of Catholicism. It's written like a sci-fi novel in some ways, but it's interesting how much of Catholic life is incorporated into it without being overly preachy, etc. Anyway, it's not meant to be a study in theology, but it does make you think!
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Dec 26, 2008 05:43pm
Dec 30, 2008 09:18pm