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The Christ Clone Trilogy #2
Birth of an Age
Cloned from the ancient cells of Jesus Christ, Christopher Goodman is forced to sit back and watch the destruction of Earth in order to fulfill his destiny.
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1997
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239 people want to read
About the author
James BeauSeigneur
14 books40 followersJames BeauSeigneur (shown here with his wife Geri) is the author of the Christ Clone trilogy: In His Image (SelectiveHouse, 1997), Birth of an Age (SelectiveHouse, 1997), and Acts of God (SelectiveHouse, 1998.) He is a former intelligence analyst for the National Security Agency and former newspaper publisher. He 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, who was the Vice President of the U.S. at the time of this interview. His published works include manuals on strategic defense and military avionics; newspaper articles; speeches for U.S. Congressional and Senatorial candidates; and lyrics for several published songs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
September 6, 2021
If you've read the Biblical book of Revelation, you know that it makes some dire prophecies for our world. Some say those are already taking place; while nobody can be one hundred percent sure, this book shows planet-wide disasters on a scale we've never seen! If you think what COVID did to our Earth is bad, wait until you read this! As I said in my previous review, I'm not sure this is exactly how the "end times" will happen, but, this still makes for engaging reading.
February 8, 2013
Unabridged audio.
I prefer this take on the end time prophesies (from the bible) to the one found in the The Left Behind series by quite a bit. It's not so drawn out nor "quite" so "hokey". I could never really get into the Left Behind books.
In this volume the story continues and to go much into it or give details would require spoilers. In this one Christopher makes some grand pronouncements. The identity of the 2 prophets is revealed...and well the story continues. These books are also an attempt to do a novelization of the events in the Book of Revelation. It's enjoyable (if that word can be used about a book telling the story of "the end time") but remember...it is a "novelization".
By that I mean I don't find anything objectionable in it, but neither do I agree with all the "doctrinal statements" made. I suppose any Christian reading this will find points of disagreement. Still, it's respectful of Christian belief and falls pretty much into what I'd call, "main line Christian beliefs".
This is a well written book and I enjoyed the trilogy. I'm a Christian but unfortunately often what is sometimes called "Christian Fiction" isn't quite up to the same level of quality as it's secular counterpart. This series is. Recommended.
I prefer this take on the end time prophesies (from the bible) to the one found in the The Left Behind series by quite a bit. It's not so drawn out nor "quite" so "hokey". I could never really get into the Left Behind books.
In this volume the story continues and to go much into it or give details would require spoilers. In this one Christopher makes some grand pronouncements. The identity of the 2 prophets is revealed...and well the story continues. These books are also an attempt to do a novelization of the events in the Book of Revelation. It's enjoyable (if that word can be used about a book telling the story of "the end time") but remember...it is a "novelization".
By that I mean I don't find anything objectionable in it, but neither do I agree with all the "doctrinal statements" made. I suppose any Christian reading this will find points of disagreement. Still, it's respectful of Christian belief and falls pretty much into what I'd call, "main line Christian beliefs".
This is a well written book and I enjoyed the trilogy. I'm a Christian but unfortunately often what is sometimes called "Christian Fiction" isn't quite up to the same level of quality as it's secular counterpart. This series is. Recommended.
September 6, 2015
Had H.P. Lovecraft been a Christian, this is the kind of book he would have written.
The Christ Clone Trilogy’s central characters– Decker Hawthorne, Christopher Goodman and Robert Milner–take a back seat for much of the book as the narrative shifts to a more global scale. One could argue that, for this installment, the central character is the human species as a whole, subjected to horrors that make the content of the previous book–which climaxed with a nuclear war–seem tame.
Minus the event known only as “The Disaster,” much of the death and suffering in In His Image had been caused by evil men. Here, the threat comes from sources far more unsettling and incomprehensible. When these sources aren’t otherworldly beings, they’re non-sentient forces of nature. In both cases, life is snuffed out en masse by foes that can’t be reasoned with or fought off, in other words killers that are unstoppable.
I truly believe that Birth of an Age is as close as a novel can get to Cosmic Horror without ignoring or disregarding any tenets of the Christian faith. Here, mankind’s place in the universe is, to put it bluntly, a fragile one. The painstaking scientific research that went into creating the book makes this point all-the-more plausible, which in turn makes it all-the-more unnerving. After certain passages, you may have trouble sleeping at night.
Birth of an Age was a massive improvement over the still-more-than-worthwhile In His Image. I can only hope that the third and final book in this series continues that trend or at least lives up to the jaw-dropping excellence of this installment.
The Christ Clone Trilogy’s central characters– Decker Hawthorne, Christopher Goodman and Robert Milner–take a back seat for much of the book as the narrative shifts to a more global scale. One could argue that, for this installment, the central character is the human species as a whole, subjected to horrors that make the content of the previous book–which climaxed with a nuclear war–seem tame.
Minus the event known only as “The Disaster,” much of the death and suffering in In His Image had been caused by evil men. Here, the threat comes from sources far more unsettling and incomprehensible. When these sources aren’t otherworldly beings, they’re non-sentient forces of nature. In both cases, life is snuffed out en masse by foes that can’t be reasoned with or fought off, in other words killers that are unstoppable.
I truly believe that Birth of an Age is as close as a novel can get to Cosmic Horror without ignoring or disregarding any tenets of the Christian faith. Here, mankind’s place in the universe is, to put it bluntly, a fragile one. The painstaking scientific research that went into creating the book makes this point all-the-more plausible, which in turn makes it all-the-more unnerving. After certain passages, you may have trouble sleeping at night.
Birth of an Age was a massive improvement over the still-more-than-worthwhile In His Image. I can only hope that the third and final book in this series continues that trend or at least lives up to the jaw-dropping excellence of this installment.
March 31, 2013
This is truly one of those books that makes you think, "What the f___ did I just read?"
I was led to this trilogy in the comments/reviews of the Left Behind series, of which I read the entire original series and two of the four prequels. (I also read the first book in the Prodigal Project series, which was awful, but I digress...) All of the reviews seemed to indicate that this trilogy far exceeded the Left Behind series, so I finally decided to read it.
I will say this, it is definitely not what I was expecting. A research team goes to investigate the Shroud of Turin (which has been proven to be a fake, but we'll overlook that for now), and finds living skin cells on it, presumably the living skin cells of Jesus. One of the scientists decides to clone the skin cells, and unwittingly gives birth to the Anti-Christ. Definitely an original idea -- pretty sure there is no other book on the whole of planet Earth that suggests the cloning of Christ is possible.
While I give the author many points for creativity, some of the things that occur in this story are pretty bizarre, even for and end-of-times novel. For that reason, I sometimes found myself distracted and unable to focus on the plot or characters. I am still trying to wrap my head around the Theatan aliens.
One thing I did truly appreciate, however, is that the author does not take a literal interpretation of Revelation and just put it in a modern setting, which is basically what happened in the Left Behind series. The author takes a symbolic approach and includes something like a hundred footnotes to explain his literary devices.
Yes, I am going on to read book three. So, four stars for this book.
I was led to this trilogy in the comments/reviews of the Left Behind series, of which I read the entire original series and two of the four prequels. (I also read the first book in the Prodigal Project series, which was awful, but I digress...) All of the reviews seemed to indicate that this trilogy far exceeded the Left Behind series, so I finally decided to read it.
I will say this, it is definitely not what I was expecting. A research team goes to investigate the Shroud of Turin (which has been proven to be a fake, but we'll overlook that for now), and finds living skin cells on it, presumably the living skin cells of Jesus. One of the scientists decides to clone the skin cells, and unwittingly gives birth to the Anti-Christ. Definitely an original idea -- pretty sure there is no other book on the whole of planet Earth that suggests the cloning of Christ is possible.
While I give the author many points for creativity, some of the things that occur in this story are pretty bizarre, even for and end-of-times novel. For that reason, I sometimes found myself distracted and unable to focus on the plot or characters. I am still trying to wrap my head around the Theatan aliens.
One thing I did truly appreciate, however, is that the author does not take a literal interpretation of Revelation and just put it in a modern setting, which is basically what happened in the Left Behind series. The author takes a symbolic approach and includes something like a hundred footnotes to explain his literary devices.
Yes, I am going on to read book three. So, four stars for this book.
May 16, 2023
He's back. And this time, it's personal.
Ever wonder how the events prophesied in Revelation might manifest themselves in the 21st century? Me neither. But BeauSeigneur has. Nuclear war erupts in Asia. Asteroids obliterate entire countries and poison the ocean. And the locusts make 2019's cicadas look like a basket of kittens. Hundreds of millions of people sicken and die, are incinerated, become homicidal and suicidal berserkers, and otherwise perish in a series of natural and unnatural disasters as BeauSeigneur types, and more will follow unless Christopher Goodwin - cloned in Volume 1 from skin cells found stuck to the Shroud of Turin and now on track to become secretary-general of the UN - can summon his powers and do something. Just at that moment, a crazed gunman enters the General Assembly building, takes aim at the podium, and -
How it all came to pass is finally explained, as the Apocalypse rages, in a monologue/info dump that starts on page 192 and ends on page 215. Or is it explained? My nose for heresy detects something suspicious about this backstory, and I wouldn't bet against its being superceded by an equally formidable chunk of surprise-twist exposition in Volume 3. Wheels within wheels, as Ezekiel would have said.
It's a feast of gloriously wooden dialogue and stone-faced storytelling. Following hard on the nuclear war that has nearly obliterated India and Pakistan,
"Ambassador Christopher Goodwin stared blankly as those around him in the emergency meeting of the Security Council discussed providing relief to the survivors of the asteroid's devastation. It had been less tham two hours since the asteroid had made its pass. The first order of business was to dispatch teams to assess the situation and report back with recommendations. Beyond that, all that could be done was to discuss contingencies for providing relief.
It would not be an easy matter."
On the other hand, just-the-facts narration is what makes the tale of Asteroid 2031 KD's brush with the Western Hemisphere so good. In the emotionless tone of a science documentary, and clearly with some knowledge of how such a thing would actually work, BeauSeigneur details, minute by minute, the asteroid's approach to Earth, its low-altitude path from the Arctic Ocean to the Southern Atlantic, and precisely how it destroys a swath of the planet below. If he'd stick to that sort of thriller writing, I'd give him an extra star.
Ever wonder how the events prophesied in Revelation might manifest themselves in the 21st century? Me neither. But BeauSeigneur has. Nuclear war erupts in Asia. Asteroids obliterate entire countries and poison the ocean. And the locusts make 2019's cicadas look like a basket of kittens. Hundreds of millions of people sicken and die, are incinerated, become homicidal and suicidal berserkers, and otherwise perish in a series of natural and unnatural disasters as BeauSeigneur types, and more will follow unless Christopher Goodwin - cloned in Volume 1 from skin cells found stuck to the Shroud of Turin and now on track to become secretary-general of the UN - can summon his powers and do something. Just at that moment, a crazed gunman enters the General Assembly building, takes aim at the podium, and -
How it all came to pass is finally explained, as the Apocalypse rages, in a monologue/info dump that starts on page 192 and ends on page 215. Or is it explained? My nose for heresy detects something suspicious about this backstory, and I wouldn't bet against its being superceded by an equally formidable chunk of surprise-twist exposition in Volume 3. Wheels within wheels, as Ezekiel would have said.
It's a feast of gloriously wooden dialogue and stone-faced storytelling. Following hard on the nuclear war that has nearly obliterated India and Pakistan,
"Ambassador Christopher Goodwin stared blankly as those around him in the emergency meeting of the Security Council discussed providing relief to the survivors of the asteroid's devastation. It had been less tham two hours since the asteroid had made its pass. The first order of business was to dispatch teams to assess the situation and report back with recommendations. Beyond that, all that could be done was to discuss contingencies for providing relief.
It would not be an easy matter."
On the other hand, just-the-facts narration is what makes the tale of Asteroid 2031 KD's brush with the Western Hemisphere so good. In the emotionless tone of a science documentary, and clearly with some knowledge of how such a thing would actually work, BeauSeigneur details, minute by minute, the asteroid's approach to Earth, its low-altitude path from the Arctic Ocean to the Southern Atlantic, and precisely how it destroys a swath of the planet below. If he'd stick to that sort of thriller writing, I'd give him an extra star.
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September 18, 2020La segunda parte de esta saga supero mis expectativas. A pesar de ser algo lento al principio, poco a poco evoluciona sobre si mismo a una descripción del apocalipsis. La parte de los cometas fue la mejor del libro, el contenido filosófico del texto se enfoca en la expresión de un humanismo en donde el hombre sea su propio Dios.
July 16, 2021
I really like this series because as you're reading you don't know who is evil and who is righteous. At the end of this book, Christopher does reveal which side he's on, but the story he tells is fascinating and you don't know if you should root for him or not, and you don't know if the author is rooting for him or not. This is a very nuanced story, and I couldn't put it down.
September 16, 2017
Very thorough and well-researched.
August 11, 2024
Believable and foreseeable
So the End Times may play out like this or it may not but I really like how BeauSeigner has presented this.
This is my favourite end time series of book, what’s not to love - self and the antichrist. Sooooo good.
You need to read all three in order!
So the End Times may play out like this or it may not but I really like how BeauSeigner has presented this.
This is my favourite end time series of book, what’s not to love - self and the antichrist. Sooooo good.
You need to read all three in order!
February 5, 2025
Not as interesting as the first book in the series, but still enjoyable.
April 17, 2007
So this kicks the pants off the money institution that is the "Left Behind" series. Although this book is in the same vein, it actually uses things into today's culture to show how prophecies in the book of Revelations can occur without all the obvious fire and brimstone everyone else is banking on. Today most Christians lack a sense of reality and really just long for the end to come to prove their faith the "best ever." They miss the true teachings they were asked to learn. (I'm a Christian as well, so I'm not saying anything other than the truth about a group of people I choose to be a part of.)
This book does a hell of a job showing the character that is to become the antichrist truly being a pawn. This character shows how easily we "humans" can stray from the truth, even if it is with the best of intentions. This book (trilogy) is so well written on so many levels that it should be read in church groups with the intention of it being broken down and discussed. Without questioning who we are and what we believe, we are nothing greater than sheep being lead by the wolves.
As a secong book in the series it is wonderful and just a bit less impressive as the first, but you can't stop reading the whole thing can you? I mean you have to make it to the end. The end better be good because it is building there!
This book does a hell of a job showing the character that is to become the antichrist truly being a pawn. This character shows how easily we "humans" can stray from the truth, even if it is with the best of intentions. This book (trilogy) is so well written on so many levels that it should be read in church groups with the intention of it being broken down and discussed. Without questioning who we are and what we believe, we are nothing greater than sheep being lead by the wolves.
As a secong book in the series it is wonderful and just a bit less impressive as the first, but you can't stop reading the whole thing can you? I mean you have to make it to the end. The end better be good because it is building there!
April 19, 2022
Vote: 3,25
Class: L-B2 (FP) (*)
(Second book of the Christ Clone Trilogy; to be read after the first and before the last one)
I'm not at all certain how it's all going to end and maybe I'm not going to like it; maybe not, but maybe yes... For now, I'm going to suspend my judgment until I've read the final book.
The world (3,50) is well described even if it has less depth than in the first book.
The characters (3,50) are good but less convincing and coherent; mostly it depends on how they develop in the final book.
The story (4,00) grows more confused. It remains very original and often surprising, but it has become less believable. We'll see.
The writing style (4,00) is not so good as in the first book, when action really was the protagonist. Now it comes to characters development and it clearly it's not the author strength: it's often boring (long speeches, inner thoughts, etc.); I found myself skipping from page to page...
I'll read the sequel soon, but I fear I'll be disappointed.
(*) This is clearly a Christian book (and an apocalyptic one at that), but some passages didn't sit well with me (it's full of mumbo-jumbo New Age stuff). My final judgment depends mostly on the next book.
Class: L-B2 (FP) (*)
(Second book of the Christ Clone Trilogy; to be read after the first and before the last one)
I'm not at all certain how it's all going to end and maybe I'm not going to like it; maybe not, but maybe yes... For now, I'm going to suspend my judgment until I've read the final book.
The world (3,50) is well described even if it has less depth than in the first book.
The characters (3,50) are good but less convincing and coherent; mostly it depends on how they develop in the final book.
The story (4,00) grows more confused. It remains very original and often surprising, but it has become less believable. We'll see.
The writing style (4,00) is not so good as in the first book, when action really was the protagonist. Now it comes to characters development and it clearly it's not the author strength: it's often boring (long speeches, inner thoughts, etc.); I found myself skipping from page to page...
I'll read the sequel soon, but I fear I'll be disappointed.
(*) This is clearly a Christian book (and an apocalyptic one at that), but some passages didn't sit well with me (it's full of mumbo-jumbo New Age stuff). My final judgment depends mostly on the next book.
August 23, 2015
Definitely a step down from the first book of the trilogy. This is due in large part to the author's decision to lock himself into the popular premillennialist theology with its absurdly literal interpretation of the woes of Revelation. The first two thirds of the book included some truly eye-rolling moments as the God of love destroys most of the world's population in the most grisly ways imaginable. This book does come around, though, and I am actually looking forward to finishing the trilogy to see if BeauSeigneur can rescue the god of the premillennialists from being a Superdemon in disguise.
January 21, 2009
I probably need to wait until the conclusion of this trilogy before I really rate it, but so far, it's been very intriguing. I started pulling out Revelation alongside it to see how the author is tying things in and he's definitely been putting an interesting spin on it. Scariest thing so far...how uncertain it is at first which are the good guys versus the bad guys.
(kind of) spoiler alert...
I'm sad right now that the main character has so far been fated to be aligned with the bad guys and hope he manages to turn around by the end.
(kind of) spoiler alert...
I'm sad right now that the main character has so far been fated to be aligned with the bad guys and hope he manages to turn around by the end.
March 7, 2009
If you thought book one of this trilogy was good, you ain't seen nothing yet! This book will have you sitting on the edge of your seat! For the Christian reader, just a note, this book almost seems to have been written for the secular audience. I almost found myself getting mad half way through this book, wondering if I was being led astray, but never fear, just continue reading onto book 3 and you will not be sorry. This is an excellent end times series, and if you are a fan of the Left Behind Books, you will love this trilogy.
May 31, 2013
This is a series that should be read rather than listened to in audiobook format. The footnotes are some of the most interesting parts. Written by someone who is use to writing official government papers, he knows the importance of giving frequent references to real world events. Even though the premise is stretching quite a bit, this series is one of the closest reasons of the end time scriptures that I've come across to my own. It projects everything in events that can be explained away by non-Christ followers.
August 8, 2015
Birth Of An Age is the second book in the Christ Clone Trilogy. Christopher (the "Christ Clone") has to deal with nuclear wars, brutal asteroid collisions, two religious "madmen" prophets, various demonic plagues -- and a UN vote to make him Secretary General. Oh, and being killed and resurrected three days later! All foretold by End Times prophesies, but he apparently believes some things from the Bible and not others. Is he the resurrected Christ? Or something more sinister? 4 stars. Looking forward to the last book in the series!
November 20, 2012
I very rarely say this, but I couldn't finish this book.
This series has some very interesting ideas about the end times. I may be able to come back to it at some time, but I had to walk away from it in the middle. Having said that, I have had conversations about some of the ideas in book one and this book two, so I'm not saying it's a waste of time, I just couldn't take some of the declarations that the anti-christ character was saying.
This series has some very interesting ideas about the end times. I may be able to come back to it at some time, but I had to walk away from it in the middle. Having said that, I have had conversations about some of the ideas in book one and this book two, so I'm not saying it's a waste of time, I just couldn't take some of the declarations that the anti-christ character was saying.
April 13, 2016
I enjoyed the second book more however the science is really heavy. The science part of the book would bore me to tears and I really had to push myself to read the first half. The second half got so much better and that's when things really started to pick up for me. Needless to say I can't wait to see how this trilogy ends and I'm planning on reading book three very soon.
January 25, 2008
Great book!
October 17, 2008
So suspenseful! I love that the author notates his sources at the bottom of a page!
March 14, 2009
Absolutely the best written ficton of end times. A must read!
July 13, 2010
similar to the first book (which, of the three, is the worst written), leads you along; the second and third of the trilogy are better paced.
March 25, 2016
again:- prolixo.
January 4, 2011
Excellent fiction can hardly wait to read all of Acts of God (3 in the trilogy)
May 11, 2012
The best end times fiction I have ever read. This is what Left Behind should have been.
Read these books.
Read these books.
September 28, 2012
The idea presented in this trilogy interested me greatly, as I had wondered about something similar before. Beauseigneur does not disappoint.
September 30, 2012
Excellent book! In fact I've read it twice.
November 2, 2012
Loved it so much. I couldn't put it down. It sounded all real.
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February 2, 2014Pretty good, but not as good as the first one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews