The 13th Tribe by Robert Liparulo - The Immortal Files

Today's review is for The 13th Tribe by Robert Liparulo. Like The Dreamhouse Kings series, this book doesn't lack in anything. Action, adventure, history, trauma, and drama are all included. This is a complex book, with a great deal of depth. I really like this Author's work, and this book just took that to a new level. 

The very beginning of this story ties back to Moses. Moses went up the mountain to talk to God he was gone so long that the Israelites decided he died. Many decided that God wasn't real and that they had to have an idol to worship because they felt that they were with out God and alone. They had been steeped in a pagan culture until they lost sight of who they were, and WHOSE they were, and if the "new" and very real One God was real or not. After all, Moses had been on that mountain a really long time! Moses was gone so long that the group turned into a mob. Arron got desperate to be able to control the mob, and so and a gold calf was made for them to worship. (I still can't fathom that!)  Most of us know this Bible story, but stick with it, because with this book there is a great deal more. When Moses came down and saw what they had done, he was beyond furious! There was a huge group of people who died in a massive slaughter, and more that died afterwards as well. 

In The 13th Tribe, part of those who sinned had something else happen to them and they did not die. Though they would pray for death, and for forgiveness, 40 people have become altered, changed - Immortal. They call themselves the 13th Tribe, since they were not a part of any of the 12 tribes of Judah anymore. Instead they feel that they have been cursed to walk the Earth trying to atone for their sins by works. Some of the members of the 13th Tribe have left the group, deciding that after being around for 3,500 years that they needed to try to figure out why they were cursed (or blessed?) with Immortality on their own. It is very complicated because the core of The Tribe feels that they must do whatever it takes to cause God to forgive them so that they can die, and stand a chance of going to Heaven. They love God, and do not want to be condemned to Hell, but they feel that forgiveness is just out of their grasp. The core of the 13th Tribe is killing sinners in order to make up for their sin. They are armed to the hilt with cutting edge technology, and they are very committed to their goals. 

Unwittingly, Jagger and his family are about to find out more than they ever dreamed about "The Tribe". Jagger has been in a horrible auto accident. It caused him to loose his arm, and his best friends. This horrible experience almost tore apart his family. To keep them together and try to deal with his anger, loss of faith in God, Jagger has moved his son Tyler, and wife Beth to an archaeological dig at the base of mount Sinai. Dwelling in the monastery there and working as a security guard Jagger and his family have not even dreamed about the kinds of twists and turns their lives are about to take, or how they will or will not allow God to work in their lives. 

The 13th Tribe stands alone as a novel, but yet makes your heart cry out for the next book in the series. The characters are very vivid, and the pain they endure is not so far from our own. Robert Liparulo has tied Biblical and Historical events together with a plausible scenario to bring us a book that speaks of redemption, love, forgiveness, and healing.  

Carol 

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  The 13th Tribe  Thomas Nelson (April 3, 2012)  by  Robert Liparulo
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Best-selling novelist Robert Liparulo is a former journalist, with over a thousand articles and multiple writing awards to his name. His first three critically acclaimed thrillers—Comes a Horseman, Germ, and Deadfall—were optioned by Hollywood producers, as well as his Dreamhouse Kings series for young adults. Bestselling author Ted Dekker calls The 13th Tribe, released in April 2012, “a phenomenal story.” Liparulo is currently working with director Andrew Davis (The Fugitive, The Guardian) on the novel and screenplay of a political thriller. New York Times best-selling author Steve Berry calls Liparulo’s writing “Inventive, suspenseful, and highly entertaining . . . Robert Liparulo is a storyteller, pure and simple.” Liparulo lives in Colorado with his family.

Visit Robert Liparulo's Facebook Fan page: http://www.facebook.com/LiparuloFans, or at Twitter @robertliparulo.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Their story didn't start this year . . . or even this millennium.

It began when Moses was on Mt. Sinai. Tired of waiting on the One True God, the twelve tribes of Israel began worshipping a golden calf through pagan revelry. Many received immediate death for their idolatry, but 40 were handed a far worse punishment-endless life on earth with no chance to see the face of God.

This group of immortals became the 13th Tribe, and they've been trying to earn their way into heaven ever since-by killing sinners. Though their logic is twisted, their brilliance is undeniable. Their wrath is unstoppable. And the technology they possess is beyond anything mere humans have ever seen.

Jagger Baird knows nothing about the Tribe when he's hired as head of security for an archaeological dig on Mt. Sinai. The former Army Ranger is still reeling from an accident that claimed the life of his best friend, his arm, and his faith in God.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The 13th Tribe, go HERE.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1595541691