SINCE I RECEIVED THIS BOOK I STARTED READING IT AND HAVE NOT PUT IT DOWN. I TAKE IT WITH ME WHERE EVER I GO FOR NOW TILL I FINISH IT BUT I WILL SAY WITH IN JUST A FEW CHAPTERS, THIS BOOK HAD ALREADY BROUGHT ME TO TEARS.
IT IS A GOOD BOOK AND THINK YOU SHOULD READ IT. ( )

In his debut novel, John Eklund takes on the interesting story of a man called on to write "The Third Testament." The idea is that since the the New Testament was written there has been no recording of God's work in the world in one place. A history professor, Fred Sankt, finds himself called on to complete this task even as his "normal" world is falling to pieces. A widower who lost his wife to cancer, Sankt's adult daughter now finds herself falling to the same disease and Sankt himself finds his worldly possessions at risk as the result of a dubious lawsuit.

The writing of the third testament comes as a form of therapy as Sankt fights his way through worldly concerns. Although at times the sections of the third testament which Eklund shares can get repetitive (at times he explains the story and then retells them), overall they serve as a great entry into many stories of the Chuch since the time of the New Testament. This reviewer was familiar with many of the stories, but was pleased to be introduced to many more stories of faith which should be known.

The book seems aimed at a conservative Catholic/Christian audience and is one I would recommend to many. Where the book frustrates is the right-wing politics of "God loves America more than anyone else." In addition, while the Islamic faith gets a one-sided and short-sighted look as an anti-Christian religion, the Christian history fails to address the many atrocities committed in its name.

But Eklund's intent seems to be to strengthen the faith of those who have lost sight of God's presence in the world, and in that he succeeds. ( )

Great historical Catholic fiction. This book should be mandatory for Catholic high school/college students. ( )

The Third Testament tells the story of a Catholic man who begins to experience the life of Job. Instead of cursing his God or any similar thing, he sets off on chronicling the history of Christians where the New Testament left off. Logically, he decides to call his work the Third Testament. While he faces losing his house and all of his possessions to an unethical man and his equally unethical lawyer, and while melanoma slowly eats away at his daughter, suffering from the same thing that earlier claimed his wife's life, he finds solace in his Testament.

The story was a good story and well written. However, at times, the narrator would go off on a tangent or two, which at times seemed almost to break the fourth wall, but without any apparent value, more as a way for the opinions of the narrator, or even the author, to bubble into the prose. I also thought that the story was a bit slanted towards the good work of the Church. Albeit, I wouldn't expect anything else from a book written by someone who is as devout in his faith as the author seems to be, I thought it was a bit unfair to completely ignore those "bad" things the Church did, such as the rampant killings associated with the Crusades and the Inquisition, especially of other Christians (the darker-skinned ones in the Middle East), and Jews (God's chosen people). But I think that part of that stems from my own personal issues with Catholicism.

If you enjoy Christian books with a very, very Catholic slant, then this one may be worth a read. Eklund is a good storyteller, and manages to sustain dramatic tension throughout (occasionally wobbled by the asides). While I was hoping for a more resolute resolution than the one that was presented. ( )

The Third Testament is by far the best Christian fiction book I have read. I love the writing style and the characters/story. ( )