This book is the first in the ‘Imagine’ Trilogy and when I first opened the cover I thought it was going to be a quick read. I was wrong. I found myself wanting to savour each part of this interesting book, which as it progressed turned into the likes of something I don’t think I have ever read before. I found myself waiting until I was done for the day before picking it up, and only reading one or two chapters before laying it down to digest what I had read.

In one sense the reader may feel that there is a main protagonist in this book and, if you can pinpoint which of the many characters this is, they will find that they are just as thoughtfully well written as any of the others that appear throughout its pages. All the characters are given different backgrounds and, with their varying belief systems this adds dimension to each encounter they have as the book progresses; it adds layers to an already intriguing and well thought out novel. The Author chose wisely when including so many ‘religions’ for his characters, as it provides the reader with someone they can personally identify with, whether they be Christian or not. The flaws and traits of all characters in the book make them believable and possibly, make you feel you have met someone like them in your everyday life.

The locations for this novel are sweeping, ranging from Germany to the high desert and all points near and not so near. It is apparent from the detail that the Author included in his descriptions that he either has an in-depth personal knowledge of these areas or has done extensive research into them to ensure they are as authentic as possible. However, as with a piece of work that chooses this topic as its subject matter, there is a great deal of artistic license taken in the writing and, in this case, this really works; the inclusion of conspiracy theories, paranormal occurrences and historical accounts mesh nicely together to make this a complete and unbiased viewpoint of what is a highly flammable issue.

There are so many different strata, points of view, opinions and hypotheses to this novel that it would be hard to place it only in the sci-fi genre, it is not just a good sci-fi novel it is more. Although at times it can read like a personal attack on the Church by the Author, I felt that this was not so much a denouncement of organized religion but another way of looking at something that is so prevalent and influential in a lot of people’s lives today. Good editing and proof reading add to the consistent and easy to follow flow of the book, helping the reader who may be having trouble getting to grips with the ideas included in its pages have the time to digest and think about what they have read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading the remaining two instalments of this trilogy.

I would highly recommend this book to any reader with an inquiring mind that is open to new interpretations of an old theme; also those who enjoy the sci-fi genre would mostly likely find this book an interesting read.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2013/10/17/review-no-heaven-imagine-trilogy-1-lex-all...


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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Right off the bat I like the characters. We don't stay with one, but explore the beliefs and emotional worlds of several characters, which makes this story intriguing. The story is woven around this question: What would you do if Jesus returned to the earth?
Well, what would you do? That is the premise that Lex Allen explores in this intriguing thriller/fantasy. "Simple" people have no problem believing in Jesus's abilities, but professionals and the government, and the Vatican get involved trying to explain away the fact that there is this amazing individual come to the world to see some historical and religious records straight. I think the book poses a lot of questions of what we really believe and explores the barriers we have put up to protect against anything that is out of the norm. The story puts you on the spot: Which camp are you with? Is your life filled with dogma and fear, or can you accept a greater reality expressed by someone with a higher perspective and abilities than we as a species reject at this point in time? I find the questions, which are very appropriate for our current society, very intriguing. The writing itself is smooth and seamless, and flawless. Sure an easy read, but the contents is far from easy. I found it a very enjoyable read! ( )

This book is the first in the ‘Imagine’ Trilogy and when I first opened the cover I thought it was going to be a quick read. I was wrong. I found myself wanting to savour each part of this interesting book, which as it progressed turned into the likes of something I don’t think I have ever read before. I found myself waiting until I was done for the day before picking it up, and only reading one or two chapters before laying it down to digest what I had read.

In one sense the reader may feel that there is a main protagonist in this book and, if you can pinpoint which of the many characters this is, they will find that they are just as thoughtfully well written as any of the others that appear throughout its pages. All the characters are given different backgrounds and, with their varying belief systems this adds dimension to each encounter they have as the book progresses; it adds layers to an already intriguing and well thought out novel. The Author chose wisely when including so many ‘religions’ for his characters, as it provides the reader with someone they can personally identify with, whether they be Christian or not. The flaws and traits of all characters in the book make them believable and possibly, make you feel you have met someone like them in your everyday life.

The locations for this novel are sweeping, ranging from Germany to the high desert and all points near and not so near. It is apparent from the detail that the Author included in his descriptions that he either has an in-depth personal knowledge of these areas or has done extensive research into them to ensure they are as authentic as possible. However, as with a piece of work that chooses this topic as its subject matter, there is a great deal of artistic license taken in the writing and, in this case, this really works; the inclusion of conspiracy theories, paranormal occurrences and historical accounts mesh nicely together to make this a complete and unbiased viewpoint of what is a highly flammable issue.

There are so many different strata, points of view, opinions and hypotheses to this novel that it would be hard to place it only in the sci-fi genre, it is not just a good sci-fi novel it is more. Although at times it can read like a personal attack on the Church by the Author, I felt that this was not so much a denouncement of organized religion but another way of looking at something that is so prevalent and influential in a lot of people’s lives today. Good editing and proof reading add to the consistent and easy to follow flow of the book, helping the reader who may be having trouble getting to grips with the ideas included in its pages have the time to digest and think about what they have read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading the remaining two instalments of this trilogy.

I would highly recommend this book to any reader with an inquiring mind that is open to new interpretations of an old theme; also those who enjoy the sci-fi genre would mostly likely find this book an interesting read.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2013/10/17/review-no-heaven-imagine-trilogy-1-lex-all...


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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I want to be very careful not to give anything away in this review. One of the best things about the book was how well it kept me guessing about what was happening and how things would develop. The story is well written and exciting and moves along at a good pace. The characters felt realistic and I cared what happened to them. The whole idea is fascinating and I look forward to reading the next in the series.

The one thing I had problems with was a tendency to swap characters point of view within a scene. It wasn't a major issue and didn't happen all the time, but for me it was a bit jarring and tended to remind me I was reading a book rather than remaining immersed in it.

Overall, a very good first book in the series. Well worth a read.
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Quite intense story with real characters. After getting over the distracting paragraph breaks, as there are many, the story flows well and is intricately told. As complex as it is, each character has an important role that pushes the plot forward. I, unfortunately, don't get the feeling of caring for any of the characters, which made me want to complete the story only to get to the end of it. Being part of a series, there's no surprise that questions are still raised by the end of this first part. The ending, however, was too abrupt and gave no sense of finality.

Being Christian, I also found the basis of the story far fetched. Written in a style of providing facts and arguments, I had to remind myself that it is meant to be fiction, which made it a bit more tolerable. Those, however, who are looking for a new way of viewing Christianity, may find this quite imaginative, evocative and intriguing. ( )