Reviews

   
Review Rating: 5 stars!    
Reviewed By Melinda Hills for Readers’ Favorite

There is a tremendous gap between the purity of spirituality and the dogma of religion. The Thirteenth Disciple by Peter Canova beautifully differentiates between the two in this engrossing dual tale of the true meaning of Jesus’ ministry and the modern addition of the fictional Gospels of Mary Magdalene. Mary suffers under Jewish law and lives with anger and vengeance until she meets and accepts the teachings of Jesus. As the Thirteenth Disciple, she continues his ministry with a pure understanding as one of the First Souls reincarnated to this time period. Together with other First Souls, Mary tries to spread the message of God within each person, but the people of ancient Judea are not quite ready.

A team of scientists and biblical scholars, finding the Gospels in ‘modern day’ France, reopens the discussion about the real nature of God, only to awaken forces of darkness that try to prevent the spread of this new aspect of Jesus’ ministry. Is the world ready now or have things not really changed in 2000 years?

Peter Canova has masterfully intertwined modern science, ancient history, and the yearning of a world full of darkness for the light in this engrossing and uplifting story of faith and open-mindedness. Beautifully developed characters engage in incredible action both in ancient and modern times, demonstrating that although years may pass, the underlying elements of human nature don’t.

The Thirteenth Disciple is an incredible journey into what the true nature of God actually may be, and how the message of Jesus may have been distorted by people who did not really understand or who had everything to gain from twisting what He truly meant. This is an excellent alternative look at Christianity, true belief in God, and the power of each individual to be part of a better world. Wow! I loved this story and would love to know how much is fact/fiction. The author has blended a variety of beliefs and viewpoints into a philosophy that should guide mankind to a better place.

 

The Thirteenth Disciple

Peter Canova
Trimountaine Publishing (2016)
ISBN 9780982181386
Reviewed by Carol Hoyer for Reader Views (02/17)

In “The Thirteenth Disciple,” author Peter Canova provides an excellent detailed fictional account of Mary Magdalene and lost mystical teachings with a modern twist. Mary Magdalene’s story talks of how individuals, no matter what their belief, have forgotten the true teachings of God and entered life with greed, anger and condemnations of those who did not think the way they did. Each reader will develop his or her own perception of the views presented in this book. The information provided is based on historical accounts of the Bible, along with information the author uses to fill in the gaps.

In A.D.12, Mary of Magdala was a young, out-spoken child about her beliefs on God and the hypocrisy of others. Many thought she had premonitions and was a witch. When she could handle no more of this behavior by them and her father, she ran away toward Jerusalem.

Through the course of her journey in search of truth and the real meaning of God, Mary was violated by a Roman soldier and sold in Babylon to a whoremaster. During the same time, many others could see the negative events occurring due to their own actions. It was thought that due to the shift of people’s attitudes toward, greed, ignorance and false beliefs, the world they knew would be no more. The Grand Council of the Mystery Schools met and decided that, based on a scroll that pointed to a woman as the focus, they would fight the negatives with truth.

Canova vividly describes events that occurred over the years that pitted friend against friend, religions against religions, and the crucifixion’s impact on all who roamed the earth. He throws in a modern twist to history which will have readers question history and what they grew up believing. The ending will surprise everyone.

At 490 pages, my initial thought was, “How would I ever get through this?” Once I started reading, however, I couldn’t put it down. “The Thirteenth Disciple” is very well written, easy to read, and very thought provoking. Peter Canova captures the attention the reader from the first page and keeps their attention throughout with different thoughts and events.

 

THE THIRTEENTH DISCIIPLE

IBPA BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AWARD BOOK CRITIQUE
9.5 OF 10

This book drew me in after the first few chapters. I enjoyed that each chapter was short 3-4 pages in length because so much information was presented in each. I could tell that the author has a deep passion for the subject matter. I enjoyed and very often utilized the Map of Key Events and the Dramatis Personae. Without these tools the content could be a bit overwhelming.

I utilized the Christian Bible to reference many events in the text and found a tremendous amount of accuracy. I enjoyed the liberty the author took to develop the characters and places that are very under described in the other Christian Fiction books currently on the market. The text was well written throughout with no grammatical or formatting errors.

Even though I do not hold the same view that is presented in this book the story itself drew me in and at the end I felt very inspired and compelled to dig deeper into the story of Mary Magdalene. My overall reaction to this book is that I will see it on the shelves of Barnes and Noble and many best read and seller listings the future.

 

IBPA BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AWARD BOOK CRITIQUE # 2

I was hooked right from the beginning. You had wonderful imagery present throughout the book and I loved the maps and list of characters. It made it easier to follow along with the story. I have always been fascinated by religious stories, no matter the religion. It gives insight into the psyche of man. Your book had wonderful characters (both good and bad guys) and the setting was rich and all together I was sucked into the story. I was lucky to have read the first book Pope Annalisa last year. This has been a wonderful series so far. I will definitely look for the third book in the trilogy. I also love how it ends in the future. I am also glad you included pronunciation of the names. It flowed well and the pace was fast enough to keep me turning the page.