Immortal vigilantes from the time of Moses have planned the unthinkable. But how can you stop what you can’t see?
The battle 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 could imagine.
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.
The Tribe is poised to execute their most ambitious attack ever and the lives of millions hang in the balance. When Jagger’s wife and son are caught in the crossfire, he’ll stop at nothing to save them.
But how can one man stand against an entire tribe of immortals?
“Liparulo plunges deep into the pages of Scripture to find intriguing what-if’s and stunning revelations—all woven into a tale that is both skin-tinglingly supernatural and thought-provokingly real. Packed with high-tech gadgetry, action, and heart . . . Read this novel! Seriously!” —TED DEKKER, New York Times best-selling author of Forbidden and the Circle Series
Pages:
416 Format:
Paperback EAN/ISBN:
1595541691 Publisher:
Thomas Nelson
| Posted April 01, 2012
For 3500 years, the tribe has searched for redemption and reconciliation to God. Afraid to die, but tired of living, they’re sole desire is to execute God’s judgment in the hope of gaining His favor and be granted a death that will allow them to enter heaven. Though their logic is flawed, their methods have been honed to perfection over the course of thousands of missions through thousands of years making them the world’s most deadly organization. However, their numbers have dwindled as many begin to suspect eliminating or punishing sinners is not their path to redemption. Even though members of the tribe are allowed to peaceably leave, when one decides to flee with equipment critical for their current mission, the rest of the group pursues him relentlessly. In the process of trying to recover their stolen equipment, they cross paths with former Army Ranger, Jaggar Baird. But what is one disabled, grieving man against nine highly trained immortals set on a mission of mass destruction to appease God? With an excellent speculative angle, The 13th Tribe is different from Robert Liparulo’s previous novels, but still provides the tense drama and thrilling action long time readers have come to expect.
I am so glad to finally get to read The 13th Tribe. I have been eagerly waiting for this book since June 2010. I’ve always loved speculative fiction and over the last five years, I’ve grown to love thrillers. So the combination of both genres written by one of my favorite authors has made it an excruciatingly long wait to read this book. Needless to say, the advanced copy made an excellent early Christmas present!
While I’m not disappointed in The 13th Tribe, is different than what I expected. I am a bit surprised by the relatively slow start to this book. That’s not to say it’s uninteresting, but instead of the anticipated fast start with little down time, there’s a gradual build in the action and intensity. During this time, a lot of information is provided in order to set the stage for not only the members of the tribe, but also Jaggar’s background and struggles.
I particularly enjoyed the speculative portions of this novel. The flashback to Mt. Sinai and the re-creation of the children of Israel worshiping the golden calf brought a fresh perspective to this well-known story. I literally felt transported to the scene and watched in horror as the same people who had just witnessed astonishing miracles doubted God and threw themselves before idols. While this book has several memorable scenes, this is quite possibly my favorite.
In addition to the speculative aspect, there are some entertaining supernatural elements. Liparulo does a very nice job of incorporating the immortal aspect without it becoming a crutch for the story. While members of the tribe are immortal and it defines their actions, it doesn’t define the book. There is much more to The 13th Tribe than immortal killers carrying out God’s judgment vigilante style.
The complexity of the tribe’s characters makes it easy to understand their motives, but as a result I had a hard time disliking them. I wanted them to fail their mission, but at the same time wanted them to survive in order to find redemption. Furthermore, while their logic for eliminating sinners is flawed, it is well defended, which opens the door for good theological discussions.
This story lends itself well to heavy Christian teachings and theological exchanges, but at times it feels like the pacing is sacrificed in order to convey specific ideas. I prefer the more subtle approach found in Liparulo’s previous books, which still presents the information while maintaining a steady pace. However, given the setup of this story and that the Christian teaching is on the surface, I wish Liparulo would have went deeper in some cases. For the most part, common questions and answers are given for scenarios, when the story allows for more difficult, spiritual issues to be tackled.
Even though this book is different than what I expected, it is very good and well worth the wait. With the heavier Christian aspect, it easily falls into mainstream Christian fiction and will most likely appeal to a large audience. New and long-time readers can look forward to exciting, action-packed combat sequences, tense, thrilling situations, and surprising twists. Oh and more waiting until the next book in The Immortal Files series is released.
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from The Christian Manifesto. Click here to visit TheChristianManifesto.com today!
Action-Packed Thriller| Posted March 27, 2014 These immortals don't play around. Thinking they must earn their way back to God's favor, they have been exacting justice on sinners for thousands of years. Is there a bit of us in their story? Do we try to buy God with what we qualify as good works, or are we willing to accept Christ's sacrifice as enough?
I had a hard time keeping up with all the characters introduced in the first few chapters, but the excitement of the story took off quickly and drew me in. The descriptive writing made me feel like I was watching it all happen. I appreciated that the descriptions didn't go into gratuitously gory detail, though, a fact that put this book on the list of those I'd recommend to teens. My girls will be very happy to hear that, since it's not often that a thriller passes my apt-for-my-teens test.
I figured out a couple of the surprises in the plot, but I'm ultra-sensitive to foreshadowing and can't fault the author for that. Overall I enjoyed reading this action-packed thriller and look forward to more from this author.
I received this book free from the publisher through BookSneeze®.com in exchange for an honest review.
Exciting Start to a New Series| Posted July 01, 2012
I finished Robert Liparulo's new novel The 13th Tribe last night. The end flew by and I found myself thinking, "Just one more chapter; they're short." The climax had several surprising twists, completing this story but leaving the door open for more (this is the first of The Immortal Files series). A quick and action-packed read, I look forward to the next installment.
A brief summary: When Moses was receiving the 10 Commandments, his brother Aaron made a golden calf for the Israelites to worship. When Moses discovered this, he threw down the commandments and the presence of God actually caused 40 Israelites to become immortal, never to age and never to know the peace of God and Heaven. These 40 formed The Tribe, and they began to try to earn God's forgiveness by killing sinners. Flashforward to the present: The Tribe is kill sinners on a massive scale, and unfortunately many innocents will die as well. It's up to Jagger Baird, a former soldier and investigator, now head of security for a monastery at Mt. Sinai (the location where Moses received the 10 Commandments), to stop them.
Once the action starts, it doesn't let up. This is a fun read. I do wish there had been a little deeper character development. Hopefully further entries will expand and deepen the world of The Tribe.
I received a review copy of this book as part of the Book Sneeze book review program in exchange for an honest review.
