Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Review - Risen: The Novelization of the Major Motion Picture


Bethany House; 320 pages; $15.99; Amazon
For the rest of the month, I'm going to try to play a little catch up with some books that have been read, but I had never gotten around to writing the actual reviews for them. I had received a review copy of Risen: The Novelization of the Major Motion Picture by Angela Hunt at the beginning of the year, a few weeks before the film was released to theaters. I never gotten around to seeing the movie while it was in theaters. However, I might watch it on DVD/Blu-ray, which is being released later this month; so I thought I would go ahead and review the novelization.


Based on the screenplay by Kevin Reynolds and Paul Aiello (who also wrote the story), retells the Resurrection of Christ, but with a slight twist as it's told through the eyes of a Roman soldier, Clavius (played by Joseph Fiennes). Pilate assigns him investigate the disappearance of the recently executed Yeshiva’s (Jesus of Nazareth) body.


On his quest, he travels to the halls of Herod Antipas and to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he encounters believers and non-believers; leaving him to quest his own beliefs.

Final Thoughts: I don't read very many novelizations in fear of knowing how a movie will end before I watch the film. For Risen, I didn't even know it was going to movie when I had signed up to review the book; I only learned about it after receiving it.

For a novelization, it is written really well, with great descriptions. It's not meant to be a straight-up historical novel as there are many fictional characters mixed in with real ones. Yes, there have been many books and movies about the Resurrection of Christ, but this story gives us a different perspective, which is through the eyes of a Roman soldier.

Originally I wasn't for sure if I was going to like this title, but to my surprise, I enjoyed reading every bit of it. Now, I'll have to keep my eye out for the DVD/Blu-ray release of the film next week.



*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own.


About the Author: The author of more than 100 published books and with nearly 5 million copies of her books sold worldwide, Angela Hunt is the New York Times bestselling author of The Note, The Nativity Story, and Esther: Royal Beauty. Romantic Times Book Club presented Angela with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. In 2008, Angela completed her PhD in Biblical Studies in Theology. She and her husband live in Florida with their mastiffs. Learn more at www.angelahuntbooks.com.

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