At the height of the Inquisition, a secret half a millennium old is about to be exposed-a lost letter said to have been written by Paul and part of what was to become the foundation of the Christian canon. It speaks of men and women-the Gifted-with mysterious spiritual gifts that struck fear in the heart of the Church. Now the letter has surfaced. The Gifted ones are coming together. Their prophecy is coming true.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Christianity/Fantasy - sometimes a thin line:
The Begotten is the first in a religious mystery/thriller trilogy from Bergren, a well-known Christian fiction author. The setting is 14th century Italy in a town named Siena, not far from Firenze (Florence). The beginning can be a bit confusing as we shift settings for the first few chapters, to set the plot of the story. We follow some of the quests of the papal guard who are trying to track down a Sorcerer who is leading Christians astray by performing miracles. But the church is looking for The Gifted.... more info
Tom Clancy Meets Catherine Marshall with a dash of Michael Crichton Thrown In!:
The Begotten by best-selling author Lisa T. Bergren is the first book of the Gifted series. Book two, The Betrayed, was published in late 2007, and book three, The Blessed, is scheduled for release on 2008. This book represents a growing subgenre of Christian speculative fiction - the religious thriller. Christian romance and historical fiction are established subgenres. However, "religious thriller" sounds like an oxymoron. The Publisher's Weekly review left me scratching my head in confusion. "CBA... more info
More than I Expected:
I wasn't sure what to expect when I first started the book. I never liked history and just wanted a good relaxing read. The information in this book has given me a desire to learn more about this time period and what it really was like to live then. It has also given me a thirst to learn more about gifts given by God. What a wonderful book. Other work by this author is what prompted me to pick up this one.
Test of Faith:
"The Begotten" is an engaging and well researched story of Medieval Italy, set in the time of the two Popes, one in Rome and the other in France, as well as the Inquisition. The story focuses on a small group of Christians exhibiting supernatural gifts of healing, wisdom, knowledge, faith, prophecy, ability to distinguish between spirits, working of miracles and tongues. These Christians, described in a long lost letter of St. Paul's as "The Gifted", have been expected. Their pictures have been painted on a... more info
