Risen

Traditionally I listen to biographies not novels. But this was put in my lap, so I listened.

Interest level: High, as it should be being a novel.

Spiritual level: Not much of value until close to the end of the book, when leaving all to follow Jesus was fairly well portrayed.

Content: Not particularly supportive of the extra marital relationship. While it certainly was not explicit, it certainly did make you think about where it was going, which I view negatively. They take some liberties (as a novel must) but overall the historical portrayal seemed mostly biblically sound.

Narration was well done.

Not terrible, but wouldn't recommend.

My wife and I are great fans of ChristianAudio and have listened to many books over recent years. We trust the judgement of ChristianAudio, so we were really saddened when an explicit extra-marital sexual relationship came early on in this book. This was totally unnecessary and we immediately switched the story off and will throw away the CD. We haven't seen the film, but none of the reviews we read mention anything about this sexual content. Sorry, but is definitely a one star.

I didn't see this movie, but the plot sounded interesting, so I picked it up. I got almost halfway through before I stopped reading because of the illicit relationship that was a side story. Young Jewish widow sleeps with Roman soldier the first time he visits her home - and sleeps with him several times before she even knows his name?! That's not what I want to read. I did skip ahead to see if I could get a clue about how her redemption would be handled - if it was done well, it would have been worth continuing. However it seemed like it was going to be "love God, love your neighbor as yourself" without any "go and sin no more." There could have been plot points about that which I missed, though.

I also thought about listening only to the "Clavius" chapters (the majority of the "romance" was in the "Rachel" chapters), but I ultimately decided not to waste any more time on the book.

Good story. I know it is partially fiction, but I enjoy historical fiction, and enjoyed both the movie and the book.

Although fictional, I found it interesting how two unbelievars found Christ after His resurrection.

I love the glimpse this book gives of the crucifixion/resurrection from a Romans point of view.

Very well told story but why did it have to contradict the bible in a number of places just to get their characters into the biblical story?
Listen to the last chapter first which explains a number of points. From the biblical account I don't think the Romans were all that interested in discovering what had happened to Jesus - read the Acts for yourself and see if you agree!

Wonderful, biblically (few littele changes for the plot, mentioned within the epilog and pointed at each verse how it really was). Deep insight in the life of the jewish people and the roman soldiers at that time and I loved the way the telling of the characters thoughts and feelings together with their memories lead the listener to CHRIST.

The story was a stretch of many of the aspects of the actual accounts. I felt that the Jewish woman was insincere and was hard to empathize with. Listened to with the Android app player and it would not download complete parts on a few of the parts. After deleting and downloading several times it would still not download the same. Same times on parts that wouldn't get the whole part.

The book is better that the film! This is remarkable, because the book was created from the film srcipt.Angela Hunt has clearly enriched the story by adding Rachel and Cleopas.

Fabulous

Having watched the movie I didn't think the book would add much, but I was pleasantly surprised. it dealt with the history and old and new testaments and well. It was faithful to the movie, but added depth and a significant story element. It was also very well read.

Excellent. Enjoyed very much.

I had never read a book based on a movie before (it's always been the other way around). I was interested to discover that the book is still better than the movie even when the movie comes first. I guess it's just the nature of the media.

Truly awesome book. Lots if diversity and intrigue.

Although the story was based on fictional characters it was engaging to listen to and made me consider the Christ's death and resurrection from angles I had not previously contemplated.

I thought it was an interesting read and liked how it was presented from 2 different viewpoints. Exciting twist at the end.

I didn't like it! It was fiction based on "Bible facts" mixed up - the characters where not genuine and the Bible was not performed it was said. The Bible should be portrayed as it written!

This is a great book. I thought the movie was great, but this book adds so much more story, that it makes the movie seem like half of the story.

Three out of five stars means I liked the book RISEN but just barely. I do not read all that much "Christian" fiction. I generally don't find it up to par. Also, I am even less inclined to read a novelization of a film. (I have not seen the film RISEN.) However, this was first time using the ChristianAudio app, available on GooglePlay and I thoroughly enjoyed that experience. I was both, able to download the book and read it in the app, which worked very well. I can thoroughly recommend the app to anyone who purchasing books from ChristianAudio.

I was very disappointed with this book. I really don't think that Christian Audio should be offering books with such non-Chrisitian content. Once I realized that the young Jewish widow was having an affair with the Roman soldier, I did not continue. I was very disappointed. The story had so much promise! But if I want to learn about immorality, I can just turn on the TV.

It's a well known story so not many surprises really in the story-line. But there was a lot of historical and cultural information included which made it interesting.
What I did find very distracting was the accent of the male reader who pronounced his ohs as ors. So words like "orfficer" and "torssed" really spoiled my enjoyment of the story.
I almost gave up listening to the book a short while in, but I am glad I did listen to the end. It's not going to be a book I'll revisit, but it had some realistic characters and some interesting perspectives on a well known story.

Saw the movie first but the book just enhanced the wonderful message

I really enjoyed listening to this book.

Well done.

riveting, love the first person perspective

I really enjoyed RISEN. Jesus is so good, isn't he? There was one place in the audio that it seemed the female reader was speaking kinda fast and I thought she should slow down. Then I looked at my phone and realized I turned up the speed on accident. Oops!

A well written novel. I enjoy Angela ' s books. A moving account of a centurion's journey to acknowledging that the crucified Christ had risen. I saw the movie too.

intriguing, engaging and at times provoking. There was so much more taking place than what we read in the Scriptures and this author captured the drama well without hindering the historical truth it conveyed.

Easy to understand, well spoken. Love it. Keep up the good work

An excellent audiobook! Very well narrated. Quite different from the movie, with the extra perspective that really filled out the story and made it more engaging.

It gave me a new sense of the resurrected Christ and my life in Christ, how to relate to him in my life and why things happen the way they do.

I really liked the flow of the plot as well as the two drastically different viewpoints and how they were contrasted. However, the ending didn't have the right feel because it left the reader rather depressed and still wondering what's going to happen to the main character. Still though, it is a great tool if one is wanting to know much of the context behind the crucifixion.

I saw the movie so the audiobook wasn't quite as good.

I enjoyed this audio book very much. It kept my attention and was entertaining. I have not seen the movie but would recommend the audio book.

Loved it!

THIS STORY TELLS US ABOUT HIGHEST SPIRIT TO GET AND DEFEND OUR WILLS AND PURPOSES. VERY GOOD STORY. THANKS

Very entertaining and easy listen

I very much enjoyed this novel. it bought alive the slow awareness of the common people that Jesus was truly the One they were waiting for.

Wonderful

I have never thought of the possibility of a Roman soldier looking for the missing body of Jesus. This is a great book to make you wonder what if. I loved it! I plan on listening to it again.

Very good listening. I thoroughly enjoyed it. So life like. Will see movie next.

Well written. A good read.

Much better than the film...very interesting ....and reasonably biblically sound ...a good listen

I like the book even better than the film. The book filled in needed detail. I like audio books because you put yourself right there with the main character.

Liked better than movie also. Very well portrayed and enjoyed listening

Amazing book, very well executed audio dramatization.
Much better than the movie

Great entertaining book. Have listened to it a number of times

I enjoyed the listen. Definitely different than the movie. In some aspects that makes it better.

I thought it was a good read.

i luv jesus

I enjoyed looking at the resurrection through the eyes of the fictional centurion who was in charge of the investigation.

This audio book was amazing. The story and back and forth of the storyline between the two main characters was amazing. I literally could not keep myself away from this. It was one of the best books i've read/listened to in a long time. I highly recommend it.

I loved the movie, Risen. When I saw the audiobook, I knew I had to listen to it. The readers are wonderful and I was moved by the characters' journeys to finding Jesus.

The man's reading voice is hard to swallow, but, like living next to train tracks, you get used to it. Book is entertaining and moves quickly. Very enjoyable. Some cliche responses to difficult questions kind of spoiled the end a bit for me, but, again, overall it was enjoyable.

Captivating. Had me wanting more.

The characters were like real people and you could get inside their heads.

I loved this! Beautiful writing, heart rending pathos and tear-bringing joy. Much better than the movie. I especially loved the additional POV of Rachel, which added immensely to the story. I can't understand why they made the movie without it. I listened to this twice and went back a third time to re-listen to favorite parts. Highly recommended.

This book is based on an immoral and sinful relationship between two lovers. Why does this book then portray the romance as a "good" thing??!

couldn't stomach more than a few chapters. Too much fornication

Excellent book. I have enjoyed it very much! I saw the movie first and then listened the book about a year later. The book, like the movie, contains a number of apologetic arguments, which I enjoyed. The extra information, compared to the movie, is adding value.

WOW!!!! I love how this takes us right back into it all! I was in awe and tears. <3 GREAT BOOK!

I was moved and blessed by the movie. Many times, novelizations aren't as good. Thankfully, this is not the case. I was even More moved, and my faith strengthened, by this book. Being able to listen to it allowed my imagination to people the story, and the narration was very supportive of that effort. I can't give it enough stars!

Just the thing for traveling. Made a weeks worth of travel go fast.

loved it

Engaging narrative. Scripture was nicely woven into the story. There were a few cases where the story's timeline was out of sync with scripture, but that was acknowledged in the author's notes.

Don't waste your time.

50 Shades of Something. After struggling through this one for 2 hours, I had to give up on it. It is just bad. Maybe it's because I'm not much into romance novels. Maybe I was expecting too much. I don't know, but in my honest opinion this book is just terrible.

The most captivating of the many audio books I've enjoyed from ChristianAudio! Really loved it and felt immersed in the story. It helped me to imagine what it would have been like to be part of the crowd in those days. Well done! The chap reading the Clavius chapters had one or two funny mannerisms regarding pronunciation but you get used to it pretty quickly

What a mammoth disappointment. For those who enjoy Harlequin-style romance novels, the steamy love making episodes between the Roman soldier and the young Jewish widow in "Risen" will titillate the taste buds. Unfamiliar with the book or the movie, I downloaded the free audio version from ChristianAudio in July (soooo glad I didn't pay for it). Please forgive me, I have to admit that I haven't listened to the whole book - couldn't get past chapter 14. Just one of several bed scenes, the chapter begins with the Roman soldier (Clavius) and the young Jewish widow (Rachel) in bed together on a rooftop. Laying next to him, she answers a question he rhetorically asks the heavens about why a god would demand such sacrifice by the death of a man. She quotes Leviticus 17:11, "For the life of the creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your lives; it is the blood that makes atonement because of the life." While listening to her, he "drinks in her beauty," "trails his hand down the side of her warm throat." The conversation between them becomes a bit testy on the subject and she gets out of bed. She asks, “What do you wish?” "I wish you would stop seeking messiahs and come back to bed!" She does.

Did you catch the sad irony? The chapter starts with them in sexual sin - she quotes a passage regarding the necessity of the shedding of blood to atone for sin (even while they are in sin mind you) - leaves the bed momentarily, but climbs back in on his wish to continue with their sin.

“Risen” has fallen. I'm out.

This book was so awesome. I listened to it for almost three days straight every free moment and I could not put it down. It made me so much more in love with Jesus and his word. The author did an amazing job with details in a way I could picture then in my mind. I have already gotten my mom to sign up for this app and she can't wait to get started on this audio book. (Risen). I made a decision almost two months ago to give up television because the programs hanger so many things against my morals beliefs and values. I decided to commit my free time in the word or watching port listening to Godly things that would help me show him honor and build up my spirit. When I found this book it did exactly that which compelled me to start talking to everyone the past few days about Jesus. I'm so appreciative of this book and anyone who gets it will not be sorry they did!!!

The man reading it sounded like a cold robot. Completely put me off.

Excellent Book. It's very interesting to see the evidence of a Risen Savior through the eyes of a Roman Tribune. I enjoyed the viewpoint of the two characters, Clavius & Rachel.

I know it's free. I still won't download it. Just to recap how low we've come: We're watching a movie about a fictional character and how he might have perceived the Risen Christ, had he encountered Him. Too far-fetched? Ok, now imagine someone writing down the movie. There's simply no need for something like this when there's so much more out there that's closer to the text of Scripture.

An engaging story that is very entertaining and has a lot of cultural insights into the historical time period. Though the sexual scandal in these pages was not graphically described in extreme detail, I was still ready to turn it off or fast forward on occasions because they were describing a sexual scandal. I don't know if I would encourage anyone to read this book that struggles with sexual sin. Nor would I recommend it for children.

It was a powerful book and well done

Well written. Well performed. Glad more was added that the screen version.

Really enjoyed this story, just wanted to keep listening.

Risen, by Angela Hunt, is a beautiful telling of the questions, fears, and beliefs that came after Christ’s crucifixion. What makes it so unique is that the story is told from two conflicting first-person perspectives: Clavius, a Roman Tribune, and a Jewish widow, Rachel.

I am looking forward to seeing Risen, the motion picture, when it is released. As I read/listened, I couldn’t help but imagine it on the screen. Especially after recently re-watching Mel Gibson’s, The Passion of Christ. Risen takes up where Gibson’s movie leaves us—with those people in search of tangible answers, and those who witness the risen Christ.

Clavius investigates the disappearance of Jesus’ body after his crucifixion, and furthermore, the rumors of him rising from the dead. His regimented personality lifts off the page, and his determination as an unbeliever is both felt and understood.

I held up my hand, silencing my overeager beneficiarii, and looked at the unmoving body on the center stake. “The Nazarene—obviously dead.” (Clavius, excerpt)

Though the story seems to focus more on the strong-willed Roman’s quest for the truth, I was especially drawn in by simple and tender Rachel, the Jewish bread maker, and her views of the world.

I saw him on the road—he fell right in front of me. He looked at me, and though I do not know much about such things, I do not understand how a rabbi can end up on an execution stake. I followed him to the place of the skull, but left when he sent his mother away. (Rachel, excerpt)

Audio Narration: Risen is told in first person, by two different narrators: P.J. Ochlan (Clavius and other voices) and Alana Kerr (Rachel.) Both of these narrators do a fine job of narrating this epic story. Their inflection is clear, concise, authoritative, and expressive.

Audio Production Quality: The production quality of this audio book is clear, with no distracting background music, static, or skips.

Overall Opinion: This is a powerful, compelling story told from unique yet just as potent perspectives. It leaves me moved, satisfied, and changed. In some areas, the narration is very detailed and lost my attention, (especially near the beginning) which is why I rate it 4 stars rather than 5. The writing is filled with rich history (infused with imagination.)


Publisher: christianaudio
Audio Length: 8:20 hours
Pages (printed length): 320

4 Stars


I received a Review Copy from christianaudio. I was not required to write a positive review, and the options I have expressed are my own.

I have always loved history, but I haven’t read a lot of historical fiction. I prefer biographies and history-focused podcasts. In the arena of historical novels, Risen by Angela Hunt seems somewhat unique, blending fact, fiction, faith, and apologetics. In this novelization of the upcoming film, the circumstances surrounding the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (which I believe was an actual historical event), are presented through the eyes of two characters: a Roman tribune named Clavius, tasked with guarding Jesus’ body, and Rachel, a peasant woman living in Jerusalem who is struggling in her Jewish faith. As it turns out, viewing the Resurrection through the eyes of these characters was a powerful and affecting experience for me, even though their stories are fictional.

The book works on many levels: detective story, inspirational journey-of-faith story, and a sort of “back door” defense of the historicity of the Resurrection. Clavius, as he is confronted with the empty tomb and searches for the missing body of Jesus, is the living embodiment of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous quote: “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

Other themes this book explores include the transcendent nature of God verses the pantheon of Roman gods, political ambition, the complexities of an extramarital sexual relationship, fear of death, and the philosophical problem of pain and suffering. Another theme that I found particularly striking was the way the ideologies of Rome, represented by Clavius, crashed up against those of Christ. Rome, all about force, wealth, glory, and expansion didn’t know what to do with these peaceful, unambitious followers of the Nazarene. All of these themes are all explored through dialogue and story, making this a powerhouse work of fiction.

However, Hunt does take a few missteps here and there. Clavius, as the central character is very well written for most of the book, but his characterization near the end of the book becomes increasingly inconsistent. Also, the disciples of Jesus are characterized in a one-dimensional fashion, with the exception of Mary Magdalene. And the climax of the book seems to run headlong into the predictable and cliché, as much as it attempts not to.

None of these issues, however, are enough to ruin Risen. In fact, I would highly recommend this book, especially during this season leading up to Easter. For the skeptic, this book will introduce you to the glorious scandal that is the death and resurrection of Jesus. For the believer, this book will help restore the wonder of the central event of Christianity.

One final word on the narration of this book: it is outstanding. Those chapters featuring Clavius are narrated by P.J. Ochlan, and those featuring Rachel are narrated by Alana Kerr. Both do a fantastic job.

Please Note: This audiobook was gifted as a part of the Christianaudio Reviewers Program in exchange for my unbiased review of this work. This has in no way influenced my opinion or review of this work.

Angela Hunt has done an admirable job of describing the events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus in an entertaining and engrossing manner. It was somewhat hard to separate facts from the Bible and additional stories and characters which, according to the author, were added to help fill out the story.

As I finished listening to the book, an advertisement for the new movie “Risen” appeared on my TV. This book is a novel based on the screen play for the movie “Risen.” I am now anxious to go the see the movie version of the story.

Although I have been a Christian for many, many years and am very familiar with these events, this book and presumably the movie are stirring me to go into my Bible and compare the events with those in the book.

The first-person telling of the story added to the experience. P.J. Ochlan & Alana Kerr’s excellent narration added to the play-like experience of listening to the book.

I was given a free audio version of this book for my agreement to review it but this has not influenced my personal impressions of the book.

really enjoyed listening to this audiobook of the film Risen. Although I'm very familiar with the resurrection story from the Bible, this novel brought out lots of extra historical and cultural facts for me. I liked the way the story was told from the Roman and Jewish viewpoints, making it far more human than the accounts in the bible. The characters were well developed and their storylines kept my interest throughout.
The narrators Alana Kerr and P.J. Ochlan were very easy to listen to, although some of the male accents did niggle me a bit.
I would definitely recommend this audio to anyone who feels they've become over familiar with the Easter story, as it really helped to think about it with fresh insight.
Thanks to christianaudio.com Reviewer's Program for this copy.

Angela Hunt's novelization of "Risen" is an inspiring attempt to personify resurrection stories. What is most appealing about this book is that the author brings characters to life who are relatively unknown but still have a historical connection to the events of the resurrection account. Using two first person perspectives, the story follows the Roman executioner and his lover and how they process the events surrounding the resurrection. The story is unique in that features two unbelieving characters as they deal with the mystery of the empty tomb. The author does a fine job of weaving in the common myths associated with the empty tomb that are relatively unfamiliar to the majority of people in a way that is both understandable and intriguing. Though the author also does a good job of following the general outline of the Bible's account, not everyone will agree with the liberties she takes to fill in the story. But readers should be reminded that this is a work of fiction using real events. The audio edition of this book makes use of both a male and female character to play the parts of the two main characters, which helps keep the interest of the listener. I received this book as part of a reviewing program from christianaudio.com and was not obligated to write a positive review. For more information, visit www.christianaudio.com.