ARA Review by Alan Zimm of The Scribe

[Alan Zimm]

[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, The Scribe.]

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1 out of 5 stars

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This is a review of The Scribe , by Liam Robert Mullen, and a difficult review it was to write. I enjoy historical novels and respect the Bible. This novel does not do justice to either.
Summary: this book is a novelization of the life of Luke the Evangelist, along with a random supporting cast of characters and a few glimpses at Jesus Himself. The premise is intriguing, but the execution execrable.

Positive: the author has a number of publication credits listed on Amazon. Most appear to be less than 70 pages, mostly e-books self-published, and the most popular appeared to have only 17 reviews.

Negative: the horror was fully exposed by page 16 of this 135-page, 8.5 x 11 format novel. I had difficulties with the author’s writing style, the story progression, and the historical accuracy.
Writing Style: one struggles to understanding his English, on several counts. First, he avoids the proper use of commas. Often, I would read a sentence, then was forced to reread it several times to discern which subordinate clause is associated with which subject. Yes, he often has several subjects contained in one sentence. Second, the author has an absolute love affair with dangling participles, sentence fragments, and ending sentences with prepositions. Third, clichés abound, like “uphill struggle.” Fourth, adjectives and verbs are repeated within paragraphs, things like, “struggling to catch their breaths. They were wet and cold. Struggling ashore …” Fifth, the voice of the narration changes without warning. One sentence comes from the point of view of a character, the next sentence that of a modern-times narrator, then back to who-knows-who. The author often loses track of who he is talking about. For example, in talking about the baby Moses, here’s a typical sentence: “The discovery of his real identity and left stranded in the desert to die.”

Story Progression: the sequence of the story was most confusing. It begins with the crucifixion. Chapter Two regresses to 11 AD and Chapter Three to 20 AD. It bounces back and forth, without continuity.

Historical Accuracy: Historical novels ought to be historically accurate, not so? In this book, not so. There are places where modern expressions are used, such as “wind shear” and “damage control,” expressions you will not find in the period. The author also did not keep track of his history. A main character bemoans that “Rome could be harsh to … Christians,” this stated close to the birth of Luke the Evangelist, 20+ years before there were any Christians! The Slaughter of the Innocents, that occurred after the birth of Christ, Mullen specifically dates at 5 BC. According to the Author, the Mediterranean is located to the EAST of the Sea of Galilea. As for Roman society, Mullen has not read his Livy or Cicero. He does not know the correct name for the “commander of ten cohorts.” He does not understand the marriage customs of the Senatorial class. Marriages among aristocrats were arranged by the heads of the families. Mullen has his lovers taking long walks in the sunset and other things that absolutely did NOT happen in upper-class Roman society. Then, in the center of the book, to the horror of geography fans, he describes a trip to the north in a cart. The Alps. Does Mullen not know that it is about 500 road miles from Rome to the Alps, and that at a good pace of 15 miles a day by cart, that would come to 33 travel days, one way? That arduous trip was described in lighthearted terms, as if it was a Viking cruise ship tour, even if they managed to avoid the loving attentions of the Goths. Then there was the character of “The Seer,” who apparently hands out predictions of the future to Roman aristocrats and Christians indiscriminately. Why would Mullen have his Christian characters seek out a soothsayer? Leviticus 19:31 says, “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.”

Rating: I rate this book 1 out of 5 Stars . I cannot give it 2 stars, due to the grammatical and historical errors that cause the reader to continually stop reading and marvel that the author actually wanted to see this mess published, with his own money. The cover is nice. However, were I to make a recommendation to the author, I would advise him to first spend the money on a good editor and a beta reader versed in history and the Bible.

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[dublinwriter]

Thanks for your insights and interest. I’ll revisit some of these.

Regards Liam