Godsent

A Thriller

By: Richard Burton

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Length: 18 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Kate Skylar is an ordinary 17-year-old with an extraordinary destiny. A virgin, Kate suddenly finds herself pregnant with what she believes is the Son of God. But the Catholic Church is convinced Kate is carrying the Antichrist and, assisted by an artificial intelligence known as Grand Inquisitor, will stop at nothing to kill Ethan, her son. Ethan’s only protection is Conversatio, a secret organization dedicated to the Second Coming—which may have its own dark agenda. As Ethan grows up in anonymity, ignorant of his true identity and not knowing whom to trust, he must come to terms with his miraculous abilities and make a fateful choice that will determine the future of all mankind. And for Kate, an equally difficult struggle looms, as well as a mother’s devastating choice.

Godsent is a wild religious thriller, a page-turner that keeps you guessing until the very last page. Burton, in his fiction debut, crafts a tightly-wound narrative with a heart-pounding plot and emotional resonance that will ring true to anyone with children of their own, all while the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.

©2012 Richard Burton (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A fresh and exciting thriller, Godsent takes you on an unexpected journey. People of all faiths will be talking about this book.” (Dan Nathan, co-host of CNBC’s Options Action)

Make sure you know your bible history!

If you could sum up Godsent in three words, what would they be?

Fascinating. Intense. Worthwhile.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ethan. His complexities were wonderful to track and experience.

What about Julia Whelan’s performance did you like?

She nailed it, with enough nuance and elegance in what is a long, and complex story, to keep the listener engaged all the way through.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The description of limbo was amazing.

Any additional comments?

This is a wonderful ( religiously themed ) book. Well worth the credit!

Thriller? Depends on how you look at it

I am not sure that I would describe this book as a thriller in the traditional sense, however I started listening to this book on Friday evening and could not put it down. This is one of those rare books where I just had to keep going to see how it turned out.

The subject matter is risky, especially considering that this is Mr. Burton's first novel. He walks a tightrope that at times seems to teeter on the brink of going too far in one direction or another risking offending the deeply religious or the deeply agnostic yet somehow it all worked for me.

Is some suspension of disbelief required in reading this book? Absolutely, but then again if you are fond of stories of vampires, warlocks and witches, this should not be too difficult for most readers to do.

In the end the book succeeded for me on all levels. I liked the message the author delivered in the end, I characters were believable and well thought out, and the story moved at a clip that kept me engaged until the very end.

Julia Whelan is a master narrator. I loved her voice and she managed to convey something of the characters of the book with few exceptions. I think she may quickly become one of my favorites and I plan to seek out other books she reads.

Intricately Woven

Any additional comments?

Thiis book has some religion but is written more like in the Da Vinci Code, most is necessary to create the storyline. A very smart, plot-driven thriller starting with Kate, a young, pregnant, virgin, who is unfortunately very naive and has no  competent  parental support.  After Kate is forced to endure several horrendous doctors her dictator Grandfather takes her out of the country to give birth in a nunnery where she is duped into believing that her male child has died and the conspiracy is set in motion.  Then it skips through the next eighteen years of her sons life while he lives with his adapted parents, who are really agents hired by Kate's Grandfather to protect him from a covert group of religious fanatics.  When he turns eighteen is when the real meat of the story begins and keeps up a nice rapid pace of a very solid read.  The conspiracy and mystery components are an excellent coupling with emotion and human nature. While the original intention of Kate's Grandfather is to bring "God back" into everyday society money and power change everything.  The characters are well developed and relatable. The ending was a little strange but probably because it was setting you up for the second book. 

The narrator did an A+ job, the voices were done with consistency and the  rise and fall of the pace was great.  She also narrated, "Gone Girl" and "The Witness". 

The movie rights were acquired in Oct. 2012 by the company that produced the "Twilight" saga so I am glad that I read/listened to it before it goes to the big screen. A sequel is being written and it may turn into a trilogy.   

Not a thriller!

I purchased this based on good reviews and for Julie Whelan narration. It is awful. Repetitive and preachy. Woman are negative caricatures and the men though more dimensional are still weak. There are page/minutes of poorly written, trite sermons.
Not worth the money/credit.