Set in the present millennia The 13th Apostle tries to connect the times of Jesus to each millennium through 36 righteous souls who make it possible for mankind’s continuation on earth. Sounds interesting enough! More so, because, these righteous beings have no knowledge of each other nor are they aware that they are the reason why the world is still not destroyed.

The authors choose to take on what Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code did not mention— Jesus’ betrayal by his twelve disciples— which also serves as the central theme of the story. If you are looking for a Da Vinci Code-like puzzle to crack; the code in this book gets too hi-tech and can be solved by no one else but by a cyber sleuth— Gil Pearson— who teams up with a tough Aramic translator, Sabbie Karaim, to unearth the message that was written by Jesus’ most trusted disciple, Micah, back in the eleventh century.

The two have a hectic adventure in  New York, Jerusalem and London even as the fate of the world hangs on their ability to discover the hidden scroll and interpret it to the right soul. They also have to encounter the dark desires of Christian and Muslim forces who have their own share of interests in the scroll— to destroy it or preserve it for eternity to prove superiority of their faith over the other.

To complete the promise— to protect the scroll and to deliver the secret message— of those who had gone, Gil and Sabbie have to sacrifice every part of themselves, even their souls, without knowing whom the message in the scroll was intended for.

The authors have woven a web of turns and events that gets loose towards the end. For readers who seek a mentally challenging climax, the book gives in too early on the heroes’ realisation that they are holding a tiger by the tail that will turn around and come after them. It leaves one to conclude before the whole events actually unfold.

The twist and turn of events is also related in a filmi script which may make you think that you had better watch ‘the book’ in a theatre— if at all it is made into a film. Besides, the chapter headings fail to entice as they are more datelines and geographical indicators than tell you what to expect next.

However, the search for the righteous soul and insight on how Jesus was betrayed by his twelve disciples provided some reason to give this book a try. But if you are not one of the desperate souls keen to know how writers cooked up the life of Jesus as a work of fiction, your fingers may feel numb by the time you reach the middle of the book.

The 13th Apostle
Authors: Rachael and  Richard Heller
Category: Fiction
Cost: Rs. 195
Page: 415
Publisher: HarperCollins
Year: 2007