[.ca] The Nephilim Seed (ISBN 0805424385)

Edge of your seat thriller:
This was my first experience with James Scott Bell. If his other novels are as exciting and fast-paced as this one, then it will definitely not be my last. As a former fan of James Byron Huggins who has been turned off by his recent nonsense which has been passed off as readable fiction, I was refreshed to read a Christian sci-fi thriller that was believable, enjoyable, and lacking in space wasting sentimental drivel. The idea of the Nephilim has intrigued me ever since my first year Biblical Hebrew class when we studied Genesis 6 and the idea of the Nephilim. A friend and I in that class discussed a Christian sci-fi novel based upon the Nephilim, but not in the manner in which Bell did it here. "The Nephilim Seed" touched moral themes which are ever encroaching on our post-modern society, and I believe that Bell addresses those issues in a laudable, conservative manner. As science and technology continue in their present course, Christian values and morals will likewise continue to be attacked as outdated.

The Nephilum Seed:
The Nephilim Seed is one wild ride through Scott Bell's illustrious imagination. I gave it 5 stars because I couldn't think of anything I'd rather do than race to the finish line of The Nephilim Seed. I was hooked on the first page; swept into every scene by characters so well imagined I'll remember them forever. I wanted to protect Lauren, hunt down her father, encourage her mother and go to the police academy so I could personally arrest Davis and all those involved in UniGen. If this isn't a movie--I don't know what is. Man! James, where's the sequel? Facsinating! P.S. Circumstancial Evidence, Blind Justice are great reads too.

The Nephilim Seed:
Jim Bell has knocked one over the far fences with this one! The characters fairly leap off the pages and the plot is, as in all of Jim's books, relentless. His theme is torn right off today's headlines as he has explored areas new to Christian fiction. Can a movie treatment be far behind? Get the "Seed", and bring it home. But a caveat...prepare to lose sleep for a few nights; it's that good. So move over, Grisham..."The Nephilim Seed" cooks!

Broad Ideas in a Narrowing Box:
My first encounter with James Scott Bell's fiction was "Final Witness." I loved the book. The characters dealt with real emotions in real ways, and the Christian elements didn't seem forced. In "The Nephilim Seed," although Bell takes a while to unveil the intents of the villian, he creates passable suspense, particularly through the eyes of a young kidnapped girl. Her simple faith is, for the most part, believable. Her mother's casual reliance on prayer is less credible. As a father of two girls, it was difficult for me to believe her response. In particular, she puts little pressure on the authorities to find her daughter; in fact, the police are almost entirely missing from that element of the story. Every time the mother thinks about her missing daughter (not as often as you might suppose), a quick prayer seems to ease her fears. Unfortunately, Bell's books are becoming increasingly pedantic even as they continue to explore broader ideas. As always, he comes up with an intriguing enough plot. Here, he deals with the issue of the "God Spot" in the brain, and whether it's a true desire for God, or an evolutionary result of our need for comfort. His characters and dialogue are fairly believable. This time, though, he makes sure to let us know his Christian viewpoints within the first few pages. James Scott Bell can write well. He has the ability to put me on the edge of my seat. He's capable of making spiritual points. Since he deals with sometimes violent situations in his fiction, perhaps his publishers and/or readers have asked him to infuse his books with more straightforward spiritual statements. This might please the general audience of Christian fiction, but there really are many of us out here who want a story that deals with tough issues head-on while refusing to whitewash the difficulties. Bell gives a decent story here, but fails to deal with the true problems he presents. Instead, he trusts cliches and knee-jerk Christian sayings to settle the characters' struggles. I'll still look for his books, but I hope he goes back to the nitty-gritty. John Grisham displayed that element in "The Testament." T. Davis Bunn did so in "The Great Divide." I believe James Scott Bell can do the same again--as long as he doesn't worry about the rumblings of dissent from the choir. Ignore the naysayers, I ask. Give it to us straight from the heart.

An absorbing, intelligent thriller:
The Nephilim Seed is among the best Christian novels I have ever read, and one of the only Christian novels that I would recommend to my non-Christian friends. The book was obviously written expressly for the Christian market - the characters are quick to pray, quick to talk about what church they attend, and wear their faith on their sleeves - but despite the typical propagandizing, the book's characters are much more finely drawn and believable than those you find in your typical thriller from Tami Hoag or Sue Grafton. The story line is one of the most intelligent plots I've read in a long time, and the characters are as likely to talk about Nietzche and modern philosophy as they are about the Bible. The book explores the disturbing possibilities of genetic technology wedded to post-modern thought (a topic explored chillingly in the non-fiction book The Biotech Century by Jeremy Rifkin). I recommend it heartily.