The Second Virgin Birth by Tommy Taylor - BOOK REVIEW

Title:  The Second Virgin Birth
Author:  Tommy Taylor
Publisher:  BookSurge Publishing
Paperback, 292 pages
ISBN 10: 1419671502
ISBN 13: 9781419671500

From the back of the book:

Dr. James Burk, an American forensic scientist, steals from the Vatican in Rome, Dr. Clark Sullivan, an English bio-engineer, steals from his university's lab in London, and Mary Carter, a six-year-old girl from Alabama, talks to God.  These are the individuals that the Catholic Pope undertakes to have murdered.  They are the most unlikely team ever conceived to bring the next Lord and Savior into this world.  The story traces Mary's life from being a happy little girl to her years of confinement in an insane asylum to her finally evolving into the world's next Madonna.  Was she chosen by God for the second coming?  The Pope thought so; Dr. Burk and Dr. Sullivan thought so; as did an entire army of faithful followers who gave their lives in defending the nine-month pregnant mother-to-be of the next living God.

Author's Notes:  My idea for this book began after a personal tragedy in my life.  I began to wonder, what if we could truly bring a loved one back.  If we could bring back a loved one; why not bring back the most unimaginable loved one of all.  After reading this book, it is my wish that you question all the possibilities and let your imagination ascend to a new elevation, while contemplating the future of our world.  Further, it is my hope that this book causes heated debates among close friends about its not so simple and clear-cut meanings.  To question is the first step to understanding.

My Take:  Warning:  This is going to be a mixed review - read all the way to the end and don't let my initial comments throw you off!

As I started this book, my first thoughts were, "OK; this book could stand some creative editing."  During the initial 30 pages or so, I noticed grammatical/syntax/punctuation and a few spelling errors.  I ran into a few of these scattered throughout the rest of the book as well, but not as abundantly - just a few here and there.  ALSO, the initial pages were shaky? scattered? fractured? staccato (yes, that's what I actually wrote on my notes).  I also found that sometimes the explanations of a place or event felt professorial and was offered in the tone of a fatherly lecture, a BORING fatherly lecture!

But .. I kept reading because I was so entranced by the thought of how the world might react if they knew that someone was actually carrying Jesus Christ in their womb today.

Dr. Burk was working for the Vatican - finding and typing DNA from the Shroud of Turin, and then from iron scrapings and a thorn.  I found it a bit of a stretch to think that someone this brilliant couldn't tie the two together until someone else pointed it out.  This same colleague, Thurston Henry, suggests that it might not be such a good idea to let the Pope know that they have discovered the DNA of Christ, as this would mean that people would relish the thought of having a living God, and would abandon the church in droves - no more tithes and offerings; no more cash flow.  Surely the Pope would either keep secret or destroy their findings. I found this completely believable, not only for the Catholic Church, but for all major religions. This belief is reinforced by the fact that the other major religions DO, down the line, join with the Pope in trying to "eliminate the problem" after 4 failed attempts on Mary's life by the Pope's forces.

As Burk and Henry abscond with the actual DNA after falsifying their findings, Henry refers Burk to his cousin, Dr. Clark Sullivan, who worked on the team that cloned Dolly the sheep, and is now trying to convince the medical community and investors that cloning a human would be a GOOD idea.

Burk and Sullivan team up, get an unscrupulous investor from South America, who provides them with his silver mine as a fortified compound to keep the next "Mary" safe.  With the common-sense aid of Pedro, the former janitor, the new Mary is picked.  By coincidence, her real name IS Mary, and she has known since she was six that she is to be the mother of God's son, and everyone that is close to her knows it as well.

The writing sometimes falters (again, something a good editor could easily fix), but the story will keep you reading nonetheless.  I was entranced with Mary much of the time, and I liked Pedro's common-sense approach to things.

There is a very cool, complete, non-cliffhanger ending which leaves room for a sequel. Would I read the next book? Yes, I would.  I really care about what happens to Mary and her baby.

QUOTES:

Pope John Paul II knew, above all else, that Dr. Burk worshiped money.  His church was green, and his religion was built on the daily stock quotes for the price of gold.


"Now I know who you are," she said, "the three wise men."  She grinned a little and started walking toward the helicopter.  The three men looked at each other.  They started following behind her and Burk remarked, "After the way our plan wnt tonight, I feel more like one of the 'Three Stooges' than one of the three wise men."

Yet, every man was thinking about it.  Actually, what they were truly thinking about was that Jesus was about to rise from the grave for the second time in the last two thousand years.

Book Rating:  3 out of 5 stars

BUY IT:  At Amazon and other on- and off-line booksellers.

Disclosure:  I was provided with a complimentary copy of this title by the author to facilitate my review.  No other compensation was received, and I was not required to post a positive review.