I learned so many things from this novel. What an eye opener! ( )

Judas Iscariot. A name that's become legendary in its link to perdition. The man notorious for committing the ultimate betrayal by essentially putting a price on the life of Christ. The infamous disciple tells his side of the story in Iscariot by author Tosca Lee.

This book has been on my radar for more than four years, I'd say. I knew it would be a dark tale meant to give a different angle on a figure widely viewed as villainous. The novel's opening is haunting in its genius, and I was drawn through the thoughtfully rendered chapters that present Judas as a son. A brother. A husband. A father. A friend. A man with affection, grief, and sacred aspirations.

I always enjoy this author's lyrical style, and this novel pulsates with social, political, and religious unrest and the gravity of Judas's dilemmas. Yet, the material of the Gospels is a lot to cover, and it might have taken another book or two to really flesh more of that material out. Many of the events had a cursory, choppy feel to me, and I had some trouble wading through as the story's flow seemed to fall into a repetitive mental and emotional cycle.

With so many characters coming into play, I couldn't get more than a surface feel for most of them. This became especially difficult for me in regards to Jesus and His circle. I didn't get a deep or convincing enough picture of their relationships to make their group seem more than cultish. And though Judas often mentions his love for and friendship with Jesus, I didn't see friendship so much as a follower's hero-worship toward someone who constantly baffles and frustrates him.

Still, this novel brings much for contemplation, worth the read for those with knowledge of the ancient story behind this fictional one. ( )

Judas Iscariot is one of history's most maligned individuals. With good reason, of course. But in this book, Tosca Lee boldly attempts to bring out the heart and humanity of this betrayer of Jesus.

This was not the easiest to read of Tosca's writings. There are times in which the story bogged down for me. But the story was worth pressing forward to complete.

Tosca's prose is unmatched by nearly any other author. In fact, there were times in the story in which I just had to marvel at her ability to take words and form not just mental pictures, but mental pictures described with elagance.

There are a few biblical inaccuracies, and I'm not sure that I would agree with some of her physical and mental portrayals of Jesus within the story, but, then, the descriptions of Jesus are written from Judas' standpoint.

While not a book that I would "highly recommend" to friends, I'm glad that I did read it. ( )

An execeptional book written about Judas, the man we usually think of as the evil betrayer of Christ.
Showing us the life of Judas, from childhood, through his life as a disciple, we start to understand how this betrayal could happen. Also included in the story were the other disciples and Jesus and I really enjoyed their characterizations. It was a great book and I don't always enjoy this type of book. ( )

This novelized account of the life of Judas attempts to humanize him as a typical religious zealot of the time. The details about Jewish life, custom and thought of the time bring context and a vividness to the familiar story. I read this with a group for discussion, and the participants were quite passionate about liking or disliking the way she portrayed Judas, the other disciples, Jesus and the familiar Bible stories. For those that are comfortable with an author filling in the gaps surrounding the sparse facts that we know form the Bible, this will can be an enthralling story. Getting to know Judas from his troubled childhood does mean that the reader develops some empathy for him and become as frustrated as those close to him must have been when he chose the wrong path. This book also helped me to see Jesus in the light of those who wanted to control or influence him and to see how hard it must have been for people of the time to grasp just what his mission on earth was all about. This is definitely a good book to read if your in the mood for reflecting on the complex questions surrounding the most famous betrayal of history. ( )