“Do you like Mystery, Fiction, Folk
Lore, History, Templar legend, Crusader legend, End-time Prophesy? Then you’ll
love ‘Seed of the Dogwood Tree’." This is how the author describes the
novel on his website, but I must agree. Seed
of the Dogwood Tree blends religious conspiracy theories with science
fiction and ends up with one interesting and fast paced apocalyptic novel.

Seed
of the Dogwood Tree by Greg Cicio takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland and
Somerset, England. Michael Sinclair and his roommate, Bruce Plantard, are two
doctoral students on a university archaeological dig at the Mendips Mines in
Somerset, England. During the dig, they discover three letters written by
Baldwin I, king of Jerusalem, during the First Crusades. The letters hint that
artifacts from the crucifixion of Jesus were brought back and hidden in the
mines. The two students sequester the letters in their apartment and plan a
secret return trip to the Mendig Mines with the financial assistance of Bruce’s
Uncle Edmond Plantard and with “a nod and a wink” from the Mines’ overseer, Mr.
Montpezat. Their private excavation unearths more than their wildest dreams.
Upon their return to Edinburgh, Michael reveals their secret to his sister,
“Liz-Me” (Elizabeth Marie) who works at the Roslyn Science Center, a state of
the arts bio-tech laboratory. She
volunteers to surreptitiously test samples from the artifacts through carbon
dating as well as run a few other biological tests on the samples. So far so
good, the students are on their way to archaeological fame and fortune, but
then things begin to go wrong… horribly wrong. To reveal more would be to
reveal too much. Thus begins the fast paced action and plot-counterplot
intrigue of this novel.

I have a few initial comments about
Seed of the Dogwood Tree. The book is
overstuffed. There is too much history, legends, and extra-Biblical mythology
in too compact a space. I love reading this type of material, but I want to
savor it in all its rich fullness. I would have liked a hearty serving of many
of these historic tales, but all I got was a large sampler platter. For the
amount of research that must have gone into filling in the background of this
novel, I would have enjoyed a much fuller treatment of it. In light of the
popularity of the “Left Behind” series, this novel could easily be expanded to
double or triple its length or converted to a multi-book series. While this
book does not have the professional polish or megabuck financing of the “Left
Behind” series, it has more intellectual substance. The characters are more
complex and “the powers and principalities” are not so obviously good or evil.
Evil in order to succeed must be marketed or at least be disguised as good in
order to convince the masses to buy into it. In this novel, for much of the
book I was not sure who was good and who was evil, who was telling the truth
and who was lying, who could be trusted and who could not be. For me, this is a
truer picture of the war between good and evil than winged seraphs and horned
demons. Finally, the book really needs to be re-edited. There are many minor
editorial problems such as double words and wrong words. I can overlook a few,
but the increases as the book goes on. The most glaring error is that “Chapter
2” has the header “Chapter 3”.

As to the background material, it
is researchable. The Mendip Mines do exist and you can check out the Mendip Nature Research Committee homepage. Obviously, the crusaders were real and
Baldwin was the first crusader king of Jerusalem. The Holy Grail mythology and
legends about Joseph of Arimathea and Mary Magdalene settling in Britain
abound. Holy Blood, Holy Grail by
Michael Baigent etal. is the most popular of the books about the secret
bloodline of Jesus, but there are many others. The suspected plots and
intrigues for religious and world domination by contemporary Templars and
Masons are still getting press even today. (I reviewed just such a book, Death in the Air, here last year.) Cicio
knows his material and this novel can be used as a sourcebook for hours of fun
researching the esoteric.

Greg Cicio describes
himself as a “radically saved/born-again Christian.” He was born in Washington,
DC and raised in Brooklyn, NY. He is
“the son of a long line of entertainers” including Walt Whitman. “Greg Cicio has written and co produced the
contemporary Christian music album “Desires of Kings” and has written numerous
business/professional materials.” Seed
of the Dogwood Tree (2002) is his first novel.

Seed
of the Dogwood Tree by Greg Cicio is a worthy addition to the genre of
inspirational apocalyptic literature. It is clearly Christian in orientation
and conversion in focus. (Expect an “altar call” sermon before the end of the
book.) In conclusion, if you like the “Left Behind” series and want more, or if
you like the idea behind “Left Behind” but found it to be too simplistic, Seed of the Dogwood Tree may be a good alternative.
The book is a bit overstuffed, badly in need of edited, but is fast paced, has
an interesting plot, realistic characters, and will keep you guessing. I would
recommend this book to Christian minded folk.

© 2002 Su Terry

Link: Author website

Su Terry: Education:
B.A. in History from Sacred Heart University, M.L.S. in Library Science from
Southern Connecticut State College, M.R.S. in Religious Studies/Pastoral
Counseling from Fairfield University, a M.Div. in Professional Ministry from
New Brunswick Theological Seminary, a Certificate in Spirituality/Spiritual
Direction from Sacred Heart University. She is a Licensed Minister of the
United Church of Christ and an Assistant Professor in Library Science at
Dowling College, Long Island, NY. Interests in Mental Health: She is interested
in the interplay between psychology, biology, and mysticism. Her current area
of research is in the impact of hormonal fluctuation in female Christian
mystics.

Categories: Fiction