Rating: 
Summary: NeoCon Wish-Fulfillment Fantasy
Review: It's been said many times before on Amazon, but this book is ludicrous tripe. A close friend recommended it to me so I picked it up expecting a good technothriller. What I got was a NeoCon tract, which linked Saddam with terrorists (check the newspaper on the flaws in that theory), takes pleasure in sadistic rites of passage (by Americans and Israelis at that, not the Iraqis!), and provides justification for the real war in Iraq to people who don't read the news. The entire plot to this novel (and probably the sequel) hinges on a NeoCon deux ex machina involving the discovery of huge oil deposits in Israel/Palestine. If all of this wasn't bad enough, the book is uninformed, unrealistic, racist, and homophobic. This author makes Tom Clancy look like Noam Chomsky. The pacing is haphazard, the character development is nonexistent, and the writing is lousy. In retrospect, maybe Clancy's new anti-terrorist thriller "Teeth of the Tiger" isn't so bad after all. Or if you really want to read a good conservative thriller, pick up one of William F. Buckley's Blackford Oaks novels.
Rating: 
Summary: A fresh, timely story makes for an admirable debut
Review: With the U.S. and Iraq engaged in a showdown, and the possibility of a war that could see the horrific use of weapons of mass destruction, Joel Rosenberg writes "The Last Jihad", a thriller that none-too-subtly reminds the public what the price may be for not taking out Saddam Hussein.For a debut in the world of fiction, Mr. Rosenberg has done admirably well. He takes advantage of a plot that is made all the more timely by real-life current events, and has crafted a fast-paced, intriguing thriller. The action starts off almost immediately, with an attempted attack on the presidential motorcade using a Gulfstream jet. It doesn't take much time to finger Iraq as the perpetrator, and so events roll from there, as an Israeli commando operation reveals Iraq's nuclear capacity. The Israelis give the U.S. one hour to take action before they fire a nuke on Iraq. The story catapults the reader through diplomatic, military, and personal machinations that culminate in nuclear weapons being unleashed. The bulk of "The Last Jihad" focuses on the character of Jon Bennett, a well-to-do financial strategist-turned-presidential aide. Not much time is spent fleshing out the character beyond his business career - serving to provide insight into the gas-oil deal that is brought into the story as a potential peace plan capstone between the Arabs and Israel. This is a mixed blessing; while the lack of character background and development allows the reader (and author) to stay focused on the plot, the downside is that the reader doesn't care as much what happens to the character, in that the character remains distant. So, in terms of the primal "rooting for the good guy", there is no impetus for wanting to root for the Jon Bennett character. If Mr. Rosenberg intends to write other fiction, and, more importantly, wants to make Jon Bennett the literary second coming of Jack Ryan, he will need to improve upon this aspect of storytelling. The character development - or lack of it - in regards to the President McPherson character in this story is interesting as well. The reader probably learns more about him than the Jon Bennett character, and are exposed to more of the emotional rationales behind his actions in the nuclear politics he engages in. I never could figure out if Mr. Rosenberg intended for President McPherson to be a Reagan-esque character in terms of determination and resolve. To me, this character had a strong Nixonian trait about him that made him one not to particularly like one way or the other. The bulk of the story revolves around the political and diplomatic happenings, demonstrating Mr. Rosenberg's obvious depth-of-knowledge and strength in this arena. The military descriptions and story threads are less descriptive and very basic, perhaps showing that Mr. Rosenberg is not well-versed in this area. It doesn't hurt him in terms of "The Last Jihad", but again, if he is to write follow-up books, he will need to expand upon his knowledge here. As with any first-time author, there are a few threads in the story that - overtly or not - are left hanging. There seemed to be a couple of little pieces here and there that could have been tied back in to the main plot, but weren't. However, these were not omissions that took anything significant away from the overall quality of the story. The main "agenda", if you will, that Mr. Rosenberg seems to be not-so-subtly pushing in this book is that of having to deal with Saddam Hussein at once. One cannot help but ignore that he advocates removal of Hussein before he strikes out in some way at Israel, the U.S., or another ally. This message becomes more evident as the plot unfolds. As it pertains to current events in early 2003, this works just fine. When the time comes that Saddam Hussein is removed from power - and when Iraq is not as large a focus on the national consciousness as it is now - this message may not play as well. Readers with Democrat/liberal leanings may pick up this book and be turned off by the rave reviews found on the jacket from the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Steve Forbes. They may also be turned off somewhat by the obvious conservative bent in political discussions in the story. But, if those readers are that hung up on politics, they would be well-served to avoid this book. But for those who can set political leanings aside, this book will be well worth the time. Outside of a few very minor glitches and the character aspects noted above, "The Last Jihad" is an outstanding debut for Mr. Rosenberg. He has crafted a great story that has fantastic pacing, and takes the political thriller in an exciting new direction. This reader hopes that he will write again. I give "The Last Jihad" four stars, and heartily recommend it all except those who are irritated by the reviews of conservative media figures and politicians, since they will not get past that and enjoy what is a very good story.
Rating: 
Summary: A nightmare scenario
Review: One of the most timely books published recently concerns an assassination attempt on the US President by Middle Eastern terrorists sent by Saddam Hussein. The fear is that Saddam has the bomb and, in a last desperate move, wants to use it against either the US or Israel. The result could be a nuclear holocaust. The President tags his friend, Wall Street wonder, Jon Bennett to be part of a negotiating team sent to Israel to get them to hold off on attacking Iraq after a provocative incident. Much is at stake including millions of lives.
Joel C. Rosenberg's debut novel sets into motion a nightmare scenario which is, unfortunately, all too probable. It is the realism of the situation that is the major strength of this work. In the initial part of the book, the author shows himself to be a skilled novelist in terms of setting up a deadly situation and pacing the reader through it in such a way as to maximize suspense and virtually keep the pages flying. However, in the second half, the plot, the characters and the situation are a bit too over the top requiring some major suspension of belief in reality. It, overall, paints a bleak picture of the Iraq crisis. Let's hope this remains only a part of the fertile imagination of this political strategist and debut author.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Put It Down
Review: Let me start by saying, I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good action and "ripped from the headlines" (I hate that phrase) plots. I don't read alot of fiction but when I do, I love a good political thriller. Rush Limbaugh turned me on to Vince Flynn and I love his books. So when Rush so vehemently praised "The Last Jihad", I thought I'd give it a try. I was a little turned off because A) I thought this guy was trying to capitalize on 9/11 and B) I'm used to Mitch Rapp, Vince Flynn's hero; a real macho terrorist-killing machine. Rosenberg's hero is a...Wall Street strategist?!! Oy Vey! But I have to admit, I LOVE THIS BOOK!! I couldn't put it down and read it in 11 days, a major feat for me. The action is non stop and there is not a wasted scene in the entire book. Rosenberg doesn't bog you down with minute details, and I noted one inaccuracy in a shoot out, but otherwise this book was amazing. I don't read these books for thorough character development and intellectual dialogue. But I enjoyed the characters and the dialogue seemed real to me, but it won't win any literary awards. I just got "The Last Days" and attended a book signing last night. I can't wait to see where this leads.
Rating: 
Summary: Non-stop action!
Review: This was a really good book. It starts out with an attack on POTUS, which is almost successful. What follows is a book full of mystery and intrigue. The assasins had help from the inside, but who? The plot is traced to Iraq, which threatens the world with a nuclear weapon, and it's up to the United States to take care of the problem before Israel does. If I say much more about the plot it would ruin it for those who haven't yet read it. However, it was obviously written before the current war against Iraq, and before U.S. soldiers dispatched Saddam's evil sons to meet their Maker. Therefore, some of the events mentioned in the book won't match recent history. Initially, I was going to only give the book 4 stars because of the somewhat abrupt ending. My comment was going to be: "There had BETTER be a sequel," because there were so many things left unresolved. BUT, I heard an advertisement last night for, yes, the sequel! I'm looking forward to starting it. This book is definately written from a conservative slant--a hard-core liberal might not enjoy it as much as us conservatives.
Rating:
Summary: Please, we've suffered enough ...
Review: If you're looking for an unlikely story populated with Saturday morning cartoon hero and villain stereotypes, "The Last Jihad" fills the bill. It lurches along a crude, poorly researched plot-line that culminates in well-telegraphed, brutish wish fulfillment. It's an unending drone of inane situations and dialog punctuated with so many product placements that you'll have to check the cover to be sure you didn't pick up a Sharper Image catalog by mistake. It's a howler right down there with Plan 9 from outer space.
Rating:
Summary: Inaccuracies galore
Review: I've spent the last few years working on in-vehicle navigation systems; it was new to me that GPS receivers actually transmit back and can be traced, or that anyone has actually digital maps of Iraq in a commercial product... The rest of the book is just as bad. If you want to read technothrillers by someone who really knows what they're talking, read anything by John J. Nance.
Rating:
Summary: The Last Jihad
Review: The Last Jihad is a political thriller set a few years into the future and revolves around the now fictional possibility of what could have happened during President MacPherson's presidency had the re-elected President Bush pulled out of Iraq before Saddam Hussein was captured. Now, in2010, Saddam attempts to assassinate the President of the United States, along with the leaders of England, France, and Saudi Arabia. Then Israel foils an attempted SCUD launch pointed at Tel Aviv. MacPherson then sends one of his senior advisors (Jon Bennett), a CIA operative (Erin McCoy), and an FBI agent (Deek Black) to Israel to attempt to convince them not to nuke Iraq. But before they reach Prime Minister Doron, terrorists again attack them.
The book is and excellent combination of action and explanation, while still keeping the events potentially real. The book did get confusing due to the large number of characters, but it's not enough to deter a person from reading the book. It does leave you hanging at the end, but it is continued in the sequel: The Last Days, another excellent book by Joel C. Rosenberg. The Last Jihad is an overall excellent book and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for amore realistic fictional novel.
Rating:
Summary: Advertisement disguised as a novel
Review: When I began this book, I was slightly distracted by what seemed to be pointed references to brand names and products. As I continued, I was no longer distracted; I was appalled and disgusted. Apparently Rosenberg was looking for some kickbacks from Coke, M&M's, Blackberries, etcetcetcetc, because they are mentioned AD NAUSEUM. That's about all I came away with after reading this book - commercials. Sure, the plot is remotely engaging, but the characters are a bit flat and the dialogue is laughable at times. I zoomed through it and I suppose that has to do with a fast-paced plot. If you're looking for a book that feels like you're being interrupted for a commercial message every 2 pages, this one might be for you. I consider it a waste of paper (and I am also disappointed that it was so highly recommended by sources I held in high regard).
Rating:
Summary: Fast Paced -Couldnt Put It Down
Review: This is an excellent book. Better than Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlam in that it motors along. Most of the plot is quite plausible. Espeically the part linking IRAQ to terroists. PS....The other reviewer who posted a there is no Iraq Terrorist link is delusional.
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