Last Day Abridged

Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: It amazing to me as an editor at a New York house that stuff like this ever gets published. The concept is excellent, but the author lacks the basic ability to tell a story. I doubt the best editor could have salvaged the kind of writing on exhibit here, but at nearly 500 pages, there is no evience anyone even tried. If a million was paid for screen rights, the author won the lottery.

Rating:
Summary: I loved it!
Review: What a great read! This is easily one of the most fascinating and entertaining books of the year. I absolutely could not second guess this author, and the ending is a knockout. The use of the Fatima prophecies was brilliant and hair-raising. The way the author wove factual data and actual scriptural history into the plot was inspired. While it was a challenge at times to keep everything straight in this complex story (I had to go back and re-read the Apotheosis sections several times), the payoff was well worth it. I found this a most stimulating and thoroughly enjoyable novel.

Rating:
Summary: Solid story
Review: As a book critic for a midwest newspaper, I found this an exceptional book, and I'd like to weigh in on the situation that's occuring here on this page regarding the hateful bent of some of these "reviews." Whenever you have a book that deals with any aspects of religion--doesn't matter on which side of the coin the message falls--you're going to encounter this sort of targeted negativism. I know from personal experience, having received dozens of protest letters for stances I've taken on certain "hot" issues. Many times, as is obviously the case with 90% of these nasty reviews (same redundant message and writing style), it's one person writing all the "hate mail." These people get fixated on someone or something and become obsessed with it. It's very similar to stalking syndrome. I regret that this sort of thing has happened here to The Last Day, which is a superb novel and worthy of wide readership. But that's the nature of an open forum like this. Perhaps it's time for the readers to ask amazon.com to step in and block this sort of thing. Irrespective, The Last Day is an excellent book, I rate it very highly (I never award 10's!), and recommend it as an intelligent and thought-proviking read.

Rating:
Summary: Good Lord
Review: As a English Lit teacher myself, I am horrified at the possibility that a fellow educator could recommend this tripe. Are we speaking of the same rubbish? I attempted to wade through Mr. Kleier's prose over Easter break and finally abandoned it for something more worthy. I can't see how anyone could mistake such blather as meaningful or even entertaining. Some departments must have thrown out their standards. I only comment now lest there be a misunderstanding: Last Day isn't a good thriller and it sure ain't literature! Writing like this is only a step above comic books. Thad Silver

Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: How could anyone in their right mind deny the intelligence of this novel? If some reviewers don't get it, maybe they should try using a dictionary on occasion! I agree that there is an agenda behind some of the negative reviews appearing here, and I deplore the mental midgetry behind it. Please, take the bigotry and small mindedness back to Waco, Texas. Or better yet, to Heaven's Gate. This book is brilliant, and the fear it's instilled in self-righteous guts out there is what's drawing so many readers to the novel. I defy anyone to read one single chapter of this book and find anything less than masterful suspense.

Rating:
Summary: I Don't See It
Review: I don't see how anyone could possibly consider this lackluster novel either well written or "important." Pretensious and pompous, definitely. Long, boring, and amateurish, correct you are. Insulting to women, Catholics, and Jews, indeed. Entertaining, enlightening, or worth one's time, not a chance. I expected more after reading this page's outstanding reviews and I absolutely ended up reading a very large, tedious piece of garbage with nothing to recommend it. Believe it or not my paranoid readers.

Rating:
Summary: Read These Reviews
Review: The reviews on this page are far more entertaining than the book! They are certainly more thoughtful and intelligent. For the most part, the reviews are also better written (but that is faint praise). I would wait a little while for the paperback, try to find this on a bestseller or awards list, and enjoy these reviews in the meantime. You will save yourself some money and have a more meaningful experience. Or wait until the tv writer makes some sense of this ridiculous mess in the "highly anticipated miniseries." Oh, Wow.

Rating:
Summary: Fair
Review: Fair thriller but awful long and wordy. Many of the people were unbelievable and dumb as doorposts. No way Jeza could be for real. I think the writer was so busy getting his grudge against churches across that he derailed his story halfway through. Could have been a lot better. The guy from NY here is spooky with his url finder so I won't leave my addy.

Rating:
Summary: Amused
Review: I'm amused by the persistence of the reviewer(s) here that find it incomprehensible that anyone who isn't part of a "conspiracy", a fanatic, or mentally ill could possibly give Last Day less than the highest rating. Here I am, hopefully none of the above. While I found the basis of the story fascinating, it was quickly lost in terrible writing. The characters are very poorly defined, especially Jeza, who gets more irritating as the story lumbers along. I thought the religious "message" which is delivered ad nauseum (big religion is bad) was hardly unique. It seems to me this is an average thriller, very roughly written, which seems, for some odd reason, to be taken too seriously by gullible readers. Discriminating readers might check those claims of fantastic press reviews for themselves. Just my humble opinion. Greg Tobin

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Review: I have to compliment the author on an exquisitely written novel. This is a compelling story with fascinating twists and deftly rendered characterizations you just don't see in a first time work like this. The clever touches (easy to miss if you're not on your toes), the attention to detail, the complexities--all indicative of a master story teller. I look forward to the next efforts from this gentleman.