Rating: 
Summary: Perhaps some are missing the point?
Review: True, this is a sprawling novel, and it could have benefitted by a bit more editing. However, this series gives a more plausible -- and Biblical -- fictional treatment of the Second Coming of Christ than the LEFT BEHIND books, and that is a strength that editing or the lack of same wouldn't have touched, for good or bad. Good writing is commendable, desirable. I've read better (and worse) plots. Yes, sometimes the dialogue seems to be a bit dramatic, almost as though written by a well-meaning high school student who just doesn't know when to be embarrassed by hocum. But I find myself, as I read this, looking at my own relationship to God, and wondering how I would react if I found myself in the same diabolical circumstances. The novel -- and this series -- pushes me toward setting my own house in order, and seeking a closer relationship with Christ, and that ain't bad work. Read this if you get half a chance.
Rating:
Summary: Creepy...
Review: Using real events and facts from Canadian society, Michael O'Brien paints a frightening picture of a possible future where the government is no longer accountable to the people and religious tolerance takes a giant leap backwards. I loved this book, it's exciting and thought-provoking. It never avoids the issues, but tackles them head-on. The author isn't afraid of disaster. An excellent read.
Rating:
Summary: Coming to a movie screen near you...
Review: What a page turner this one is. A priest is called out of seclusion at a monastery by the Pope (a thinly disguised Pope John Paul II) for a spiritual mission. The book follows his re-entry into a world that has strayed far from the one he abandoned when he entered the monastery. The Count Smokerev section of the book is like a novelette within the novel and tells an unforgettable, beautiful story of sin and mercy and redemption. This book is an apocalypse. Not the apocalypse, but a fictional apocalypse. The ending in some ways is a little bit unsatisfactory in that the story is so compelling you want it to keep going on and on. A brilliant piece of fiction. Word has it that it is currently being adapted into a screenplay.
| 
