Rating: Summary: Okay Thriller Review: No, I didn't think this book was anything special. The way it's written, the plot, and characters are below average. But I didn't find it offensive. What is offensive is how anyone critical of this book is accused of being a right wing crazy out to suppress truth. The book hardly deserves that kind of attention. And what's really offensive is how the privilege of reviewing this book is abused by a few obsessed fans of it to stack the deck and insult those who didn't care for the book. Get a life! Click on some of these names and see the way multiple reviews have been posted. Amazon's been notified and some reviews have been removed. These people are juvenile and are near the edge when they steal identities (verified by Amazon). I hope this is posted because it needs to be said. This is posted without name for obvious reasons.
Rating: Summary: A good book Review: I read this and found it an excellent, very well written supernatural mystery novel. If there's bad writing anywhere in this 660 pages, I'll be damned if I saw it! This is as good a read as I've ever enjoyed, and anyone who is surprised and upset at the content of this novel should have done a better job of reading the professional reviews listed above. They give an objective and forthright opinion of the novel and point out that it will be challenging for some readers. I have no pity on the reader who gets upset with the material in the story when he's had ample warning that it is controversial. Look before you leap!
Rating: Summary: Most unusual Review: I thought any book that can get 700 people squabbling and arguing is worth a look, and it was. This novel is every bit as contentious as it appears. It creates a huge tug of war between religious factions over whether or not a mysterious young woman is a true messiah. But the really interesting thing about this novel is the way it accomplishes this. It uses actual scripture and bilbical references to build the foundation for the story, then unleashes both sides against one another in a brilliant ideological battle. The result is a nail-biter that propels you forward at a frenetic pace. It's impossible to leave this book once you start it, and the further I got into it, the more startling and frightening it became. This is the most unique story I've ever read.
Rating: Summary: Excellent Review: I can't speak to the controversy around this novel, but I can say it's one heck of an exciting ride as a thriller. It kept me guessing all the way thru. A challenging, surprising storyline that is as suspenseful as they come.
Rating: Summary: A sensational story Review: I'd like to add my voice to the chorus of support for this book, please. I found THE LAST DAY simply wonderful, on all counts. It is a rivetting, suspenseful tale. It is also a fabulously rich and well-written novel that presents a wealth of experiences, perspectives, and provocative ideas. That it has run afoul of some religions, I am not surprised. Few major religions are secure enough in their theology to weather some of the well-tuned criticisms leveled in this novel. In typical fashion, instead of listening and responding positively, these religions resort to attacks and denial. Have we learned so little in 2000 years? The world would be a far better place if more people subscribed to the sensible philosophy expressed in this novel.
Rating: Summary: Unimpressive Debut Review: An unimpressive debut by this author who shows he knows little about how to make a thriller interesting. Turgid prose and outlandish characters are part of the problem, but the agenda, however one interprets it, was dull and oppressive. Don't Preach! I get enough dry lectures in grad school, thanks. The rebellious clone has been done to death by now, as has the nonconformist messiah. But since this is a first effort and it must have taken forever to type this dinosaur manuscript, 2 stars.
Rating: Summary: You got to wonder what some of these reviewers are smoking. Review: Maybe it's the millennium bringing these people out of the woodwork but there are some strange messages mixed in with these reviews. A guy below (ramonam@earthlink.net) writes in to complain that someone's stolen his name to post a review here. A quick find/search shows no such thing! The fundamentalists and religious right rant and rave about what this novel has to say, hating the way it baffoons bigtime religion. They accuse this novel of everthing under the sun! Nothing could better prove this novel's points about religious extremism! Obviously, this book's prophecies about millennarian fanatics are coming true!
Rating: Summary: Silly Nonsense Review: This is not much of a thriller. As for some kind of deep meaning, is someone kidding? The "message" of this book is downright silly and casting this author as some kind of brilliant iconoclast is like calling the staff of Weekly World News journalists. The plot is dumb, the characters cartoonish, and the sermonizing laughable. The clunky writing is pure misery.And there's too much writing! Over-the-top, silly nonsense, and a bizare ego-trip for a writer that never knows when enough is enough. It does succeed in killing many hours of a reader's life, if that's what you want in a book.
Rating: Summary: A fine novel Review: Of course this novel gets the religious right in a snit! Any book that is a) anti patriarchal and supportive of women, b) critical of church excesses, wealth and elitism, and c) protective of minorities persecuted by intolerant religious beliefs (read homosexuals), is going to bring the holy righteous down on its neck. That this novel is so good at making fools of all this sanctimonious nonsense is witnessed in the outrageous controversy it's created. May this book give heartburn to Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Gary Bauer and all the other Big Brothers out there.
Rating: Summary: Count my vote! Review: I agree, this book is brilliant. There are literally thousands of passages worthy of quoting. Toward the effort to support this wonderful novel against the "moral" majority trying to defeat it, I'll offer one of my favorite quotes. (This comes toward the end of the novel, so anyone who hasn't read it yet needs to be mindful of that)."Feldman (the male reporter in the story who befriends Jeza, the messiah) used to wonder where God was. Why he couldn't find Him, why he couldn't see Him, no matter how hard he tried. And now he knew: It's all in HOW you look at Him. Seeing God is something we all knew how to do once, and somehow managed to forget a long, long time ago. To see God is simple. It's exactly like Jeza said. We must look with the eyes of a child. Not straining and forcing and prying at God with the crowbars of theology. But relaxedly, with innocence and wonderment and faith. Like experiencing the three-dimensional images of a child's magic-eye picture book. God is easy to find becaue He's everywhere. But mostly, Feldman realized, God is within. And that's where it's best to find Him. In our own personal temple. Our own church of the self." I just love that crowbar line. In other words, pompous, know-it-all theologians, take a hike! Not a well written novel? The obvious truth is, this book's potent message about throwing off the trappings of organized religion and getting down to a genuine, one-on-one relationship with God is a real threat to the religious right. That's why they want to suppress it. And that's why this book gets all the support I can give. Good job, Mr. Kleier!
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