Rating: Summary: Mind blowing! Review: This is one of themost authentically original novels I've evr read. The plotting is intricate and suspensful and the story is spellbinding all the way thru. After reading it for the 2nd time, I realized just how much I'd missed the 1st. The author has hidden losts of little clues throughout that aren't really necessary to a full appreciation of the story, but add lots of spice. Some are very funny once you realize what's going on. I have couple questions that I couldn't figure out. Is the cardinal, Antonio di Concerci truly evil, or is he merely following the dictates of his conscience. It seems it could go either way. An interestng character. Also, at the begining of the story, the "frail white arms" that rescue Jeza from the explosion--who do they belong to. Great book and I cant wait for the next from this author.
Rating: Summary: Very interesting and different Review: By just about every measure, this is a fine book that I found exceptionally well written and thoroughly enjoyable. My only complaint about it concerns some of the more controversial elements it introduces. I didn't see the need to "stir the waters" to the extent this author has, but I admire the risks he takes in doing so, and the arguments that are presented here bear sober consideration. What I enjoyed most was the drama, which was high caliber, intelligent, and fast moving throughout. The story is very well told, and the tension at times is absolutely wrenching. Who--or what--this messiah really is, and how this involved (and involving) story resolves itself, makes for fascinating, absorbing reading. Warning: this book will upset religious conservatives!
Rating: Summary: Eloquent and honest Review: I haven't read a novel more intersting or provocative in years. A revealing look at religion's inflexible grip on modern society as it passes into the new millennium. This author takes organized religion by the its inverted collar, gives it a vigorous shaking, and casts out all that's wrong with it. This gripping story unfolds during the tense and frightening crescendo of an imminent Judgment Day. Before the "divine messenger" in this story is finished with her "mission," she leaves the corrupt and self-righteous religious hypocrites in ruin, while preserving all that's good about religion. Marvelous story, beautifully written!
Rating: Summary: Spiritual dynamite! Review: Hugely engaging and exciting, this is one of the best reads of the year--no, the decade. This novel has some of the most powerful prose to attack contemporary prejudices since "To Kill a Mockingbird." Example: There's a terrific scene where the evil Cardinal Di Concerci has the female messiah in front of a world council of religions and is attempting to set theological traps for her. He says to her: "...Homosexuality is counter to nature. It mocks the natural, sacred act of procreation and the continuance of the species, and is condemned clearly and often in the Bible. Do you also condemn homosexuality?" Her answer: "Does your priestly celibacy not mock the natural, sacred act of procreation and the continuation of the species?" Whoa! She goes on to point out that the homosexual is no more responsible for his or her condition than is a person born deaf or blind or lame, and therefore, the condition of homosexuality is "as impassive to moral proscription as the dominance of one's hand." Rather than condemn the homosexual, she cautions that they must be "mindful of the word of God, injurious to no one, protective of the innocent," and instead, she condemns the self-righteous who persecute homosexuals! Pretty explosive stuff! And this is but one of the dozens of religious sacred cows this excellent book gores. No wonder some people are going ballistic over this novel--it makes mincemeat out of judgmentalists. This is far more than just a good, well-written thriller. It's also a wonderfully sensitive and compassionate story that challenges (and soundly defeats) some of religion's most enduring and destructive mind sets. Read it if you you'd like to enjoy a refreshingly honest and intelligent insight into contemporary society.
Rating: Summary: GREAT BOOK!!!!! Review: I loved it!! So will you! I also would recommend 'THE FIST OF GOD' by A.T. Nicholas. A great supernatural thriller.
Rating: Summary: Boorish Nonsense Review: This reads like a screed from a New Age born again simpleton. No doubt Christianity needs a comeuppance, but the alternative here is idiocy. I didn't finish the thing because it was completely vapid and banal. Organized religion deserves a horse whipping for its arrogance and this author writes with a wet noodle. Its got to be the worst novel published in years and one of the most overinflated exercises in bad writing, ignorance, and self-hype ever. I wouldn't look for that movie version of this classic until the next millenium.
Rating: Summary: A real rush Review: This is a well put together story. From page one you have no idea where the plot is going, only that it's hurtling on the edge of a cliff and all you can do is hold on for dear life. It takes you all over the world through an emotional Waring blender to a great climax, wrapping it up in an unexpected way, back where it all started. I enjoyed the relationship between the main character Jon Feldman and Hunter, his big, obnoxious guy, cameraman. One of my favorite lines in the whole book is when Cissy, Hunter's on-again-off-again girlfriend, describes his philandering ways. She warns another woman "You'll have to excuse Hunter's retarded social graces--he spent his formative years in a home for unwed fathers and simply doesn't know any better." Fun reading. I highly recommend.
Rating: Summary: Unrelenting Tedium Review: This is one ponderous monster of a novel that lasts forever. There isn't a believeable person in the whole book. The women were all airheads looking to some pretty stupid men for guidance. Why couldn't the female savior at least have acted like she had a brain. I could buy the evil cardinals' cabal, but that confederacy of cartoon dunces just ended-up lame. There are too many long speeches, too many dumb parables, and too many pages where nothing happens. It finally limps to a conclusion that is a real dud. So many here have mentioned the bad writing that I won't mention it again, but I was shocked something like this was actually in hardcover briefly. It doesn't seem likely that even one of those vanity presses would put out gunk like this.
Rating: Summary: I LOVED IT!!!! Review: The LAST DAY was a great read. It wasn't as long as I thought it would be. The story is good enough to make you forget the lenght of the novel. ***** There's another book out there called, 'THE FIST OF GOD' by A.T. Nicholas. It's a great supernatural thriller. Five stars for that one too! I highly recommend it.
Rating: Summary: My sentiments, exactly Review: I'm quoting from the St. Louis Public Library Reivew, which better sums up my views of this novel than I can: ". . . If God were to send a new messiah to vist the churches that serve him today, would they even recognize Him? According to this intriguing parable, "NO!" Especially if that new messiah were to arrive in the guise of a beautiful young woman. The premise for The Last Day is fascinating, and executed to perfection. Jeza, the young messiah, is a spellbinding character, cast in the roll of a modern day Christ--which is no small undertaking for a seasoned writer. But this first-time author pulls it off with great style and wit. Jeza is a complex character with an ancient-world charisma and a mesmerizing biblical eloquence--she speaks as if she stepped right from the pages of the New Testament. Her insights and observations about the state of current society and religion around her are refreshing, bold, and often quite hilarious. In her clash with modern-day Christianity, she stirs up a world-wide madness, dividing the big-time religions into pro and con factions until all hell breaks loose. This is an edge-of-the-seat thriller, told at break-neck pace. And despite the nature of the topic, The Last Day is an optimistic, upbeat novel. The surprise ending is a special treat. Not to be missed." Amen!
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