The Last Day

Rating:
Summary: Started a huge argument
Review: This novel was our bookclub readers' choice for March. There are eleven of us in the group and I've never seen a book cause such a storm! Two people were very offended by it and would like to see the author "burn in hell." Three are on the fence, thinking it well written and researched, but with mixed emotions about the message. And six (of which I am one) think it's one of the most fabulous selections we've ever had. In restrospect, I would say you definitely need to have the right attitude going into this novel. To get the most out of it, you should set aside your predilections and take this story quite literally, as if the events depicted are actually happening (and not even the readers who hated the book would say that it couldn't happen). Once you look at the story through that lens, it takes on a whole new meaning with some profound implications. Which ever way the story affects you personally, I can tell you that not a one of us could put the book down and we all read it to the very last page. At the very least, it got all our adrenaline pumping.

Rating:
Summary: A must read
Review: To those readers who wrote reviews below to discourage me from reading this book, I just want you to know, you completely lost your credibility. This novel turned out to be one of the most interesting books I've ever read--everything you said it wasn't. The research that went into it is impressive, as is the writing. The very original storyline, the astonishing parables, the believable characters, (particularly the dark and enigmatic "Jeza"), the way the tension builds to the breaking point, phenomenal! I have to question the motives of someone trying so hard to keep people away from this novel. It smells of censorship. I'm buying extra copies to give to all my friends, and I'll do what I can to help spread the word about this excellent book.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing novel!
Review: Any book that gets a starred review from Kirkus, the Rolls Royce of critiques (see above), is a gem--but The Last Day is the Hope Diamond! I read it with delight in one sitting and I found it an extraordinary novel. It's very well written, the plot is fascinating and credibly developed, intelligent. It's a very fast paced suspense thriller with a message--a message that is thought provoking and refreshingly honest. This may be fiction, but it certainly points up some compelling truths which I'm sure some of the religions depicted in this story would just as soon we not know about. Will this book upset some people? You bet. It will upset anybody who thinks religion is above criticism. That should tell you something right there. But whether you read it for the astoundingly original story, or for what it has to say, you should read it. This is a classic tale of good and evil, with a neat twist.

Rating:
Summary: Hardly Novel
Review: This lengthy diatribe hardly qualifies as a novel. The characters, dialogue, and plot are so awful that one often cringes at the amateurish nature of them. What might be a simple-minded thriller is more of a old fashioned fundamentalist preachment against popery with New Age quackery as garnish. This may have seemed like a good idea when the original ideas were jotted on an agent's cocktail napkin but controversial concepts do not mean the writing can be an afterthought. As it is, this seems committee produced and uninspired. I gave up on organized religion long ago but still found the labored, elemetary harangue insulting - to my intelligence. This is the perfect argument against publishers spending long lunches with hacks where dollar signs dance in their heads. Whatever fire brigade tried to rescue this book just managed to fan the flames of the author's incompetence. They threw in everything they could remember from better books and made this one even worse. How many good novels languished so this could make a quick buck off the unsuspecting reader?

Rating:
Summary: Excellent+
Review: Have you ever read a book where you keep stopping to re-read sections because they delighted you so much? This book is so surprising. A gripping suspense that mixes action, mystery, philosophy and spirituality in a high-concept, mind-boggling thriller. The plot is fascinating and unpredictable. The tension begins in the first chapter and is unrelenting 'til the final page. Ihave to say, I've never read a story quite like this, and very much look forward to this author's next book.

Rating:
Summary: Unabashed fun
Review: There's a lot in this book to infuriate religious conservatives. What would happen if God sent another messiah to earth? What would the message be? I think this novel lays it right on the line, and very effectively. I could quote literally hundreds of terrific passages, but let me pick just one that speaks volumes: Jeza, the new messiah, travels to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome to meet with the pope for the very first time. The pope holds out his hand, hoping she'll kiss his ring and show the world her spiritual submission to him. Instead, she asks him: "Of what value is this gold ring you would have me kiss?" (The pope is taken off guard and doesn't answer. She continues, "And of what value is a life? If selling this ring would feed but one person, save but one life, would not its value increase a thousandfold? And if this ring would feed a thousand, would not its value increase a thousand times a thousand?" She quotes Matthew 19:21 (sell your treasures, give to the poor), and then calls out the fact that the Church has vast land holdings and the greatest concentration of art treasures in the world--worth billions. Wow! And this is only the beginning, folks. The right-on social criticisms and unvarnished truth in this book will make a lot of holier-than-thou people squirm. This novel is a maverick of religious satire and a welcome breath of fresh air in this age of I-know-what's-best-for-you Pat Robertsons and Jerry Falwells. Very entertaining! Go, Jeza, go!

Rating:
Summary: A controversial thriller
Review: Few books engage the mind and heart at the same time--this one grabs you by the soul, as well. This novel is NOT what it seems. Each page is a turn and twist as the book hurtles toward some astounding conclusions and a surprise ending. The plot is thoroughly suspenseful and the message thought provoking. This book explores lots of taboo subjects and many people are going to be VERY offended by it. DON'T read it if you don't like having your boat rocked. But if you enjoy complex, psychological thrillers, they don't come any better than this!

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: After reading the praise heaped on this book as well as the negative reviews, I felt let down when I read it. It really isn't very good. I didn't think much of the plot, characters, or writing and at over six hundred pages it was simply tedious. I don't know much about theology but I assume that what is presented in the book is supposed to be a joke? The Catholics get a real bashing and even though some of it may be attempted satire, it seemed rather ugly and disturbing. Most disturbing was the female messiah who was often hateful but more often surprizingly stupid. Very strange conglomeration of political correctness and goofy preaching there that seemed endless. The women are stereotypical and look to the men for guidance, but this novel is nothing but stereotypes. Overall, not too good and nothing to rave about. I agree with the review that says there are better and more thoughtful religious thrillers. Daniel Easterman is excellent and has never disappointed me like this. The Last Day would be the last book I would recommend to a friend because I regret having wasted my time with it when I could have been reading something worthwhile.

Rating:
Summary: Overlong & Overblown
Review: If 200 pages were cut and a lot of the preaching left out, it would be an ok thriller. A good premise is, unfortunately, ruined by the author's ego and overwrought writing. Plot and charcters are equally thin and take a backseat to the writer's compulsion to "enlighten" the poor reader. His messiah, "little Jeza", is about as unlikeable and silly a savior one could imagine. Frankly, I was rooting for the pope! A real misfire as a thriller and as a satire. Heavy handed hokum and pretentious gunk.

Rating:
Summary: Judge not, lest ye be judged!
Review: How can anyone who adds to the raging debate on this page have the self-righteousness to say that the philosophy/theology in this novel is flawed? What makes your religious beliefs superior to anyone else's? It just so happens that the theology in this novel parallels, in many ways, that of the international Baha'i Faith, of which I am a devout member. Unless God comes down and decides the issue Himself, no one has the justification to say his or her theology is accurate and someone else's is flawed. And after all, isn't that precisely the point this novel is trying to make? It's surprising to me that after reading this book's powerful message of religious tolerance, some people can't seem to get the hint.