Rating: 
Summary: Excellent plot, exciting themes!
Review: I have long been a fan of Jensen's Gabriel Knight mysteries, but was leery of her seeming millenial frenzy. Don't let the cheesy title scare you off! This is a great thriller - it's what I would imagine it would be like if The X-Files investigated the Apocalypse. Even halfway through the book when a big chunk of information is revealed, Jensen keeps you guessing until the last chapter, when you finally understand how all the details (seemingly thrown in for background) fit together.The themes of redemption, trust, faith, and honor run throughout. No one is evil or saintly - the reader can at least understand, if not agree with, all motivations. Deauchez's personal journey - from skepticism to faith in the human spirit - really drives the story. This is not just a religious or apocalypse novel (and doesn't have too much to do with the millenium). You won't want to put it down!
Rating:
Summary: I Lucked Out
Review: I just happened by this book while looking to use up a gift certificate. It is EXCELLENT. Read it and i think you'll agree, nothing else needs to be said.
Rating: 
Summary: Exciting Reading!
Review: I love books that catch your interest beginning with the first paragraph, and Millennium Rising does just that. And once Ms Jensen gets your interest, she doesn't let it go! The premise is timely and Ms Jensen has put together an incredible story based on the predictions of the Apocolypse. A must read!
Rating:
Summary: Make this the last book you read before the new millennium.
Review: I was pleased to have been chosen to receive an advance readers' copy of Millennium Rising. Millennium Rising combines all the elements we've seen on CNN during the last decade of the twentieth century...the stripping of the rain forests in Brazil, weather upheavals like El Nino and La Nina, outbreaks of strange new diseases such as the Ebola and Hanta viruses, drought and famine, the rise of religious fanaticism, terrorism...and ties this chaos to centuries-old end-of-the-world prophecies of our major religions...the Seven Signs, for example. Jane Jensen has done an excellent job of spinning a thriller that, at times, reminded me of epic movies like Close Encounters of the Third Kind for its sense of world-spanning awe, and Independence Day for its scale of global destruction, but instead of aliens, we have 24 "messengers" of God and a string of apocalyptic events. Through the central characters and their experiences, I was also reminded of The X-Files, Outbreak and All The President's Men. Father Deauchez and New York Times reporter Simon Hill, the Woodward and Bernstein of the novel, take us on quite a thrill ride and never let go of their grip on us. Their quest for the Truth exposes us to some really interesting heroes and villains along the way. Millennium Rising shows how the end of the world just might come to pass. If you think that the Y2K bug is going to cause an end to civilization as we know it, I recommend that you read Millennium Rising while you still have time!
Rating:
Summary: Certainly my type of book
Review: I'm a fan of many different kinds of fiction but I have to admit I like this kind the best. A great mixture of sci-fi, mystery, prophecy, and religion (enough to make the reader feel like maybe the world really ISN'T coming to an end.) As a college student the last thing I have time for is fiction but I gladly sacrificed my spare time to read Millenium Rising! I eagerly look forward to Jane's next book.
Rating:
Summary: Millennium Rising - A Star Rising
Review: If you are looking for a thriller, look no further. This book is addictive; it is both timely and preternatural. The story is crammed with facts relating to prophesy and comparative religion, which envelope compelling investigative characters. It doubles as sci-fi thriller and crime thriller. Patricia Cromwell is the nation's crime thriller, but we now have something more in Jane Jensen. Jane, we await book number 2.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting thriller
Review: In 2005, residents of Santa Pelagia, Mexico claim they are seeing visions of saints and gods. Father Michele Deauchez comes to the poverty-stricken town to authenticate or debunk the so-called findings. Other visitors begin to arrive including New York Times reporter Simon Hill. Simon and Michele think a major conspiracy is behind the Santa Pelagia incidents and plan to prove it. As evidence mounts to defend an otherworldly visitation, the Apocalypse as obscurely defined in Revelations seems to be coming true. The Pope wants Michele to continue his investigation until the truth is revealed. However, someone kills the Pope and Michele's inquires are abruptly ended by the Vatican before he can decide if the heavenly doomsday clock has started ticking or is some major group arranging a giant hoax for some personal agenda? MILLENIUM RISING is an exciting thriller that leaves the audience wondering if the end of the world has begun or is it a mix of big business, big government, and big religion pulling the strings. The story line blends headline news into an apocalyptic future. The characters never develop and even the good guys fail to attain empathy even when they are under attack, but the non-stop action and the clever plot easily overcomes that. Jane Jensen provides sub-genre fans with an enjoyable doomsday tale.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable Plot, But You Better Believe the Action
Review: In the Book of Revelations, there is plague, famine, and death. Lots of death. And so, in direct correlation to these three signs of the apocalypse, the prophetic novel, "Millennium Rising", by Jane Jensen, shows us what the apocalypse could be if we believed and what it dares to be if we don't. From the opening of chapter one, we are plunged deep into action and intrigue, as a mysterious religious sighting occurs in a small Mexican village, with witnesses coming out of it claiming a message has been sent to them bearing news of the coming apocalypse. For the first hundred pages or so, the book dwells on the religious background of what this message could mean, with numerous references to the Bible and from the Vatican. For those who desire a less pious read, fear not, as after the initial introduction and setting are established, things go from a theological to a conspiratorial backbone, as science (or psuedoscience as the case may be) and government cover-ups take place among the vertebra. In the blundest of brutish terms, one could say that things get. . . interesting. As the plot gallops forward, and it does indeed run like the wind as each scene proceeds like a snowball down a hill as suspense and action dissolve into one huge landslide, conspiracies breed upon conspiracies and just as you begin to notice that these plots are quite rabbit-like, you realize one thing - how completely and wholly unbelievable this novel really is. And as you find yourself even chuckling over the outrageousness of this fictional proposal you realize another thing - that you just can't put the book down. Part of this dual relationship Jensen presents is due to the characters. The protagonists you care about. The antagonists, well, you hate with such passion that you may find yourself gritting your teeth everytime their name is mentioned; or not, depending on your nature. Either way, each person is sculpted to stick out in your mind, but this comes at a price, as all featured chcaracters are stereotypical, ranging from a French priest who says 'oui' just often enough so that we don't forget he's French, to an almost comic portrayal of a British pop star with an outrageously contrived name to match. These paper-thin personas are most likely products from the author's career as a computer game designer. Also, a poignant fact remains that this book is without any atrong female characters, which is somewhat surprising considering the sex of the author. However, before we belittle every Adamite in the novel, we must bear in mind what this book is really about - plot. While this work can be critically acclaimed for strong originality and for presenting an exceptional attempt at a tricky and comlicated subject, there are valleys and rifts which obstruct an otherwise smooth literary landscape. For example, there are almost too many contrived coincedences throughout the story and too many easy outs can and do make readers feel cheated. Also, due to some highly complicated events, certain explanations are witheld, leaving us to wonder whether Jensen has taken on more than she can chew. And if you really want to nit-pick, despite the global catastrophies and international chicanery going on, there is little if any mention of an entire continent: Australia. But, to put all surgical instruments away to keep us from disecting the work completely, one cannot deny the fact that the reader is kept interested until the very end and the characterization and plotline are as intriguing and complete as they can possibly be, given the genre. Fans of conspiracy theory/horror/sci-fi books will be pleased and for the rest of you, if you put all common sense and rational thinking out with the dog, you'll have a good read too, as the bottom line for 'Millennium Rising' is as follows: entertaining? Yes. Believeable? No. But then again, isn't that what escape fiction is all about?
Rating:
Summary: This is a spine-tingling race with world disctuction.
Review: Jane Jensen has managed to debunk every major religion in every nation of the globe. Even the oceans are tearing apart! Could it be the displeasure of God, who (as predicted in Revelation as well as other oracle-type sources) can no longer tolerate human sinfulness? The reader is lead through bizarre catastrophic events with a Catholic priest whose job it is to investigate possible miracles for the Vatican. If the special effects could be managed, this book would make an epic terror film! Jensen's style is the "creep up behind you but make you wait" sort. You think you know what will happen, but you are wrong! Her characters are all-too-human, and often drawn with wry humor. She takes the reader all over the globe, with the sense that we will be too late to save the world. The whole plot, when finally revealed, will surprise the reader and make him/her question opinions held throughout the work. The ending was fantastic! This book has everything- religion, skepticism, love, revenge, sabotoge, followers, leaders, prophesy, death, disease, cures, bravery, cowardice,humor, and despair. Read it and you'll be on the edge of your seat.Move over, Stephen King!
Rating:
Summary: Very satisfying read
Review: Jane Jensen impressed me with the stories in the Gabriel Knight series of computer games, and has further impressed me with this book. It is great at creating suspense, and surprises you at several points. I'd call it a "thinking man's thriller". I won't spoil and story elements, so I'll just say that science fiction and thriller fans will both like this, as well as people who like a "different look" on religious beliefs. Again, I highly recomend this book, and I look forward to Jensen's next book: Dante's Equation.
|
