Judgment Day [Mass Market Paperback]

Before reading JUDGMENT DAY, there were only three books in my lifetime that I stayed up till all hours of the night to read. They were FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC by V.C. ANDREWS, SWAN SONG by ROBERT R. McCAMMON, and STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND. Well, I've just spent the last two nights up very late reading JUDGMENT DAY, and it's a true winner!

Like me, you may have read the LEFT BEHIND series and come away with a bad taste in your mouth. The less-than-acceptable writing, the bland, unlovable characters, and the stock, vengeful Jesus. Very Disappointing. With JUDGMENT DAY, the writing is superb (King and Koontz, watch out!), the characters are real and you care about them, and the religious zeal is second to the science fiction.

I never review books by going over the plot... you can read the book and find out the plot for yourself. I review the writing, the characters, and the quality of the book. Well, this one is a winner in every single catagory. Something that is very important to me in a book is characters you can truly identify with, characters you can truly care about. This book has those characters.

Imagine if you will, fundamentalist Christians with the power of space travel and the desire to separate themselves from a secular, un-Christian world. Imagine all the villians in the secular world set on preventing them from leaving. This novel had more twists and turns and heart-stopping action that kept me breathless! Every time one problem was resolved, another issue came up that kept me turning the pages!

I don't think it's far to lable this an end-times book. After all, the world does not end in the novel, nor does Jesus return to the earth. But the villian (the President of the United States - sound familiar?) is truly a servant of Satan and is truly hell-bent on destroying the Christians. Left wide open for a sequel, I truly hope the author delivers us one soon.

Buy this book and read it and love it. It's exciting, it's honest, and you can't put it down. If I could give it 10 stars I would!

As one who has read both the Left Behind series and Judgment Day, let me say that JD is no LB. That should encourage both fans and opponents of LB to consider this title. After who knows how many Left Behind books (was it 13?), most readers found themselves fans and opponents. I'm glad its over, and I haven't started on any of the spinoffs. Except for my secret theory for determining whether an author is Christian or not, I don't think this book is a "Christian" novel. Certainly not like Left Behind. The author presents a substantially flawed set of characters creating an inevitably flawed "church" at the center of the story. I am taking the bent that the author doesn't intend us to create a new theology of eschatology based on his story. Perhaps it is allegory. Who cares? Its a cool story. What if an offshoot group of Christian theology in an increasingly antagonistic culture of the future develops hyper-light speed technology? What if they decided to use it as a type of "Mayflower" to carry their marginalized followers to a new world? What would the new king say? I loved the story. There is plenty of room for a sequel. Mr. David, if you are reading, I'll line up to buy an advance copy. Someone complained about the incorrect use of an "ohm meter". If those types of things concern you, then don't trust my review. Frankly, I can't remember the exact usage of the ohm meter in the book. Someone complained about the book being predictable, so they quit about a quarter of the way through. That's kind of funny, if you think about it. As to my "secret theory"; if I told you, it wouldn't be a secret.

I don't read much Christian fiction, but this book was a real find.

A "cult" has made an amazing discovery which enables space flight. This sets off a chain of events that is, well, apocalyptic.

This is a strange brew of sci-fi, religious fiction, and social commentary, and it's all done pretty well. Everyone is given a chance to present their point of view, in as balanced a fashion as is possible - hard to do, since eco-terrorists and radical feminists come off as rather unhinged. But this is true to life, so it's hard to fault.

Christian and non-Christians take equal lumps, as far as hypocrisy and rationalization. A Christian woman has an abortion; an anti-gun character has a gun; one main character is a religious survivalist who has no qualms about killing; Christians on the "new world" excuse some of their actions in terms of evolution; other Christians reintroduce slavery; and so on. No-one gets off easy, and everyone's words and actions are examined or challenged. There are a couple of characters which may seem over the top, such as the main villain, Crow, but if the premise of the Christian universe is accepted, it makes sense.

The logical consequences of many worldviews are examined in a fast-paced story - quite an achievement in itself - and the author has obviously thought through things in much detail.

The most frightening aspect is how an entire group of people - the "cult" - is systematically destroyed, lawfully, in the United States, through various means, and especially through a willing press and public opinion. It's heartbreaking to see a family destroyed through "repressed memory" therapy, and how events are "spun" to blame the "cult". But the most frightening thing is that most of these scenarios are not fantastical; many are historical. For example, whole towns have been ruined through "repressed memories" which had children "remembering" sexual abuse that never occurred. A scene in the book recalls Waco. The various views that motivate the people who persecute the cult are current views - radical environmentalism, gender obsession, race obsession, Christophobia, and so on. This could happen today, because it has happened.

However, although we may loathe some of these people, they are presented not as consciously evil but as sincerely following their beliefs or living out their life experiences. Everyone, including the "cultists", are truly human. Their views sometimes come out in little glimpses, such as when a journalist reporting on a harrowing series of events takes pains to point out that an "African-American" is involved. It's subtle, but shows the true idiocy of race obsession. There are other such moments and actions, and the "cultists" don't escape the author's questioning stare, either.

There are many poignant moments here, but the truly memorable one is where the "cult leader" is naming their new planet. As in the rest of the book, the writing is measured but heart-wrenching. I feel I must reproduce it here, for the benefit of those who don't get to read it in context.

"We've been asked many times what the name of the new world will be ... What do you call a world of promise, a world where people are free to live their lives as they see fit, to worship God in their own fashion? What would you call a place of unlimited potential, where the only limits on men and women are those they place on themselves, and the government serves the people, not the other way around. There was once such a place, a brief shining moment in Earth's history that we hope to rekindle. Our new world will share the name of that place - America."

Then we see that the American flag has been scraped from the hull of their spaceship. It's a reading moment to remember.

I read the book almost 75% through the first day, until I couldn't keep my eyes open, then finished it off the next day. It's a page-turner.