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Children of the Last Days #3
Eclipse of the Sun (Children of the Last Days) by Michael O'Brien
In this fast-paced, reflective novel, (the second in a trilogy following "Strangers and Sojourners") Michael O'Brien presents the dramatic tale of a family that finds itself in the path of a totalitarian government. Set in the near future, the story describes the rise of a police state in North America in which every level of society is infected with propaganda, confusion and disinformation. Few people are equipped to recognize what is happening because the culture of the Western world has been deformed by a widespread undermining of moral absolutes.Against this background, the Delaney family of Swiftcreek, British Columbia, is struck a severe blow when the father of the family, the editor of a small newspaper which dares to speak the truth, is arrested by the dreaded Office of Internal Security. His older children flee into the forest of the northern interior, accompanied by their great-grandfather and an elderly priest, Father Andrei. Their little brother Arrow also becomes a fugitive as the government seeks to remove any witnesses, and eradicate all evidence of its ultimate goals.
As O'Brien draws together the several strands of the story into a frightening yet moving climax, he explores the heart of growing darkness in North America, examining events which have already occurred. The reader will take away from this disturbing book a number of urgent questions: Are we living in the decisive moment of history? How dire is our situation? Do we live in pessimistic dread, or a Christian realism founded on hope? This is a tale about the victory of the weak over the powerful, courage over terror, good over evil, and, above all, the triumph of love.
As O'Brien draws together the several strands of the story into a frightening yet moving climax, he explores the heart of growing darkness in North America, examining events which have already occurred. The reader will take away from this disturbing book a number of urgent questions: Are we living in the decisive moment of history? How dire is our situation? Do we live in pessimistic dread, or a Christian realism founded on hope? This is a tale about the victory of the weak over the powerful, courage over terror, good over evil, and, above all, the triumph of love.
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First published December 1, 1997
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About the author
Michael D. O'Brien
45 books837 followersMichael D. O'Brien is a Roman Catholic author, artist, and frequent essayist and lecturer on faith and culture, living in Combermere, Ontario, Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
March 14, 2021
Finished it! I can't get over how timely this book is. How there is so much in this book which reminds me of what is happening in our world today although it is over 20 years old. O'Brien could see what was coming. It is a BRICK at 856 pages yet it never seemed long reading it, just awkward holding such a huge thing. This would be a book to read on kindle simply for size, especially if you have to share your lap with a cat.
The thing which reminded me so much of today is how oblivious most people are to what is happening all around them, or should I say, they are so wrapped up in their own little worlds they have no idea what is going on. Throughout this book, the government was literally getting away with murder and people were either shocked to discover the corruption or they refused to believe it even when the evidence was right in front of them. They were so consumed with their own problems/entertainments/whatever they didn't have time to look beyond their own front door.
It is sad and scary. And true. God help us all.
Feb. 19, 2021: Just started it last night. Supposedly it is about a totalitarian Canadian govt. Not to be picking on our neighbors to the north as anyone who reads my reviews knows, I do not brag about my own country's govt.--all supposedly 'free' governments these days aren't. It will be interesting to read what O'Brien foresaw in 1997 and how close he came to what is happening now.
The thing which reminded me so much of today is how oblivious most people are to what is happening all around them, or should I say, they are so wrapped up in their own little worlds they have no idea what is going on. Throughout this book, the government was literally getting away with murder and people were either shocked to discover the corruption or they refused to believe it even when the evidence was right in front of them. They were so consumed with their own problems/entertainments/whatever they didn't have time to look beyond their own front door.
It is sad and scary. And true. God help us all.
Feb. 19, 2021: Just started it last night. Supposedly it is about a totalitarian Canadian govt. Not to be picking on our neighbors to the north as anyone who reads my reviews knows, I do not brag about my own country's govt.--all supposedly 'free' governments these days aren't. It will be interesting to read what O'Brien foresaw in 1997 and how close he came to what is happening now.
September 20, 2011
I picked up this book for 25 cents at Goodwill. Knew nothing about it, or the series that this novel is a part of (although each novel in the series also serves as a stand alone, so you aren't missing out if you start in the middle). It's a beautiful book that changed my opinions about the Catholic Faith and that had me literally cheering during one tense scene.
May 9, 2016
I'm rating my father's novels here as a fan. I look forward to his books as much as anyone else, and find them deeply moving. I am not unaware of their flaws, but their strengths surpass them, and so abundantly, that I find them almost moot. I'm normally moved to the point of tears about 3-4 times per novel (If I find myself choked up only once, I tell him it's not his best work). He has a rare gift of penetrating deeply into spiritual truths, which is a reflection of the person he is -- an artist who has been refined in a furnace of faith, not unlike many of his characters.
"Eclipse of the Sun" is a futuristic scenario of increased totalitarianism in that most unlikely of places -- Canada. It's not a paranoid dystopian vision, but it does ask us to be vigilant about essential freedoms that are central to human flourishing. Mostly it's about the characters who live in this scenario. My father's tremendous compassion for humanity was first revealed to me in this novel, although it was present in his earlier ones: but it's the role of the anawim -- the hidden greatness in the hearts of people that society tends to overlook (God's poor) -- that captured me the most (Alice, Arrow, etc.). Many characters continue from the earlier novel "Plague Journal", which ideally should be read first.
"Eclipse of the Sun" is a futuristic scenario of increased totalitarianism in that most unlikely of places -- Canada. It's not a paranoid dystopian vision, but it does ask us to be vigilant about essential freedoms that are central to human flourishing. Mostly it's about the characters who live in this scenario. My father's tremendous compassion for humanity was first revealed to me in this novel, although it was present in his earlier ones: but it's the role of the anawim -- the hidden greatness in the hearts of people that society tends to overlook (God's poor) -- that captured me the most (Alice, Arrow, etc.). Many characters continue from the earlier novel "Plague Journal", which ideally should be read first.
March 16, 2009
I can never say enough good things about this author. He is tremendously talented and thought-provoking. His works are deeply inspiring despite their gruesome and sometimes harrowing twists and turns.
June 21, 2012
As I said before, a deep and profound book, perhaps too much so.
January 15, 2021
It is difficult to sum up in a few hundred words the saga offered up by Michael O'Brien in this second installment of his series the Children of the Last Days. It remains in Canada, where much of A Cry of Stone (the first book in the series) was situated, but rather than following one character through ups and downs across a lifetime, this book narrows the time-scale to a matter of a few weeks and zooms out to follow the paths of several different individuals. A faithful priest, a lonely woman, a corrupt politician, a little boy, a large family, a searching bishop, and many more characters stride into the reader's imagination. O'Brien manages to maintain his astonishingly detailed accounting of their lives, characteristics, motivations, and surroundings while still offering the kind of story that not only draws you in, but sends you forth.
What about you? Are you faithful? Are you forsaken? Are you fallen? Are you afraid? Are you frustrated?... fearful? ... feeling forsaken? Perhaps it is that last adjective that best captures this story. Every character, in different ways, at different times, steps into loneliness. How do they respond? We see every possible human response: seeking distractions, wallowing in distress, turning to demons, simply making demands, sinking into despair, plodding through the drudgery, turning to devotion, leaning into dependency...
Amidst our own struggles and doubts and fears and situation and individuality, how easy it is to be overwhelmed? How many read the signs of the times and predict horrors, or utopia. Where is the path through it all? Well, to steal from the title O'Brien uses for this striking chapter in his apocalyptic saga, we find ourselves in an eclipse, of which all the above emotions, and responses, are perhaps reasonable. But in entering the lives found between that cover, we come out the other side with a confidence that does not come from ourselves, nor even from the returning sun, but rather from fact that, in the face of darkness, a different kind of light remains. In spite of an eclipse, rays of light from an unseen source remain with us.
What about you? Are you faithful? Are you forsaken? Are you fallen? Are you afraid? Are you frustrated?... fearful? ... feeling forsaken? Perhaps it is that last adjective that best captures this story. Every character, in different ways, at different times, steps into loneliness. How do they respond? We see every possible human response: seeking distractions, wallowing in distress, turning to demons, simply making demands, sinking into despair, plodding through the drudgery, turning to devotion, leaning into dependency...
Amidst our own struggles and doubts and fears and situation and individuality, how easy it is to be overwhelmed? How many read the signs of the times and predict horrors, or utopia. Where is the path through it all? Well, to steal from the title O'Brien uses for this striking chapter in his apocalyptic saga, we find ourselves in an eclipse, of which all the above emotions, and responses, are perhaps reasonable. But in entering the lives found between that cover, we come out the other side with a confidence that does not come from ourselves, nor even from the returning sun, but rather from fact that, in the face of darkness, a different kind of light remains. In spite of an eclipse, rays of light from an unseen source remain with us.
June 19, 2011
a profound examination of freedom, truth, and religious observance.
April 21, 2015
Wow! What an amazing ending to the series! Eclipse felt so real - not far fetched at all and I believe a warning to the West.
Michael D O'Brien is the greatest Catholic writer alive
Michael D O'Brien is the greatest Catholic writer alive
March 12, 2024
I am under a moral obligation that I have imposed upon myself not to give any Michael O’Brien book less than four stars; simply because he is a phenomenally talented writer and his plots deserve such. 😂 This being said, Eclipse of the Sun, while being incredibly well written and reflective, was not my favorite out of the series. There were parts that I felt like just dragged on, and situations in the story that felt a little like the author going on a tangent. I didn’t care for those aspects, however, the MANY characters were complex and interconnected, and THAT is always cool. I felt like this journey with this novel definitely drew me closer into an investigation of the world in which I live, it made me want to read the book of Revelation, and, ultimately, it made me ponder myself and my world. In the afterword, O’Brien says that his main goal is to make his readers ponder the things happening in their current world, and I did just that; so all in all, his book is a success with me. My favorite books make me think about my world and my life, and this one did. I suppose that this finale to the series is a masterpiece in and of itself, like all his other books, in its own unique way. In sum, one again, good job O’Brien, good job 👏🏻
January 13, 2025
Life changing and so real
May 16, 2013
A remarkable read. Captivating; hard to put the book down. Will not disappoint. Bob
February 20, 2016
This is no small book but I was amazed at how fast I flew through it. I consider it one of Michael O'Brien's best.
April 14, 2024
"You have made an eclipse of the sun... Yet a little while, and it shall be over. Never can it destroy the light of the sun. The sun bides its time, but when it comes, the shadows will flee. When he comes, there shall never again be eclipses. When he comes, it will be as if the shadows never existed. They will be remembered no more."
This is my second reread of this book, which is yet another fantastic novel by Michael O'Brien. This book reminds me a lot of St. Ignatius meditation on the two standards. In this meditation, one envisions a battlefield with two standards: one side is the army of Christ, and the other is the army of the devil. To not choose a side is to still choose one. Every single person is pulled into this battle and they must choose to live as they were created to live, or to reject the creator and to choose death as they cut themselves off from the very source of life. I think that this is what is at the heart of Eclipse of the Sun. We see a wide cast of people who are participating in the drama of salvation.
One of the beautiful things about this book is seeing people who desire to live for Christ, and yet, like in the parable of the sower, are pulled down by the "thorns" of this world.
"Not that he hadn't preached the truth, not that he hadn't been faithful to Christ and the teachings of the Church and fulfilled the duties of his calling. He had been diligent in all of that. He was neither an active sinner nor a saint. That was the part that upset him the most, because he knew that God wanted a Church full of saints, and somewhere along the line he had gradually lost the original fervor, let the toxic vapors of the world seep into his soul... But little by little he had allowed himself to drift into a state of lukewarmness."
We see so many characters wrestle with their callings. They desire to be saints, but they care too much about what others think, they allow their selfishness and fears to dictate their choices, and they slowly turn more and more inward. This book is a call to conversion, a call to repentance. It reminds us to look at our flaws and to turn back to Christ and allow him to transform us.
"And I am the worst of sinners, for I knew better but would not speak. For twelve years I have stood before you, afraid to preach the fullness of truth to you for fear of turning some of you away."
At it's heart, this is an apocalyptic book, prompting us to ask questions like: Am I prepared for the second coming of Christ? Have I lived as he has asked me to live? Have I loved the Lord above all else, and my neighbor as myself? This book is a reminder that Christ had told us to stay awake and watch, for we know not the hour when he comes. This book is a reminder that without Jesus, we will never be happy because he is what we were made for. I highly recommend this book.
This is my second reread of this book, which is yet another fantastic novel by Michael O'Brien. This book reminds me a lot of St. Ignatius meditation on the two standards. In this meditation, one envisions a battlefield with two standards: one side is the army of Christ, and the other is the army of the devil. To not choose a side is to still choose one. Every single person is pulled into this battle and they must choose to live as they were created to live, or to reject the creator and to choose death as they cut themselves off from the very source of life. I think that this is what is at the heart of Eclipse of the Sun. We see a wide cast of people who are participating in the drama of salvation.
One of the beautiful things about this book is seeing people who desire to live for Christ, and yet, like in the parable of the sower, are pulled down by the "thorns" of this world.
"Not that he hadn't preached the truth, not that he hadn't been faithful to Christ and the teachings of the Church and fulfilled the duties of his calling. He had been diligent in all of that. He was neither an active sinner nor a saint. That was the part that upset him the most, because he knew that God wanted a Church full of saints, and somewhere along the line he had gradually lost the original fervor, let the toxic vapors of the world seep into his soul... But little by little he had allowed himself to drift into a state of lukewarmness."
We see so many characters wrestle with their callings. They desire to be saints, but they care too much about what others think, they allow their selfishness and fears to dictate their choices, and they slowly turn more and more inward. This book is a call to conversion, a call to repentance. It reminds us to look at our flaws and to turn back to Christ and allow him to transform us.
"And I am the worst of sinners, for I knew better but would not speak. For twelve years I have stood before you, afraid to preach the fullness of truth to you for fear of turning some of you away."
At it's heart, this is an apocalyptic book, prompting us to ask questions like: Am I prepared for the second coming of Christ? Have I lived as he has asked me to live? Have I loved the Lord above all else, and my neighbor as myself? This book is a reminder that Christ had told us to stay awake and watch, for we know not the hour when he comes. This book is a reminder that without Jesus, we will never be happy because he is what we were made for. I highly recommend this book.
July 12, 2021
While definitely not the masterpiece that O’Brien’s Stranger and Sojourners is, this book is disturbingly prophetic in is predictions of the Canadian political culture under our current government. Government interference in homeschooling families; the removal of freedoms from law abiding citizens in the name of safety; increased gun laws for law abiding citizens; tyrannical Bills being pushed through parliament; censorship of news media and the complicit silence of large media companies; all predicted by O’Brien in the 1990s and our lives experience in the 2020s.
January 7, 2013
I enjoyed this series. It was a thought-provoking futuristic series. This final one did not move as quickly as The Plague Journal, but O'Brien still created a huge cast of interesting and sympathetic characters. Still, nothing comes close to his breathtaking Island of the World.
August 22, 2015
This terrifying future is so close we can taste it. Nevertheless, O'Briens novel is 3 parts hopeful to 2 parts horror.
March 18, 2024
After now reading both trilogies in the Children of the Last Days series, Eclipse of the Sun is certainly one of the most enjoyable and memorable additions to Michael O’Brien’s collection. This novel packs in everything one could love about O’Brien’s work - lovable characters, bloodchilling villains, moving themes of good versus evil, beautiful moments of humanity, action-packed plot, and alarming social commentary. The novel set in the near future follows Arrow Delaney, the youngest son of Nathaniel Delaney from O’Brien’s previous novel Plague Journal, as he seeks out the rest of his family amidst the evil government agents seeking his capture. Eclipse of the Sun features some of the most memorable and beloved characters throughout the series, making the reader want to follow their stories forever. Characters such as Arrow and Nick, Fr. Andrei, the Wannamaker family, Alice and the Potter family, and Fr. Ron and his Bishop offer a diverse set of characters, showcasing a wide variety of reactions to the circumstances around them and yet all display moments of virtue and holiness against the ruthless state of evil consuming the world. Each character is so realistic and three dimensional in their own unique way that it is impossible not to fall in love with them. The novel also follows a wide variety of storylines, switching perspectives frequently, yet O’Brien does a remarkable job of bringing each storyline together in a way that is engaging and easy to follow. Additionally, the pacing of the novel is fantastic, making the hulking 800+ page novel fly by with ease, never dragging or including excess content. The content of the novel is some of O’Brien’s darkest yet, yet Christ-like love always wins out, even in the bleakest moments. This backdrop provides a dramatic stage for the final battleground between the forces of good and evil which the characters are caught up in. Personally, I felt Eclipse of the Sun to be the pinnacle of the Children of the Last Days series, providing the perfect ending to the series, beautifully tying together all the storylines and making a powerful statement with its conclusion.
Thematically, O’Brien states that his goal with this novel is to “reveal the shape of reality”, by parsing out the deep significance of the spiritual and political forces at play around us which often go unnoticed. This skill makes O’Brien’s work not simply a form of entertainment, but rather a true work of art. O’Brien acts as a prophet, revealing to the reader reality as it is truly meant to be perceived, warning against the dangers of evil and urging the reader to choose the way of humility, love, and trust instead. By doing so, he begs the reader to question their place in the world and be inspired to boldly respond in the battle between good and evil taking place every day. Similar to O’Brien’s previous works Strangers and Sojourners and Plague Journal, one of the major themes of the book is the necessity of freedom amidst the propaganda, government control, political and spiritual confusion, and moral degradation throughout the western world. Additionally, much like many of O’Brien’s other novels, the spiritual insights related to spiritual warfare powerfully paint the invisible realities of grace, temptation, the angelic and demonic, and the life of prayer, making these realities something the reader can comprehend and relate to. Through the witness of many of the characters, Christ’s victory over sin and death is depicted, as O’Brien makes these spiritual realities seen and felt, inspiring the reader to believe more deeply in the truth of the Gospel. This prophetic sense, both spiritually and politically, makes O’Brien one of the most adept writers I have read at reading the signs of the times and depicting the alarming elements of the present moment and the inevitable end they will reach if not put to a stop. In all of this O’Brien as always points the reader towards a profound faith and hope that God will prevail, reminding the reader that the darkening of the sun is just an eclipse which will inevitably pass.
Thematically, O’Brien states that his goal with this novel is to “reveal the shape of reality”, by parsing out the deep significance of the spiritual and political forces at play around us which often go unnoticed. This skill makes O’Brien’s work not simply a form of entertainment, but rather a true work of art. O’Brien acts as a prophet, revealing to the reader reality as it is truly meant to be perceived, warning against the dangers of evil and urging the reader to choose the way of humility, love, and trust instead. By doing so, he begs the reader to question their place in the world and be inspired to boldly respond in the battle between good and evil taking place every day. Similar to O’Brien’s previous works Strangers and Sojourners and Plague Journal, one of the major themes of the book is the necessity of freedom amidst the propaganda, government control, political and spiritual confusion, and moral degradation throughout the western world. Additionally, much like many of O’Brien’s other novels, the spiritual insights related to spiritual warfare powerfully paint the invisible realities of grace, temptation, the angelic and demonic, and the life of prayer, making these realities something the reader can comprehend and relate to. Through the witness of many of the characters, Christ’s victory over sin and death is depicted, as O’Brien makes these spiritual realities seen and felt, inspiring the reader to believe more deeply in the truth of the Gospel. This prophetic sense, both spiritually and politically, makes O’Brien one of the most adept writers I have read at reading the signs of the times and depicting the alarming elements of the present moment and the inevitable end they will reach if not put to a stop. In all of this O’Brien as always points the reader towards a profound faith and hope that God will prevail, reminding the reader that the darkening of the sun is just an eclipse which will inevitably pass.
November 4, 2024
constantly reminded that children are the most important - and the bravest - of us all
September 30, 2024
I finished this book for the 3rd time last night (yes, all 850 pages of it!) It's one of those books that I will keep coming back to over the years. I love O'Brien's writing style and the way he develops and describes his characters. Very powerful.
There are theological aspects that I don't agree with, but there is much to be learned and appreciated.
There are theological aspects that I don't agree with, but there is much to be learned and appreciated.
February 19, 2010
excellent!
August 17, 2018
Amazing! The best book I ever read!!
March 13, 2025
Incredible
Very prophetic about a police state and inability to speak freely.
Inspiring in its courage and beautiful portrayal of family life.
Very prophetic about a police state and inability to speak freely.
Inspiring in its courage and beautiful portrayal of family life.
March 7, 2019
This book left me conflicted. I enjoyed the story and theme. Portions of the book were beautiful and stirring. I especially liked the Alice scenes and the ones with Frs. Ron and Raymond. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of O'Brien's writing style. The jump from short thoughts to lengthy sentences is jarring. The descriptions often do not aid the story. They feel more like lists rather scene building. The length was also more than I felt the story needed. Something just as beautiful could have been told in half as many pages. I think a 3.5 is closer to what I would rate the book.
August 29, 2023
There are many good and admirable things about this novel. My main criticism is that it really wants an editor in the second half of the book, where the narrative starts to drag. Nonetheless, I give it full marks because its virtues are outstanding: a good and subtle account of spiritual warfare; lively and distinct characters who stand at different points in the spiritual life; striking and memorable episodes & settings.
March 2, 2020
A good read, but my least favorite of the series.
April 21, 2025
the best part about these books so far is just Father Andrei
September 27, 2024
A journey I will never forget
January 21, 2019
Michael D.O'Brien has written a six-novel series "Children of the Last Days." The first three novels form a trilogy within the series. "Eclipse of the Sun" is the third novel in the series. Each novel can be read and enjoyed on its own, but the reader will get more out of the first three if all three are read. The Delaneys live in an English-speaking Western society that has been rejecting its Christian roots and advocating a lifestyle at variance with Biblical morality. O'Brien's novels are "end-times" novels posing the question "Are we in the end-times? Will we have to deal with the Antichrist?" He poses many situations we see in our own cultures and lets them flow to their ultimate conclusion: a totalitarian police state hostile to criticism and opposed to religious freedom or any collective recognition of God or the moral conduct we once thought God required from all of us.
The government the Delaneys live under has openly endorsed abortion in all its forms, the legitimation of homosexuality and the rejection of traditional religious freedom. The government also endorses a new, worldwide religion comprising elements of all religions and subservient to the government, a tool, really, of the government. This third novel in the series takes place in the near future. The government has recently seized total control. The Antichrist is already on the scene in Europe. The government the Delaneys live under is already considering a one-world government with a one-world religion under this charismatic rising star in Europe. The novel covers about one year in the life of Arrow Delaney, an eight year old child pursued by the government because he witnessed a government massacre of a hippie commune he and his mother lived in and, on the same day, a second massacre in a nearby religious convent.
Friends help him escape. He almost is captured, but escapes from the police van, hops a freight train and disappears. He tries hiding in a large junk yard, but the owner, Alice Douglas, discovers him. Alice takes him home. She has already rescued a retarded child from a dumpster where he had been discarded alive by the medical researchers no longer interested in studying him. Alice has some brushes with the state trying to protect Arrow. Finally, the state realizes she is harboring Arrow and sends agents to apprehend him. Alice holds the agents at gunpoint while Arrow escapes. Finally, Arrow finds a safe haven with a "remnant" group who wait out Antichrist's rise and fall.
O'Brien is a talented writer, very good with dialog and narration. He tells an absorbing story of people like us coping with something few of us want. His thought-provoking novel challenges us what would we do under similar circumstances. In truth, we are living in similar circumstances. How far will we let things go before we realize what is at stake? At least two nations before us let things go too far: Germany and Russia. They paid dearly for it
The government the Delaneys live under has openly endorsed abortion in all its forms, the legitimation of homosexuality and the rejection of traditional religious freedom. The government also endorses a new, worldwide religion comprising elements of all religions and subservient to the government, a tool, really, of the government. This third novel in the series takes place in the near future. The government has recently seized total control. The Antichrist is already on the scene in Europe. The government the Delaneys live under is already considering a one-world government with a one-world religion under this charismatic rising star in Europe. The novel covers about one year in the life of Arrow Delaney, an eight year old child pursued by the government because he witnessed a government massacre of a hippie commune he and his mother lived in and, on the same day, a second massacre in a nearby religious convent.
Friends help him escape. He almost is captured, but escapes from the police van, hops a freight train and disappears. He tries hiding in a large junk yard, but the owner, Alice Douglas, discovers him. Alice takes him home. She has already rescued a retarded child from a dumpster where he had been discarded alive by the medical researchers no longer interested in studying him. Alice has some brushes with the state trying to protect Arrow. Finally, the state realizes she is harboring Arrow and sends agents to apprehend him. Alice holds the agents at gunpoint while Arrow escapes. Finally, Arrow finds a safe haven with a "remnant" group who wait out Antichrist's rise and fall.
O'Brien is a talented writer, very good with dialog and narration. He tells an absorbing story of people like us coping with something few of us want. His thought-provoking novel challenges us what would we do under similar circumstances. In truth, we are living in similar circumstances. How far will we let things go before we realize what is at stake? At least two nations before us let things go too far: Germany and Russia. They paid dearly for it
May 19, 2022
Fantastic. An apocalyptic story steeped in Catholicism. O’Brien really grasps the ways a secular society can slowly descend into totalitarianism, often undetected, and he nails the fundamental moral and philosophical issues involved. The one gap is that this was written before the rise of the Internet (of the 90s and 2000s variety—i.e. free, open and democratized—but also the New Media of the post-2016 era, where alternative voices have surpassed the official corporate press in credibility and viewership). The narratives and propaganda of the state and the “official” global powers are getting increasingly desperate and brazen as 2022 begins, and New Media is playing a huge role in disrupting narratives and allowing truth to distribute freely. But this isn’t really a criticism of the plot; as O’Brien states in his afterword, his book is primarily about ideas, and the plot is simply one of many reasonable futures. He’s not prophesying. This series is excellent, and you could do worse to find an engaging and believable tale that dives deeply into the real world outplay of various philosophies.
January 14, 2021
This one was a little disappointing. O’Brien’s Island of the World is one of my FAVORITE books ever that oozes with beautiful Christian spirituality. After Island, I read Strangers & Sojourners which was no Island, but it was beautifully written. Then this one. I like his writing style and characters, but O’Brien seemed to have a bunch of agendas here and tipped his hand to what he believes true Christianity is. And his version of the remnant sure has a lot to do with right behavior and right beliefs, and I mean beliefs above and beyond the gospel. The demonizing of so many things from tv to birth control to liberals to “unclean” books grew VERY tedious at best. This remnant of rule following orthodox Catholics and maybe a few Protestants will be small indeed.
I can only hope that I’m reading too much into his fiction, and that I can take solace in the fact that he wrote Island of the World a decade after this one. And again: Island of the World is fantastic and beautiful and edifying. It’s actually hard to reconcile the two and my disparate feelings about them.
I can only hope that I’m reading too much into his fiction, and that I can take solace in the fact that he wrote Island of the World a decade after this one. And again: Island of the World is fantastic and beautiful and edifying. It’s actually hard to reconcile the two and my disparate feelings about them.
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