The End is Now

by Rob Stennett

Goodland, Kansas is a small Midwest town where nothing new or exciting ever happens…until now. Are the recent happenings and catastrophic weather mere coincidence, or more? The town spirals into chaos and confusion as its residents discover the end is no longer here—the end is now.

Stuck in the middle is the Henderson family: Jeff, a struggling salesman who lives with nagging fear; Will, who’s just trying to figure out life in the fifth grade; Emily, whose greatest concern is that she won’t be nominated homecoming queen; and his Amy, who is growing stir-crazy from being a housewife—and is convinced this was God’s plan B for her life.

Rob Stennett’s second novel is both a satire and a story of apocalyptic proportion, a thriller, and an exploration of family, community, belief, unbelief, and the two thousand-year-old Christian tradition of looking to the sky because the end is near.

Genres: Fiction, Christian Fiction, Christian, Science Fiction, Apocalyptic

336 pages, Paperback

First published June 5, 2009

About the author

I have written screenplays, stage plays, and all sort of other stories. The Almost True Story of Ryan Fisher is my first novel, and the best thing I've ever penned to paper for what it's worth.

I'm trying to write stories that satirize, poke and prod at religion while also showing it's value and significance in our culture. At least that's what I think I'm trying to do. But maybe I'm off. Maybe I'm trying to do something much scarier.

Reviews

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stennett, a rising author gaining quick popularity in the Christian subculture because of his tongue and cheek approach to subjects that are often treated with both pious reserve and outright disdain has given the rapture a humorous twist. Here, God is seen as somewhat of a businessman, seeking to create a test market for the rapture. Goodland, in many ways has a similar local make-up of what one would expect in a Coen Brothers film, and although it’s not quite as dark as Fargo, it still retains the same situational humor brought out by the interconnection of Midwest American culture. Stennett’s almost satirical approach to the apocalypse, and how it affects people from all sorts of theological and philosophical perspectives is in many ways more effective as a catalyst toward enabling people to reflect on their own views and incorporate a larger perspective on the matter than straightforward dogmatic texts can be. In many ways, the text shows the absurdity, not of the rapture itself, but of people’s responses to it.

At the same time, there are many references that will only be humorous to people within the subculture, as much of the satire is contextual. For those who are not Christians, it can be an interesting book in that it will show many of the intricacies of a complex and dysfunctional group of people that make up about 25% of America. Also, although this is an adult book, Stennett switches from person to person as the main character of each chapter. Will takes the forefront a lot, which can potentially put this text in a hybrid between adult and young adult literature.

-Lindsey Miller, lindseyslibrary.com

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Stennett is the kind of author you either love or hate to read. I love his writing. I get bored of the same old book being told the same old way. This book is definitely different. Not as funny as Ryan Fisher but I still laughed out loud in a few places. In the midst of the humour it gives a Christian some stuff to think about. I spent much of the book trying to figure out how Sennett was going to end it, I was right and wrong. If you are looking for really deep theology go elsewhere. If you want a fun, fast, quirky read then this is a great book. Right in step with Michael Snyder who I also love. These two authors writing is very similar in style. I will pick up Stennett's next book without reading what its' about. That is the best compliment I can give an author.

I have to at least mention that I find it strange reading through reviews given to Christian books how many people that read them then give one star because the book was "preachy", "trying to convert" or "too Christian". Strange how something about the rapture might just mention Christianity.....

[Debra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm still not sure why I finished this book, as I was ready to quit after about 50 pages (I usually try to give books that much, because some get better by then). This was not the case with this book. I thought that it was supposed to be a funny satire about the different rapture books. I didn't find it funny in the least, in fact I found it demeaning. The end is not really an adequate ending, given all the build up. Even the epilogue wasn't a good explanation. I wouldn't recommend reading this, unless you don't have anything better to read and have too much spare time to waste.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did make it through this book. It was kind of interesting to be reading a book about a town that is to be a "test market" for rapture when the world was looking for it to happen on the 21 of May! It was kind of a hard read - hard to get in to, hard to get over some really strange parts, hard to imagine God doing that. But I learned about what some people think rapture will be like so I guess it is good in that. Didn't love the ending.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book just makes you think.

[RV Henretty-Jornales · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book that is unable to commit to being any sort of definite thing (though really, really seems to want to be whatever that is).

Between the constantly, shallowly-for-the-sake-of-filling-gaps introspective preteen, and the only-now-suddenly-questioning-her-parents-at-all-ever 17 year old, and all of the dialog seeming like it could have come from any other character... Everything just misses the mark.

How is this supposedly so-small, deeply religious town of cornfields and nothing else so big it has its own radio station, and somehow hired in an entire government administration full of "non-believers"? I grew up in a small, religious, conservative town that, based on descriptions in the book, was much larger, and religion was completely inextricable from basically every facet of everything--even in job interviews. And how was this town of salt-of-the-earth types devoid of jobs that didn't require college degrees?

But, ignoring all of these things, and focusing on that the premise actually seemed like a fun and interesting idea, there's still the problem of the writing falling apart in the second half, or thereabouts, of the book. "At the hotel, shaving with the complimentary shaving kit given complimentarily from the desk amazingly which has complimentary things which are free" (yeah, I'm paraphrasing, but it was roughly as bad), and literally random typos like the word "he" showing up in the middle of a sentence where it didn't belong--amongst other things... It's like the editor, or maybe even the writer himself, got to a point where they just said "fuck it, I don't have the patience to finish this hokey shit".

I'm also not convinced that the author was ever a child, or has talked to a teenaged girl, or a woman. Or at least actually paid attention to them enough to have any idea about how to write any of those characters.

This definitely isn't the satire it's made out to be. At least in anything approaching a level that could be considered clever.

Two stars for premise and not being as terrible as Reg Kray's writing.

[Anneke Charland · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a self described agnostic, I found this to be very close to what I would think a modern day child prophet and his followers to look like. I enjoyed the characters, the small town vibe and the reactions of the common folk. I also love the way it ended. Feel free to fill in the last few pages based on your beliefs. A wonderful way to be inclusive to the true believers as well as the realists.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially I wasn't sure if I would like this book but it turned out to be very interesting and certainly gave me food for thought. Frightening how you could apply the scenarios in this story to the events happening in our world right now.

[Bonnie Fournier · Rating 5 out of 5]

i couldn’t put it down. I was so anxious to know more about the protagonist. It was an easy read but in no way dumbed down. An accurate portrayal of what could happen in any town.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

one look at the possible end of the world. Real events are scarier, unfortunately.

[Anna Meme · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, shows people's reactions in a stressful situation with a good ending. He definitely knows human behaviors

[Krystl Louwagie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This would have gotten an extra half star, probably, if we had half stars here.

Anyway, this is a story about the Rapture (like "Left Behind" where God takes the "good" people and leaves everybody else to fend for themselves until the up coming apocalypse). I wished this story hadn't been written through a Christian lens-much like the Left Behind series (I haven't read it, but haven't heard that great of things about it). But lest be honest, for someone who likes sci-fi and apocalypse stories, the premise is cool. The rapture is foretold by a 5th grade boy, and the rest of the story is how the whole town and his family deals with that. Oh, and this is the town of Goodland, Kansas who apparently have always been obsessed with the Rapture and thinking it would happen to them before the rest of the world-as a "test market" (I think this is true, actually, and I kind of want to tourist there now).

So anyway, interesting story. And I also liked that it was told through multiple view points. The ending didn't bother me in the least (most of the complaints I read from other reviews were about the ending (though I did think it was fairly predictable). And, this book did get better as it went on. In fact, close to the end, it might have been a 3 star book, but all the cons before that point just can't be ignore.

Cons: Mainly that the characters were annoying and, in my mind, not that realistic. I think the way they were reacting was probably realistic enough-but the thoughts of them seemed extremely type cast and cliche, not like real people but, made up ones. Which they were, but, I'm supposed to think they're not. The little boy was too good, innocent, and clueless. The Mom was -insane-(she threw away her her sons TMNT toys and Harry Potter books because they were evil devil toys). The author was doing his best to label the sister as a huge shallow ditz, but she probably was my favorite character because she was a bit more level headed and realistic at parts because she cared about what was happening in the real world and not religion and the Rapture. The Dad wasn't too bad, either, I guess. Way saner than the Mom. Oh-did I also mention that both the parents seem to forget the girl is their daughter and part of their family and only love the little boy for most of the book? Good Christians.

Even with the low rating, I still feel like it was worth reading. It was fairly short and light, not much lost on it. And, it was free, of course. ;) Though, now it's 9.99 again-snatch those free ones up while you can!!

However, there was a chapter to his next book at the end of the novel, and I'm actually really interested in that one... :p

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sold on this book from the comparison to Tom Perrotta, who is one of my favorite authors, and for the most part, this book lives up to that comparison. It takes the modern domestic situation and adds a theological spin: what if the rapture had a “test market,” say, in Goodland Kansas?

This story is about a boy, Will Henderson, who gets lost in a cornfield and then has a vision/dream/hallucination--it is never really clear which--that a face in the cornfield appears and tells him the three signs of the impending pre-rapture, which will take place in his town. When he relays his experience to the town, and the first of his prophecies comes true (that his school will be destroyed) the people begin to lose it. The town is already the home to a “Rapture Museum,” and all people really seem to need is a good push toward hysteria, dividing themselves into various camps of believers, doubters, and those who just want to be ready, just in case. The fact that it is Kansas and the school being destroyed by a tornado is not an unusual occurrence has no rational effect on the true believers. Caught in the middle of all this is Will’s family: Jeff, his father, who was obligated to marry his mother via shotgun wedding and now is doing his best to protect his family; Amy, his mother, for whom Will’s prophecies are no doubt the Word of God; and Emily, his sister, who wants nothing more than to become Homecoming Queen, and just wishes Will’s Prophecies would just go away.

The End is Now is thoroughly enjoyable. It takes fantastical leaps that are never quite explained, which would usually be a big detriment to me, but in the end, it doesn’t really matter. It is a novel rooted in the ordinary, everyday domestic situation of a family held together by the reality of an early unplanned pregnancy, then strengthened by the bonds of responsibility and love, who are tested by supernatural circumstances. Seeing how Jeff struggles to save his family feels as real as anything, and Emily’s simple desire to be Homecoming Queen getting sidetracked by her brother, the Prophet, is believable within this context.
All in all, a great read that comes to close to being perfect, except for a minor disappointment of an ending: an epilogue that was somewhat confounding. Unofficially I’d give this 4 and a half but go ahead and call it a 5 star book.

[Ben Zajdel]

The End is Now is the story of a small town in Kansas that believes that it will be raptured before the rest of the world. The residents of Goodland, Kansas believe that they have been chosen by God to be the "test market" for the rapture. They will be the warning sign for the rest of the world.

Enter the Hendersons, a normal family living on the outskirts of town. Jeff is a car salesman who is not very good at his job, but still does his best to provide for his family. Amy is the typical housewife, but with a little bit of attitude. Their daughter Emily is obsessed with becoming homecoming queen at her high school, and their son Will is a normal fifth grader that loves comic books.

One night Will decides to take a shortcut through a cornfield on his way home, and gets lost. While inside the cornfield, Will is visited by a face that tells him the rapture is imminent, and that there will be three signs that proceed it. Will becomes a famous (or infamous) prophet in his town, correctly predicting a disaster, though he is often unsure of himself. The town divides between those who believe that the rapture will soon occur and those that find the rapture ridiculous. People begin to fight, and the town quickly unravels into chaos. The only way order is restored is through some brave actions by Will.

Rob Stennett moves seamlessly between satire and real drama, leaving readers wondering which they are reading. It is masterful writing, and makes you want to go back and read certain passages again, because you are sure there is a hidden joke in the dialogue or narration. Stennett also has a remarkable grasp on Christian pop culture, knowing what to poke fun at (bumper stickers) and what to respect. And I won't spoil it, but the legendary Crystal Pepsi gets a plug.

The End is Now is a story that blends fundamentalism, satire, humor, prophecy, and insight. It's a rare combination, but Rob Stennett is able to pull it off. Goodland, Kansas is not only the scene of the "test market" for the rapture, it is where Christian beliefs and human nature are exposed at their best and worst, stretched to their limits for the world to see.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

How fitting that I started this book last week, and finished it the day before the supposed "rapture" day of May 21, 2011. I'm still here, writing this paltry review, after all, so the world must not have ended.

Every day, though, the world as we know it ends, and when we wake up each morning, a new world greets us.

So what I'm getting at is that this book, and the whole "rapture on 5/21/2011" really led to a lot of interesting thinking, what with so many proclaiming that the world would end on May 21st.

In this novel, a young boy gets lost in a cornfield, has a vision, and once rescued under interesting circumstances, begins to reveal three "signs" that will foretell the end of the world, or the rapture. Others have visions, too, but mostly in reaction to the boy and how they personally interpret what it means to them. His parents have vastly differing ideas of how to handle it all. The locals swing between two vastly different philosophies. Chaos ensues. Occasional hilarity ensues. But in the end, what is most apparent is that whatever kind of person you are, and whatever you hold to be true, has far more influence on individual experience than anything else. Everyone sees what they want to see, they bring to life the beliefs they hold closest. And sometimes they abandon all their beliefs in the end. That's where it gets interesting, in the supposed "end."

And there isn't really an end, after all. Much like the doomsday predictions for May 21, 2011, this story ends not at all as any of the characters would have predicted. In fact, many more questions remain. Which is kind of the way life is, after all.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not having grown up in a community that awaited the Rapture, I'm not really qualified to talk about the accuracy of this book's depiction of the event. I'm also not really qualified to speak about what parts of the book were satire (per back cover description).

Having said that... If one does believe in the Rapture and visions and prophecy, the actions of Will and Amy seem completely real. As do the actions and reactions of the town - the fear, the excitement, the riots, the attempt to quell them, etc.. During the course of my lifetime I've seen other, seemingly smaller events create a huge public insanity and it's easy to imagine that in a smallish town, this is what would happen if people there truly believed (or didn't believe).

The ending reminded me a little (ok, it reminded me a lot) of the ending of Key's The Forgotten Door. And the acknowledgments struck me as a little mean (I know, I know: it's satire and satire can be mean but still, this was unnecessary mean).

(Free ARC provided by publisher)

[Kerry Nietz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got The End is Now as a free download, so I think the least I owe the author is a review.

Long story short, I loved it. It is reminiscent of some of Stephen King’s best works, or maybe Frank Peretti’s Visitation, which start with an average town, find a way to isolate it, and then have something incredible happen. The results not only define the book’s characters, but also speak to the human condition.

This book will especially resonate with people who grew up in church; though I think anyone will enjoy it. It is witty, insightful—sometimes irreverent—but also just plain awesome. It is a character driven work (as the chapter titles clearly reinforce) which could’ve been boring or slow. However, I didn’t find that to be the case at all. The extensive backstory is interesting and spot on in so many places. It reads fast. And the ending is perfect!

The End is Now is well worth buying.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The End Is Now by Rob Stennett centers around a few days in the life of the Henderson family, an all-American family of four (Jeff, Amy, Emily, and fifth-grader Will) who live in a small town in Kansas. Will has what he believes is a word from God saying that the rapture will occur soon. Part of the town, and part of the Henderson family, believe that this is true, while the other half believe that Will is at best imagining things and at worst, lying and causing trouble for the town. Passions spiral out of control as people are caught up in the events. The story is an off-the-wall tale which is both humorous and sad; it is about life and families and love and God and religion and human foibles and more. I laughed out loud many times when reading the story. For anyone who thinks the story ends abruptly, I will give you a hint -- turn a few pages because the end is not always THE END. Thoroughly enjoyable, well written, funny, and thought provoking.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

kind of a clever book. I liked it and enjoyed the ending particularly. Not the most well written book ever but the plot was intriguing. This is a story about a small town that is certain that the Rapture will take place in their town before the rest of the - kind of a test market for God. When one of the boys in the town gets lost in a corn field and comes back to town stating that he has seen a vision, the town goes crazy with the thought that the end of the world is coming in short order. It's an interesting look at humanity and made me think. What kind of a person would I be if I knew the end was upon us? Would I be among those trying to tie up loose ends and connect with people or would I be one trying to take advantage of the situation (getting in debt on elaborate cars and buying things beyond my means)?

[Suzanne Hartmann · Rating 1 out of 5]

I expected to read a humorous book about a "pre-test" for the rapture. Instead, I got the whole history of the family that the book revolves around. It was full of convoluted rambling and difficult to follow all the distracting backstory, which made it hard to tell what was happening in the story's present and what had happened in the past (most of which was not related to the story about the rapture at all).

I kept flipping pages to try to find the true beginning of the story irrelevant rambling. It wasn't worth sifting through it all to find the real story, so I quit reading.

I can't believe a big-name publisher signed this book on, much less didn't edit out all the irrelevant backstory. Glad I got the book free.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this much more than I thought. Interesting plot. Town believes a 10 year old boy is a prophet after he predicts that the local elementary school will be destroyed within 3 days and it comes true, Town believes that God is going to do a "test-run" of the Rapture, using their town for the test and the school destruction is the first of 3 prophecies the boy has made.

The book details peoples' reactions, pitting believers (The Prepared) against the non-believers (The Realists) and how this all plays on the boy and his family. I'm not deeply religious and, I guess, right now, I'd be in with The Realists. Still, I felt this was an intriguing read and would highly recommend it.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't believe the description of this as satire - certainly not funny satire. Maybe some small smiles. He's no Jerry B. Jenkins (to list another author of a rapture based book) - I actually found the characters to be somewhat realistic in the sense that real people could actually say those words. At least in the first half of the book. In the second half they just became caricatures as the plot took over. This is where the book tried to be Douglas Adams but was not successful. I was interested in the story, though. I wanted to find out how it ended.

[Krystal Scarbrough · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The End is Now" is a quasi-religious science fiction novel about one family's (and ultimately one town's) preparation for the Rapture that will occur in only their town. This story details and explores the human response during times of crisis. While this story was interesting, it was lacking in true depth. When I finished reading, I have to say that I was baffled and bemused about the turn the story took in the end. This book was interesting but provided a very eccentric perspective on how the world would respond if the End of Days does occur.

[LadyCalico · Rating 4 out of 5]

I delayed writing a review of this book because, quite frankly, I don't know what I think about it. It had some good parts and some not so good parts. Sometimes I liked the main characters, and sometimes they grated on my nerves. I did enjoy reading it and thought it had an original plot, but it was a strange little book. Finally, I decided that, overall, I really liked it, but I have no idea what was the point of that epilogue, so I am just ignoring it since it adds nothing to the story.

[Tara Vetro · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a freebie on Amazon but I get the feeling I was suckered into a Jesus book. And so far not a very good one, although I'm curious enough about what will happen that I'll finish this thang! Why can't books about God be better written? I wouldn't be opposed to reading it if it weren't trying to convert me (and I'm already a Christian) in a creepy, almost desperate tone.

Just finished it and I'm so glad it only took two days.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story based on the idea that God is test-marketing the rapture in a small Kansas town, by inspiring an 11-year-old boy to prophesy its imminence. And things predictably go straight to hell. This was satiric, yes, but not as funny as I expected. Also I found the ending somewhat non-conclusive--I'm sure this was the author's point but I wish he'd done more with it. Overall, not a bad way to spend a few hours.

[Chris Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining story revolving around "The Rapture". Particularly how it affects the Hendersons, who have lived in Goodland all their lives, and whose son is the current catalyst for the latest interest.

The town has always felt it is at the forefront of the rapture, and Will Henderson has brought that to a head, with a series of visions.

Funny, disturbing (in its depiction of the various reactions) and ultimately very satisfying.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good writing, interesting plot - until the ending. I can only give the book 2 stars, due to the fact that the end of the book ruined the entire thing, at least for me. I don't like books that work for 200+ pages to a huge build-up - and then plunge into nothingness. For me, THE END IS NOW was a giant disappointment.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Dad gave me this book to read way back in June. I'm a procrastinator, so I finally picked it up to read when I was heading back to visit him again for Christmas. Oops. I'm glad I finally read it though! It was a great satire, and I really had fun reading it. I can really see something like this happening... and I won't say what happens, but I loved the end!

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad little read. I liked how it was (in my humble opinion) a rehash of the Stephen King "Needful Things"/"The Dome" rehash--although I don't think its anything but similar in my reading of them. Nice sides to the Rapture debate--excellent dialog, not too preachy and too preachy in other parts. I still teared up a little towards the end--a welcome distraction and I'd recommend it.