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The Illuminati
In The Coming Economic Earthquake (Moody Press, Chicago, I11. * 1991), Burkett delineated growing federal deficits and the ever increasing use of debt by business and households out of control. Burkett points out those severe economic times will appear sometime shortly after the millennium unless current polices are changed. Burkett believed that Keynesian economic policies, with ideals for continuing federal deficits and the implicit preference for higher levels of credit and consumption, reduced saving, and a larger role for government in the economy are a means to disaster. As Burkett states in the book that as interest on the debt consumes a larger and larger portion of the yearly federal budget, and more money is borrowed each year to pay the interest on what was borrowed in previous years, there will be a temptation to "monetize" the debt at an increasing rate leading to a calamity not seen since the Great Depression. Burkett questioned whether or not elected leaders would take a
373 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
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1076 people want to read
About the author
Larry Burkett
304 books56 followersLarry Burkett was an American radio personality whose work focused on financial counseling from a Christian point of view.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
June 20, 2012
I have the updated version from 2004. It is the original book, but with updated times, people, etc. Instead of it all happening in 2001, it's 2015.
I am getting towards the end of it. Even though it's a christian book, it's a very good read. When I started it less than a week ago, the first few pages didn't quite grab me. But when the earthquake in Japan happened, and the tsunami on the west coast, it caught my attention. It just got better and better from there. The conspiracy to eradicate the christians and the jews and anyone that helped them is all very scary. A government gone mad and wanting to take over the world. Hey, that sounds a lot like what is going on now in Congress. ;) It really makes you think and you may never feel the same way about the government again after reading this.
If I would have heeded the bad reviews on this book, I would have missed a very good read! I am just sorry that I will be finishing it tomorrow.
I am getting towards the end of it. Even though it's a christian book, it's a very good read. When I started it less than a week ago, the first few pages didn't quite grab me. But when the earthquake in Japan happened, and the tsunami on the west coast, it caught my attention. It just got better and better from there. The conspiracy to eradicate the christians and the jews and anyone that helped them is all very scary. A government gone mad and wanting to take over the world. Hey, that sounds a lot like what is going on now in Congress. ;) It really makes you think and you may never feel the same way about the government again after reading this.
If I would have heeded the bad reviews on this book, I would have missed a very good read! I am just sorry that I will be finishing it tomorrow.
February 10, 2010
It is interesting that in the author's acknowledgments he said that his sincere desire was to make "good, non-offensive fiction" available to the public, considering this novel is neither good nor non-offensive.
Let's start with the offensive part since that was the first thing I noticed. This book is fundamentalist, conservative, anti-abortion, anti-gay, and anti-ACLU Christian propaganda. I have no problem with Christian fiction and read quite a bit of it, but I do not take kindly to the ACLU, homosexuals, or pro-choice people being clearly aligned on the side of evil. Case in point - when the head of the "NCLU" (the fictional stand in for the ACLU) is promoted to attourney general, the pastor main character says something like, "now I REALLY know we are fighting against the side of evil." People protesting for gay rights are frequently described as trouble makers of various sorts, and their symbol is an upside down cross, as an anti-Christian symbol.
As for the writing and plot, there was a lot to be desired. I enjoy a good thriller, especially one of the conspiracy theory persuasion, which is why I picked up this book in the first place. This one was not good. The plot was set in the author's future and our past - written in 1991, takes place in 2001. However, there was a lot of historical information to fill in (from 1991 to 2001), so many of the events in the book took place in the past. Those parts were dry and disjointed. There are also so many characters. Instead of a few main characters or a small ensemble, there were far too many characters. They were always getting killed or carted off somewhere and it became very hard to keep track of them all. Sometimes they would pop back into the story, but sometimes they would pop back into the story 100's of pages later so I couldn't remember exactly who they were. The dialog was terrible. I had to laugh sometimes. And some lines were extremely cheesy - for example, "Randy left the cabin feeling like he had just received the Nobel Peace Price - only from the Lord."
By the last third or so of the book, I realized that it was just a big preachy bit of propaganda. Aside from the whole "gays are bad" aspect, it just got really preachy at the end. And this coming from a Christian! But I suppose since I support gay marriage and don't think abortion is necessarily murder, maybe the author thinks I need to still be saved. Ugh.
Let's start with the offensive part since that was the first thing I noticed. This book is fundamentalist, conservative, anti-abortion, anti-gay, and anti-ACLU Christian propaganda. I have no problem with Christian fiction and read quite a bit of it, but I do not take kindly to the ACLU, homosexuals, or pro-choice people being clearly aligned on the side of evil. Case in point - when the head of the "NCLU" (the fictional stand in for the ACLU) is promoted to attourney general, the pastor main character says something like, "now I REALLY know we are fighting against the side of evil." People protesting for gay rights are frequently described as trouble makers of various sorts, and their symbol is an upside down cross, as an anti-Christian symbol.
As for the writing and plot, there was a lot to be desired. I enjoy a good thriller, especially one of the conspiracy theory persuasion, which is why I picked up this book in the first place. This one was not good. The plot was set in the author's future and our past - written in 1991, takes place in 2001. However, there was a lot of historical information to fill in (from 1991 to 2001), so many of the events in the book took place in the past. Those parts were dry and disjointed. There are also so many characters. Instead of a few main characters or a small ensemble, there were far too many characters. They were always getting killed or carted off somewhere and it became very hard to keep track of them all. Sometimes they would pop back into the story, but sometimes they would pop back into the story 100's of pages later so I couldn't remember exactly who they were. The dialog was terrible. I had to laugh sometimes. And some lines were extremely cheesy - for example, "Randy left the cabin feeling like he had just received the Nobel Peace Price - only from the Lord."
By the last third or so of the book, I realized that it was just a big preachy bit of propaganda. Aside from the whole "gays are bad" aspect, it just got really preachy at the end. And this coming from a Christian! But I suppose since I support gay marriage and don't think abortion is necessarily murder, maybe the author thinks I need to still be saved. Ugh.
March 20, 2014
I enjoyed this book very much. It was written in 1991 and this novel is a pretty darned good picture of what's happening in the world right now, including the earthquake/tsunami that hit Japan, the economy, the state of the middle east, the problems facing the United States, etc. It's pretty eerie how closely this author seemed to have looked into the future. The internet was not widespread in 1991...remember Prodigy and Compuserve? The author calls it the Data-Net, but wow...very interesting so far.
October 26, 2012
This, weirdly, was one of the formative books of my elementary-school years. No, it's not a young adult book. I was just a weird kid.
The year was 1992. I was nine years old, and two months into fifth grade. My parents had just moved us to a new house, which meant a new school, and the kids in my class were about to spend three days taking a standardized test-- the same standardized test I had taken a couple of weeks before at my old school. The new school obviously thought it would be dandy if I would consent just to take the test again, but I refused. So for three days, I sat in the principal's office and read while my classmates clutched No. 2 pencils and stared at row after row of scantron bubbles.
Don't ask why I wasn't allowed to stay home instead of sitting in the principal's office, because I have no idea. But in those days, I didn't really care where I was sitting as long as I was allowed to read. Yes, I say "allowed" to read, because I read so much that my mother would occasionally tear the book out of my hands in exasperation, hoping to jolt me into participating in conversation at the dinner table. The woman who cut my hair when I was growing up told me later that she was always terrified that my hair would come out noticeably crooked, because I insisted on having my head bent down toward my book during my haircuts.
Back to the story. I'm sure I looked ridiculous, hanging out in the school administrative offices at age 9 with a book approximately the size of my head. But this book blew me away. I was riveted. Fascinated. It was, now that I think about it, probably my very first step into a dystopian future. I remember astonishing levels of detail, twenty years later, down to the year, make, and model of the car that figures into one of the escape scenes. (A 1993 Chevy Caprice, if you care, which you don't, because it is the epitome of trivial detail. Still, as a kid I loved the idea of a capricious car, which is probably why I remember it.)
This is the book that first taught me the word "tsunami," a word that no one else around me learned until 2004. This is the book that first caused me to think about how credit cards and debit cards could be used to track someone's movements. This is the book that first sent me fumbling in my pocket for a dollar bill, to examine for myself the weird eyeball on top of a pyramid that was pictured there. Finally, this is the book that is probably at the root of my tendency to develop mild crushes on computer nerds.
So twenty years later, I tip my hat to Larry Burkett. Thanks for writing a book that captivated me completely.
The year was 1992. I was nine years old, and two months into fifth grade. My parents had just moved us to a new house, which meant a new school, and the kids in my class were about to spend three days taking a standardized test-- the same standardized test I had taken a couple of weeks before at my old school. The new school obviously thought it would be dandy if I would consent just to take the test again, but I refused. So for three days, I sat in the principal's office and read while my classmates clutched No. 2 pencils and stared at row after row of scantron bubbles.
Don't ask why I wasn't allowed to stay home instead of sitting in the principal's office, because I have no idea. But in those days, I didn't really care where I was sitting as long as I was allowed to read. Yes, I say "allowed" to read, because I read so much that my mother would occasionally tear the book out of my hands in exasperation, hoping to jolt me into participating in conversation at the dinner table. The woman who cut my hair when I was growing up told me later that she was always terrified that my hair would come out noticeably crooked, because I insisted on having my head bent down toward my book during my haircuts.
Back to the story. I'm sure I looked ridiculous, hanging out in the school administrative offices at age 9 with a book approximately the size of my head. But this book blew me away. I was riveted. Fascinated. It was, now that I think about it, probably my very first step into a dystopian future. I remember astonishing levels of detail, twenty years later, down to the year, make, and model of the car that figures into one of the escape scenes. (A 1993 Chevy Caprice, if you care, which you don't, because it is the epitome of trivial detail. Still, as a kid I loved the idea of a capricious car, which is probably why I remember it.)
This is the book that first taught me the word "tsunami," a word that no one else around me learned until 2004. This is the book that first caused me to think about how credit cards and debit cards could be used to track someone's movements. This is the book that first sent me fumbling in my pocket for a dollar bill, to examine for myself the weird eyeball on top of a pyramid that was pictured there. Finally, this is the book that is probably at the root of my tendency to develop mild crushes on computer nerds.
So twenty years later, I tip my hat to Larry Burkett. Thanks for writing a book that captivated me completely.
December 17, 2009
I keep saying this because I happen to be remembering all the earliest books I've read, but this was like, THE FIRST book I can remember just getting entrenched in, on my own.
This book was wicked cool, even with it's silly christian spin. :P
Crazy ideas about secret societies, the prediction of earthquakes, super-elaborate systems. It's scary too, that a lot of the stuff it talked about in this fun fictional way is actually being talked about seriously nowadays.
A great book and a wicked cool read. If I can get my hands on a copy of this, I'm totally reading it again.
This book was wicked cool, even with it's silly christian spin. :P
Crazy ideas about secret societies, the prediction of earthquakes, super-elaborate systems. It's scary too, that a lot of the stuff it talked about in this fun fictional way is actually being talked about seriously nowadays.
A great book and a wicked cool read. If I can get my hands on a copy of this, I'm totally reading it again.
June 3, 2009
I read it a long time ago, but remember that I really enjoyed it.
June 16, 2016
This review is from back in 2008 when I read the book. It deserves to be here because it shows how crazy the book is:
(This review is based on the 1991 edition of the book. apparently some details have been altered in the 2004 edition)
I suspect the title of this book was chosen to cash in on the mythical Illuminati, which has nothing to do with the secret society in this novel, "The Society" (although Burkett calls it the Illuminati a few times when first describing it). Burkett's Illuminati is a group whose goals, besides world power, is to "establish Satan's kingdom on Earth". Needless to say, they hate Christians, which we are told more times than I can count. The novel is set in 2001 (re-edited version in 2015), ten years after it was written, and somehow everybody in the USA, except for a small minority, is now against Christianity. Considering that a vast majority of americans are christians, this scenario is just too implausible to believe.
Instead of just telling his story, Burkett constantly voices his own opinions, calling liberals "fanatics" and portraying liberals as anti-Christian, foul-mouthed, coke snorting homosexuals who somehow managed to outlaw religious broadcasters and turn their tv and radio stations over to the evil "Gay power" groups. The bad guys are laughable stereotypes:
"By this time an avowed socialist and atheist, Sievers was attracted to a young English woman traveling with the group. Their mutual interests included an elitist view of themselves, a disdain of religion, and a desire to establish a new world order." (p.90)
Later in the book we have large mobs assaulting and killing Christians, carrying signs with an inverted cross, which according to Burkett is a symbol of the gay rights movement. The gay rights people continue their killings and in the meantime we learn how liberals want to harvest organs from babies. If Ann Coulter would write a novel, it would probably be like this one.
In the foreword, Burkett tells us he is a talented writer (leave that up to the reader to decide, why don't you?) and that the story is realistic. Unfortunately, he's wrong on both points. As for the realism, there is none. The Christian resistance movement can do absolutely anything by hacking the "Data-Net", and the government is left clueless as to how they do it. And the writing, all other flaws aside, is awful. He constantly jumps between different perspectives and even locations within the same scene. It's a mess.
A reliable source told me that Burkett was, although a bad fiction author, a wonderful man. If that is true, this book doesn't show it. Instead he comes off as simple minded, homophobic and paranoid. And an incompetent writer. Read this book only if you want to read some of the worst religious fiction there is. As trash, it is somewhat entertaining but it's too boring to qualify as true "so bad it's good" trash.
(This review is based on the 1991 edition of the book. apparently some details have been altered in the 2004 edition)
I suspect the title of this book was chosen to cash in on the mythical Illuminati, which has nothing to do with the secret society in this novel, "The Society" (although Burkett calls it the Illuminati a few times when first describing it). Burkett's Illuminati is a group whose goals, besides world power, is to "establish Satan's kingdom on Earth". Needless to say, they hate Christians, which we are told more times than I can count. The novel is set in 2001 (re-edited version in 2015), ten years after it was written, and somehow everybody in the USA, except for a small minority, is now against Christianity. Considering that a vast majority of americans are christians, this scenario is just too implausible to believe.
Instead of just telling his story, Burkett constantly voices his own opinions, calling liberals "fanatics" and portraying liberals as anti-Christian, foul-mouthed, coke snorting homosexuals who somehow managed to outlaw religious broadcasters and turn their tv and radio stations over to the evil "Gay power" groups. The bad guys are laughable stereotypes:
"By this time an avowed socialist and atheist, Sievers was attracted to a young English woman traveling with the group. Their mutual interests included an elitist view of themselves, a disdain of religion, and a desire to establish a new world order." (p.90)
Later in the book we have large mobs assaulting and killing Christians, carrying signs with an inverted cross, which according to Burkett is a symbol of the gay rights movement. The gay rights people continue their killings and in the meantime we learn how liberals want to harvest organs from babies. If Ann Coulter would write a novel, it would probably be like this one.
In the foreword, Burkett tells us he is a talented writer (leave that up to the reader to decide, why don't you?) and that the story is realistic. Unfortunately, he's wrong on both points. As for the realism, there is none. The Christian resistance movement can do absolutely anything by hacking the "Data-Net", and the government is left clueless as to how they do it. And the writing, all other flaws aside, is awful. He constantly jumps between different perspectives and even locations within the same scene. It's a mess.
A reliable source told me that Burkett was, although a bad fiction author, a wonderful man. If that is true, this book doesn't show it. Instead he comes off as simple minded, homophobic and paranoid. And an incompetent writer. Read this book only if you want to read some of the worst religious fiction there is. As trash, it is somewhat entertaining but it's too boring to qualify as true "so bad it's good" trash.
October 27, 2008
It really skewed my view of the world! I've been so naive! :) Really good adventure/political/ thriller, though it leaves you a little bit messed up.
January 3, 2009
I think this book is FANTASIC!!!! It's thrilling, fast paced, twist-full, and pretty good writing. The story behind it is very exciting an the length is well worth it!
December 13, 2009
quite good
November 26, 2016
Horrible. In 200 pages we have read about: an impeached president, a killer tsunami in Californa, the mother of all earthquakes in Tokyo, a murdered president, all the oil in the world stolen Israel using slant wells, atomic bomb retaliation, cobalt bomb threats, Christian death camps in the USA (really? yes, really), an impeached USA Congress, a satanistic leader that rules the earth, a money-free economy, complete anarchy and martial law in the US, a computer controled monetary system - oh no it controls everything, China, Japan and Iran going to war in Israel, IDs tatooed on every individual, Christian resistance groups, and a super hacker that "fights" for the good guys. Too much sir! How can you seriously compress that in 200 pages? Oh, add to that no character development but glad we gt descriptions of the holy priest, the supersmart computer nerd that falls in love, the nazi-FBI camp guard that likes to strip women forcefully (really? yes really), the Hitler-like bad guy dictator man, and a complete distorted compression of event timing. And all under the nonsense title of "Illuminati". The Christian theme in the book was just annoying. Sadly there was no virus attack or a plague of grasshoppers, that would have completed everything.
Why the hell would you write a story that copies the horrible WW2 Jew genocide by the Nazis to modern USA and Christians under the title "Illuminati". It really freaks me out. As I was expecting a near-future thriller around a shadowy power group (Illuminati) and their power plays as the titel and summary on the back cover states, this book does not make sense at all. I like near future thrillers (Suarez and others), but this was so over the top it was hillariously funny (please include grasshoppers the next time). That was also the reason I finished the book, just for the laughs. But for a humoristic tale it is actually also really bad. No stars. Oh you have to give 1. There you go.
Why the hell would you write a story that copies the horrible WW2 Jew genocide by the Nazis to modern USA and Christians under the title "Illuminati". It really freaks me out. As I was expecting a near-future thriller around a shadowy power group (Illuminati) and their power plays as the titel and summary on the back cover states, this book does not make sense at all. I like near future thrillers (Suarez and others), but this was so over the top it was hillariously funny (please include grasshoppers the next time). That was also the reason I finished the book, just for the laughs. But for a humoristic tale it is actually also really bad. No stars. Oh you have to give 1. There you go.
October 10, 2007
wow, that was some BAD writing. and i mean awful. cringe-worthy terrible.
more importantly, the story was farfetched and fanatical. the premise of a christian 'minority' being persecuted by a secular government with the help of a docile population could *maybe* have worked if they'd set the book *way* in the future...and had some sort of rationale for why that would happen.
totally just an excuse for pious sighing. ew and ick. if you want to read some christial lit, the Left Behind series is much less offensive and way more scifi-y.
more importantly, the story was farfetched and fanatical. the premise of a christian 'minority' being persecuted by a secular government with the help of a docile population could *maybe* have worked if they'd set the book *way* in the future...and had some sort of rationale for why that would happen.
totally just an excuse for pious sighing. ew and ick. if you want to read some christial lit, the Left Behind series is much less offensive and way more scifi-y.
March 4, 2014
What a complete load of crap. This guy is a hack. Someone gave me this book and I must have had a moment of self loathing because I forced myself to read it. It made me appreciate Dan Brown, at least that hack can string a coherent sentence together. Seriously, I hated this book.
October 13, 2013
Tripe.
March 7, 2014
Scared
I enjoyed the book, but it did frightened me. To think that God and this great country could be manipulatived is now comprehensible.
I enjoyed the book, but it did frightened me. To think that God and this great country could be manipulatived is now comprehensible.
September 19, 2018
While I don’t doubt there are evil forces at work I don’t believe they are as shown in this book. This is the first book I have read by a “Christian” author and it may be the last. The use of the word Illuminati in the title is a cheap tactic to suck the reader in. It worked. This story is not even well told. 2 stars is probably generous.
January 20, 2023
A good read and a warning about what could happen if we don't protect our freedom.
July 10, 2015
“In the year 2015, an ancient society takes over the presidency. The world's only prayer rests with a handful of Christians ready to take on the illuminati.
From before the time of Christ, there have been rumors of a secret society called the Illuminati - a vicious tribe of Druids with mystical, supernatural powers. Many saw them as demons or gods. Those who opposed them simply disappeared - or met an even worse fate.
As the centuries passed, this shadow - like group cloaked themselves in new identities, slowly infiltrating world organizations and financial institutions. The stealthy society had a singular goal - to bring the planet to its knees by controlling the world's economic system.
Now fast-forward to the year 2015. The Illuminati has succeeded in placing one of their people in the office of the presidency of the United States. With the worldwide launch of a financial system known as Data-New, they have gained seemingly unlimited power.
The Illuminati is a futuristic thriller tied to ancient mysticism that will leave fans of Christian Fiction wondering where facts fantasy begins.”
Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
Nora St Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com
Book Fun Magazine www.bookfunmagazine.com
From before the time of Christ, there have been rumors of a secret society called the Illuminati - a vicious tribe of Druids with mystical, supernatural powers. Many saw them as demons or gods. Those who opposed them simply disappeared - or met an even worse fate.
As the centuries passed, this shadow - like group cloaked themselves in new identities, slowly infiltrating world organizations and financial institutions. The stealthy society had a singular goal - to bring the planet to its knees by controlling the world's economic system.
Now fast-forward to the year 2015. The Illuminati has succeeded in placing one of their people in the office of the presidency of the United States. With the worldwide launch of a financial system known as Data-New, they have gained seemingly unlimited power.
The Illuminati is a futuristic thriller tied to ancient mysticism that will leave fans of Christian Fiction wondering where facts fantasy begins.”
Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
Nora St Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com
Book Fun Magazine www.bookfunmagazine.com
August 1, 2017
Illuminati=Council of Foreign Relations=The Society. According to the book “For decades, top recruits from the families of Society members had been education in military schools and had risen to positions of authority until many of the top levels were dominated by them. But the plans of the Society had been laid so carefully that even lower-echelon leaders in the military had been carefully trained and recruited in the Society. The very fact that such a massive effort seemed impossible was what made it possible. Even the destruction of the American economy and morality since the early 1950s had been carefully planned through a systemic takeover of much of the media and virtually all of the movie industry. The movie industry sold Americans on immorality, and the media sold them on government handouts." Assassinations of top officials in Supreme Court and Presidency, the NCLU persecuting Christians (and Jews), a push towards a single monetary system and one world government (sound familiar?). Every day is a contest between individuals and Satan's temptations. This is the entire Left Behind series in one captivating book that is too scary in its similarities to actual events.
April 6, 2010
What starts as a political thriller slowly starts to turn into a heavily biased book by halfway through. The bad guys are all minions of Satan (yes, actual Satan) and the good guys, regardless of how they started the book, end up Christian because miraculously they see the light. Even a staunch opposer becomes a preacher with his own television show. A lot of stuff rankles in retrospect, but it got so heavily biased towards Christian Faith is good and casting Democrats as Satanic Society-following evildoers that it distracted a lot in the final pages of the plot.
If it had kept out all the heavy faith leanings, it probably would've gotten 3.5 stars from me, but as is, it gets the two.
If it had kept out all the heavy faith leanings, it probably would've gotten 3.5 stars from me, but as is, it gets the two.
March 18, 2014
I read this book like 20 times as a 10-14 yro. My pastor owned it and I would sneak into his office and borrow it without permission and read it over and over again. I was so sick of the Bible, so sick of the same old books my Mom would let me read and this was exciting to me. Thinking about it now, I am sure he noticed that book on his shelf that got more and more worn and had the cover taped onto it,and just ignored his associate pastors book thief daughter, because hey, it was christian propeganda. Better to have us reading stories made to make us never question god than using our brains and making our will saves to leave the church (like I did when I was 17).
March 30, 2020
Almost finished with this one. I have it in my high school library and decided to take it home for break. It's eerie how the events in the book mirror what is happening today and it was written in 1991. At the end of the book you can tell he was trying to align events with those described in Revelations.
January 14, 2010
Very disturbing book, but it really makes you think
February 25, 2020
Utter drivel. Pure and simple.
December 13, 2021
Another book I had to read for school.
This book may have been very well made in 2001 predicting 2020. It was a little to close to comfort with the stuff thats happening today.
The wrteing was a bit slow, but it picked up in the end.
Also It was quite discriptive of all the deaths. Now, onto the characters.
Jon Elder: the good guy. a pastor that decides enought is enought. And does the smart thing and organize the pro-christain protests. Is also in jail for half the book.
Jeff Wells: My favorite. Smart techy guy who can do all the inside stuff. (and his romance ain't too shabby ;P )
Alton: 1st lady presedent. Not so bright. Used her husbands death to climb to the top (hmmmm)
Crazy Guy from Israel: The name says it all.
Kim Loo: The replacement smart techy piece of trash guy who took over Jeff Wells job.
Amir Hussin: the main antagonist character. One of those slightly creepy dolls you try to salvage from the trash but you eventualy throw it back into the trash, then it comes to haunt you. (This may be one of the most well writen bad guys I read about.)
Lively: Another piece of trash that died. Larry, why did you not... I don't know, kill him at the start? he wasn't that useful to the plot.
Donald Sheppard: And FBI person who is not as crappy and the rest of the FBI guys in this book. Heck! Why is he even in the FBI? Aparently the goverment hire these guys for their temperment.
Karen: Not a karen. smart person. she kinda acts ditzy but not at the same time... How?
Rany Cross: I almost forgot about him! He does some things and then disappears.
I think that is all the characters. The plot was nice. I enjoyed the story
See you next book!
This book may have been very well made in 2001 predicting 2020. It was a little to close to comfort with the stuff thats happening today.
The wrteing was a bit slow, but it picked up in the end.
Also It was quite discriptive of all the deaths. Now, onto the characters.
Jon Elder: the good guy. a pastor that decides enought is enought. And does the smart thing and organize the pro-christain protests. Is also in jail for half the book.
Jeff Wells: My favorite. Smart techy guy who can do all the inside stuff. (and his romance ain't too shabby ;P )
Alton: 1st lady presedent. Not so bright. Used her husbands death to climb to the top (hmmmm)
Crazy Guy from Israel: The name says it all.
Kim Loo: The replacement smart techy piece of trash guy who took over Jeff Wells job.
Amir Hussin: the main antagonist character. One of those slightly creepy dolls you try to salvage from the trash but you eventualy throw it back into the trash, then it comes to haunt you. (This may be one of the most well writen bad guys I read about.)
Lively: Another piece of trash that died. Larry, why did you not... I don't know, kill him at the start? he wasn't that useful to the plot.
Donald Sheppard: And FBI person who is not as crappy and the rest of the FBI guys in this book. Heck! Why is he even in the FBI? Aparently the goverment hire these guys for their temperment.
Karen: Not a karen. smart person. she kinda acts ditzy but not at the same time... How?
Rany Cross: I almost forgot about him! He does some things and then disappears.
I think that is all the characters. The plot was nice. I enjoyed the story
See you next book!
November 25, 2021
I read this as a teen and I remember liking it. Reread it now and not so much.
Since my teenage years I’ve left the faith and spent quite a bit of time looking into Christian indoctrination and I find this book blatantly full of it.
There are Christians who believe and who are good people who genuinely work for the good of others and can see the good in others.
Then there are those who see the world outside of faith as a step away from hell. Where being a Christian puts a mark in their back.
This book is the latter.
Usually calling the other side of an argument hitler or demon filled is hyperbole. In this story it’s clearly stated that both statements are true.
Despite the strong lip service for being for the Jews the religious Jews are called zealots and there is the myth of the greedy Jews brought up.
All the female characters spend their time crying, being kidnapped, hiding or screwing up. Those are the ones on the protagonist’s side. The other side’s women are worse.
It’s also interesting to see quite a bit of what is now Qanon conspiracy ideas being spouted 25 years before.
The writing is possible but not great and at times felt like a drag
Since my teenage years I’ve left the faith and spent quite a bit of time looking into Christian indoctrination and I find this book blatantly full of it.
There are Christians who believe and who are good people who genuinely work for the good of others and can see the good in others.
Then there are those who see the world outside of faith as a step away from hell. Where being a Christian puts a mark in their back.
This book is the latter.
Usually calling the other side of an argument hitler or demon filled is hyperbole. In this story it’s clearly stated that both statements are true.
Despite the strong lip service for being for the Jews the religious Jews are called zealots and there is the myth of the greedy Jews brought up.
All the female characters spend their time crying, being kidnapped, hiding or screwing up. Those are the ones on the protagonist’s side. The other side’s women are worse.
It’s also interesting to see quite a bit of what is now Qanon conspiracy ideas being spouted 25 years before.
The writing is possible but not great and at times felt like a drag
April 23, 2018
To see a summary of the book, look to the main page on Goodreads.
The more I live my life, the more I hear people question the so-called secret organization that supposedly runs the world called the Illuminati. I wanted to learn more about this topic so I chose to read this Christian's understanding of it, although it is a fictional account. Now that I read it, it was an interesting read, one that is highly entertaining, but it is clearly not going to be my only research into the topic. I have much more to explore!
I have not read "The Left Behind" series [a fictional account of Christian eschatology. In other words, it portrays one portrayal of how the end of the world will come to be], but I sense, based upon what I have heard of it, that this could be a similar representation.
If you want an entertaining read as to how Christians could end up being persecuted in the future and how "God" works things out for good, feel free to check this out.
The more I live my life, the more I hear people question the so-called secret organization that supposedly runs the world called the Illuminati. I wanted to learn more about this topic so I chose to read this Christian's understanding of it, although it is a fictional account. Now that I read it, it was an interesting read, one that is highly entertaining, but it is clearly not going to be my only research into the topic. I have much more to explore!
I have not read "The Left Behind" series [a fictional account of Christian eschatology. In other words, it portrays one portrayal of how the end of the world will come to be], but I sense, based upon what I have heard of it, that this could be a similar representation.
If you want an entertaining read as to how Christians could end up being persecuted in the future and how "God" works things out for good, feel free to check this out.
April 4, 2020
I read this book years ago. Now that the whole world is basically a cashless society, we all have GPS on our cars or cell phones, we all have debit cards rather than money in our pockets, we can be easily traced by the local and national and global authorities.... And a seasonal flu has shut down the entire world, without one single bullet being shot... All the sheeple of the world just giving in to a cold virus... This book rings even truer than it did when it was first written... Whatever happened to "I would rather die on my feet, than live on my knees"
Remember the Alamo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Remember the Alamo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2022
I first read this book back in the 90s, but felt it was time to reread it. The author had a disclaimer in the Foreword that he is not a prophet, but now, nearly 30 years later, so many of his hypotheses have become reality - the massive earthquakes and tsunamis, the introduction of the cashless society in some countries, the repressive gun laws, the persecution of Christians who don't comply with the wishes of the LGBTQ+ - my adrenalin was working overtime. I had completely forgotten the story of this novel, and thoroughly enjoyed reading it again. It is a thriller, that could actually happen if the world continues on its present political course. We need to be alert and be prepared.
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