Kingdom Come: The Final Victory: The Final Victory (Left Behind #13)

Book Description

The horrors of the Tribulation are over, and Jesus Christ has set up his perfect kingdom on earth. Believers all around the world enjoy a newly perfected relationship with their Lord, and the earth itself is transformed. Yet evil still lurks in the hearts of the unbelieving. As the Millennium draws to a close, the final generation of the unrepentant prepares to mount a new offensive against the Lord Himself--sparking the final and ultimate conflict from which only one side will emerge the eternal victor.

Customer Reviews:

Just one more book in the all-encompassing, enthralling, and utterly absorbing Left Behind Series.......2007-09-13

From the very first letter of the alphabet that my eyes looked upon inside this series of books, until the very last period of the very last sentence, I was hooked. Each one of these books absorbed my attention like no other book has ever done in my life. Biblically sound, theatrically entertaining, and brilliantly written, the Left Behind books will inspire you to dig into God's word and take the pieces of news from your T.V. screen and match them right smack-dab up with the prophecies of the Bible. Your hair will stand up, your heart will race, and you will find yourself helplessly caught in the suspense. Once you finish one of these books, you will desperately race to your computer screen or your local library to pick up the next one!

Carrie Lynn Jones
Author of It All Began... When Jesus Gave Me Sneakers

Kingdom Come - worth reading.......2007-09-11

I enjoyed this book. I read the entire series over the past few months, and this was the way to end it. It's more of a bible study than the other books in the series. Not as exciting, but if you read the story up until now, you should read this. Gives a good description of the last days.

Potter is Hotter!.......2007-08-29

As a work of fantasy, the Left Behind series is third-rate. It lacks the humor and exuberance of the Harry Potter books; the magical acts it portrays are quite simply boring. It lacks the sparkling darkness of language that makes the His Dark Materials books a delight to read. It lacks the sweep and grandeur of the Lord of the Rings series. Note please that I'm reviewing Left Behind merely as escapist fantasy literature. As theology, it's too contemptible to need reviewing. As a morality tale, it's even more contemptible, an interminable drone of bigotry, sexism, self-righteousness, and exploitation of the decent folk who congregate in America's churches.

Final Stand.......2007-08-18

The entire series was written in such a way that every new book had its own plot. A series well done. Thank you for the eye opener.

great transaction.......2007-08-14

My husband loved the book and has already finished it. The item came quickly and in great condition as promised

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Average customer rating:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers
Pants on fire?
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Salt of the Earth: The Church at the End of the Millennium: An Interview With Peter Seewald

Average customer rating:

Sugar for the Soul
An intelligent and loving man
Gather a summary and freely choose
Excellent insight into the thought and world of Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI)
Ratzinger's Reply to the Contemporary Mind

Salt of the Earth: The Church at the End of the Millennium: An Interview With Peter Seewald
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
Manufacturer: Ignatius Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Introduction To Christianity (Communio Books)

ASIN: 0898706408

Book Description

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, well-known Vatican prelate and head of the Congregation on the Doctrine of the Faith, gives a full-length interview to a secular journalist on a host of controversial and difficult issues facing Catholicism and Christianity at the end of the millennium. Similar to his best-selling book interview in 1985, The Ratzinger Report, he responds with candor and insight, giving answers that are often surprising and always thought-provoking on a series of wide-ranging topics regarding the present and future state of Christianity.

Ratzinger begins by discussing his own life, including his family life, being a theology professor and writer, becoming a Bishop, Cardinal and the Pope's top authority on doctrine. He then discusses the problems of the Catholic Church today and talks about the challenges and hopes of the future of Church and the world at the beginning of the Third Millennium.

Customer Reviews:

Sugar for the Soul .......2007-05-09

Without a doubt, this new Pope Benedict XVI is the most brilliant man in the world!

That probably does not need to be said, does it? What is more important than being brilliant is that the "then" Cardinal Ratzinger, is seen as one who can and does communicate with the people. We are those people! Anyone can understand what Cardinal Ratzinger means when he answers Peter Seewald's questions - one would never go away saying, "What did He mean by THAT!" Brilliant!

Peter Seewald asks great questions - for a starter, "Do you pray when you and the Pope (then Pope John Paul II) meet?" "What do you wear?" Silly? Maybe, but we learn about the setting of the meeting of the Pope and the Prefect - we see the picture - we ARE there with them! You seem to take a chair here with Seewald and the "then" Cardinal Ratzinger, now Holy Father - who is also fondly called the German Shepherd and/or B16. You can take him anywhere! Later Peter Seewald's questions become deeper and more profound, but never more profound that the answers.

I swooned over the first 20 pages. I began putting green stars to mark things that were amazing - then green exclamation points to help me locate great comments - then began to underline - now I have a book that is almost totally green in ink! What a heart for God this Cardinal had in 1996 and to think that 10 years later he was our new Pope. Get out your markers!

Purchase this book and, at the same time, order God and the World: A Conversation With Peter Seewald - the next book dated 2000. At least, put these books on your Wish List for Mothers' Day or Fathers' Day. Actually begin by adding everything Pope Benedict XVI has ever written to your library.

I believe Mr. Seewald went "Home" to the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church shortly after this book. They were a great team!

An intelligent and loving man.......2007-03-10

Every question is answered with clarity and right to the point. For those who would like to learn about our present Pope and his beliefs this is the book to buy. The church and the world should feel blessed to have a man as Joseph Ratzinger . Tremendous insight into the church and his own life before he became Pope. Peter seewald is a great writer and Ratzinger really comes through in this interview. Catholics around the world should thank God that this man speaks on behalf of us.

Gather a summary and freely choose.......2006-06-10

After all the costly legal expenditures (and the lack thereof) have, in the majority of cases, been accounted for, Ratzinger now no longer feels pressured to provide us with the keys to the Kingdom of Secrecy relegated above. Is this "upper surface" really all that remains of his famous sight outside, or is it nothing more than a considerable reputation that has been established for reliable books? And how can such an author hope for so long that Ratzinger's new book, by its absence, will have cultivated anything like it? Seldom, the beginner thinks, will the work of such an author--lacking the reserve or the aesthetic control of the above-mentioned colonels--be captured immediately. Nor will it be completely convincing. But that, of course, was precisely the experiment that was forced on them after Ratzinger's consideration was ceded in 1960. The impact of this first impression shows the entire direction of the book. In the library, after which I was completely in agreement with his single new worldview, one could see signs that it would soon disperse. With the relative lack of English letters on Ratzinger, I, for one, would like to gather a summary and a consideration of Ratzinger's body of work, under one flag, as completely as possible. And on the general topic of any official meetings, if each report made a first impression as written, then what prospect does the neophyte have, when he comes for the first time to these books. The catch is that, as a unit, I can only hope that these pieces will be useful as an inspiration, mostly so that our readers will freely choose the work of an author who has spent too a long time in negligence.

Excellent insight into the thought and world of Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI).......2006-06-09

Read this book.

There are so many things that are wonderful about this book; it is hard to know where to begin. First and foremost, this is a fantastic comprehensive synthesis of Ratzinger's views regarding much of the current concerns of the Church and of the world.

Additionally, the question and answer format makes this book extremely accessible, even for those who might think they are too busy to read about the new Pope. I would even say that the topics that are discussed in this interview are of interest to everybody as they do not necessarily revolve around interior Church issues.

Like I said earlier, I suggest that you read this book. It's a great way to start learning more about what Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) is like and how he thinks.

Ratzinger's Reply to the Contemporary Mind.......2006-05-14

Contrasted to Vittorio Messori's breakthrough interview of Cardinal Ratzinger, the famous Ratzinger Report, this book at first glance does not seem to stand up as well. Messori is Catholic, prepared, and focused. The interviewer here, Peter Seewald, is a contemporary journalist and while obviously a man of good will, comes on too often with cliched assumptions about Catholicism. The gracious Ratzinger sidesteps this as consistently as Lou Gehrig could hit singles, but the overall result can become monotonous, tedious, and diffuse.

Yet many will doubtless prefer this book as an introduction to the new pope's thinking. The reason, simply, is that for all its flaws the book is more human, intimate. It often looks just like straight transcription of a conversation about the faith between two men, who for whatever different reasons do care about the subject and the answers. There is a thus, finally, a certain glow of Christian fellowship to the whole undertaking. The Ratzinger Report, in contrast, now begins to betray something of the hand of the editor -- on both sides. Thus however stumbling and sometimes clumsy, this book is more than a "semi-official" report: it is something that might even convert somebody -- as the meetings apparently did Seewald.

The focus here is less on the Catholic Church as an institution, more on the burden of Christianity and belief at this precise moment of history. Seewald stands for the contemporary mind. Ratzinger's replies both exhibet a bounty of patience and a dogged persistence to be understood with as much accuracy as his questioner can glean. For once, the theologian is out of his skin, and must become catechist -- to a most unlikely candidate. As perfectly chiseled as the Ratzinger Report was, one suspects that this book, then, will for now on find the wider audience, perhaps even endure.

Simply, when the voice of the modern man is modulated, as befits an interview -- and not screaming in protest or assault -- the Cardinal's responsive voice, densely civil, jam-packed with informed response in defense of belief -- and poignant questions of its own for the modern man -- levels the field like a superhighway. Disarmingly, while Ratzinger seems to play a long hand, at the end one is no longer even listening to modern man's wailing. The man of quiet belief has known all along it was a but a feisty baby's howl for real food.

Messianic Revolution: Radical Religious Politics to the End of the Second Millennium

Average customer rating:

An interesting read, if no where near authoritative
Provides important insights
diligent effort but scholarship is flawed

Messianic Revolution: Radical Religious Politics to the End of the Second Millennium
David S. Katz , and Richard H. Popkin
Manufacturer: Hill & Wang Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0809068850

Book Description

Apocalyptic political movements--their attractions, their dangers.

The idea for writing this book took shape on April 19, 1993, when at least seventy-four people lost their lives in the conflagration near Waco, Texas, and it became clear that the followers of David Koresh and the federal agents outside his compound inhabited two different conceptual worlds. Indeed, neither journalists nor law-enforcement experts nor the public seemed aware that there is a rich tradition of messianic, revolutionary politics behind groups like Koresh's, a history that stretches back unbroken to the Middle Ages.

In this fascinating study, two historians explore and explain that tradition, showing how the beliefs of many fringe, distressed, disenfranchised, or purely mystical Christians have been transmitted across a millennium. Messianic Revolution offers a strong and lucid explanation of why and how this apocalyptic strain found especially fertile ground in the New World, and it throws new light on the many strands of biblical interpretation, both Jewish and Christian, that are woven into this complex, fascinating history.

Customer Reviews:

An interesting read, if no where near authoritative.......2000-09-12

This book was enjoyable to read. Books looking at messianic beliefs through history seem to be a burgeoning market. A better one covering the same material is Norman Cohn's The Pursuit of the Millenium. As well, there are books that cover a very specific part of the picuture, such as Michael Barkun's Religion and the Rascist Right, examining British-Isrealism and Christian Identity. Part of the charm of Messianic Revolution is its looseness in defining radical religious politics. It often seems the authors include an idea or group simply because it interests them and then they shoe horn it gently into the narrative. This may not make for a authoritative book but it does keep the story and subject interesting and should lead the reader to read more on this subject.

Provides important insights.......2000-04-24

Any brief review carrying a theme through many centuries will cover certain aspects in an overly simplified or superficial manner. But the test is if in the end the information provided grants us insight that would otherwise have been lacking. "Messianic Revolution" by Katz and Popkin stands up well to this test. Although at certain points early on the book seems to drag, by the second half all the pieces tie together well. The reader gains an understanding of where many messianic concepts current today had their origin. Such understanding can on the one hand break down prejudice caused by ignorance, on the other hand it can give the reader healthy caution in reviewing his own religious concepts. It is important to note the use and constant potential abuse of prophetic interpretations.

If we understand historically where we came from and how we arrived at this point at the turn of the millennium, we can have our eyes that much wider open as to what will or will not occur in the next.

diligent effort but scholarship is flawed.......2000-02-28

The authors show commendable effort in tackling such an ambitious project. Unfortunately their scholarship is often spotty. One example of many: they base their discussion of Jehovah's Witnesses on superficial, secondary, non-scholarly sources. They state that Jehovah's Witnesses "reject the use of tobacco and alcohol, and will not accept blood transfusions." (P. 158) This is more-or-less correct regarding blood transfusions, but the authors of this book are obviously not aware of the fact that the scholarly literature concerning Jehovah's Witnesses documents widespread alcoholism among the Witness leadership. Similarly, on page 456 and elsewhere, the authors make sweeping statements concerning John Calvin, statements that they fail to document, and which, in fact, constitute gross oversimplifications. On the other hand, the authors, with more attention to research and more mature reflection, are no doubt capable of writing a much better book some time in the future. They need to go back to the library !

A Journey to the End of the Millennium - A Novel of the Middle Ages

Average customer rating:

A wasted journey
Long-winded and unclear look at an unkown time
It takes a millenium to finish this book
Has Its Moments, But Disappointing Overall
medieval realism

A Journey to the End of the Millennium - A Novel of the Middle Ages
A. B. Yehoshua
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0156011166

Amazon.com

One would think from all the brouhaha about the imminent arrival of Y2K that the world had never experienced a change of millennium. In fact, we've been through it all before, as A.B. Yehoshua reminds us in his novel, A Journey to the End of the Millennium. The year is 999 and the protagonist is Ben Attar, a North African Jewish merchant who has, for many years, been in profitable partnership with his nephew Abulafia and a Muslim trader named Abu Lutfi. But when Abulafia marries a German Jew who disapproves of his uncle's two wives, the partnership is suddenly dissolved and Ben Attar finds himself out of business.

Abulafia's repudiation of his uncle sets the stage for Ben Attar's journey into the heart of Europe at the turn of the millennium. Accompanied by a rabbi, both his wives, and Abu Lutfi, our hero sails to Paris, where he hopes to persuade his nephew's wife that his marriage to two women is both legally and morally permissible. Yehoshua's tale is more than just a travelog through the Europe of the 10th century; it is also a meditation on religion, law, and the differences between the European Sephardic tradition and that of the Middle Eastern Ashkenazic Jews--differences that echo the current social and ideological conflicts within Israel today.

Book Description

In the year 999, when Ben Attar, a Moroccan Jewish merchant, takes a second wife, he commits an act whose unforeseen consequences will forever alter his family, his relationships, his business-his life. In an attempt to forestall conflict and advance his business interests at the same time, Ben Attar undertakes his annual journey to Europe with both his first wife and his new wife. The trip is the beginning of a profound human drama whose moral conflicts of fidelity and desire resonate with those of our time. Yehoshua renders the medieval world of Jewish and Christian culture and trade with astonishing depth and sensuous detail. Through the trials of a medieval merchant, the renowned author explores the deepest questions about the nature of morality, character, codes of human conduct, and matters of the heart.

Customer Reviews:

A wasted journey.......2007-07-11

Opinion among reviewers appears to be polarized, as many praise the book as find it highly unsatisfactory. I am well into the latter category.

Others have summarized the story. I found the central plot line to be so incredible as to be beyond reason, so much so, in fact, that my main motivation for continuing to read was to determine whether he really meant what he seemed to be saying. Yehoshua describes a medieval mid-European Jewess who first attempts to break up her husband's business partnership, then threatens divorce, because her husband's partner, who lives a thousand miles away in a Moslem country, has two wives. He never satisfactorily explains why she goes to these extremes. Further, he never adequately explains why the business partner would undertake the extremely hazardous journey from Africa to mid-Europe bringing along both his wives, and others, to confront the complainant. Finally, the ease with which one of the travelers, a widowed Rabbi, leaves his son in the hands of the complainant when the party returns to Africa, defies all belief.

The writing has merits but all the characters are paper thin and one dimensional. Further, emotions are described in terms worthy of the Barbara Cartland school: people do not simply want something, their hearts long for it; they do not question but are darkly suspicious; they do not look at each other but caress with their eyes; they are not just upset but pierced to their soul, and so on and on.

Finally, the novel's title would lead one to expect that there is major significance in its setting, the year 999 CE. However, apart from some minor references to the millennium the events described could equally well have occurred at any time during the preceding or subsequent 150 years.

What's the point?

Long-winded and unclear look at an unkown time.......2005-10-27

The centuries surrounding the beginning of the Second Christian Millenium are a relatively unknown time even among those, such as myself, with an interest in History. The light that was shed on this time by the book was interesting to me, as were the concepts of Paris as a small town and Europe as a wilderness. While some of the characters were interesting, the narrator spent too much time telling what was happening rather than showing it (i.e. through dialogue). The made the book difficult to get throug, especially in the final chapters.
*spoiler*
The symbolism of the book was unclear as well, most especially the strange cottage to which the young black slave fled after stumbling on it. I felt some of the sexual descriptions were gratuitous and unecessary and while the refusal of the author to give the wives names seemed to echo the tendendcy in the Bible to do the same to women, the Bible does give names to those who play an important role. Although I disagree to the reveiwer that this was done with mysoginist intent. Unfortunately the symbolism was either too subtle for the average reader or it completely missed the mark, and I lean toward the latter.

It takes a millenium to finish this book.......2004-11-12

I believe that I was possibly unlucky to choose this book as my introduction to Mr. Yehoshua's work, for I am told that he is a fabulous writer and a fine creator of believable dialogues. Well, there are no dialogues, and the story drags. The book however had many characteristics that should make me love it! My training is that of a historian, I fancy -- in my spare time -- reading on the Middle Ages, I've been fascinated with travel writing, I've lived in North Africa and to top it off, I've done some reading on Judaism in the Iberian Penninsula. And yet this book proved to be a collection of frustrations and it appeared never to end.

Mr. Yehoshua chose to base his narrative in the oral tradition typical not only to the Middle Ages but also present in Jewish and North African traditions. So the development of his story is as repetitive as those told from generation to generation, to remind each of the listeners the main characteristcs of what's being mentioned. He does it however without the charm that a colloquial narrator would infuse. This distant omnipresent narrator who tells us the story instead took away any sense of drama, of importance, of eagerness, and of deeply felt conflicts. The narrative line seemed adrift, like a boat going from port to port without a chart.

There was also not a single character that involved this reader emotionally. It felt like an intellectual exercise that ended up being too boring to stand. It was a struggle for me to finish the book and frankly, life is too short for the daily sacrifice I was inflicting on myself.

Has Its Moments, But Disappointing Overall.......2002-02-01

I approached "A Journey to the End of the Millennium" eagerly. Since the book was subtitled "A Novel of the Middle Ages," I anticipated a compelling story that would illuminate the times, flowing from a talented writer's fertile imagination. Perhaps the subtitle is actually a typo for "A Novel of Middle Age," which strikes me as more appropriate. Instead of painting a landscape rooted in a specific time and place, the author's concerns and energies are focused on the domestic and commercial travails of a middle-aged merchant. We follow him as he seeks to legitimatize his enlightened domestic situation of having two wives in benighted Europe, saving a business partnership in the process. Predictably, one of the wives has to die to normalize the other relationships. Guess whether the young nubile wife or the older chubbier wife dies. Your answer gives a flavor for the tediousness of this text.

The timelessness that many reviewers find a strength of the novel was, for me, a disappointing drawback. Granted, the measure of time is arbitrary and human concerns and relationships are universal and timeless, but this commonplace insight is hardly robust enough to carry the book.

The author's style is at times promising, but the text does not approach a literary height. Rather than drawing the reader in and focusing a close examination of the implications hidden or obscured in the text, Yehoshua provided me with an exercise in tedium. This is one of those books I wanted to put aside halfway finished, but hesitated to do so in hopes of a revelation that never comes. I am frankly puzzled why so many reviewers found this book compelling.

Unfortunately, this was the first book I read by Yehoshua. Unless someone convinces me otherwise, it will be the last. Even a great writer can produce an unworthy book. Others more familiar with his canon will have to decide if that is the case here.

medieval realism.......2001-09-03

What reeks, what is fragrant, and what simply smells unpleasant are graphically presented, if that is possible. Sleep habits of the characters-- their movements and sounds -- are also described. The brightest of yellows, reds, magentas seem even brighter when contasted with the grey rainy skies and black robes of medieval Jews.

Book Description

It's the year 999 and the end of the world is coming—at least according to a mysterious prophecy. But then Wiglaf meets a strange boy who claims to have come from the future. It's Zack, star of the best-selling The Zack Files™ series by Dan Greenburg, and he says he's living proof that there is life after the year 1000!

Customer Reviews:

Great children's book.......2007-03-05

My 7 year old son loves all of the books in this series. They are well written with a plot that he can follow. He wants to read all of the books in this series.

Dragon Slayers' Academy #8 was my favorite!.......2002-05-24

I like this book because it has my two favorite book characters in it: Wiglaf and Zack from The Zack Files. I wanted to keep reading this book until I finished. This book kept my interest. It was a funny book.

CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE!.......2000-07-19

I really loved this book. It was funny and punny. It reminded me a little of "A Kid in King Arthur's Court". My whole family and I have read all 8 of Wiglaf, Eric(a), and Angus' adventures, and we can't wait for number 9!

Prophecy in the New Millennium: A Fresh Look at Future Events

Average customer rating:

Wishful Thinking Modulated by Scholarship
Level headed current assessment of his eschatology views

Prophecy in the New Millennium: A Fresh Look at Future Events
John F. Walvoord
Manufacturer: Kregel Academic & Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0825439671

Book Description

An up-to-date look at unfulfilled Bible prophecy and current events, written by one of America's most recognized end times experts.

Customer Reviews:

Wishful Thinking Modulated by Scholarship.......2005-09-04

The author's scholarship and conservatism have always been guiding lights to those having a dispensational perspective. However even though I can't justify my comments in a few words, it seems that this book expresses a trend in wishful thinking based more on trying to extrapolate from conditions abroad in Cosmos Diabolicus rather than a strict interpretation of events per a dispensational and Biblical viewpoint.

Level headed current assessment of his eschatology views.......2002-06-26

It's nice to know that when you read one of Walvoord's books, you're going to get cool logical thinking, whether you agree with his prophetic stance or not. His years in acadamia show forth in his ability to argue his positions. Personally, I share the same views, give or take a couple of minor points, and did find it an interesting and timely read. One cautionary note, if you're totally new to biblical prophecy, this might not be the book for you. Walvoord assumes that his readers have some familiarity with the subject and it's terms.

At Millennium's End: New Essays on the Work of Kurt Vonnegut

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At Millennium's End: New Essays on the Work of Kurt Vonnegut

Manufacturer: State University of New York Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0791449297

Book Description

At Millennium's End looks back over the body of Kurt Vonnegut's writing, examining the novels, essays, and short stories of one of the century's most beloved and widely read authors and social critics. It also looks forward, projecting Vonnegut's relevance to the next millennium. The essays, by noted Vonnegut scholars and personal friends, are each written from the perspective of someone familiar with Vonnegut's entire canon.

Apocalypse Pretty Soon: Travels In End-Time America

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Entertaining look at some bizarre world views
Things More Frightening Than The Apocalypse...
Joyride to the Future
Whining, revenge-seeking
A "Must-Read" for inquiring minds w/ a sense of humor

Apocalypse Pretty Soon: Travels In End-Time America
Alex Heard
Manufacturer: Main Street Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0385498527
Release Date: 2000-01-04

Amazon.com

Since 1987, New York Times Magazine editor Alex Heard has scouted out Americans with out-there beliefs: people who breed red heifers to hasten Christ's Second Coming and pen books like The Dead Are Alive and If We Can Keep a Severed Head Alive; astral-plane sky pilots; homicidal survivalists. The best piece is "Welcome, Space Brothers!" about UFO fans whose leader, Ruth Norman, "combined the couture sensibilities of a drag queen with the joie de vivre of a Frisbee-chasing Irish setter." He conveys what it must be like to be one who sat rapt as Ruth spoke, "sounding like a combination of Julia Child, Aunt Clara on Bewitched, and a bossy little girl telling other little girls the rules of her playhouse."

Heard gets inside their closed systems to poke fun from within, and often puts things in historical context. You'll understand mainstream apocalyptic literature like the bestselling Left Behind thrillers far better once Heard briefs you on the whole range of stranger biblical end-times interpreters. Like David Gelernter's 1939: The Lost World of the Fair, Apocalypse Pretty Soon has a poignant sense of what commonsense culture has lost in giving up its millennial dreams.

Heard is valuable because he's thorough and genuinely interested in why Arthur Blessitt finds it blessed to drag a 105-pound cross across the globe, surviving attacks by mamba snake, crocodile, Nicaraguan firing squad, and LAPD choke hold. His book is madly funny, and deeply sad. --Tim Appelo

Book Description

The inspired madness of America's apocalyptic and pre-millennial organizations may have reached a fever pitch with the turn of the twenty-first century, but intrepid cultural traveler Alex Heard spent a ten-year period witnessing the crescendo firsthand. Heard's enthusiasm led him on errands as diverse as being a voyeur at a Republic of Texas militia standoff, accompanying an expectant UFO "greeting party" to a remote field in Minnesota, and enacting the grief of the California quail at an ad-hoc therapy group for fierce environmentalists who believe the earth is an actual living entity that's preparing to kill off its human population--and soon...or at least pretty soon.

Amazing as it may seem, however, throughout this trenchant subcultural travelogue, Heard never stoops to ridicule his subjects. As one reviewer puts it, "Heard's real achievement may be that he makes us care--in a way that is more than voyeuristic--about the colorful characters he meets on the road to the new millennium. He takes these people seriously, allows his assumptions to be challenged, and lets himself find that some of their beliefs and fears reflect his own" (San Jose Mercury News).

Apocalypse Pretty Soon will appeal to science fiction fans and students of subcultures, as well as anybody interested in way-out alternatives to the brave new world.

Amazing as it may seem, however, throughout this trenchant subcultural travelogue, Heard never stoops to ridicule his subjects. As one reviewer put it, "Heard's real achievement may be that he makes us care--in a way that is more than voyeuristic--about the colorful characters he meets on the road to the new millennium. He takes these people seriously, allows his assumptions to be challenged, and lets himself find that some of their beliefs and fears reflect his own" (San Jose Mercury News).

Now in paperback, this book will have an audience well beyond "millenniamania," from science fiction fans to students of subculture, and anybody interested in way-out alternatives to the brave new world. -->

Customer Reviews:

Entertaining look at some bizarre world views.......2003-07-19

An entertaining, funny and often sad look at some of the various personalities that make up the cultish world of millenial apocalyptic groups. The common thread here is the belief in imminent apocalyptic change by the groups through different means (alien visitation, return of Jesus, cataclysmic Earth changes, etc.).
Heard, it seems, tries to be objective and open-minded about each group at first. But when faced with the absurdity of their belief systems and after getting to know the people that form the leadership of these groups, he can't help but present a slightly more skeptical opinion. By the end of each chapter, after Heard has presented his study of the group, it's leadership, tactics, and beliefs, it's hard to not think these people are out of their minds.
The book is also a fine study in the unusual aspects of the human psyche. From the egomaniacal and seemingly deranged leaders to their willing and needy followers, Heard gives us a hard look at some of the personalities that make up these fringe groups.

Things More Frightening Than The Apocalypse..........2002-11-12

What's more frightening than the idea of an apocalypse? How 'bout all the people out there with so many freaky ideas of how and when it will come... From a psychological standpoint, this book is absolutely fascinating, darkly humorous, and yet undeniably frightening in its portrayal of people who might be neighbors or cousins of yours and mine who await an alien takeover or the return of Christ or what have you and the extent to which these hopes or fears have affected their lives and the lives of those they know and love. Obviously, the author has focused on one particular quirk of the various lives his subjects lead, and yet what is magnified for the reader are some of the most thought-provoking and bizarre ideas and behaviors I have ever encountered in print outside of an issue of Psychology Today. A book that can be aborbed and pondered by anyone with common sense and the ability to seperate reality from fantasy, I would avoid letting this fall into the hands of impressionable or highly imaginative young readers who might become fixated on some particular section and grow fearful because of it. Disturbing in both an entertaining and harrowing way, I couldn't put it down and hope for some sort of a sequel. Amazing.

Joyride to the Future.......2001-05-05

Alex Heard's adventures in the borderlands of culture remind me of the joys of listening to radical idealists of any stripe. I could feel the presence of each of his subjects, whether dreamer of a new Atlantis or channeler of benevolent, alien intelligence, or cross-bearing transcontinental walker. Each individual is a revelation in the spectrum of humanity, and most of them are endearing in distinct and peculiar ways. Heard is not unkind to either his subjects or his readers. He is a translator between "here" and "there," whose writing is so fluid and flawless that these strange world views slide into one another leaving the reader wondering how preferrable his own reality is in comparison. Read this book and be, by turns, amazed, entertained, touched, and more eager to engage the world and try out other lenses on reality.

Whining, revenge-seeking.......2000-12-07

By his own admission, Alex Heard's first chapter (deemed his "best" by reviewers) seems to be a personally motivated, whining, and revenge-seeking diatribe against a New Age nonprofit organization that caught him stealing files and photocopying them from a private back room. After he was discovered and tongue-lashed by the organization's director, Heard, in his own words, "whined and pleaded" but could not understand why members of the organization didn't seem to "like him" after the incident! He goes on and on about wanting to be accepted and liked, and the cooler his reception, the more hurt he seems to be-and bent on revenge. The book seems to have been motivated by his resulting ego deflation, perhaps to salvage some self-esteem, or to prove to himself that, despite his lapse in ethics and law-abiding manners, he was still a "reputable journalist." But he tells on himself: (a) he never met the (deceased) founder of the organization, but that doesn't stop him from lobbing at her the caliber of insults one would think twice about hurling toward a hated enemy; (b) he never read any of the books upon which the organization's beliefs were founded; (c) not finding anything sinister to report, he digresses into a tale about a totally unrelated, extremist organization from the 1950s, whose behavior and beliefs bear no resemblance to the subject of his chapter. By this juxtaposition, he tries to imply some artificial similarity. When this fails, he uses the same tactic to imply parallels to the notorious Heaven's Gate organization-again, completely unrelated in beliefs and behavior. Perhaps because of Heard's affiliation with supposedly reputable periodicals, his unethical "reporting" on this subject has been published in book form. The fact that the subject organization of Heard's first chapter did not immediately telephone police after his break-in, or at the least, ask him to leave the premises and not return, may demonstrate that he might be right on one count, if such extreme tolerance can be called "crazy"! But Heard's chapter goes on. Still not satiated because he is unable to find any "dirt" to dish (beyond criticizing the founder's fashion choices), Heard digs up an article by another writer that he quotes extensively. It features an individual who left the subject organization under a cloud, after his alcoholism and promiscuous homosexuality had come to light (he was soliciting sex from young male members). This quoted former member (now also deceased) had a grudge to avenge after his public exposure, so Heard finds in him a suitable compatriot willing to ladle up enough fabricated slander to curdle anyone's pudding. After that, I put Heard's book down. I hate to think what his other chapters have done to other organizations. Real, reputable, sincere, or out there, I guarantee that Heard's reporting is slanted to his own objectives and therefore not the "objective" tour the book's cover promises. In fact, the book seems to be nothing more than an attempt to cover up for Heard's own lapses of manners and professional ethics. He can whine all day, as artfully as he wants to, and he'll still be the kind of journalist one should never let in the front door. If I wrote about my neighborhood church using his approach, you'd think every God-fearing American was some kind of wacko waiting for pie-in-the-sky "salvation" who should be locked up for "worshipping golden crucifixes gruesomely affixed to the wall"! I could paint the same kind of picture about any group, organization, belief system, or political organization. Let's don't encourage this kind of pre-biased, revenge-seeking "journalism."

A "Must-Read" for inquiring minds w/ a sense of humor.......2000-07-22

How this really informative, well written and highly entertaining book missed being a best-seller is beyond me! We've loaned our copy to several friends who then bought a copy for themselves, and we've ordered additional copies for several others. I've read it over at least three times. If you enjoy excellent writing about off-beat characters you will love this book!

Average customer rating:

Sent an old edition
Is information technology the culprit?
don't read it if you can help it
whose evaluation?
This is an outstanding book that deals with our world.

End of Millennium
Manuel Castells
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Power of Identity (The Information Age)
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Manuel Castells: The Theory of the Network Society (Key Contemporary Thinkers)

ASIN: 0631221395

Amazon.com

Manuel Castells concludes the Information Age trilogy by considering the intersection of the global network society and factional project identities. As always, the scope of Castell's argument is far-ranging. Among the subjects addressed are the collapse of the Soviet Union; the potential emergence of the Asian Pacific as the next region of major world power; and the rapidly increasing growth of a "Fourth World"-- a series of "black holes of informational capitalism" (areas that have been cut off from the flow of wealth and information in the global economy) that refuses to confine itself to national borders--as likely to appear in the American inner city as it is in sub-Saharan Africa. He also raises the specter of a "global criminal economy," a dark counterpart to transnational corporations, and suggests that trends such as fascination with gangster movies "may well indicate the cultural breakdown of traditional moral order, and the implicit recognition of a new society, made up of communal identity and unruly competition." End of Millennium is perhaps the most accessible of Castell's three volumes, expertly reading the pulse of late-20th-century social trends. It's bound to provoke debate about any efforts to shape the trends of the 21st century.

Book Description

The final volume in Manuel Castells' trilogy is devoted to processes of global social change induced by interaction between networks and identity.Castells studies empirically the collapse of the Soviet Union, tracing it back to the incapacity of industrial statism to manage the transition to the Information Age. He shows the rise of inequality, polarization, and social exclusion throughout the world, focusing on Africa, urban poverty, and the plight of children. He documents the formation of a global criminal economy that deeply affects economies and politics in many countries. He analyzes the political and cultural foundations of the emergence of the Asian Pacific as a critically important region in the global economy. And he reflects on the contradictions of European unification, proposing the concept of the network state. The new edition of End of Millennium includes a revised chapter on Pacific Asia taking into account recent trends, while the book has also been updated to account for developments in the European Union.In the general conclusion of the trilogy, included in this volume, Castells draws together the threads of his arguments and his findings, presenting a systematic interpretation of our world.

Customer Reviews:

Sent an old edition.......2005-09-21

I was sent the first edition of this book even though a second is already out and has been for years. Not disclosed that this was older edition.

Is information technology the culprit?.......2003-02-18

Many of the observations Prof. Catells made are valid, however the connection between information technology and the social problems are not very strong. The network states, global criminal society, wealth disparity, etc. are more or less the byproduct of globalization. Yes, information technology accelerates the rate of globalization. But would those social problems exist without information technology? Mostly likely yes. These phenomena are not new, they predate the advent of the Information Age (the World Wide Web and mass adoption of internet is a post-1990 phenomenon). Multinatioal organizations (or globalization) have been around for many decades, same goes for the North-South polical economic paradigm. So, attributing all these social problems to the Information Age (at least that is the impression I got out of it) may not be an accurate representation. Nonetheless, his trilogy does demonstrate the acute problem of a global digital divide, and he suggested some possible solutions in some of his other books.

don't read it if you can help it.......2002-09-16

This is a horrible book and very hard to read. The author writes with long sentences that use big words throughout, that are not necessary in understanding his concepts. This book could have been written in half the words and you would have actually been able to comprehend it. VCR manuals read better than this book.

whose evaluation?.......2000-11-05

Who is entitlted to judge 'project identity' over 'risistant identity' without recognizing firstly the issues of power, source, context? It is reasonable to imbue 'project identity' to those self-programming producers as well as to those nation-states that are capable of lunching a war just for their national or religious identity. But it could be harmful to suggest those generic labor give up 'resistant identity' while they are not yet organized or empowered. Not mention to those minority or aboriginal people, who could become extinct without resistance. In fact, why should not a resistant identity be counted as a 'project' in the first place?

At any rate, the descriptive part of the book is a good reference for those who never watch/read international news.

This is an outstanding book that deals with our world........1999-08-20

I read this book as a stand-alone book even though it is No. 3 of a trilogy. Castells deals with the most important issues of our times, and he does so, in a serious, scholarly, but readable way. This book is "must" reading for people in economics, politics, policy studies as well as in the other social sciences. Interested lay persons will find this book quite accessible..

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