The Ezekiel Option: A Jon Bennett Series Political and Military Action Thriller (Book 3)

Hard to put this book down. Joel Rosenberg, my favorite author, writes some of the best political, military thrillers and they are clean reads. He knows and believes the Bible as God’s written word. So do I. Time is coming to an end, then eternity starts. God has warned us and made the Way for those who believe, Jesus Christ.

Joel C. Rosenberg's third Jon Bennett/Erin McCoy thriller is highly interesting and brimming with information about recent international events, Middle East politics, and biblical prophecy. Although I am a Christian and take the writings of Ezekiel and other prophets seriously, I began reading "The Ezekiel Option" with cautious skepticism. Rosenberg is a skilled storyteller who knows how to write a page-turner suspense novel, but he is also a self-proclaimed evangelical Christian whose End Times fiction has been praised by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. Since I was eager to see how Rosenberg envisioned the fulfillment of biblical prophecies and curious to see how well he could dramatize such cataclysmic events, I checked out this book from my library and read it all in a few days.I was most impressed by Rosenberg's meticulous research. This is what separates his work from the "Left Behind" series. After reading the first two "Left Behind" books a few years ago, I'd had enough. They seemed inadequately researched and to my knowledge have never included acknowledgments or any hint as to what sources Tim La Haye and Jerry B. Jenkins use. It's unclear whether these men do much research at all. With Rosenberg, there is no doubting that he has made every effort to become an expert on what he presents to the reader.If you are easily offended by writing that might sound "preachy" to some, or that promotes a Christian world-view, this book may not be for you. Rosenberg is not shy about having his characters voice his deeply held religious beliefs. To be fair, however, all fiction writers incorporate their values and beliefs into their work to some degree. If, on the other hand, you are open-minded enough to read it regardless of whether you accept Bible prophecies as plausible, I recommend "The Ezekiel Option" highly. From the viewpoint of an aspiring novelist and one who has studied fiction technique for a number of years, I caution that this book is very long on exposition and sometimes presents too much detailed information. Characters sometimes have so much to say that their dialogue borders on speechmaking. Other readers have criticized the way Rosenberg introduces his fictitious world leaders and White House staff with lengthy bios bordering on complete resumes. One rule of fiction writing is that new characters should be introduced with only as much information as the reader needs at first, with more personal information given gradually as the story progresses. If Rosenberg were made aware of this, and took it to heart, his very good storytelling could only improve.Rosenberg is an author who is obviously in love with his subject matter, and one who has difficulty not writing everything he has ever learned about it, which is considerable. Nevertheless, if you can forgive the occasional slowing down of the story, and even its standstill with the insertion of a great deal of information, you will be rewarded later on with equal amounts of fast-paced and highly dramatic action. Jon Bennett and Erin McCoy are devout Christians, but they are not sissies. They risk their lives for their country and each other. They carry guns and know how to use them. I jokingly refer to Rosenberg's storytelling as "Mission Impossible with born-again characters", and I mean this as a compliment. This is one book I enjoyed so much that I intend to read "The Last Jihad," "The Last Days," and his new book "The Copper Scroll," due to be released in August 2006..

this guy can write

I stumbled across Joel Rosenberg from watching some commentary about a recently found Psalms book found in the middle east. That was 2 months ago and 3 books later; I recently finished Dead Heat (amazing) and the last of his end times series. I have never been a reader, nor did I read or remember any mandatory reading in high school and how I managed passing college courses without truly reading the text amazes me. Over my life, I've yet to find an author that I could actually plow through the first chapter and really want to keep reading.Now, I am enthralled with Joel R. My only disappointment is I didn't discover his writings till now. I started at "The Ezekiel Option" which is his 3rd book in a series aimed at unveiling how he (the author) sees the "end times" unfolding. Even though I started at The Ezekiel Option, and missed the first two books, I never felt lost or removed from the characters. I was able to identify who was who and didn't feel like I was missing something. I quickly moved on through "The Copper Scroll", and then to "Dead Heat". All amazing, all worth sleepless nights, purposely taking my time at coffee shops and anywhere else for that matter to get through them. They are so creatively written using real life, current and probable world political situations to create the "end times" theories into fruition. I believe in the bible and all its written scripts from beginning to end and have in the last year become more fascinated with the many biblical prophesies, which include the return of Jesus, coming for his followers. His studious approach to his Jewish heritage and Christian faith, along with his professional experience in government affairs has afforded him an abounding ability to bring scripture to life in our current generation.If you're at all interested in a great political thriller; this will fulfill your desires. If you're interested in biblical prophesy, his writings will join religion and politics together gracefully, and if you're interested in being entertained regardless; his books will do it. I am a simple person and his perspective has opened my eyes beyond any measure I could imagine and raised the bar of understanding our current political climate.

Enjoying this series, thrillers that are so relevant.

Personally, I found this book totally gripping from the beginning. Perhaps those of us who are Christians find it easier to appreciate the various aspects of scripture involved in the plot, unlike those who either haven't read Ezekiel first hand, or for some reason don't understand the implications of the multiple end-times prophecies outlined there. I think Joel has done a superb job of providing a possible scenario of sorts albeit limited in places since there's a lot as yet we don't fully understand of how God will bring some things to pass up ahead. But the important thing to know is that such things as spoken of in Ezekiel will come to pass without any doubt whatsoever, and this book goes to lengths to show how only those who are clued in to His Plan will have any hope of enduring in a future world dominated by those intent on destruction. I've read all of Joel's books so far, and am just about to get his latest one and no doubt will find it every bit as good as this one. I would suggest to anyone interested in this story, that to get the best out of it, you should really read the prior books - The Last Jihad, and The Last Days in proper order, as although not a continuation they are linked to a degree by similar characters, and thus just more enjoyable if read in sequence. Definitely one to read for any discerning end-times Christian wanting a bit of fictional input to understanding the 'signs of the times'. ENJOY!!

The book tells the story of a Russian leader's alliance with radical Islamic nations, in order to cause Israel to "cease being a nation". Meanwhile, the US President is caught unprepared, and ends up acting indecisively. Meanwhile NATO and EU members are either silent, bleating plaintively or else actively supporting Russia.Rosenberg pulls these threads together in a novel that's not a "What if ...?", but "This is how it may happen!" First class!

I was recommended the book by a friend, so I bought a copy off Amazon, it was a used hardback copy, it came next day, I was very pleased with this, it was as new better than the seller suggested, it was well packed,And what an author, fantastic in the vein of John LeCarre, a fantastic rollercoaster ride of a book, a must read,Totally believable, buy it!!!

Could be a good book could be a bad book.

Enjoyable - I don't read much fiction these days but this was an interesting book based on a possible projection of future events.