The Last Day [Mass Market Paperback]

Just in time for the millennium, Glenn Kleier mixes bioengineering and religion, miracles and modern warfare, politics and physics to produce a gripping tale set in the Middle East at the dawn of the 21st century. When a mysterious explosion destroys a top-secret laboratory in the Negev desert on Christmas Day 1999, Jonathan Feldman, a reporter, isn't satisfied with the official explanation. Neither is the Vatican, nor an American fundamentalist preacher, nor the patriarch of the Jehovah's Witnesses, all of whom believe that Armageddon may truly be at hand. After a New Year's Eve earthquake strikes the temple at the Well of David and a mysterious figure appears in the ruins, strange things begin to happen. Reports of miracles filter in from throughout the region, and the legend of Jeza takes on a life of its own. When the young miracle worker chooses Jonathan to connect her to the world and broadcast her warning of the cataclysm to come, the world's religious leaders are plunged into conflict. Seeking to discredit her, they spread the secret of her high-tech, bioengineered birth. But their actions backfire; Jeza's influence grows. Holy wars break out in the Middle East and chaos erupts all over the world. As Easter 2000 approaches, the political situation grows even more tense: Will there be another crucifixion, another resurrection? Kleier handles this complicated plot with ease, and fans of futuristic thrillers won't be disappointed. --Jane Adams

A combination of scientific thriller, religious satire, and New Age mysticism, this debut novel offers a view of what might happen as the end of the millennium approaches. At a remote research facility in the Negev Desert, a meteor wreaks massive destruction. Meanwhile, at midnight on New Year's Eve, 1999, in Jerusalem, a young and mysterious woman appears who seems to have a powerful gift. She calls herself Jeza, and soon everyone wonders whether she is a prophetess, the Messiah, or the Antichrist. On hand is Jon Feldman, a skeptical reporter for the World News Network. Beset by his own doubts and lack of strong faith, Feldman is nevertheless fascinated and attracted by the mysterious Jeza. Is she truly a manifestation of God, or is she simply the result of a bizarre experiment of bioengineering? Feldman won't rest until he finds out the truth. Kleier's novel offers a view of how organized religion would react to such a threat. Though the prose is pedestrian and the dialog often overwrought, the story is so well paced that most readers will perhaps forgive the other deficiencies. For large fiction collections.?Dean James, Murder by the Book, Houston, Tex.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

This book is so full of hot topics, readers might burn their fingers turning pages. It's the turn of the millennium, things are getting very hyper, and plenty of folk are flocking to the Holy Land just in case the world is going to end. Jon Feldman, a star reporter for WNN, a cable news outlet, is on the job, but he is not prepared for the story that begins on Christmas Day, when a powerful and beautiful young woman steps out of the Negev Desert and proclaims herself the new messiah. Her gospel includes an admonishment to abolish all organized religions--a position that causes the considerable power of the Catholic Church to be turned against her, beginning a series of events that just may lead to Armageddon. Kleier, a first-time author, doesn't miss a beat in this story, capturing all the craziness of the last decade of the twentieth century, firing it with the latest scientific advancements (like cloning), and wrapping it all with the gauze of mysticism. Complex plotting seems smooth as silk here, and the idea of using a CNN-style reporter as the messiah's confidant is a perfect touch for today's media-crazy world. The question of whether the enigmatic Jeza is the daughter of God or the anti-Christ engages everyone from the pope to the president, and it will keep readers enthralled until the very end. Expect to hear a lot about a new subgenre called the "millennial thriller" in the next couple of years, but don't expect to find one any better than this. Ilene Cooper --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

An impressively imagined debut offers a devilishly cunning speculation on how a sinful world might greet news of a messiah's appearance come the millennium. Jerusalem-based WNN-TV correspondent John Feldman gets appreciably more than he ever bargained for on New Year's Eve, 1999. Expecting to provide only cursory coverage of local observances, the journalist and his cameraman, Breck Hunter, wind up investigating the mysterious destruction of a hush-hush Israel Defense Force (IDF) lab in the Negev Desert. The sole survivor of this cataclysm is an ethereal young woman called Jeza, whom millennarian groups throughout the world soon hail as their long- awaited redeemer. Spouting gnomic parables, citing a gospel known as Apotheosis (from the so-called ``Newest'' Testament), and performing the occasional miracle, the arriviste divinity travels the holy lands of the Middle East, urging ever larger congregations of Christians, Jews, and Muslims to forsake the distractive trappings of formal liturgies. With logistical assistance from Feldman's ratings-obsessed network, the deity is soon able to present her provocative message (fiercely resisted by established religions) to a wider world from forums in Salt Lake City, the Vatican, and Washington. Meanwhile, word leaks out that the IDF facility was engaged in genetic engineering projects, which could make Jeza a robot with artificial intelligence of a very high order rather than anyone's savior. During the Lenten season, hopes for peace on earth evanesce as Armageddon-scale violence racks key venues, and the Antichrist or True Prophetess is martyred at the close of a Good Friday sermon before the Wailing Wall. While cooler heads in Rome ponder, IDF renegades, die-hard ecclesiastics, and others with apocalyptic axes to grind vie to ensure--or abort- -Jeza's resurrection on Easter morning. Deliciously wicked entertainment that combines biotech with theological arcana to mount an effective (and often offensive) assault upon churches militant, affluent, and complacent. (TV rights to Columbia/Tri-Star) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

An apocalyptic thriller centered around a mysterious woman with extraordinary powers.

The Last Day is a truly original "millenium thriller." As 1999 draws to a close, dangerous events are occuring in the Holy Land, and the year 2000 is ushered in by an earthquake in Israel. Out of the rubble emerges a young woman declaring herself Jeza, the new Messiah. Rene Auberjonois's performance is flawless as he portrays dozens of characters, using many different dialects. His pacing is perfect, maintaining the suspense and keeping the listener glued to the audio. Carrie Gordon provides the voice of Jeza, elevating her above the other characters in importance. By giving life to Jeza, Gordon is able to project her influence and is better able to spread her message. Music is effectively added to help build suspense and set the mood in different scenes. Listeners approaching this audio with an open mind will be rewarded with an exciting and thought-provoking story. M.H.S. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.