From Publishers Weekly
In this Revelations-inspired page-turner, the author of Brotherhood of the Tomb weaves a seamless and authoritative tale of Egyptian lore, Islamic fundamentalism, spy games and terrorism, all headed toward Armageddon in the year 2000. Working at a newly uncovered tomb outside Cairo, Egyptologist A'isha Manfaluti unwraps a mummy and finds the body of her husband, a moderate politician and the latest victim of Islamic fundamentalists. MI5 recruits ex-spook Michael Hunt to protect A'isha and to help track notorious Islamic terrorist al-Qurtubi, who, according to Michael's brother Paul (a priest in Vatican intelligence), may be the Antichrist. When Michael discovers that Western moguls, including a major agent in MI5, have backed a coup making al-Qurtubi president of Egypt, he and A'isha must run for it. As a bloody "religious cleansing" sweeps the country of everything non-Islamic, including the pyramids, a plague appears in Egypt--fulfilling several apocalyptic prophecies. After being hidden by Coptic priests and Vatican agents, A'isha and Michael are betrayed and head toward a final dramatic desert confrontation between al-Qurtubi and the Pope. Although the East/West political underpinnings of the plot are somewhat shaky, British writer Easterman, a scholar of Islamic studies, paints a horrific and absorbing picture of unconstrained religious fanaticism.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
On the eve of the new millennium, religious fundamentalists seize power in Egypt and wage a campaign of terrorism throughout Europe. The campaign's new leader is rumored to be al-Qurtubi, a renegade Catholic priest turned Islamic separatist. A former British agent is reactivated and sent to Egypt to verify al-Qurtubi's identity and to serve as bodyguard to A'isha, wife of a recently kidnapped centrist Egyptian politician. The two are soon living a nightmare, cut off from the outside world and haunted by dreams of the anti-Christ and visions of the Apocalypse. While novels using the theme of Armageddon will undoubtedly appear many times in the next eight years, few will rival Easterman's for sheer power and believability. Highly recommended for all collections of suspenseful fiction.
- Ruth M. Ross, Olympic Coll. Lib., Bremerton, Wash.Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
