Customer Reviews

Premonition

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3 star:		(2)
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Amazing page turner. I enjoyed every word. I feel like the characters are my friends. So well written, complex in character study and their struggles point to things in my own life, ie control issues, trusting God, etc. Begin reading this book and you won't be able to put it aside without something REALLY important calling your name. I also loved how it made the Bible and the people from the Bible even more real to me. I understood more clearly lots of the issues that the people then were dealing with.

Premonition was all I thought it might be and more. My only complaint is that I wish I'd read the prequel to this book, Transgression, even though the author says you don't need to to enjoy Premonition. While Premonition can stand alone from Transgression, I found myself wishing that I knew what the characters referred to when they discussed past events. Kindof like jumping into the time-travel thing without all the backstory. However, this fast-paced work by Randy Ingermanson will keep you turning the page for more until the last sentence. I'm a big fan of Michael Crichton's "Timeline," and Premonition certainly is in keeping with that type of time travel adventure...only better. The author is clearly well-versed in the history of Jerusalem, A.D. 57. I found it fascinating to view life during this time through the window of the main characters, Ari & Rivka. Hang on for an exciting ride with Premonition!

Being transported back into ancient Jerusalem could not be more shocking. Watching Rivka's struggles to adapt to a different mindset and culture pulled me in. Ari's own wrestling with spirutual and social issues made this book come alive. Well worth reading and passing on to friends. Time travel done well.

In Randall Ingermanson's first-ever novel, Transgression, backslidden Messianic Jew Rivka Myers found herself tricked into a dark closet, in the basement of a physics building in Jerusalem. It was difficult to get back, because it turns out there was a wormhole in that closet, built by somewhat of a mad scientist.

Physicist Ari Kazan wound up chasing Rivka and the other scientist into the wormhole, and into 1st-century Israel . . . Rivka met a Palestinian prostitute, and the scientist wanted to kill the Apostle Paul, and Ari got stung by wasps. . . . It gets kind of complicated.

I generally like complicated fiction, so I loved Transgression. But now, with the first installment of Ingermanson's new follow-up trilogy out, called Premonition, he deprecates himself a little, almost shrugging off Transgression as if a grade-school essay.

"You don't have to read Transgression to enjoy Premonition," Ingermanson says in his foreword. (Good thing, too, because at this point Transgression is almost darn near out of print.) "In fact, I recommend reading Premonition first because . . . it's a better book." [Ellipsis his.]

Because we're dealing with time travel and if you aren't careful the story can get contradictory, I'll go ahead and contradict the author by suggesting you read Transgression first anyway -- assuming it ever gets back into print and you can get a copy. It makes the time travel seem a little more plausible. While Premonition is better, I don't know how easy it would be to pick it up while being blind to the events of the real first novel.

(Example: some people can read The Lord of the Rings without reading The Hobbit first -- I did. But then, during LotR I didn't have a clue who Balin was . . . no idea whatsoever. Therefore the same situation goes for Premonition.)

Randall Ingermanson seems to be a major genius. He likes to talk about physics occasionally, although judging from his descriptions in his first novel Transgression he has no idea how to build a wormhole in your basement closet -- or what it feels like walking through. (Is it cold? Clammy, dusty? Are their any cool sound effects, or CGI light ripples?)

Transgression was the precursor to Premonition, and now Ingermanson must have gotten tired of the physics anyway, and grabbed hold of about four or five alternate Ph.D.'s at once: Biblical history, Hebrew and hermeneutics, some archaeology, a little architecture, and a pinch of ancient midwifery, just for flavor.

And before I go on I'll make one thing clear: this author isn't too shy. Nothing in Premonition is overly detailed or prurient; don't misunderstand. But if you're a teenager you're bound to learn all kinds of things you never knew as soon as Rivka begins delivering babies in ancient Jerusalem. Exclamations may range from "augh" to "ungh," to "eawwrgh," to "Hey-whoa! I didn't know that" from any teenagers out there, especially males.

Based on the details on that subject and everything else, any readers may get the impression that Ingermanson does have a wormhole in his basement closet. Perhaps he sneaks in there late at night, "transgresses" dimensions to 1st-century Jerusalem and learns about things like Temple architecture or Hebrew midwifery; I don't know. There's no proof for this, and I don't want to start any rumors here.

Either way, his research is impeccable. From the very beginning of the novel you get some great diagrams of the Holy Land, Jerusalem, the Temple Courts and such, to the point where you wish the book came spiral-bound so you could Xerox the front pages for easy reference later in your reading. In addition to the maps you get a Glossary and a directory of historical persons in the back. Then there's a list of books, too -- Ingermanson blows the secrecy on many of the materials he read for research, making it all seem so easy . . .

It's not. And what's even better is the book doesn't even read like a great big pile of historical research. Premonition is a wormhole to the souls of the past. When reading it, you are there, with people you grow to love. The author gets into the characters' heads and stays there, switching between Rivka and Ari at first, and then adding more even from the natives: Hana, Baruch, and then historical persons like the High Priest.

It would be difficult to summarize The Plot because there really isn't a single one. But Premonition isn't like the Left Behind series; Ingermanson weaves about 10 subplots all together. The title comes from Rivka's foreknowledge of events which earns her a reputation in Jerusalem as somewhat of a prophetess. Before blundering through the closet wormhole, she had read a lot of history books and has much of the material still up in her head.

Meanwhile, Ari is finding work as well. Having two centuries of advance physics knowledge helps land him a job as an independent contractor/mechanical engineer. That eventually pits him against the high priest, which isn't much fun. At the same time Rivka is also forced to get involved in history, saving the life of King Agrippa's sister, and then she enters Jerusalem politics as well, flowing even more with history and helping to maneuver other men into the position of High Priest. . . . It gets kind of complicated.

With this level of "predictability" one might think Ingermanson would fall into the Infamous Left Behind Event Predictability Trap. Nope. Rivka and Ari can't really change history. Whatever they do just happens to fall in step, right alongside. History is alive and well, the story twists are many and so are the "Oh NO!" moments you will always get in a good novel.

Finally, everything has settled down enough for an ending that comes all too soon. That ending is only the second of Premonition's two minor disappointments. The second is the real spoiler that's given on the novel's back cover and even in the Amazon review (which may not be the author's responsibility anyway): "But when one of [Rivka's] predictions fails, she is scorned as a false prophet."

Oh NO! That makes everything completely predictable when you get to that part in the novel. This is it, this is it, she's not right about that prediction, no, Rivka, come on, don't do that! But alas, because of 14 words on the book's back cover, we have a premonition of her failed premonition.

Regardless of that, as well as some pervasive (and informative!) midwife-related details, Premonition is something to behold. Rumor has it the intrepid Ingermanson has already burned through the second trilogy installment, Retribution. . . .

This is going to be good, I can tell.

I just loved Randall Ingermanson's first book in this series, TRANSGRESSION, which initiates the compelling story of Rivka Meyers and Ari Kazan, a modern-day couple thrust back into first-century Jerusalem by a wormhole. And now the story continues with PREMONITION - a more than worthy continuation of their story.

I felt like I was transported back in time to first-century Jerusalem myself as Ingermanson masterfully brought to life the sights, sounds and culture of that ancient and glorious city. I could feel Rivka's frustrations as a woman caught in a patriarchal society with knowledge of the future and yet frequently unable to be taken seriously as she desperately wants to make a difference. And Ari's struggle with coming to the faith is heart-wrenching and deeply moving as well as Baruch's struggle with his honor and hatred and rage and coming to accept the son of his wife Hana as his own through the power of forgiveness brought me to tears as I realized the need for forgiveness in my own heart. And the sheer power and majesty of Yaakov the tsaddick as he faces his own heart and finds forgiveness and blessing for his enemies is wonderful in the best sense of that word.

I am deeply grateful to Randall Ingermanson for writing this story and it is etched in my heart. Thank you for making these characters live and breathe as real people with real struggles and for making Jerusalem and the culture come alive and for making the Biblical aspects so much more tenable than I ever could have imagined.

Read this book and you will not be disappointed.

This is my first exposure to Randy Ingermanso, but you can be assured it will not be my last. He has proven to be a most talented writer as well as an excellent ancient historian in this book, Premonition.

I don't usually enjoy books on time travel and such, and didn't exactly know what to expect from Premonition. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The time travel aspect was not flaunted, and I felt like I had indeed been transported back in time through my reading. I "met" many old Bible friends in the unfolding of the story of Rivka and Ari, time travellers to ancient Jerusalem.

I felt the story was as true to ancient history as we are able to be. THe frequent references to modern conveniences that Rivka wished she had access to did not in any way deter from the ancient setting.

I highly recommend this book. I am very impressed with what Ingermanson has done, in a genre I don't usually even read.

Not many writers can switch genres successfully. If you've read Ingermanson's previous works, you know that he dabbles in sci-fi, suspense, and futuristic thrillers. Knowing that this book was a sequel of sorts to "Transgression," I was surprised to discover Ingermanson's skill with historical fiction.

The story follows Rivka and Ari, two modern day adults thrust into a first century world via a wormhole. (This part of their tale was told in the first book, so a new reader might want to go back and read the first book as well.) The daily life and work of Jerusalem, AD 57, is brought into vivid focus. The struggles and cultural barriers are drawn clearly.

The heart of this novel is Rivka's place as a seer woman. Due to her knowledge of history, she is able to forewarn the citizens of Jerusalem about upcoming events. When, however, some of her "predictions" miss the mark, she is accused of being a false prophet, and her husband Ari loses his place of honor. As the story delves deeper into the turmoil and corruption of the day, Rivka and Ari must face the consequences, good and bad, of their premonitions.

Although the story is slower paced than his other works, "Premonition" keeps us turning the pages by showing us realistic characters facing very contemporary struggles of faith. The last fifty pages are beautiful and heart-wrenching. If you have an interest in messianic Judaism, this book is a must. If not, "Premonition" will stir your soul.

I am not a fan of romantic fiction, or of "Christian" fiction, for that matter. However, I have thoroughly enjoyed Ingermanson's previous novels, particularly because of the strong scientific/philosophical slant of the books, and have often commented that they were too good to be classified as merely Christian fiction. I found Premonition to be somewhat disappointing, though, as it downplays these elements.

Premonition also downplays the tension between the 20th century mentality of Ari & Rivka and that of their new-found time period that had driven the prior book, Transgression. The focus of this book seems to be to show Ingermanson's view of the Apostle Paul as being more traditionally Jewish than he appears in his letters.

That being said, the book should challenge your views of the first century Church and perhaps cause you to do some more reading on that subject.

One final thought - while I have said that the book downplays the scientific elements that you typically find in an Ingermanson book, it is worth reading if only to reach Chapter 45, which I will venture to say includes what is probably one of the finest philosophical discussions to be found in modern Christian writing.

Be transported back to a time when the memory of Christ on earth was still fresh in the minds of men, both those who love Him and those who hate Him. Witness the struggles of those who would follow Him.... and see their questions and doubts mirror our own, not so different.
Journey along with Ari and Rivka, stranded in this time when they are more accustomed to life 2000 years later. Their attempts to fit into a culture far removed from their own seem to be thwarted at every turn, especially when Rivka is very familiar with what the historians say about this time and the unrest that is to come... can she prevent disaster, or make matters worse? Or will everything still happen according to God's intended will, regardless of what she may try to do?
Randall Ingermanson has spun another story of adventure that brings the first century to life, where those who knew Christ were simply fallible human beings, just as we are. PREMONITION is a gripping opening to the CITY OF GOD series, and a fitting sequel to TRANSGRESSION. ~~Ellie Schroder, owner of The Christian Fiction Site

At one point in "Premonition" the heroine wishes that 1st Century Christianity were more Christian and less completely Jewish. By having Riva make this comment, the author is, in a sense, defending the style decisions he made in his writing.

Every possible effort is made to use modern Jewish terms instead of English equivalents. All of the names in Premonition are changed into their modern Jewish counterpart -- for example, James is turned into Yakov. The word "God" is never used, instead the Hebrew usage of saying "Hashem" or "The Name" is followed. Also, the role of the Church is minimized and portrayed as an informal group of people who pray together in the temple each day.

Unfortunately, this trend distances the reader from the main characters and makes them more difficult to identify with. Frankly, I don't like anyone in the book, including the Apostle Paul. If I had to choose which religious group in the book that I would like to have joined, I would choose the Romans.

In deciding to emphasize the Jewishness of the early church, the author is following the trend of most modern authors. I realize that many recent historians are also pushing this particular interpretation of history, but I am not certain that they consider all the evidence. The New Testament does not read as if it were written by modern Orthodox Jews.

I would be less critical of this author's use of historical distancing techniques if the New Testament also followed Jewish customs. But Jesus said "God so loved the world." not "Hashem loves all."

I enjoyed the plot of the book, but the tone and style were off-putting.