Customer Reviews

The Last Days

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Highly recommended for anyone who read The Left Behind series. This one is more believable and uses current events to fill out the story. More truth than fiction.

This book starts out explosive, but seems to get somewhat intrenched in backstory and tends to go on with long periods of time between action sequences. An excellent library read, but maybe not a purchase for those saving money. Joel Rosenberg is an excellent writer, but this novel seems to leave you wanting more.

The book was very slow, only really keeping my attention the last few chapters. The description sounded like it would be action packed, but just moved very slow. Should have put as much effort into the entire book as he did the final chapters.

A thoroughly engrossing political, military, and terrorist novel about what would happen in the Middle East in the event
of the murder of Arafat, by one of his own henchmen. The ensuing power struggle, and civil war for leadership of the terrorist organization, not unlike a Mafia power struggle, leaves you stunned, and gasping for breath.( In my opinion, I would have let them kill each other off, then we be done with them, once and for all!)
A Peace Plan between Isreal, and Palastine to drill for oil, making citizens of both parties wealthy? Sorry, it wouldn't happen. Terrorist are too hate driven to allow any peace plan to work. Arafat has been offered land more than once, and he refused it, because his, and most of militant Islam's whole purpose isn't to get their own land, but the deaths, and destruction of Isrealis, Christians, and everyone else they consider "Infidels".
The book gives you insight into the Isreali Palastinian(Philistine) problems, and is a lot of fun to read! Better in many ways than the first book "The Last Jihad".

Publishers Weekly's review doesn't leave much doubt that they don't like Mr. Rosenberg.

Rosenberg worked as a communications strategist with Steve Forbes, Rush Limbaugh, Bill Bennett, and Benjamin Netanyahu. He's advised some of the world's most influential leaders in business, politics and media.

I think the review has more to do with Mr. R's politics than it does his writing skills.

Twelfth Imam

I ordered three books by Joel Rosenberg and they arrived within three days!!! Amazing! Thanks

This absolutely outstanding story provides very engrossing and titillating reading. The author brings to his writing tremendous geopolitical insights and an extraordinary mastery of details. The reader's interest will be piqued and held by a story line that focuses upon issues that are regularly in today's news.

I actually found myself distracted from the current day-to-day news from the Middle East while reading this, as the story line began to generate an almost substitute sense of reality. In fact, even after completing this exciting story I found myself struggling to mentally distinguish between the real news of the day and the fictitious events portrayed in the book, so strong was the sense of reality that overwhelmed me. This was a strange yet powerful effect created by the author.

This is a "must read" for anyone with even a passing interest in Middle East affairs. All other connoisseurs of action novels will enjoy reading The Last Days as well.

The Last Days is the sequel to The Last Jihad. In the previous volume, an alternate timeline unfolds where Saddam Hussein has bought nuclear weapons from Russia and other sources. When his various plots against the US and Israel have been frustrated, he unveiled his nuclear tipped ICBM, which was hidden within a children's hospital building. As the Iraqis prep the missile for firing on New York City, the US President reluctantly authorized use of tactical nukes against Baghdad to prevent the missile launch. The center of the city disappeared in fire and smoke.

In this novel, Jon Bennett returns to the Holy Land with a US diplomatic team headed by Tucker Paine, the Secretary of State. As they arrive at the Palestinian Authority compound, Yasser Arafat is rolled out in a wheelchair to meet them. The man pushing the chair is the head of Arafat's security, but he detonates an explosive vest that kills Arafat and others around him, including Tucker Paine.

Immediately after the explosion, someone starts firing on the diplomatic convey from across the road. Others start firing from the PA building. Bennett keeps his head down, but it soon becomes obvious that they have to get out of the compound and back to Israeli territory. He climbs behind the wheel of the armored limo, gets everybody left alive back inside, and drives furiously out of the compound and down the road, with Palestinian vehicles chasing him.

Bennett and the other survivors are cut off from the Israelis, but find shelter is a top secret safehouse in an old gutted-out hotel in the Gaza Strip. From there, they contact other US forces in the area and plan an escape. However, severe weather has grounded all aircraft in the area, precluding any rescue until the storm abates.

This story continues the mission to unite the Palestinians and Israelis in a venture to develop trillions of dollars worth of gas and oil into a joint treasure. The death of Yasser Arafat was intended as a setback to this plan, but the self-immolation of the Palestinians militants after his death convinces Palestinian moderates to try another approach. The Palestinian Council selects Ibrahim Sa'id as prime minister. Since Ibrahim is the partner with Dmitri Galishnikov in the Palestinian Petroleum Group that is promoting the gas and oil venture, this is good news to the US. Unfortunately, Ibrahim is also hidden away in the Gaza safehouse with Bennett's party and surrounded by hostile mobs.

Meanwhile, the terrorist organization that has been trying to kill Bennett, and has successfully assassinated Arafat, is searching for the whereabouts of Bennett's party. Contacts throughout the Mediterranean have been alerted to watch for them. Airplanes and boats have been obtained and some special arrangements have been made with Libya. When Bennett and company are found, they are going to find themselves in a small war.

Highly recommended for Rosenberg fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of desperate ventures to defeat evil men in order to solve world problems.

The Last Days by Joel C. Rosenberg is a rip-roaring, heart-pounding, page-turning, high-octane geopolitical adventure. Anyone out of shape should have oxygen nearby; the action never stops from the first sentence to the last. How's this for starters? The year is 2010. The U.S. secretary of state goes to visit an aging, yet still-potent, Yasser Arafat in the Gaza Strip in order to unveil a bold, out-of-the-box peace plan "that could offer unprecedented riches for every Muslim, Christian, and Jew in Israel and Palestine." His reward: Arafat's chief of security suicide-bombs the meeting, killing the secretary, Arafat and scores of others. The surviving American delegation finds itself under attack. This is no isolated assault. Soon all the Palestinian territories are engulfed in civil war; Israel is hit by waves of suicide attacks; and terrorists are about to launch numerous, murderous assaults on U.S. territory.

So many complications would seem to block any path to peace. Enter presidential envoy extraordinaire Jon Bennett, assisted by Bondesque beauty-with-bountiful-brains Erin McCoy. Together they work to bring about ultrasecret negotiations between the Israeli prime minister and the new Palestinian prime minister for the mother of all peace agreements. Upping the ante, Bennett's mother is suddenly discovered missing from her Florida apartment, apparently kidnapped by terrorists.

Rosenberg's first novel, The Last Jihad, was a national bestseller. Critics wondered if he was a one-book wonder. The Last Days decisively answers that--there will be many more of Rosenberg's riveting reads. (review appeared in FORBES magazine, December 9, 2003)

Paul Bedard, U.S. News & World Report (November 3, 2003) "Washington Whispers: Modern Nostradamus -- It's getting a little weird being Joel Rosenberg, the New York Times bestseller of terrorism thrillers and speechwriter in Steve Forbes's 2000 presidential campaign. First, he wrote The Last Jihad about a terrorist's kamikaze attack on a U.S. city and the subsequent hunt for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. That was well before 9/11. Now he has written The Last Days, which opens with a Palestinian attack on a U.S. convoy, just like what happened a few weeks back. And look out, Yasser Arafat: Rosenberg offs you on Page 28. 'People,' said Rosenberg, 'are starting to think these books are ripped from tomorrow's headlines.'"