The Assignment [Paperback]

Mark Andrew Olsen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2004

With the action and suspense of a Ted Dekker novel and the spiritual warfare of This Present Darkness, Olsen’s first solo novel poses an intriguing question. What if the Restrainer of II Thessalonians, the Holy Spirit who “holds back the lawless man until God takes him away,” indwells a man who has lived under various identities since the time of Christ, always moving on when his “agelessness” is discovered? An immortal man, but still just a man, ¼awed and discouraged over his inability to better succeed at his immense mission: to restrain evil in the world. And what if at a time when the world hangs on the precipice of a third world war, this man were given one final opportunity to do battle with the Evil One?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Troubles plague this jumbled suspense novel for the CBA market by Olsen, a screenwriter who collaborated with Tommy Tenney on the novel Hadassah. Deep below the ground, sealed alive in a tomb for 60 years, is a "man" who is 1,734 years old and whose mission is to battle demonic forces on behalf of the Christian faith. Searching for him is Father Thierry, a 95-year-old priest who is part of the Order of St. Lazare, a secret sect that the Vatican has tried to disband. "The destroyer," Satan's evil spirit of destruction, war and bloodshed, is at work to prevent them from reaching their goal. He's already wreaked havoc over the course of history, as detailed in the novel in a tiresome litany of human atrocities. Complicating things is tension between Jews and Catholics over the priest's perceived desecration of a Holocaust site. Olsen peppers his tale with bang-bang action, supernatural warfare and Christian history, but too many points of view confuse the reader and make the pacing fitful. There's no shortage of kidnappings, quicksand, gunfights, secret membership amulets, harrowing escapes, rape, murder and terrorists as the plot unfolds. Numerous italicized journal entries, letters and flashbacks make for challenging reading. There's also an obvious nod to the The Da Vinci Code in the idea of a secret Catholic sect. Olsen writes some good scenes and knows how to raise the occasional goose bump, but readers will have trouble sticking with his story.
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Review

"A good book that relies on its story and characters rather than on sermonettes and churchy cliché...." -- InFuze Magazine

"A writer who can take your breath away with a single sentence. A welcome, fresh voice that must be read!" -- Ted Dekker

"His power of description is beautiful. The concept of the story is fascinating. The main characters are instantly captivating..." -- Focus On Fiction

"Olsen weaves the present and the past together to show a man tormented by immortality...a fascinating suspense novel..." -- Christian Book Previews

"Riveting and unforgettable…characters walk straight off the pages and gives an edge-of-the-seat, thrilling read...rivals Left Behind." -- MyShelf.com

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House; First Edition edition (July 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076422817X
• ISBN-13: 978-0764228179
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #210,259 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

MARK ANDREW OLSEN is a screenwriter, author of four solo novels and four collaborative novels including the bestselling biblical thriller Hadassah, adapted into the FoxFaith film One Night with the King. He co-wrote the MGM film Music Within, and the Bethany House novels Hadassah Covenant, Rescued, The Assignment, The Watchers, The Warriors, The Long Road Home and Ulterior Motives. Mark is the son of Baptist ministers and missionaries to France and a graduate of Baylor University in Professional Writing. He lives in Colorado with his wife Connie and three children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2 Stars...A Real Accomplishment, July 15, 2004

By 

Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Assignment (Paperback)

The idea has intrigued mankind since the dawn of time: What would it be like to be immortal? What if you could not be killed? What if death had no hold on you?

Mark Andrew Olsen approaches this idea in a fresh way, and, in the process, gives us a suspenseful story with theological implications. The book opens with a group of old priests, a secretive Catholic order, who have been digging ceaselessly in their search for their immortal ward. The man they seek is one who has walked the earth for two millenia, living countless lives, and working as the one of who will restrain the spirit of the anti-Christ in godless times.

The story breaks open when this man is found, at last--buried alive in a Nazi tomb near Auchwitz. The havoc that ensues could've turned Hollywood-ish. At times, it does rely on gunfights and nick-of-time escapes. But the real accomplishment here, the beating heart of the story, is Olsen's ability to take us into the mind of his immortal character. We care about this man. We believe in his struggle. We feel at times that his struggle is the same one we face, daily trying to follow God despite our sense of hopelessness and uselessness in this fallen world.

Publishers Weekly accused the book of tiresome and confusing viewpoints, but I found the plot easy to follow. Even more importantly, I thought the characters were easy to sympathize with. Although the ingredients of the story seemed to promise more suspense in the finale, "The Assignment" is worth the effort. Without being preachy, Olsen reminds us that life is worth living--and that dying is nothing to fear when we are part of God's family.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A wash of enchantment and exasperation, August 26, 2004

By 

Kelli Standish "Editor, FocusonFiction.net" (Corpus Christi, TX, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Assignment (Paperback)

Since THE ASSIGNMENT is the first book I have ever seen endorsed by Ted Dekker, I was instantly curious about the story.

Now, after emerging from this incredible tale, a tale told well by an author with obvious, undeniable talent, I can see why Ted Dekker called Mark Andrew Olsen "A welcome, fresh voice."

I am also gnashing my teeth.

A writer with this kind of skill deserved the best editing a publishing house could offer. This clearly did not happen with THE ASSIGNMENT.

The sad lack of editing attention is showcased through character point of views that switch within the space of an unmarked paragraph, and words that repeat within a line.

The Biblical justification that makes the hero's existence plausible throughout the book is cast aside at the climax of the story.

Journal entries written by the hero are intriguing, but as the story progresses these italic print missives increase in both frequency and length, and become tedious history narratives that seem to detract rather than add to the book's momentum.

The appearance of a minor character, Beth, in the last chapters, feels as contrived as a peeling paint chip glued onto a wall. And the hero's insistence that Betsy stay with him is even more perplexing. Especially when juxtapositioned against his earlier decision to distance himself from the lead female character in order to spare her the danger he draws.

Also confusing are the loose ends at the story's conclusion. Some key goals are attained, but readers are left to wonder what happens to several primary characters. This is either another editing oversight, or a great cliffhanger to usher in a sequel.

Amazingly enough, in spite of these distressing editorial lapses, Olsen shines. His power of description is beautiful. The concept of the story is fascinating. The main characters are instantly captivating and likeable. Glimpses of Ireland, Jerusalem, and France through the eyes of the characters are so vivid you feel you've been there. The conclusion of the story, at least for the main male character, is satisfying enough to induce tears. Especially for anyone who knows the ache of a longing unfulfilled.

Though more attention in the editorial department could have polished Olsen's shine to brilliance, this story is not a waste of reading time by any means and is definitely recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ** ROLLERCOASTER CHRISTIAN FICTION **, March 8, 2005

By 

Grateful Soldier "Jer 20:11" (N.S.W Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Assignment (Paperback)

Initially, I looked at this book and thought, WHY bother?.Its just another fast paced Dekker style GREAT LOOKING book...and who can beat Dekker at the moment in the CBA?

MAN WAS I WRONG! Once I picked it up I could barely put it down again. This is primarily a spiritual warfare novel and the crux of the story is that Lazarus has been assigned (hence the title) to assist the Holy Spirit (mentioned in 2 Tim 1:14 and Thessalonians) in holding back evil, essentially making him immortal and roaming the earth unrecognised for 2000yrs.

A Catholic sect called the Order of Lazare is given the task of helping Lazarus fight evil .. Lost for 60 years the Order find him asleep in a cript buried by the Nazi's near Auswitch.

I found this book to be a moving picture of how God must have felt when he saw what was happening to His people in the concentration camps and the pain He must feel looking at the suffering of His people today.

Drenched in intrigue, destiny, History and relationships, this book is PLOT driven all the way.

Set in this century it looks back over 2000 years since Christ and asks questions through Character dilemas that helps this work of contemporary fiction stand alone.Such as the idea of strategic spiritual espionage and counter terrorism in the unseen spiritual realm.

Not 100% biblical but its interesting outline and what ifs? make it a worthy read all the same.

This is worthy of a position on my bookshelf.

GS.