Destroying Angel [Hardcover]

Rick Bennett (Author), Mark Gottlieb (Author), Tom Trout (Author), Robert Glusic (Author), George Hall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 22, 2000

For nearly 2,000 years Barabbas Jonas has been trying to figure out exactly what to do with the nasty gift of immortality. He's about to get his answer. "Destroying Angel" chronicles God's last six days creating His very own Destroying Angel.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"We are delighted to introduce Destroying Angel," said Tim Howells, Guru's president. Formerly general manager of the Utah Jazz, one of the most profitable franchises in the NBA, Howells left the Jazz to assume the role as Guru's president almost a year ago. "We believe Bennett's unusual and well-defined characters will not only capture the imagination, but they may well become cultural icons for a new level of human evolution."

From the Author

Admittedly, all novels are autobiographical. An author just can't help it. The Black Madonna character is based on Shirley Dixon, a tragic acquaintance of mine in San Jose, California. An alcoholic African-American with an advanced engineering degree, she's dead now. At one time in her life, she believed she was literally married to Jesus Christ. So she had her name legally changed to Shirley Jesus Christ. Shortly before her death, she had it changed back to Shirley Dixon. When I asked why, she said it was too much trouble cashing checks.

BJ - Barabbas Jonas - has a kindred spirit, also named BJ, currently living in San Francisco. BJ is bigger than life and gave me a pretty good idea of what the real Destroying Angel might be like. The actual "BJ," whose personality and mannerisms I've "borrowed" for my character, is photographed looking down at the co-pilot from atop the 727 on the cover. He graciously consented to allow the photograph from a distance, conditional upon my keeping his actual identity a secret.

Naturally, BJ gets 100% of the profits generated from such transactions. I would advise those who know BJ to help him maintain his privacy, that is if you like your kneecaps.

Whatever insight I've gained on the "bum rap" given women by a general misinterpretation of Genesis I owe to Shira Halevi and her book, The Life Story of Adam and Havah, published by Jason Aronson, Inc. Many thanks to my neighbor and friend, attorney Clark Waddoups, for introducing me to this book.

Why palindromes? Besides the fact I really think God was "winking" at us with the name of our first mother being a palindrome ("Eve" in English, "Havah" in Hebrew), the mathematician in me couldn't resist the challenge of creating meaningful dialogue for a very smart character. Black Madonna deserved it. So did her real-life namesake Clifta Kimball, who was murdered by her boyfriend in my hometown of Sheridan, Wyoming. I was only a child at the time, but news of her brutal rape and subsequent hammer-crushed skull dramatically impacted my life view. Her killer was tried, imprisoned and, if there is any justice, got a working knowledge of "hard time," courtesy of a cell mate just like himself.

I chose country-music chapter lead-ins, because they capture the loneliness and fatigue of my two-thousand year old BJ.

As for other autobiographical elements, no useful purpose would be served in revealing them. Suffice it to say, like Jonathan, I was lucky to graduate at all from Andover. George W. Bush made it out of Andover a year ahead of me. We didn't know each other.

The future? I'm well into a Kinky Friedman-style sequel. So far, it appears to be working. And I've finished the screenplay for Destroying Angel. Unfortunately, that doesn't work. It makes more sense as a Broadway play, especially the scene atop the airliner. I've even built The Blades.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 428 pages
• Publisher: Guru's Press (September 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970102615
• ISBN-13: 978-0970102614
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,407,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN AMAZING LOOK AT WOMEN's SUPPRESSED POTENTIAL., October 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Destroying Angel (Hardcover)

I couldn't put this book down. As a life-long New York Democrat, I thought I was leading-edge sensitive to women's issues. But couched in one of the most exciting pieces of technology fiction I've ever read is a disturbing spiritual gem: Women could well be the intended solution to all the world's problems."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Seriously Good Read, October 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Destroying Angel (Hardcover)

A good friend gave me a copy of the book. I was skeptical but the first page hooked me. Rick is the master of the high-tech action novel like King is the master of the thriller.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A hard-to-put-down thriller., October 2, 2000

By 

Edward J. Samp (Wayland, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Destroying Angel (Hardcover)

I never have time to read, given the pull of family and work responsibilities. But the storyline intrigued me, so I picked it up and started reading. It's a cross between Robert Ludlam and Stephen King -- and the fun part is that I fought off sleep every night so I could keep reading. I haven't had that much fun in a long while. When the story was done, I could say "Whew!" because now I could get back to regular sleeping hours. A great story, thought provoking and well-written.