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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A thinking book--4 & 3/4 stars, August 5, 2007
Hostage negotiator Mulvaney Quinn understand middle east politics and what could trigger Armageddon. As Quinn works to broker the release of 30 wealthy, American, evangelical Christian hostages, from Palestinian terrorist Khaled Safady, he discovers a plot that could begin the great war. In an unlikely alliance with a Nevada cop, the two of them have to work quickly to save their lives and to stop the multiple attempts to start the final battle.
How I love books that challenge my thinking! I think it's safe to say Fuse of Armageddon was written with the intent to counter the dispensational viewpoint. While it does a good job of explaining dispensationalism and the `holes' in this view point, I would have liked to have seen more time spent presenting the author's opinion on the scriptures used to support dispensationalism. A lot of great points are made in regard to how dispensationism's natural course leads to racism and prejudice, how it begs radicals to make their own plans to rebuild the temple instead of waiting on God, and how it encourages Christians to focus on Christ's return instead of his current work. At times though, I did feel the story got a little bogged down with the repeat of similar arguments, just from different people.
I'm always impressed with how easily Sigmund Brouwer can write so many different styles seemingly with easy. I've read his slow southern approach, historical fiction, serial killer mystery, and now a fast paced, middle east thriller. If you're familiar with Brouwer, you won't be disappointed. As with previous books, Fuse of Armageddon is well written with excellent characters. From the hero Quinn to the terrorist Safady, each character is developed with a personality and a voice worth listening to. As strange as this may sound, even the cold-blooded terrorist made good points.
With the immense popularity of end time books and often questionable theology that accompanies those books, Fuse of Armageddon is a nice alternative that encourages the reader to look at all people as loved by God, not just Jews and Christians.
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12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Long "Beach" Read, February 10, 2009
This review is from: Fuse of Armageddon (Paperback)
I read the majority of this novel while on vacation. And it went past that even. Fuse of Armageddon is a large/long novel.
In a nutshell, this the response to the Left Behind series. Where Left Behind talks about the biblical end times as if they were to happen on our lifetime, Fuse of Armageddon speaks on the idea that it has already happened a long time ago. And the people who believe Left Behind theology could actually cause much more destruction than they realize.
Mulvaney Quinn is a hostage negotiator whose wife and daughter were killed when a suicide bomber destroyed the bus they were on. He is called in to speak to the terrorist who kidnapped a group of Christians when they were touring Israel.
What Quinn doesn't know is that there are powerful men pulling the strings behind-the-scenes who want to see their vision for Israel and Palestine come true.
If their plan succeeds, life would forever change on this planet.
While not as pop culture as Left Behind was, this story does give the reader a different look on how religion plays a part in our dealings with the Middle East.
If you can get past the length, Fuse of Armageddon is a nice "beach" read.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Major page-turner, December 7, 2007
I tend to read more nonfiction than fiction, but I must say I've enjoyed all 3 books in this series. All 3 have been definite page-turners.
The plot is a little complicated at times and it can be hard to keep track of what's going on. Especially since the book keeps you guessing at a lot of characters' real intentions (which is one of the things that keeps this book so interesting). Although the book makes no effort to make the ending surprising, the characters keep you guessing and there's suspense until the very end.
One reviewer commented that this book is a bit of a Trojan horse for Hanegraaff's ideas, which is true. A few scenes were obvious devices to work the theology in, but at least the scenes were still plausible and didn't seem too out of place. As Hanegraaff often says on his radio show, ideas have consequences, and the authors try to show that here. Dispensationalism has major consequences for the Middle East and our foreign policy.
My only complaint was that this book was completely unrelated to the last two in the series. I hope the authors write another "Last Disciple" book soon so I can find out what happens to those characters too.
Overall, I'd recommend this book, both for its ideas and the story itself. It's very good on all accounts, and a very worthwhile read that will certainly entertain you and may transform your thinking while it's at it.
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