Customer Reviews

The Last Reunion

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We have just posted several readings of the first few chapters on youtube which you may enjoy watching. Couldn't put it down, said one. Had to pull my truck to the side of the road to see what happens next, said another. Loved the book but hated the cover, said a third. It's a Christian last days suspense novel we think, and as Karen said, it sends people back to the Bible with new questions in their minds. More than three have read it of course, but you get the idea. Check it out!

Mary Ann Nusbaum

i am a very busy woman...and I don't really consider myself much of a bookworm sort of person...but I can honestly say that The Last Reunion was so intriguing that it made me keep reading more and more and trying to figure out what was coming next...and hoping that my favorite characters would survive the suspenseful dangers that lurked around every corner. The readings by the authors got my curiosity going on youtube...but that was not enough! I actually lost sleep over this book because I HAD to find out what happened to Jim Hoeven and his family. The suspense and the impending doom that loomed around Jim was almost overbearing at times, and I found myself upset when this character and that character would be destroyed by Jim's evil foe and his accomplices...but driven by the hope that good was going to conquer evil in the end. This book keeps you guessing right up to the very last page...I may have lost some sleep over it, but I can honestly say it is one of the best books I have read in a while. The word illustrations are vivid and exciting! I think I am going to have to read it again, just talking about it now makes me want to revisit the suspense, the romance, the adventure of it...it is an awesome book!

Scanning the market for "Last Days" fiction, one might categorize that genre as oversaturated. However, The Last Reunion provides some twists different from recent forays into this genre. The beginning, set at an orphanage in rural Indiana, evokes the old-fashioned feel of the classic "Last Days" novel, The Twinkling of an Eye. During a blizzard, the custodian of the orphans' home discovers a basket containing a newborn baby. The first miracle of Jim Hoeven's life occurs in the next few minutes, and the reader senses, correctly, that little Jimmy is no ordinary baby. The opening chapters describe mysterious wolf-like creatures, which connect to the child's fate and fortune. These fearsome beasts appear more than once to threaten Jimmy and those he loves, and each encounter proves more dangerous.

The lack of details about Jim's mother's or father's origin, about which the writers make certain implications by referring to Scripture, will probably not deter the reader from focusing on the growth and adventures of the protagonist. An early blood test reveals his first anomaly to Jimmy's adoptive parents, foreshadowing his strange, often heroic feats. The child encounters leopards at the circus and confronts the wolf-like animals. He shows athletic prowess and intelligence beyond his years, swimming at a tender age and enrolling in college at age twelve. As Jim develops under the loving supervision of his parents, who oversee the orphanage, he seems a healthy, normal child, except for special strengths and gifts reminiscent of Samson.

The introduction of a sinister man, Wendell Anderson, alerts the reader to the presence of Jimmy's lifelong enemy and the threats this boy must constantly evade. At two different points in Jim's life, Anderson plants a different woman in Jim's home, attempting to destroy him. In the meantime, the Governor and his wife, who become close to Jim through their friendship with his adoptive parents, involve the young man in politics and diplomacy. The knowledge Jim gains over the years through this long-term internship will serve him in his ultimate calling and his final showdown with Anderson.

Scenes recounting medical and forensic detail come to life, as the research for this novel proves meticulous to the last detail. We know the authors aren't inventing medical and police procedures or terminology; instead, the vivid images come off the pages like an E.R. episode.

Taken strictly as fiction, and not as Bible prophecy explained in fiction, I enjoyed the book, especially the first half. The tension accelerated and the plot moved at a steady rate, holding my attention. I felt that the second half of The Last Reunion lost some of its momentum, though the plot and characters, especially Jim Hoeven, had already reeled me in so much that I had to see what happened next. The scattered implications from the villain of Jim's identity may mislead some readers, even though the novel's denouement clarifies the truth.

None of these flaws detracted from my enjoyment. As I questioned aspects of the implied "End Times" eschatology, I accepted the challenge to return to the pages of Bible prophecy to see for myself what Scripture says about the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ. This story defies the reader to put down the book!

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The Last Reunion proposes a mystery-based theology where mere mortals can only hope for protection from evil by a heroic deity. The world of this book has a decidedly masculine bias which should appeal to young men looking to develop their heroic identity. It seems like it could be made into a fine motion picture due to the vivid action scenes.

Since I have not personally spent time in Indiana, the setting for most of the hero's story, I was somewhat surprised by the variety of landscapes described. The time frame of the book follows the life of the protagonist from birth to the climax at the end of the book which is current day or near future although use of cell phones or the internet is not memorable, if it even exists. The authors stuck to a rhetorical style that is commonly understood despite their advanced degrees because this is meant to be somewhere between captivating entertainment and thought provoking description of the eternal battle between the forces of good and evil.

A newborn baby is left overnight on the doorstep of an Indiana orphanage during a Christmas eve blizzard, beginning a very poignant morality play of good vs. evil in a distinctively classical mode. Daniel and Mary Nusbaum have crafted a novel that is sure to make dedicated Faith readers very happy, indeed! The manuscript for this book was modified and developed over many years' time, and the effort shows. Inspired by The Exorcist, but displaying considerably more plot similarity to The Omen, The Last Reunion is a dashing effort for a first novel. As noted in the byline, the husband-and-wife authors are a surgeon who has spent many hours in the operating room and a psychologist with a theological background. The Biblical and surgical components of the book are carefully developed and the authors' talents displayed.

The four-star rating is the result of weaknesses in the other segments of the plotline. This is one of those books that blasts out of the starting gate, leaving the reader in compassionate tears. Unfortunately, the mystery and tension gradually wanes as the reader tires of the ubiquitous scripture quotes at the end of every chapter, robbing the story of a bit of its momentum. The plot looks more and more like another End of Days prayer for the choir as the end of the story approaches. If a lot more questions had been left unanswered for the reader, the modern fable effect would have delivered more punch. There are points at which a character should never have simply accepted the facts of the story surrounding him. Many of the tragedies and miracles are presented and viewed in a far too blase manner to have any realistic credibility. Readers who simply want to relive the blatancy of their personal faith will probably embrace this book with open arms. Those readers who apply more scrutiny to all the components of the plot details will be a little less impressed.