The Reckoning: A Novel [Hardcover]

James Byron Huggins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1994

From the innovative, distinctive author of Wolf Story comes a highly crafted novel bristling with intensity, intrigue, and the life-or-death quest for truth. The murder of his mentor and the theft of an ancient manuscript compel a lonely exile to emerge from his solitude and enter into a conflict to uncover an ages-old, horrific secret.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 473 pages
• Publisher: Harvest House Pub (September 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565071816
• ISBN-13: 978-1565071810
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #616,721 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Much ado about a manuscript, August 19, 2006

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H. Bala "Me Too Can Read" (Just moved to posh Marina Del Rey, CA - where if you drop a quarter, why, you just keep on walking) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Reckoning: A Novel (Hardcover)

James Byron Huggins' thrillers are catered for the manly man. They are routinely explosive, tautly-paced, and laced with a supernatural element. The Reckoning lives up to his standards and, even though initially confusing, is a bonafide page-turner. His protagonist, Gage, is patentedly a superlative killing machine yet is spiritually conflicted. Even though The Reckoning is touted as a "Christian" thriller, it doesn't really get that preachy, which I appreciated.

Jonathan Gage is a man at odds with himself and with his murky past as a proficient, highly trained Delta Force operative. He's trying to change his ways, but it's proving to be a daunting task, as he is tasked by his friend Simon, a dying priest, to safeguard an ancient manuscript which foretells the advent and identity of the Anti-Christ. Shadowy forces stand in Gage's way, forces focused on bringing about the downfall of mankind. Gage, weary of violence but having no other recourse, must now muster all his old training and once again resume the ways of the killer. Because, ultimately, it falls on him and a few allies to keep darkness at bay and safeguard the future of humanity.

If that plot summary sounded overly dramatic, well, that's the vibe I got off reading The Reckoning. This book is one of James Byron Huggins's earlier works (published in 1994), and it shows. I found it initially hard to get into, which actually surprised me because I generally find his novels (Sorcerer, Cain, Hunter, Nightbringer) to be vastly entertaining stuff. But, in the Reckoning, I was thrown for a loop with the disconcertingly abrupt start, which throws the reader smack dab in the thick of the action. It left me with a lost feeling - as if I'd missed out on some key events which had gone on before page one. However, once I pressed on, the story rapidly became more involving and, in the end, proved to be an intense, adrenalin rush of a thriller. It is action-packed (believe me, brother!) to the max. The pace is hectic, as the protagonists seem to be assaulted or on the assault every few pages or so. The Reckoning is also colored with a supernatural Doomsday element. Anytime the Anti-Christ figures into the plot, you gotta think the stakes are raised just a tad more.

Gage is so daunting and self-sufficient a character that it's sometimes hard to empathize with him. Whenever he's in action, he simply becomes a killing automaton. It's a good thing Huggins infuses his hero with a conflicted persona, said conflict arising from his newly awakened moral compass, which goes at odds with his military-instilled, tightly honed instincts for mayhem. Also a good idea of Huggins is the introduction of a nemesis, Sato, who seems to be even more of a bad mo-fo than Gage. Their first encounter doesn't go well for our hero. But it does serve to humanize him more.

After Gage, the book has another intriguing character: the grizzled Nathaniel Kertzman, a civilian investigator assigned by Washington with unearthing a covert military faction steeped in illegal activities, of which investigation Gage is the prime suspect. Kertzman is uncompromising and honest to a fault, yet is comfortable with the greasy machinations and the double- and cross-dealings of Washington's upper-level power brokers. A fun character.

Then you have the baddies. There is a chain of command to these villains, with each elevated position of power seemingly providing a more callous and corrupt villain. The main Machiavellian mastermind is snaky cold and without scruples, while the deadly warrior Sato lives for the perfect kill.

At 473 pages, The Reckoning is a thick read. However, once you get into it, those pages'll fly by. I personally couldn't wait for Gage and Sato's final "dance." Huggins's research really shows thru as he ably engrosses the reader with a revealing depiction of the life and ways of an elite commando. Three and a half testosterone-filled stars.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, November 1, 2006

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R. Charles - See all my reviews
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Huggins does a masterful job of combining Christian truth with modern warfare. The hero realizes that in order to defeat evil, sometimes you must take up a "sword" and fight. I would highly recommend it.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 6 stars, October 12, 2006

By 

Computer kid - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Reckoning: A Novel (Hardcover)

If there was a way I could rate this book higher than 5, I definately would.

If you are a fan of incrediblely well written action, Christian themes, powerful topics, well-researched fighting techniques, and an all around good story... this is for you. Even if you dont' like action, you should get this.

One of the many reasons this book is so incredibly awesome is because on one character. Gage. He is the best of the best. The author researched every type of fighting to make this character. All the way from more-than-advanced knife techniques, to war tactics.

To state it simply: Get this book.