When the Almond Tree Blossoms [Mass Market Paperback]

David Aikman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 1995

David Aikman, former senior foreign correspondent for Time magazine, produces the scenario for a potential international war game in When the Almond Tree Blossoms. In this book the world's most powerful nation is controlled by a radical, collectivist regime bent on maintaining control despite a growing nuclear threat from the resistance. Aikman addresses world politics, secret agendas and ultimately biblical prophecy in this thriller.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in 1998, this first novel by a senior correspondent for Time involves a reactionary but sometimes entertaining post-Cold War scenario. A second U.S. civil war pits the "Constitutionalists" against the "People's Movement" (PM), a left-wing coalition that seized power after Russia defeated the U.S. in Iran. National politics are topsy-turvy: Russia is a fascist state; the PM-run U.S. is communist, almost Maoist; while China has rejected Mao in favor of a market economy. The PC PM-ers are clearly the bad guys here and freedom under their rule is as precarious as it was under Stalin, though the PM has yet to master Stalin's efficiency in eliminating opposition. To that end they have enlisted the assistance of a Russian, Alexei Ilyich Ponomarev. Ponomarev in turn recruits supposed PM stalwart Douglas Richfield to infiltrate the Constitutionalists to discover both the identity of a Constitutionalist mole and to secure information about Project Almond, the opposition's nuclear trump card. It quickly becomes obvious which side Richfield will eventually support--especially since his love interest is active in the Constitutionalist underground. The rushed ending leaves unresolved a subplot about mutiny on a nuclear submarine and also leaves the reader feeling as though a chapter or two were missing. 50,000 first printing.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (March 9, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849936411
• ISBN-13: 978-0849936418
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,322,076 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. David Aikman is an award-winning print and broadcast journalist, a best-selling author, and a foreign affairs commentator based in the Washington, D.C. area. His wide-ranging professional achievements include a 23-year career at Time magazine, serving for several years as bureau chief in Eastern Europe, Beijing, and Jerusalem. His reporting has spanned the globe and he has covered all the major historical events of the time.

Dr. Aikman was educated at Oxford University and holds a PhD from the University of Washington in Russian and Chinese history. He is the author of many books, including Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity Is Transforming China and Changing the World Balance of Power; Billy Graham: His Life and Influence; Qi (Awaken the Dragon); and A Man of Faith: The Spiritual Journey of George W. Bush. He is professor of history and writer in residence at Patrick Henry College. He is married and lives near Lincoln, Virginia

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Cautionary Tale of Liberalism, December 4, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: When the Almond Tree Blossoms (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is a masterpiece. Not only is the writing good, but the story is scary and realistic. The "fiction" of which Aikman wrote is just around the corner if "liberal" leftists take over the country. All one has to do is look at the totalitarianism in the schools, media and govermment wherever the leftists are in charge. Imagine a government where mere speech is a crime; where being a "white" person is grounds for discrimination and hatred; where perverted sex acts are taught in schools. The horrors of the left could become a reality if the people fail to remain vigilant. Read this book and tremble.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Current day Prophet, August 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: When the Almond Tree Blossoms (Mass Market Paperback)

Aikman's insight and knowledge is nothing more than amazing. His forcast might be a little to soon but how far is he from the truth. With an ever increasing power in Iran, plus the possible rise of nationalist in Russia his knowledge gives a chilling look at a possible future. The ending would be better if a sequel were iminent but since one has not been written it lacks any finality. Yet, I would strongly recommend the book for any student of history and world politics.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing insight into the possible future., June 29, 2000

By 

Jonathan Smith (Craig, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When the Almond Tree Blossoms (Mass Market Paperback)

I originally purchased the book in 1995 and was overwhelmed by the believable possibilities. Naturally, the story has lingered with me waiting patiently for some conclusion, and by now I'm not sure there ever will be one. But that doesn't change the impact that this half-completed image of our possible future has.

Now that I've read it for the second time, and see many of the proposed dates have passed us by, I'm still struck by the vision that Mr. Aikman has shown. Now the question is not whether our government could be overthrown by socialists, but whether there will be any resistance at all to American socialism.

The first time I read it, I was struck by the pessimism about America's short term future. Now it seems that I'm take by his optimism concerning the long term. Will America learn the lessons of freedom and morality (not a contradiction), or will it continue it's course of choosing security over liberty? While this doesn't seem directly related to the book, it shows the impact that it's ideas can still render. That's my test of a book - will it still be able to challenge my thoughts the next time I read it? This book has that ability.

I have no doubt that ten years from now I will enjoy looking again into this world of Nationalist Russia (not such a ridiculous thought now as it was then), China turning towards freedom (which is what some hope to accomplish by establishing a more friendly relationship), and America at war with herself. And when I do, I will once again consider the long-term courses that the world powers are taking.

Now to my complaints. In my hardback copy there are many cases of missing quotation marks (frustrating), a few changes of spelling (as another reviewer pointed out), and the terrible absence of a conclusion. It's as if he simply ran out of paper. The book is wrapped up in about three pages while leaving the majority of questions unanswered. In fact, after first reading it, I set about to find the obvious sequel. But there was not one then, and there is not one now. For those who've advocated a movie adaptation - someone had better write and ending before the thought is even presented to a studio.