Premonition (City of God Series #2) (Paperback)

~ Randall Ingermanson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

After a physics experiment goes awry, Messianic Jewish archaeologist Rivka Meyers finds herself stranded in first-century Jerusalem, married to the infuriating and lovable Israeli physicist Ari Kazan. Rivka knows that an illegal trial and execution awaits the leader of the Jewish Christian community—James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus. Can Rivka prevent this impending disaster, or is Ari right that Rivka’s meddling will only make matters worse?

From the Back Cover

An extraordinary stone box was recently discovered in Jerusalem—the bone-box of "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." This is his story . . .

It’s the year A.D. 57 and Jerusalem teeters on the brink of revolt against Rome. James, leader of the Jewish Christian community, has an enemy in high places. And two very strange friends . . .

Rivka Meyers is a Messianic Jewish archaeologist from California, trapped in first-century Jerusalem by a physics experiment gone horribly wrong.

Ari Kazan is her husband, an Israeli physicist slowly coming to grips with his Jewish heritage—and with a man named Jesus he was raised to hate.

With no way back to their own century, Rivka and Ari seek their niche in this doomed city of God. Ari applies his knowledge of physics to become an engineer, a man of honor. Rivka feels increasingly isolated in a patriarchal culture that treats women like children. She knows what’s coming—siege, famine, fire. At first, her warnings earn her grudging respect as a "seer woman." But when one of her predictions misses, the city scorns her as a false prophet.

Rivka knows that an illegal trial and execution awaits James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus. Can she prevent this disaster? Will James believe her "premonition"? Or is Ari right that Rivka’s meddling in history will only . . . make matters worse?

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310247055
• ISBN-13: 978-0310247050
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #289,757 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Struggles of Faith, November 30, 2003

By	Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Not many writers can switch genres successfully. If you've read Ingermanson's previous works, you know that he dabbles in sci-fi, suspense, and futuristic thrillers. Knowing that this book was a sequel of sorts to "Transgression," I was surprised to discover Ingermanson's skill with historical fiction.

The story follows Rivka and Ari, two modern day adults thrust into a first century world via a wormhole. (This part of their tale was told in the first book, so a new reader might want to go back and read the first book as well.) The daily life and work of Jerusalem, AD 57, is brought into vivid focus. The struggles and cultural barriers are drawn clearly.

The heart of this novel is Rivka's place as a seer woman. Due to her knowledge of history, she is able to forewarn the citizens of Jerusalem about upcoming events. When, however, some of her "predictions" miss the mark, she is accused of being a false prophet, and her husband Ari loses his place of honor. As the story delves deeper into the turmoil and corruption of the day, Rivka and Ari must face the consequences, good and bad, of their premonitions.

Although the story is slower paced than his other works, "Premonition" keeps us turning the pages by showing us realistic characters facing very contemporary struggles of faith. The last fifty pages are beautiful and heart-wrenching. If you have an interest in messianic Judaism, this book is a must. If not, "Premonition" will stir your soul.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent sequel to "Transgression"--highly recommended, February 4, 2005

By	William G. Bader (Eden Prairie, MN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Since reading Randall Ingermanson's first novel, "Transgression" (now out of print - temporarily, I hope), I've anticipated this sequel. It was worth the wait. (It would help to read "Transgression", but it's not essential; "Premonition" stands on its own.)

Is it a blessing or a curse to know the future? Can the past be changed by knowledge from the future, or does this knowledge only lead to self-fulfilling prophecies? What happens if the information isn't accurate or complete? Read "Premonition" to find out.

The story begins with not-so-newlyweds Ari and Rivka in first-century Jersualem: a botched time-travel experiment has stranded them there. They've found a place to live, sharing a house with their friends, Baruch and Hana. They subsist on the generosity of others, since Ari the foreigner of unknown background is unemployable. But he soon becomes a breadwinner thanks to his knowledge of physics. The plot thickens (I've always wanted to write that) when he soon runs afoul of the Wrong Person.

Rivka becomes an apprentice midwife to a tough, but appealing woman named Marta. She has to prove herself first, and does so without intending to. Her vindication comes unexpectedly.

Since Rivka comes from the twentieth century, it should be easy for her to head off disasters and benefit the residents of her new home. Her near-eidetic memory should help her "recall" events before they happen. But there's a problem: not all her sources are accurate. Josephus (a young man here) wrote of this era, but his reports are sometimes biased. This leads to flawed results that Rivka can't anticipate. She loses a lot of standing in the community when one of her prophecies comes true - but subtly, not dramatically. As far as the people are concerned, she blew the opportunity. And they have long memories.

"Premonition" is strongly character driven. The plot is good, of course, but the personalities, interactions, and growth of the principal characters are what give the book its power. Baruch and Hana are the most prominent, but many others are living, breathing individuals as well. The spiritual struggles are convincing as a Messianic Jew (Rivka) tries to teach her formerly atheistic Jewish husband about Yeshua.

I liked Ingermanson's depiction of Yaakov ben Joseph (James, the son of Joseph and brother of Jesus). While he isn't a central character, he dominates his every scene. He's different from my image of the author of the New Testament epistle. Ingermanson pulls this off by having him radiate joy and love. When I mentally graft this James onto the persona of the author of the epistle, I see someone who's enthusiastically encouraging, not sternly admonishing. Inevitably, the last few chapters build to a conclusion that's emotionally gripping. Knowing what happens to this beloved church leader makes finishing hard, but seeing James living his faith only increases his stature.

Queen Berenike and her brother Agrippa are completely opposite to this. Ingermanson handles the seamier side of their relationship tactfully, but without blunting their foulness and corruption. The two of them radiate pure evil. Hanan ben Hanan isn't much better. The difference is that he believes that he's doing God's work (more or less), while Berenike and Agrippa seem to wallow in their own wickedness.

Because of a tragic event in the "Transgression", Baruch and Hana experience a terrible strain in their marriage. He must deal with one of the most difficult issues that a husband and father can endure. He must do this because of his social environment and in spite of where God is leading him. And she, as a first-century Jerusalem wife, must suffer because of his suffering. The last page of the novel is one of the most powerful depictions I've read of personal growth in a very long time. It's impossible to read this without being profoundly moved. (Any more would be a spoiler).

Ingermanson deserves compliments on his research. His "truncated" bibliography lists 22 sources. He successfully brings a lot of historical characters into the story, and does so better than most who attempt this. Because of the depth of his locating information, there's a reality to this story that gives it a strong "you are there" feeling. He knows how to depict an ancient society in a way that makes it look as if he had been there. He's good. I highly recommend "Premonition".

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PREMONITION -- a hint of things to come, January 27, 2004

By	Dr. Ransom "www.FaithFusion.net" (Mideast America) - See all my reviews

In Randall Ingermanson's first-ever novel, Transgression, backslidden Messianic Jew Rivka Myers found herself tricked into a dark closet, in the basement of a physics building in Jerusalem. It was difficult to get back, because it turns out there was a wormhole in that closet, built by somewhat of a mad scientist.

Physicist Ari Kazan wound up chasing Rivka and the other scientist into the wormhole, and into 1st-century Israel . . . Rivka met a Palestinian prostitute, and the scientist wanted to kill the Apostle Paul, and Ari got stung by wasps. . . . It gets kind of complicated.

I generally like complicated fiction, so I loved Transgression. But now, with the first installment of Ingermanson's new follow-up trilogy out, called Premonition, he deprecates himself a little, almost shrugging off Transgression as if a grade-school essay.

"You don't have to read Transgression to enjoy Premonition," Ingermanson says in his foreword. (Good thing, too, because at this point Transgression is almost darn near out of print.) "In fact, I recommend reading Premonition first because . . . it's a better book." [Ellipsis his.]

Because we're dealing with time travel and if you aren't careful the story can get contradictory, I'll go ahead and contradict the author by suggesting you read Transgression first anyway -- assuming it ever gets back into print and you can get a copy. It makes the time travel seem a little more plausible. While Premonition is better, I don't know how easy it would be to pick it up while being blind to the events of the real first novel.

(Example: some people can read The Lord of the Rings without reading The Hobbit first -- I did. But then, during LotR I didn't have a clue who Balin was . . . no idea whatsoever. Therefore the same situation goes for Premonition.)

Randall Ingermanson seems to be a major genius. He likes to talk about physics occasionally, although judging from his descriptions in his first novel Transgression he has no idea how to build a wormhole in your basement closet -- or what it feels like walking through. (Is it cold? Clammy, dusty? Are their any cool sound effects, or CGI light ripples?)

Transgression was the precursor to Premonition, and now Ingermanson must have gotten tired of the physics anyway, and grabbed hold of about four or five alternate Ph.D.'s at once: Biblical history, Hebrew and hermeneutics, some archaeology, a little architecture, and a pinch of ancient midwifery, just for flavor.

And before I go on I'll make one thing clear: this author isn't too shy. Nothing in Premonition is overly detailed or prurient; don't misunderstand. But if you're a teenager you're bound to learn all kinds of things you never knew as soon as Rivka begins delivering babies in ancient Jerusalem. Exclamations may range from "augh" to "ungh," to "eawwrgh," to "Hey-whoa! I didn't know that" from any teenagers out there, especially males.

Based on the details on that subject and everything else, any readers may get the impression that Ingermanson does have a wormhole in his basement closet. Perhaps he sneaks in there late at night, "transgresses" dimensions to 1st-century Jerusalem and learns about things like Temple architecture or Hebrew midwifery; I don't know. There's no proof for this, and I don't want to start any rumors here.

Either way, his research is impeccable. From the very beginning of the novel you get some great diagrams of the Holy Land, Jerusalem, the Temple Courts and such, to the point where you wish the book came spiral-bound so you could Xerox the front pages for easy reference later in your reading. In addition to the maps you get a Glossary and a directory of historical persons in the back. Then there's a list of books, too -- Ingermanson blows the secrecy on many of the materials he read for research, making it all seem so easy . . .

It's not. And what's even better is the book doesn't even read like a great big pile of historical research. Premonition is a wormhole to the souls of the past. When reading it, you are there, with people you grow to love. The author gets into the characters' heads and stays there, switching between Rivka and Ari at first, and then adding more even from the natives: Hana, Baruch, and then historical persons like the High Priest.

It would be difficult to summarize The Plot because there really isn't a single one. But Premonition isn't like the Left Behind series; Ingermanson weaves about 10 subplots all together. The title comes from Rivka's foreknowledge of events which earns her a reputation in Jerusalem as somewhat of a prophetess. Before blundering through the closet wormhole, she had read a lot of history books and has much of the material still up in her head.

Meanwhile, Ari is finding work as well. Having two centuries of advance physics knowledge helps land him a job as an independent contractor/mechanical engineer. That eventually pits him against the high priest, which isn't much fun. At the same time Rivka is also forced to get involved in history, saving the life of King Agrippa's sister, and then she enters Jerusalem politics as well, flowing even more with history and helping to maneuver other men into the position of High Priest. . . . It gets kind of complicated.

With this level of "predictability" one might think Ingermanson would fall into the Infamous Left Behind Event Predictability Trap. Nope. Rivka and Ari can't really change history. Whatever they do just happens to fall in step, right alongside. History is alive and well, the story twists are many and so are the "Oh NO!" moments you will always get in a good novel.

Finally, everything has settled down enough for an ending that comes all too soon. That ending is only the second of Premonition's two minor disappointments. The second is the real spoiler that's given on the novel's back cover and even in the Amazon review (which may not be the author's responsibility anyway): "But when one of [Rivka's] predictions fails, she is scorned as a false prophet."

Oh NO! That makes everything completely predictable when you get to that part in the novel. This is it, this is it, she's not right about that prediction, no, Rivka, come on, don't do that! But alas, because of 14 words on the book's back cover, we have a premonition of her failed premonition.

Regardless of that, as well as some pervasive (and informative!) midwife-related details, Premonition is something to behold. Rumor has it the intrepid Ingermanson has already burned through the second trilogy installment, Retribution. . . .

This is going to be good, I can tell.