The Arrival

Great read

Very well thought out plot with an interesting take on cloning, antiquity and religion.
I enjoyed the evolving theme, while wishing there was a book two.

Wow! Just Wow! Sometimes the line between fiction and a potential reality can be very thin and as in the case of this book, The future of the world could very well happen as its written. The sign of a good book is where you dwell on the storyline of that book long after you finished reading, and this book will not be forgotten for some time. Very detailed but a very good read.

I had a hard time getting interested in the book at first as there just seemed to be a lot of information to comprehend and keep straight and it gave me a headache concentrating that hard. I did become quite interested in it as I read further though and found the theory of end times based on Revelation and bearing in mind that this is all fictional, unique and plausible. I became invested in the characters' lives and found myself wanting to get back to reading when forced to take a break for the duties of life. There were a great number of acronyms used in the book and some of them were not explained in full words the first time they appeared in print so I found myself trying to guess what they meant. The story was fast-paced and full of action and left the reader open to and desiring of a sequel. The book addressed issues of abortion and its effects on society and the church; endtimes; good and evil; angels and demons; a cashless society and antiChrist. I rated this book 4 stars and would highly recommend it to those who enjoy fictional works based on Revelations and/or endtimes. I received a kindle version of this book from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book caught my attention simply by the cover and spans nearly a hundred years masterfully integrating religion, history, horror and suspense all in one book. J. W. Brazier is an amazing storyteller with a vivid imagination. As I read this book I was completely sucked into not just reading the book and imagining what the characters were feeling, but became each character experiencing everything with them. There are parts of this book that had my hair standing on end, and slightly fearful of the dark.

The Arrival was intriguing, starting with Ian and Charles leading an excavation trying to find a mysterious body with almost no record of its burial location before a war broke out between Arabs and Israelis. Two years, these two have tried to find this mysterious body, but with no luck. Two people have come to try and talk them out of completing their task, because they believe that once this body is found bad things prophesied to happen will come to pass. Although Charles is starting to believe them, Ian is all business and will stop at nothing to get the substantial bonus with the successful discovery of this body. Who is this mysterious person Ian’s benefactor is willing to spend unimaginable sums of money to find? What will they do with this body? What are the far reaching ramifications of this discovery? I recommend that you read this book to find the answers to these questions.

This an end-times novel with a decidedly Christian perspective. I wasn't prepared for this, but as a Christian it didn't bother me. I thought the book was very well written, especially as a first novel. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, and the story drew me in from the first couple chapters. Every time I would put the book down, I would look forward to the next bit of free time I would have to read more. The events in the story, with a one-world government, were very plausible, and something I would not be surprised to see happen in the next couple decades, which made the novel all the more compelling. I do think the book bogged down some in the middle, as the politicians' speeches and maneuvering took center stage, at the expense of myself wanting some more action or backstory on the main characters. One other thing I would wish for is more nuanced characters. The good guys were too good and the bad guys were all bad, which I don't think reflects most people. All-in-all, I really enjoyed the book and look forward to the next one in the series. I rarely give a book 5 stars unless it's extraordinary.

I would recommend this book to those who are looking for a good Christian end-times novel. It's a great read, and I'm still thinking about it long after I've finished it, which is rare.

*I received a complimentary ebook from Net Galley for an honest review*