[.ca] Last Jihad, The (Abr.) (Cd) (ISBN 1593558554)

The Last Jihad:
The Last Jihad is a political thriller set a few years into the future and revolves around the now fictional possibility of what could have happened during President MacPherson's presidency had the re-elected President Bush pulled out of Iraq before Saddam Hussein was captured. Now, in2010, Saddam attempts to assassinate the President of the United States, along with the leaders of England, France, and Saudi Arabia. Then Israel foils an attempted SCUD launch pointed at Tel Aviv. MacPherson then sends one of his senior advisors (Jon Bennett), a CIA operative (Erin McCoy), and an FBI agent (Deek Black) to Israel to attempt to convince them not to nuke Iraq. But before they reach Prime Minister Doron, terrorists again attack them. The book is and excellent combination of action and explanation, while still keeping the events potentially real. The book did get confusing due to the large number of characters, but it's not enough to deter a person from reading the book. It does leave you hanging at the end, but it is continued in the sequel: The Last Days, another excellent book by Joel C. Rosenberg. The Last Jihad is an overall excellent book and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for amore realistic fictional novel.

Please, we've suffered enough ...:
If you're looking for an unlikely story populated with Saturday morning cartoon hero and villain stereotypes, "The Last Jihad" fills the bill. It lurches along a crude, poorly researched plot-line that culminates in well-telegraphed, brutish wish fulfillment. It's an unending drone of inane situations and dialog punctuated with so many product placements that you'll have to check the cover to be sure you didn't pick up a Sharper Image catalog by mistake. It's a howler right down there with Plan 9 from outer space.

Inaccuracies galore:
I've spent the last few years working on in-vehicle navigation systems; it was new to me that GPS receivers actually transmit back and can be traced, or that anyone has actually digital maps of Iraq in a commercial product... The rest of the book is just as bad. If you want to read technothrillers by someone who really knows what they're talking, read anything by John J. Nance.

Great Concept - Poor Execution and Research:
I was so excited when I read the concept behind this book only to be disappointed by writing defects (the author should have read The Elements of Style) and the apparent lack of an editor (or friend) to check even the simplest facts for accuracy and plausibility. The actions of world leaders are ridiculous, the action sequences are silly, and sub-plots had no relation to the main story line. This is truly one of the most disappointing books out there. I won't even go into detail about the advertising and supposed right wing views espoused. I shudder to think that people believe all conservatives have such a radically limited concept of how our world works. Save your money and time - try a Cussler, Clancy, or Matt Reilly instead.

Excellent! Action packed page turner!:
With all the scare of terrorism today, it seemed very real and frightening. It was never boring, keeps you turning the page to find out what happens. Characters were slightly dry, but only slightly. I didn't feel I got to know them as well as I would of liked. I also recommend the sequel, "The Last Days".