Will The World End in 2012? by Raymond C. Hundley

Following the craze of End Times predictions and major motion pictures, Dr Raymond Hundley has compiled a list of 10 theories surrounding the year 2012 in his book, Will the World End in 2012?

He begins each chapter with a short, fictional blurb to set the theory in place and proceeds to analyze the prediction.

First up is the Mayan calendar. It is said that the Mayans believed in time cycles. According to their long calendar, the current cycle will end on December 21, 2012.

Next is the fear of solar storms. Scientists predict the Sun will produce intense solar activity that will burst through our atmosphere and destroy our electrical systems and possibly cause earthquakes.

Third is the fear that the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland will create a black hole and suck this planet into oblivion.

Fourth, Nostradamus. He made some interesting predictions about the future but are they applicable to us?

Fifth is the reversal of the magnetic poles. Basically what used to be north will now be south and vice versa. Included with this reversal is a huge tsunami.

Then you have the collision with Planet X as told to a woman by aliens, an eruption of a super volcano underneath Yellowstone National Park, Religious End Times predictions and others.

Even though Dr. Hundley professes to be a Christian, he allows each theory it's due credit. After showing the pros and cons of each, he then offers his conclusions.

Some of these theories are probable while others are just silly. I can't tell you which may occur, you have to read the book.




This book was provided for review by Thomas Nelson Publishing

Darkfall by Dean Koontz

Darkfall is a story that never really got off the ground for me. Dean Koontz is hit or miss with every single book. You can never know if the story will be terrific or horrific.

Darkfall was horrific.

Two homicide cops are following the murders of members of a crimelord family. The bodies appear to be chewed and mangled.

Turns out, a voodoo bad guy is out to get the crimeboss and he sends out little demon/goblins to do his dirty deeds.

Because the police are hunting for answers, the voodoo man decides to turn the goblins on them; specifically, the children.

This makes "police man" angry and now it's all or nothing. Which man will die?

Throw in a few vague references about the devil, God, and hell and you've got a very sub-par Koontz novel.

Forget Me Not by Vicki Hinze

Author Vicki Hinze has jumped into the Christian fiction genre with her first, in a series, thriller Forget Me Not.

I'm guessing the following books will revolve around a crisis center called Crossroads. In book one, we meet the Crossroads Crisis Center's owner, Benjamin Brandt who had everything fall apart; his wife and son were killed. This left him with a lost faith.

We witness the abduction of a woman who, after the assault, forgets who she is but appears to be Brandt's dead wife. (They look eerily alike.)

As they strive to fill in the holes of her memory, there is a ruthless murderer and his goons looking to finish the job.

This book is a hybrid in that, while it is a twist-turning thriller, there is a nice chunk of building romance and faith-affirmation.

This book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

You can also find the book at WaterBrook by clicking here.

After the Hangover: The Conservatives' Road to Recovery by R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr.

I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting into when I received After the Hangover by Mr Tyrrell Jr. I thought maybe this would be an action plan for Conservatives.

Then I read the back sleeve.

R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr hates Liberals. He hates people who aren't Conservatives and he expresses himself by calling people names. He's a name caller.

He also doesn't like how politics has lost some of the intelligence that it once had. He sites President Clinton, President George W. Bush, Governor Palin and Vice President Biden as prime examples.

Nor does he like radio talking heads like Ann Coulter. Yet he does like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.

Finally, he likes to promote himself, his books and his monthly American Spectator over and over.

He spends much of the book describing how Conservatism is key to everything good. But the only worth that I found came in the final chapter; where he minimally lays out a plan.

He wants to see budget reform - to put a cap on total spending that is below 20% of our GDP.

He wants tax reform via The Flat Tax.

He wants people to be able to to invest 1/3 of their current Social Security taxes in personal retirement accounts (like HSAs).

Also included are health care, medicaid, medicare, education, and immigration reform. He spends about 2 paragraphs each on explanation.

I wouldn't call this a book for anyone but die hard Conservatives or fans of the American Spectator.

This book was provided for review by Thomas Nelson Publishing.

Breathless by Dean Koontz

Dean Koontz has created another novel that deals with creatures that appear otherworldly in Breathless.

You'll follow a number of characters before they all connect in the last few chapters.

They are: Grady Adams and his wolfhound, Merlin. These two live near the woods and are the first to discover the mystical beings.

Henry Rouvroy who visits his twin brother on a farm. Henry is a bit unstable.

Then you meet the veterinarian, the drunkard and Homeland Security all rushing headlong after these creatures.

Like most of his books, Koontz delivers a twisted tale of good verses evil. While the current trajectory of planet earth is heading toward anarchy and chaos, these new beings may be exactly what Someone had in mind to return us to utopia.

But, of course, Koontz leaves the discover of meaning and "the moral of the story" up to each reader.

This book felt similar to his earlier book, Watchers. And I was confused as to why there were so many separate storylines happening. But you will discover what Koontz was trying to teach the reader through each plot line.

Is it possible to have the next step in human evolution without evolution?

Edge of Apocalypse by Tim LaHaye & Craig Parshall

Tim LaHaye is back with another End Times series. This time he's teaming up with Craig Parshall. This new series is cleverly called, The End Series. The first book is Edge of Apocalypse.

Set in the "near future" we are introduced to series hero: Joshua Jordan. Former spy plane pilot, he is now designing weapons and weapons defense systems.

The book opens with a missile attack on New York City by an angry North Korean Admiral. Jordan's laser missile defense systems thwarts the attack and saves the city.

Congress, however, is not happy that Jordan will not hand over the details of his defense system. They feel that the United States government should own that kind of technology and not some private company.

Jordan is chairman of a secret group bent on revealing the shady government secrets. And there is a secret group of Christians who call themselves "The Patriots" who come out of nowhere to aid Jordan in his fight against Congress.

These two authors do not shy away from how they feel about the current administration and The United Nations. As in Left Behind, The United Nations are seen as an evil entity. Liberals are viewed as wanting to destroy American sovereignty and, in this book, the Vice President is a Feminist bent on leading the nation down a dark path.

There isn't much religious talk or preaching in this first novel so I'm not really sure what Tim LaHaye did for this book. I suppose it's setting the stage for another long series that is bent on proclaiming the end of the world in pop-culture form.

Outside of the religious bent, the story is full of political intrigue and sneaky assassins. You'll read scenes of Congressional hearings, behind-the-scenes in the White House and political maneuvering, plus you'll get to read about a kidnapping on the campus of Liberty University. (These guys aren't afraid of blatant plugs for their establishment buddies.)

All in all, I'd say to stay away from this series unless you are a die hard LaHaye fan and/or love the concept of Rapture End Times fiction.

This book was provided for review by Zondervan Publishing.

O me of little faith by Jason Boyett

We are in a new era when it is "cool" to talk about your doubts on God and get it published by a Christian Publisher.

Jason Boyett has written a Blue Like Jazz-type memoir in his O me of little faith book; it's just a smaller book.

First of all, the cover grabs your attention. You see this scrawny kid with band-aids on his chest. I'm assuming that's the author. (He tells the story of when he was on the basketball team and could only lift the bar in the weight room.)

There are 10 chapters within this confession book. Chapter 2 deals with turtles and this idea that the world is on the back of a turtle who happens to be on top of another turtle who is on top of a third turtle - all the way down.

Boyett explains that for many people, God is that final turtle on which everything else relies.

The other chapters have clever names like, The Weight of Absence, Reverse Bricklaying, Insanity at 900 Feet (this one is about a crazy ride that hangs you over nothing 900 feet in the air.), This is Horrible. Here, Taste It and many others.

Boyett's writing style is very informal; this happens to be the hook for many confessional books these days and my college writing professor would have a fit! But it captures your attention and holds your interest for the entire read.

He pulls out some of the more lofty philosophers and theologians to help him explain some of his doubts, but in the end, he remains a follower of Christ in spite of his doubts.

This book was provided for review by Zondervan.