Rosenberg's first novel is a pretty good thriller. His action scenes are fast paced and thrilling, even though he crowds in a lot of technical details about weapons. I read these scenes rapidly, eager to find out who would live and who would not.

He also includes a geopolitical story line, which tends to slow the book down. When the hero sits in a on a presidential cabinet meeting my attention began to wander. This part of the story was less interesting. It was also less believable.

The novel sustained my interest through to the end. The action slowed at times, but never stopped. The characters were believable enough. They were described in about as much depth as one would expect from an action novel. This first novel does not rise to the level of Tom Clancy, but it is a good start. I think Rosenberg compares favorably with authors like Vince Flynn.

This book was thrilling, scary, and almost phrophetic when it was written. I could hardly put it down, then read the rest of the series a quickly as I could! READ THESE!

Joel Rosenberg kept me up late turning pages to see how it ended. Then I had to order the second in the series to find out how the story continued. I plan on getting all of his books to continue the story.

Another great book using religious texts to provide wonderful insight into what may be going on in the world. Many of the fictional events have become actual reality!

This is a great book! Quite a bit like a vintage Tom Clancy or maybe Clive Cussler but more believable. I really liked it and am planning to read the rest of the series.

Anyone who says this book is educational is downright laughable. This author is paranoid. I guess people LOVE hype.

If you'd like an education, don't read FICTION. Take this book for what it is: a story.

I've read a number of reviews here, and I can agree with many of them. The storyline is excellent and the author may have used too much in the way of artistic license. The characters are shallow, the situations are abbreviated, but with the action rolling along, you tend not to notice that until after you are done reading the book.

The beginning of the story seemed far fetched to some degree, but I usually give a book fifty pages to get my attention and this one did. As it's the author's first book, I'm sure that the editing is not top of the pack and some of his writing is amateurish and not very well thought out. But still the story kept advancing and so did my interest.

Yes, the dialogue seems somewhat forced at times and awkward. Especially the early conversation with the President and his newly formed task force. But again, did I ever say that the story was so intriguing that I forgave the author and kept reading.

If you are looking for the intricacies of the early Clancy (forget the later stuff) or someone like Larry Bond (excellent), then this isn't the book for you. If you like Vince Flynn or Nelson DeMille, then this is similar to those authors, except still not as detailed as either and see above other comments.

So I guess that the bottom line for me was that the plot sold me and kept me forging ahead at a breakneck pace. The ending has segments that are confusing, but the speed of the read is superb. Finishing the book in a couple of days, I was totally hooked and look forward to reading the next one.

Good story line, too many slow spots, needs more action and less talking ie: too much questioning between players. Give an order and someone asks why? right in the middle of an action scene.

Probably the title says it all. I was absolutely "stuck" with this book--couldn't put it down! Every time I wanted to stop reading at the end of the page, I couldn't because something was happening and I had to go on! It was absolutely enthralling! The other interesting thing about it is that I learned so much about the culture and mindset of both sides in the crisis of the Middle East. While what I learned didn't change my mind about what I feel is the best solution, I understand better how the other side thinks.

The back-story of this novel is almost as good as the book itself. Joel Rosenberg predicted terrorist attacks against the United States--even imagined they'd come in the form of kamikaze airplane attacks--BEFORE the events of 9/11. This book begins to paint a picture--drawn on his real world experience in and around the Middle East, Washington and elsewhere--about why today's events are unfolding and what may be next. Entertaining and thought-provoking! A definite must-read!

In Rosenberg's feverish book, copyright 2003, the President and Vice President are given heroic personas - if only that were true. Not only is the economy going great guns but the pair are presented as all-knowing, far/decisive thinking greater than life heros. In adition, Saddam is proven (remember how Bush/Cheney were so certain) to have not only Sarin and other poision gases but actual nuclear bombs with rockets to launch them. Of course, in the book the President has no choice but to launch a massive bombing campaign against Iraq again with no plan of what to do next - just like what happened.
Although this is a 'book' where actual events have evolved completely differently, I am sure Christians and Republicans will love its delusions.

In this book we enter a world where Iraq launches simultaneous terror attacks against Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the West. In one of the first attacks the president of the U.S.A. is wounded and he enlists a former Wall Street guru Jon Bennett to help broker a peace settlement. But the threat of a desperate nuclear offensive by the rogue state looms. The book is a fast read. It contains violence and some strong language.

I have read Ezekiel Option, The Copper Scroll, and Epicenter by Joel Rosenberg. I decided to go back and read the first two books in the series to get more of a background (same characters throughout) before going on to Rosenberg's newest release. The Last Jihad is definitely a thriller from the very first page. I love these books and recommend them highly. The Last Jihad is a page turner if you like political intrigue; very hard to put down. Informative and exciting!!!

I could not put this book down, it is so intense! My heart was pounding through the whole thing I couldn't wait to see what was on the next page!!! If you like action and suspense I highly recommend this book!!!!

I've been told by a number of people that I should read this book and I FINALLY did!! I've read a lot of "post" 9-11 novels and this one ranks up with the best. I kinda see what all the hype was about. Since 200+ before me have already put in thier two cents I'll just say that you should join the rest of us and read this book.

The ending is wonderful and literally makes you go out and get the next book. Since I'm reading this series "late" all of the books are published already. Thank god!! I'd hate to have to wait for the next one in this series.

Joel Roseberg is an outstanding author. I was drawn to The Last Jihad, by a friend's recommendation and hearing about it on Rush Limbaugh's radio show. I read it in two days, it was so exciting. I have since read the whole series, and just purchased Rosenberg's latest novel, Dead Heat, which I can hardly wait to start. Rosenberg's uncanny clairvoyance into mid-east events is chilling. I recommend these political thrillers to everyone.

I could not put it down. A must read for anyone wishing to know what might happen the way things are going.

If you're interested at all in how today's world events could play out, you must read this book, as well as Rosenberg's sequels, "The Last Days" and "The Ezekiel Option." I'm just starting "The Copper Scroll", but I have every expectation that Rosenberg will come through as he did in the first three. His scripture quotations are right on, and his writing style keeps you involved till the last page!

This was a gift, it came just as described with fast shipping and in good condition.

If you like reading pages upon pages (and I am not dealing in hyperbole here...) of details about what the characters in the stories are eating, then this book is for you! I won't even go into politics here... but this book is one of the worst I have ever read. Ever. I have read hundreds of books in my lifetime, and this is one of only 2 or 3 that I have left unfinished. I made it until about 20 pages from the end, and even at that point I had no interest in either the characters or the conclusion of the story. Monumentally bad. Congrats! This author couldn't have sent this to his publisher with a straight face.

In one scene, the President of the United States of America, in Washington, is watching a real-time infrared camera feed of a house in Israel via satellite and using that information to communicate to a secret agent where he needs to go. If that sounds plausible to you, then this book is for you. You'll probably also love the fact that the book's only black character is a man who goes by the name of Frank Oakland.

I'd mention the myriad twists and turns that make this book almost vomit-inducing in its disgusting, naive portrayals of American politics, the middle east and foreign policy; I would but after reading it I took the book back to the store and insisted on a refund.

Current, political intrigue, small amount of religion. I enjoyed it and the others in the series.

A good read. But the best part is it's clean! Don't have to skip the vulgar language. That's important to me.

I read this book because a friend recommended it. I don't have a problem with the subject matter, because I consider myself a conservative. I also understand that Joel Rosenberg is a very intelligent and accomplished man, with a vast amount of experience. However, this novel was not compelling enough to keep my interest. The character development was nonexistent, the transitions between sections were rough and the amount of cliche throughout the book was absolutely irritating. I was reading it for a discussion group and was about 40 pages from finishing it. We finished the discussion and I had no desire to finish, despite being so close to the end. It was a complete waste of time. I understand he has a nonfiction book out (Epicenter) and I would be interested in his thoughts because of his background, but I have no desire to complete this series of novels.

Okay, for starters, let me give you some reasons why you SHOULDN'T read this novel. If you don't enjoy a thrilling action/adventure/spy/secret agent/geopolitical thriller, walk away now! If you are a liberal who thinks the problems in the Middle East can be solved by negotiation with radical Islamic Jihadists, walk away! And if you don't think the Bible can possibly have anything to say about our world and the events occurring all around us, then you leave too! But if this sparks your curiosity, then pick up this or any other Joel C. Rosenberg book you can find and prepare to read for about five hours straight until you finish it! When you combine killer plot, an excellent sense for pacing and character development, and a heart for Biblical prophecy as Mr. Rosenberg has done, you cannot go wrong! Enjoy!

The book arrived quickly, and as advertised. It was also a great read! I could hardly put it down throughout. No dead spots. I liked it so much I bought four more. I only wish there were more than that!

It was engaging and had some degree of suspense but I was trying to relate to real happenings and people and it wasn't coming together for me.
I could put it down and I wasn't dying to pick it up again.

This review is for the Tyndale House Publishers paperback edition, 2007, 306 pages. THE LAST JIHAD, first published in 2002, was on the USA Today's Top 150 Best-Selling books list for 18 weeks between December 2002 and November 2003, reaching the peak position of 32. Stuart Woods has four novels on the USA Today best-seller list.

In this story, it's 2010 and the President of the United States, code-named Gambit, is traveling in an impressive motorcade from Denver international airport to his hotel. A kamikaze plane tries to take him out. Ah, it's those terrorists again, and this time there are definitive links to Saddam Hussein. This political thriller then takes us into the presumed workings of the United States government in the decision as to how to best protect its citizens.

Most of the sparkle in this story is in the timing. It was conceived and written post 9/11 but before the second Iraq war, although cognizant of the first. The theme is rich in the justification for a preeminent strike. It is prescient, although not so much of events, but as to the mood and presumptions of post 9/11 America.

Warning! The writing here is unimpressive, below average with strained dialogue that drifts towards speeches.

Rush Limbaugh writes in his cover blurb, "Rosenberg nails it...." Well, in Rosenberg's fictional version the United States and Israel have physical proof that Iraq has Weapons of Mass Destruction and the administration displays this conclusive evidence to the American people. Rosenberg is not an apologist for what happened. Instead, he provides a scenario we could have felt good about.

It is very interesting that this book is about 911 and was ready to go to print on September 11.

This is a book for die-hard ultra right wing - that is a giveaway when you see that the first endorsement on the cover is by Mr. Rush Limbaugh.

The book does have its moments and is an interesting read of an alternate world in what is the worst that could have happened if Saddam was not removed by George Bush!.
But it falls far short of Tom Clancy type tension/ authenticity as in "Sum of all Fears" or factual research of Frederick Forsyth's "Fist of God" - the plot seem labored and its strains to justify the glory and honesty of all thats Right Wing - Neo Con.

Not that i have anything against Republican Right , but this book tries too hard and fails to smell authentic - it reads more like George Bush's "I told you so" diary


So would I recommend it - only if you are a die-hard George Bush fan otherwise your time is better spent on something like "The Teeth of the Tiger" or "The Afghan"

Rosenberg is at least as hot as Clancy. I'm glad I ordered this one along with the next installment, Last Days, because I don't want to wait.

In order to properly enjoy this book in 2007, one has to remember that most of it was written prior to 9-11. Once I accepted this, it wasn't difficult to be caught up on the non-stop action and driving plot of this novel. If Rosenberg's later books are as riveting, I won't be long in reading them all.

Within one minute of picking this book up I was hooked. Great action and scarey to think we're actually living this.

I was worried going into this book that I would not have enough background knowledge on recent developments in terrorism. The overwhelming amount of news on this current topic has caused me to draw away more than be pulled into it. Yet, from the beginning to the end I was riveted by this action packed thriller. I even enjoyed the few bits of politics that remained simple enough for even me to understand. Rosenberg was off on some of his guesses for the future after 9/11, but this doesn't drag down the full impact of the story. Over all I was struck by how exciting this book was. Definitely not the long drawn out political junk that I had originally expected.

I admit it. I purchased the MP3-edition because of the stellar reviews here, but after a few hours I just could not make myself go on. The main characters didn't thrill me and I just was not hooked. Fortunately, I was able to resell the title and get my money back. 1 star.

Purchased for future reading. Tagged it with 1 star, but there was no other option I could give since I have not read it. S. Robertson

It is disappointing to see so many "politicized" reviews of this book. A story should be able to stand on its own whether you are a conservative or a liberal. In "The Last Jihad", Rosenberg starts with an interesting premise about Saddam Hussein exporting terror with the help of some nefarious players. Unfortunately he fails to develop his characters enough that we actually care much about them. The lead character, Jon Bennett, is a Wall Street wunderkind recruited by his former boss, now the President of the United States. We learn a little about his formative years, and then about a few strategic moves he has used to lead his company to investment gold. As the story progresses, Jon experiences a transformation as he begins to understand why some people would lay down their life in the name of the country they love. Unfortunately, this seems to be the only reason I felt any compassion for this character.

Other flaws include the military scenes depicting the use of the F-111 and the F-14 several years after they have been retired from the U.S. inventory and a Seahawk helicopter carrying a SEAL team and a NEST team (max passengers on a HH-60H is 8 with the 50 cal removed). The ultimatum issued by the Israelis to the President seems far-fetched as well.

Overall I gave this book three stars. It was interesting enough to keep my interested, but flawed enough not to recommend it to others, at least not without a warning first.

I'd read all the Left Behind books and saw Joel Rosenburg one night on Glenn Beck, with Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins talking about Iran and Russia, along with the great war of Gog and Magog.
I picked up Rosenburg's first book, "The Last Jihad" and to tell you the truth, I couldn't put it down. My wife got irritated yesterday because I was drawn into the book's twenty or thirty page climax. The storyline sets up for the climax early on, which pulls you on to the last page. We all know what became of Iraq's dictator, Saddam Hussein, but this fictional story had much to offer. I look forward to reading more from Joel Rosenburg in the near future. By the way, this edition has a good sample of Joel's non-fiction book "Epicenter" at the end, that further explains some of the plot fueling this story (no pun intended).

This is a well written book which, in essence, goes nowhere.

From a dramatic perspective it might have worked better had the author started at the end and ended at the beginning.

Espionage thrillers should always have an element of believability, and they should be close enough to real issues that the reader will integrate the external media flows with the internal world created by reading as story. Mr. Rosenberg gives readers a great context in which the protagonist, Bennett, is seen as the ideal international deal maker. The tensions in this book come not only from the expected criminal vs. honest citizen roles, but also from the spiritual crises that provoke Mr. Bennett's fear of losing his empire, his wealth, his power.
For world peace, for love, and for duty to his country, Mr. Bennett risks everything he spent his life building. What a fantastic story!
Some of the quotes are very inciteful:
Pg 23--Single, six feet tall, and an obsessive runner, Bennett had wavy dark hair, grayish-green eyes, and rakish good looks. He was, more important in his mind, smart and sharp and rich--in part because he was stealthy.
Pg 23--To most he was unknown. To the few who knew him outside his own company, he was underestimated. To those who underestimated him, he was considered unimportant. And this gave him precisely the element of surprise he needed to stay one step ahead of the vicious competition.
I really liked this book because it reveals the power of being underestimated.
Jay, of Baghdad Believer

This book is an excellent read! Highly recommended & entertaining! I read the book in less than 2 days and have read it twice! I recommend all of Joel Rosenberg's books, he is an excellent author!

This book is an excellent read! Highly recommended & entertaining! I read the book in less than 2 days and have read it twice! I recommend all of Joel Rosenberg's books, he is an excellent author!

Rosenberg intrigues the reader from the very first chapter with a fast and exciting opening. Written before Gulf War II (and I believe just before 9/11), his novel on the Middle East (particularly events based in Iraq in this story) reads like a contemporary newspaper. This work is the first in a series on the Last Days; each subsequent work eerily matching events in the Middle East before they happen.

In each novel, though less in this first book, the middle chapters tend to not be as fast moving as the first few and last few chapters. Even so, they are all enjoyable, and I look forward to more of his books in this series.

Rosenberg has also written a non-fiction book, "Epicenter" which focuses on actual news events in Iran, Iraq, Israel, and Russia, and where those events may be leading us in light of biblical prophecy. His web blog provides almost daily updates and links to such events. Rosenberg is not an alarmist, nor a typical "end times" prophet of doom. Instead, he paints a portrait of how trends in current events may in fact be the fulfillment of the Book of Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39.

I had this book recommended to me by a family member is is serving in the USMC. This book may be fiction, and by the way is extremely well written, but the reality of what could happen hit home.

Great book!!!

My family enjoyed the plot lines and the Biblical connections that came about from time to time. I originally bought all of Joel's books (5) on audio cds so we could listen to during drive times in the car. I wanted my family to hear some background and achieve another level of understanding with regards to Iraq, Iran, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, the European Union, Israel, and the prophetic possibilties in the Holy Scriptures we call the Bible. We want them to understand why things are happening/playing out the way they are, and why which parties are involved.

Joel's books do this, giving you ideas of possible scenarios with regards to actual Biblical Prophecy. HOWEVER, as soon as we finish each audiobook, we will throw them away. Why? Brother Joel obviously is using the flawed undertaking that in order to reach the "lost" in the world (i.e. non-Believers), we need to put a little sin into something Biblical in order to make it palatible. Sadly, he ignores the Bible's direct explanations that a little leaven leavens the whole loaf. For years we've watched people fall out of the God of Israel's Holiness and play fake Christianity because they were "brought into the fold" by mixed modes of worldy/secular verions of Christianity. People are brought into the fold with a little leaven, and they live their "faith" out with leaven continually existing in various areas of their lives, having no problem with the sins, having no desire to be set-apart/kadosh/holy. Everybody's a Christian, just as long as they profess to be.... The violent content is a bit too discriptive at times for entertainment, though not unthinkable. FREQUENT use of the "hell" swear-word-fashion is quite uncomfortable. Finally, taking the use of "God" as slang term and in emphasis mode for emotive moments that obviously don't involve talking TO or ABOUT God Himself, is unnerving. "Hell" and "God" are used in completely unBiblical manners. Sometimes you'll "hear" both a professing Believer as WELL AS a non-Believer using these terms. Neither is acceptable in books written by Believers. I was quite embarased when it began happening over and over, and so was my family when we heard these books on audio cds. Un-charateristic for a Godly-man, such as Brother Joel professes to be.

Don't buy...violence and swearing/slang/blasphemy are frequent or inappropriate.

Joel Rosenberg has an uncanny way of writing a book and seeing it come true in short order! Perhaps God is using him to warn us? I don't know but his books are excellent.

Once this story got rolling, I couldn't put it down! The first four chapters have a lot of character background mixed in with the adventure, but after that you fly through this high energy, somewhat "intellectual" action thriller. The writer is obviously very educated on everything from foreign policy to politics to wall street to end times prophecy, so even the highly educated reader will be intrigued by the story, yet enough action to keep any reader on the edge of his or her seat.

Joel has written four novels from his political and theological experience which are superb. I have read the "Last Jihad", the "Last Days", the "Eziekel Option", and the "Copper Scroll" and would highly recommend them for entertainment or to understand the current problems in the Middle East. He bases his work on 1000's of years old prophecies found in the book of Ezekiel in the Bible. The books reveal how it could unfold and come true. His writings have helped me understand Ezekiel better. Joel's style of writing could be comapred to a cross of Tom Clancy and Tim LaHaye.

This is the only way this country ever wins another war. This is why America will probably never win another war. It is sad but true. The dialogue between the Secretary of State and the President on pages 248-249 will go down in history as why America will never again win a war. We are hamstrung by our own internal disgust for ourselves and we lash out at Americans before we lash out at people who murder and target innocents. For America not to attack mosques because they are a 'religious' place is absolutely pathetic. When Al-Sadr and his followers were hiding in that mosque and massing weapons and bomb making material, we should have sent in about 4 daisy-cutters to get rid of them...instead, we 'watch' it. How long will the souls of the USS Cole, the African embassies, and September 11th cry out before we avenge them completely? Forever, I am saddened to say.

Other than that, the book is riveting. If you like the DaVinci Code, you will love all of Rosenberg'g novels. Cut straight from the politics of our time, he weaves a story; line, hook, and sinker!

Not too long ago on C-Span's weekend program, Book TV, Joel C. Rosenberg stated that he was an evangelical Christian from a Jewish background and that he was a Republican. Immediately thereafter, reviews of his book "The Last Jihad" started claiming that this book was nothing more than "Jews For Jesus" propaganda.

This is entirely wrong. A count of the references to "God" or "Jesus" is infinitesimal, less than last week's soap opera "Passions". Although one of Rosenberg's characters is an committed Christian, another promoted the viewpoints of the Progressive Democratic Association. True, there were three references to Biblical verses but none were out of context or put in to proselytize. All in all, I see the detractors of this book were just attempting to put forth their own agendas, perhaps without having read the book.

In his writing style for this type of novel, Rosenberg is masterful. All of his sentences are concise, pristine and in no way does one ever have to double back to understand what he was saying. His style is that of Tom Clancy in which the action is tracked by jumping back and forth between various characters to show what's happening to each of them in the same moment of time. He does this sometimes with expanded scenes and other times with single paragraph scenes. This way of writing moves the plot along rapidly.

Now, as to the story: this book is pure fantasy. Having been written in the year 2000, it does not take into account any of the history since then. Set in 2010, it is based on the premise that Saddam Hussein is still in power in Iraq. He attempts to assassinate the US president and that situation that leads to an invasion in Iraq. There has been some question about Rosenberg being clairvoyant as the assassin's weapon of choice is a hijacked airplane diving into the president's motorcade.

It took me some while to get over the fantasy aspect of the plot but once I adjusted my thinking to accept when the book was written and ignored actual historical events since 2000, I found it a good read. I don't quite know why my mind refused to accept the fantasy of the plot for I have no problem accepting the fantasies of W.E.B. Griffin's works - but I did.

With a title like this, you know that some politics are bound to be involved, and with a title like "The Last Jihad", there better be some action. I decided to take my chances. I wasn't disappointed either. When you think of a political thriller, almost immediately the name "Clancy" springs to life. I've tried to get into Clancy numerous times, yet most of the time it fails to keep my interest. "The Cardinal of the Kremlin" was my favorite by him, but he still doesn't capture my interest too much. So when it comes to the "political thriller" or whatever you call it, I've stuck with no-namers, and Oliver North. Then I tried this. Joel C. Rosenberg wasn't what stuck out. Like I said above, it was the title. It wasn't all that bad. I certainly don't agree with those that said this was a complete waste of time. Too long and drawn out in some parts, but it left a big mark, and a lasting impression. It was worth taking the journey.

To start this tale with an attempted presidential assassination was crazy. And it got wilder and a lot crazier! Who could possibly be behind that? Iraq, right? Enter Jon Bennett, friend of the president! Things are to be discussed, and nuclear war is really being pondered. The name Saddam comes into play a time or two. But it really gets interesting when you hear of "the four horsemen of the Apocolypse". Oh man! Yes, this really gets crazy, and things start going nuts! The other thing going for this is the hope of what we really don't know. This sparkles with good stuff, and it shines a bright light in the midst of a lot of darkness.

Unfortunately, this isn't something that everybody is going to go GA-GA over. I liked it though, and I look forward to reading Rosenberg in the future. He certainly proved he has a knack for putting words on paper. He probably thought it was really cute to have the readers going up until that last and final page. So, what happens when you get to that LAST page? You go out and look for "The Last Days", of course! Because after this, I KNOW I haven't seen the LAST of Joel C. Rosenberg.